Guaranteed Gardening: Easy Elegance® Takes the Risk Out of Roses 

I think it is safe to say that most homeowners, even those who consider themselves gardeners, think growing roses is too difficult.  I will be the first to admit that growing traditional hybrid tea roses can be a pain in the butt here in the northwest.  You need an arsenal of fungicides, insecticides, careful pruning skills and a bit of good luck with the weather to be successful. 

Over the years breeders have attempted to give us roses that are disease free in our moist marine climate but in most cases we have had to settle for smaller floribunda-type flowers that lack the long-stem hybrid tea look we all covet in a rose bush.  Some of you may remember the “Simplicity” roses that Jackson and Perkins introduced years ago that were supposed to be easy to grow.  I planted a couple dozen of them around my church about 15 years ago and they never fail to get black spot every year!  So much for easy care.

Other “shrub” or “landscape” roses are on the market that do indeed do very well for us here.  But again, these mostly have smaller flowers and I prefer to think of them as ever-blooming shrubs that have rose-like flowers.  They are not “roses” in the sense that most gardeners think of roses.

Now all that is about to change.   Bailey Nurseries, a large wholesale nursery located in Minnesota but with additional growing grounds in Oregon is supplying nurseries in our area with a series of roses called Easy Elegance.  These aren’t your grandmother’s roses. Each plant in the Easy Elegance Collection is as simple to grow as any flowering shrub. There are no more worries about constant pampering or the use of chemicals to keep the plant healthy. Easy Elegance roses are low-maintenance, hardy, disease-resistant plants that bloom all season long.  And they look like hybrid teas too.

Bailey Nurseries is so confident about these roses that they have introduced the first ever 2 year guarantee beginning this year.  Homeowners who purchase and plant

any Easy Elegance rose will enjoy spectacular color and season-long blooms GUARANTEED. If the plant doesn’t thrive for two years, Bailey Nurseries will refund the purchase price.

Here is some additional information straight from their website: 

Research shows “Our goal is to take the fear out of growing roses,” says Jonathan Pederson, Brand Development Manager at Bailey Nurseries. “We know that anyone who plants Easy Elegance roses will have great results. We’re so confident in the quality of our roses, we’re standing behind our plants with the industry’s first rose guarantee.” 

Internationally recognized rose hybridizer Ping Lim is developing this next generation of roses. Ping’s breeding work continues to reach new heights in form and fragrance. Easy Elegance roses are not simply own-root shrub roses, but rather complex crosses combining the beauty of Tea roses with the hardiness and easy-care features of proven rose varieties. Only the strongest plants survive Ping Lim’s tough love. There are no chemicals used in the breeding or evaluation programs, absolutely none. In fact, years before selection into the Easy Elegance Rose program they undergo rigorous testing. This includes purposely inviting diseases such as powdery mildew and black spot. Any rose that shows signs of disease is quickly eliminated from the program. “With our two-year guarantee, we’ve taken away the risks,” adds Pedersen. “Now there are no reasons to doubt and no more excuses for not growing roses.” 

The Easy Elegance Rose Collection guarantee covers residential plantings for two full years from the purchase date. 

There’s no question in my mind that June in the northwest is rose month.   Nurseries everywhere have hundreds of them that are all coming into bloom; hybrid teas, grandifloras, floribundas, climbers, old English just to name a few, and now Easy Elegance roses.  If you have avoided roses up to this point because you thought they were too high maintenance then hesitate no more.  Bailey Nurseries has saved the day.  Now you can enjoy the beauty of a hybrid tea rose on a completely disease free plant. 

After all, what have you got to loose?  They’re guaranteed for Pete’s sake!