Generally, roses developed since that time are called 'modern,' and roses that existed before then are 'old'. Some roses hybridized after 1867 but whose parents are classified as Old Garden Roses may also be included in that category. Hybrid Perpetual 'Reine des Violettes' Old Garden Roses include the complex hybrids called Bourbon, Damask, Gallica, Centifolia, Portland, Hybrid Rugosa, Musk, Hybrid Perpetual, Macrantha, Alba, Spinosissima, and Moss roses, among others. Some flower only once a year while others, especially the Hybrid Perpetuals flower more often. Many of these old roses, unlike most modern Hybrid Teas and Floribundas become large shrubs with stout woody canes.
Old roses offer a great variety of flower form and color and even variation in leaf shape and color.
Some have single flowers with only one row of petals, others have hundreds of delicately crimped and folded petals. Others are exquisitely fragrant, a trait which has been lost in many modern roses and is now being bred back into the newest Hybrid Teas and Floribundas. Many are also more winter hardy and less likely to require protection that some modern roses. Some of the old roses, such as the Hybrid Rugosas, produce attractive fruits, called rose hips. Some of these fruits remain on the rose bushes all winter, providing color even in the coldest months.