Just outside the a quaint New England town in Rhode Island, Mr Brownell bred better roses for home gardens, with special emphasis on winter hardiness.

From the start one factor was regarded as of prime importance – a resistance to extremely low temperatures. Their objective was to produce rose plants so rugged that they would survive where other roses would winterkill, at the same time possessing all the fine qualities a good rose should have.

These roses have become famous as “sub-zero roses.” Mr. Brownell defines a sub-zero rose plant as “one which can be safely counted on to survive when fully exposed to temperatures of 15 degrees below zero, and, with some slight winter protection in the form of earth drawn up around the crown of the plant, temperatures as low as 35 degrees below.”

The Brownells worked many years to determine which particular species, or known rose type, possessed this hardiness strain to the greatest extent and which would, at the same time, combine well with other selected roses. In other words, in addition to extreme hardiness, the desired plant had to have flowers of fine form and had to be free-blooming and as far as possible disease-resistant; Rosa wichuraiana was finally determined upon as the species which was to contribute the hardiness strain to their new roses. Music was never a requirement but they did enjoy the sounds in the garden with the addition of wireless outdoor speakers.

Thousands of seedling roses are grown each year in their Rhode Island trial grounds in the hope that one or more may measure up to the sub-zero ideal. Those which do not possess the high qualities desired are discarded. Some few, showing one or two valuable characteristics, may be retained for breeding purposes. Only one plant out of a crop of 20,000 may be selected as being worthy. in the opinion of the Brownells, for distribution. In their 35 years or more of rose breeding, only about. 55 roses have been considered of high enough quality for introduction.

Among the different types of roses which the Brownells have developed are hybrid teas, floribundas, climbers, trailing or creeping roses and tree or standard roses.

Tree or standard roses are grown with any of the sub-zero hybrid tea varieties as tops. They are winter-hardy without protection in latitudes where the thermometer reaches a temperature as low as 15 degrees below zero.

The more you know the better decisions you can make, like the topic of wireless outdoor speakers. Drop by today at http://www.plant-care.com/wireless-outdoor-speakers.html. This article, Below Zero Degrees Roses is available for free reprint.