June 22, 2007 : Prairie Joy Rose

I think Prairie Joy is a somewhat underplanted rose for northern climates. It came out of the Morden Research Station in Canada prior to the Parkland Series of roses, which are commonly called the Morden Roses.

Its flowers have a wonderful form, and its foliage is lush and disease resistant. It seems to be nearly as hardy as William Baffin, which means it barely dies back at all in our Zone 3 winters. Although every description talks about "arching canes," which in my mind means scraggly, this plant in our gardens has a wonderfully dense, shrub-like shape. Perhaps if you just prune off the arching canes you can keep a nice shape.

This rose, because of its hardiness and disease resistance, would make a great hedge. The only disadvantage is that it is light on the rebloom. Its main flush in June is spectacular, but there might just be a few flowers here and there for the remainder of the summer.