Types of Roses

The rose is perhaps the most iconic of all the world's flowers, being the go-to flower for holidays, celebrations and special occasions. Most know that they come in a range of colors like red, pink, white and yellow. But the variety of roses goes much deeper than that.

The American Rose Society categorizes roses in three distinct groupings: Species Roses, Old Garden Roses, Modern Roses. Species Roses are also known as Wild Roses and are the oldest and most pure of rose types. They are those flowers which grew in the wild before people began experimenting with cross-pollination and mixing rose types. Old Garden Roses are those which were cultivated before 1867. 1867 is the year that the first hybrid tea rose, called "La France" was created. Roses that were cultivated after 1867 are known as Modern Garden Roses.

Beyond these three main categorizations, there are many more types and classes of roses. The different types depend on where they originated and on their heritage - the mix and cultivation of different species that combined to make each new type. Here is a list of many different types of roses:

Ancient Cultivated Roses

Alba Roses

Centifolia Roses

Chinese Roses

China Rose

Tea Rose

Damask Roses

Gallica Roses

Old Garden Roses

Agathe Roses

Bourbon Roses

Boursault Roses

Hybrid Perpetual Roses

Moss Roses

Noisette Roses

Pernetiana Roses

Polyantha Roses

Portland Roses

Turbinata Roses

Modern Roses

Buck Roses

Canadian Roses

Canadian Artist Roses

Explorer Roses

Parkland Roses

Prairie Roses

Climber Roses

EarthKind Roses

English Roses

Floribunda Roses

Flower Carpet Roses

Grandiflora Roses

Ground Cover Roses

Hybrid Tea Roses

Jackson Perkins Roses

Knockout Roses

Kordesii Roses

Meilland Roses

Miniature Roses

Musk Roses

Paul Barden Roses

Pillar Roses

Poulson Roses

Rambler Roses

Rugosa Roses

Shrub Roses

Sub-zero Roses

Tree Roses