Green Roses

Green roses are an unusual and exotic flower. Many people have interest in these, especially around St. Patrick's Day! They can be produced in one of two ways. They can be dyed, which is done to get a deep green color. However, certain roses, when planted and tended right, can produce a green tint in the right circumstances. They can be tough roses to establish and they tend to grow spindly. It's probably not a great task for the beginning gardener. If you can get them to thrive they would be a great talking piece for your garden for sure!

Here are some of the major varieties:

The Green Rose
Also called the Rosa chinensis viridiflora, this is probably the most popular type, or at least the oldest one on record. It is very unusual. It does not have petals! Rather, instead of blossoms there are sepals that are green tinted.

The history on this rose is a little vague. It was reported to have been bred around 1743 but not fully revealed until 1856. It was originally bred in the United Kingdom.

Unfortunately, it does not fair well in cold climates and its rated from zones 6 to 10. However, it is relatively disease resistant.

Green Diamond

This is a miniature. Many gardeners report that it is a good bloomer and will often repeat throughout the season. It gets its best green tint in a shady spot.

Green Ice

This is actually a miniature white rose but, under the right circumstances in a nice shady spot, can bloom with a soft green tint. Planting them in a sunny spot will result in a more common white color.

Greensleeves
Another breed from the UK, its a small floribunda (under 3 feet) with clustered blooms. You will see white and an occasional green tinted flower. It is nearly scentless but does bloom repeatedly.

Some other types include the Green Planet, St. Patrick, Jade, and Lime Sublime roses.