The American Rose Society (ARS) considers 'Modern Roses' to be any rose belonging to a class introduced after 1867, year that 'La France' was introduced.  This pivitol rose is generally (although not universally) considered to be the first Hybrid Tea and the harbinger of a monumental shift in the way roses were bred, grown and enjoyed.

In this section you will find:

Climbing Roses:  These are roses that grow long canes, suitably for growing as large shrubs, on fences and walls or even into trees.  Climbing 'sports' (spontaneous mutations) of other Modern Roses will have the word 'Climbing' preceding the name; climbing roses that are not 'sports' will not.

English Roses:  Considered Shrub Roses by the ARS, this name 'English Roses' is a marketing moniker for a group of roses bred by David Austin of England.  Originally crosses between Old Garden Roses and Modern Roses, the goal was to combine the flower form, fragrance and disease resistance of OGRs with the free blooming habit of the Modern Rose.

English-Style Roses:  The wild sucess of the English Roses has spawned something of a revolution in the world of rose breeding.  This group is comprised of several lines of roses from many different breeders that share many traits in common with the English Roses.  The roses in this group are classified as Hybrid Teas, Floribundas, Shrubs etc.

Floribundas:   Originally created from crosses between Hybrid Teas and Polyanthas, these are called Cluster-Flowered Roses outside the USA.  This class is known to be prolific bloomers.  The plants are generally shorter, shrubbier and better suited to landscaping applications than Hybrid Teas.  The blooms themselves are generally smaller than Hybrid Teas and bloom in sprays rather than the one-to-a-stem form.

Hybrid Teas:  Originating with 'La France', the early Hybrid Teas were generally crosses between Tea Roses and Hybrid Perpetuals.  From the Tea rose comes the flower form that so many people consider the quintessential rose form; the Hybrid Perpetual contributed the strong, straight stems and upright growth form.  I am avidly collecting older Hybrid Teas, for they more closely resemble their Tea Rose ancestors in form and fragrance.

Shrub Roses:   This classification has become something of a 'catch all' for roses that can't seem to find a home with one of the other classes.  In general, Shrub Roses make good landscape plants and are more disease resistant and hardy than many other roses. I have lumped the Hybrid Musks in with the Shrub roses.