16 Popular Types of Roses to Beautify Your Garden

A rose by any other name....would still be a rose! But, boy, are there a ton of varieties out there. Garden, knockout, heirloom, tea—there are more than 150 species to choose from and thousands of hybrids. So how do you know which rose is for you? Well, most specialists divide roses into three main categories: Wild Roses, Old Garden Roses, and Modern Garden Roses.

The most common roses in today's gardens are Modern Roses. These are varieties bred after 1867. Unlike Old Garden Roses, Modern Roses bloom throughout the the season. They generally have a larger bloom size, but some say they lack the hardiness, disease resistance, and fragrance of Old Garden roses.

Old Garden Roses have been in existence since before 1867 and are sometimes referred to as "heritage" or "historic" roses. They have a notably strong fragrance, double-flowered blooms, and tend to be highly disease-resistant. They typically only bloom once per season.

Wild Roses, or "Species Roses," are the wildflower of the rose world. These are roses that haven’t been hybridized (cross-bred with other plants). They usually have single-bloom, 5-petal flowers, and are almost always pink. Finding a white or red wild rose is an anomaly and a yellow one is even rarer.

Depending on what you choose, roses can be quite easy to care for. Of course, you'll have to learn how to prune roses, and it might be nice to learn how to grow roses from cuttings, too. If you're planning an English garden design—or really any kind of garden design—roses are a must. Read on for more about 15 different kinds of roses you should consider.