In The Garden Now ….. Climbing Dortmund Rose

Rosa Dortmund

A Red, Red Rose…..

By Robert Burns

My love is like a red, red rose 

That's newly sprung in June: 

My love is like the melody 

That's sweetly played in tune.

How fair art thou, my bonnie lass, 

So deep in love am I; 

And I will love thee still, my dear, 

Till all the seas gang dry.

Till all the seas gang dry, my dear, 

And the rocks melt with the sun;

I will love thee still, my dear, 

While the sands of life shall run.

And fare thee weel, my only love. 

And fare thee weel awhile! 

And I will come again, my love, 

Though it were ten thousand mile.”

Text and photos by Victoria Gilleland

From Opening Buds to Winter Rose Hips .... a year round performer

Whenever I see the first red rose of the season I think of my Scottish mother and her favorite poem, Robert Burn’s ode to “A Red, Red Rose.” I'm very fortunate to have discovered a red rose that I can grow beautifully in my shady garden! Dortmund is a gorgeous single seriously red rose with just one layer of ruffled petals that overlap each other.

For the past 20 years, this rose has done exceptionally well in a street side border. I originally planted it near the street to cover the stump of a Big Leaf Maple tree. The rose along with a Huckleberry Bush completely covers the stump in spite of the fact that growing conditions are not ideal and water has been hard to come by in the area. Because the rose is planted near the street and there aren't so many trees nearby, it enjoys several hours of morning sun which is a real plus. Although this is a “climbing rose,” I’m not growing it on an upright arch or trellis but spread parallel to the ground close to eye level. This promotes lots of spurs or upright canes on which flowers form and puts the flowers at the perfect level for viewing.

Rose hips in winter

We enjoy dozens of large red flowers for many weeks each summer. The first bloom time in spring or early summer brings on the most blossoms in our garden. An added bonus is lovely red rose hips that form at the end of summer to decorate the plant through winter. This is an easy to grow drought tolerant plant that provides garden color and interest for many months of the year.

If you're looking for color in the late spring and summer garden and might enjoy rose hips in winter watch for showy bright red Dortmund Climbing Rose! It’s a knockout!

Botanical Name: Rosa Dortmund

Victoria Gilleland is the owner of Cottage Garden Designs, a Garden Design company specializing in Redesign of Residential Gardens, Garden Consultation and Coaching. She has been designing gardens in the northwest for over 20 years.