Rose Garden Ideas That Will Beautify Your Yard

If you have lots of space and like the structure of formal gardens, then you may want to try the classic rose garden.

To do this, arrange the rose beds in geometric patterns with pathways in between.

Use a variety of rose colors and types (hybrid teas, floribundas, and grandifloras).

Then add a central fountain or statue for a focal point.

I think these are one of best places to use hybrid tea roses.

Their branches and shape look quite architectural in this structured setting. (They often look awkward and out of place in more casual gardens.)

And they have enough room to breathe so they are less likely to get diseases.

For a structured look without quite so many roses, try a formal garden that uses them as accents.

This garden picture uses standard roses as part of the geometric design. But fills the beds with other perennials.

Then repeats the bloom color with flowers in the focal point planter.

And finally adds climbing roses over the pergolas at the back of the garden to draw your eye all the way to the back.

If you like a more casual look, then incorporating roses in a cottage garden may be what you’re looking for.

In this design, mix shrub roses with other perennials and annuals for a charming, informal look.

Companion plants such as lavender, foxgloves, and delphiniums provide color and textural contrast.

You can also include climbers over arbors, pergolas and fences.

For a similar look on a smaller scale, you can create a border along pathways, driveways, or property lines using roses.

Use shrub roses or hedge roses for a continuous border.

Or combine them with other perennials to add extra interest.

In either case, mix different heights and colors for visual interest.

To make any entrance stand out, try training climbing roses over an arbor.

Choosing fragrant varieties means you’ll smell their beautiful perfume every time you walk under it.

I used ‘Zepherine Drouhin’ for the arbor over my front walkway since it doesn’t have any thorns (so it doesn’t catch on clothing as people walk by). But ‘New Dawn’ or ‘Eden’ are also good choices.

Planting roses along a fence is a great way to create a stunning showpiece along your property line.

They can either transform a plain or ugly fence into something special.

Or enhance the look of a pretty fence even more.

Climbing roses can be tied to the structure where you want them to go.

While bush roses will add color from the ground up along the inside or outside of the fence.

For small gardens (such as my front yard), growing climbing roses on trellises adds vertical interest and lets you add more of them to your landscape.

And you don’t have to stick to the ones that lean up against the wall.

Freestanding structures installed in garden beds create great backdrops.

If you have an ugly wall you want to hide, there’s nothing more spectacular than a fragrant climbing rose to do so.

Especially if the wall is beside a sidewalk, where you will smell the scent every time you walk by.

Since roses can’t climb walls on their own, you’ll have to install trellises or a wire support system along the wall to keep them in place.

Roses can also be used as a hedge or privacy screen.

To do this, choose robust, bushy varieties like ‘Rugosa’ or ‘Knock Out’.

Or go for something different like a row of standard roses.

Then decide how you want to position them. A linear pattern is the traditional way to plant a hedge. But a staggered pattern will cover a wider area.

To cover large areas and prevent weeds, plant low-growing landscape roses such as ‘Flower Carpet’ or ‘Drift’.

They can be grown on their own.

But mixing them with other ground covers will add texture and interest.

Standard roses are an interesting way to add height to your garden.

They are literally a rose bush that has been grafted to a small trunk. So they bloom a few feet off the ground.

The shape almost looks like a topiary but with a more relaxed form.

To create year-round interest, combine roses with evergreen shrubs.

You can re-create a portion of the formal garden look by planting a rose bed surrounded by low, clipped boxwood hedge.

Or grow roses in front of the evergreens so the greenery provides a contrasting backdrop to the colorful blooms.

If you have a statue, planter or large vase in your garden, planting a large rose bush or climber behind it is one way to make sure it stands out.

Pick a bloom color that contrasts with your garden art and your focal point will really pop.

You can also use the roses themselves as the focal point.

Install an obelisk or trellis in a central location in your garden.

Then plant a showstopper rose to grow up it.

It will immediately attract attention.

Since roses have such beautiful flowers and fragrance, it’s a shame not to enjoy them.

Which is why I love to put a garden bench nearby. So you have a place to sit and smell the flowers.

Or even better, put the bench under an arbor or pergola and grow the rose over the top. That way you’ll be surrounded with their beauty.

I first saw roses growing along ropes hung between poles on a British garden tour a few years ago.

And I thought it was a very creative way to add height and interest.

You’ll need to find a climbing rose that grows vigorously in your area. Then tie it onto the pole and string as it grows.

Add some lights to it and it would be absolutely magical at night.

There is something enchanting and romantic about water features in the garden.

Which is why I think they look so good with roses.

Surround a water feature, like a pond or fountain, with rose bushes and you will immediately have a beautiful focal point for your yard.