No Rose Without a Thorn
- Julia Watson
- Feb 9
- 3 min read
"There is no rose without a thorn, but many a thorn without a rose."
That's a quote from Alfred Schopenhauer, who was a philosopher, not a gardener. I know what it means - be thankful for what you have, focus on the good in everything. But after pruning all my roses, I'm inclined to say, "A curse on roses and all their wicked thorns!"
I have 35 roses, a modest number for a flower farmer but a respectable sum for a city garden. Every year I try to get them all pruned in January. This year, like every year, I'm scratched up by the time I'm done, even though I wear gloves and long sleeves. So today I'm thinking about the roses I have and wondering if there are roses with fewer thorns.
The thorniest roses I grow are Snowfire, my husband's favorite, and Eyepaint, the rose I've used in so many paintings. Snowfire will stay in my garden; it seems healthy and my husband loves it. But Eyepaint? I wonder if I should take it out. I noticed that it has some dead canes, and no new ones starting, so I'm thinking of letting it die. Why not enjoy it in my paintings and stop letting it wound me?
Rose Eyepaint in real life and in my paintings. Clockwise from upper left: Eyepaint trained to form an arch; Oil painting "Summertime": Eyepaint roses in a vase on my stovetop; Oil painting "Wild Roses"
I'll think about Eyepaint until pruning time next year. In the meantime, I've come up with a list of nearly thornless roses; maybe you can use these ideas in your own garden.
Reine des Violettes I once grew Reine des Violettes, but gave up on it because the blooms were so fragile - they shattered if you passed by the plant too close, leaving only a puddle of petals on the ground, so they were useless as cut flowers. The scent was amazing, but not enough to make up for the fall-apart flowers.
Queen of Sweden I saw this David Austin rose at the Chelsea Flower Show last year, and I noticed right away that it had tall, straight stems with virtually no thorns. I may need to add it to my garden.
Iceberg I used to dislike this one; too common! But when I became a flower farmer/farmer florist, I came to appreciate it. The blooms last in the vase better than most roses, and that's a big plus. I may have to plant a couple of these.
Gold Medal I grew this one long ago, and I have to say it was beautiful.
Veilchenblau A ramble rose - I once grew it, but it's not a robust plant, so I replaced it with the much stronger Sally Holmes. Veilchenblau is a unique and beautiful color, and you might like it.
Lady Banksia We grow the white version and it's stunning. But you need a lot of room for this climbing rose. It can literally break down an arbor as it grows. And grows and grows ...
Cécile Brünner A charming climber with pink "sweetheart rose" blooms.
Otta the Blue Fragrant!! I still grown this one, and I recommend it, although the blooms shatter in the same way as Reine des Violettes.
Smooth Prince I don't know this rose from personal experience, but I couldn't resist the name!
If you have favorite thornless roses, let me know in the comments, but for the most part I think thorns have to be the price we pay for the beauty and the fragrance of roses. In other words, let's be thankful for what we have.
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