Roses are fixtures in gardens worldwide, celebrated for their fragrance and beauty. Pollinators, including bees, butterflies, and hoverflies, play a significant role in maintaining garden health and biodiversity. Whether these insects benefit from roses depends entirely on the variety planted. Some roses provide essential sustenance, while others offer little more than a colorful display.
The Pollinator Problem with Modern Roses
Many commercially popular roses, such as Hybrid Teas and Floribundas, have been bred primarily for aesthetic qualities like bloom size and petal count. This intensive breeding process favors the “double-petal” look, fundamentally altering the flower’s structure. These double-flowered varieties can have 70 or more petals, which are modified versions of the plant’s reproductive organs.
The excessive number of petals physically obscures the flower’s center, making the stamens and nectar inaccessible to insects. The focus on petal production often reduces or eliminates the production of pollen and nectar entirely. These resource-limited flowers are “sterile” from a pollinator’s perspective, providing little protein (pollen) or energy (nectar) for foraging bees. A bee attempting to forage on a densely packed rose expends energy without gaining a reward.
Essential Features That Attract Pollinators
For any flower to be an effective pollinator resource, it must offer a visible and accessible reward. Pollen, which is rich in protein, is collected by bees to feed their larvae. Nectar provides the sugary liquid necessary for insect energy. The presence and quality of these resources determine a flower’s value to insects.
Physical characteristics like color and fragrance signal pollinators toward the food source. Bees are particularly drawn to blue, yellow, and purple, and they are attracted to the yellow centers of roses. Fragrance often indicates a higher nectar content and can invite insects across greater distances. The most important physical trait is an open center, which allows easy access to the golden stamens without navigating dense petals.
Choosing Pollinator-Friendly Rose Varieties
Gardeners should select roses that retain the simple, open structure of their wild ancestors to support local insect populations. The most beneficial roses are single-petaled (having only five petals) or semi-double varieties (five to fifteen petals). This simple structure ensures the stamens are fully exposed, making the resources easy to reach.
Species Roses, often called Wild Roses, are excellent choices because they have not been bred for ornamental qualities that sacrifice function. Examples include Rosa rugosa (Japanese Rose) and Rosa canina (Dog Rose). Both feature single, fragrant blooms that provide abundant pollen and produce rose hips that benefit wildlife. Shrub Roses and certain Old Garden Roses also frequently fit the criteria of having open hearts.
When shopping, look for varieties described as having an open-cupped or simple structure, where the yellow or gold cluster of stamens is clearly visible. Specific pollinator-friendly hybrid varieties include ‘Ballerina,’ a semi-double hybrid musk rose, and ‘Mutabilis,’ a China rose with single blooms. Selecting these functional varieties ensures the rose provides a continuous food source throughout its long flowering season.