Bare root season is just around the corner. Here is a peek at next year’s new roses. My list of “must-have” roses just got longer, because some of these roses are going to be hard to resist.
Hybrid teas
‘Cherries & Champagne’ is a Meilland rose introduced by Star Roses. The blooms offer a unique color-changing effect that transitions from red to pink with a pale yellow to cream petal reverse. The rose has a sweet fragrance.
‘Cherries & Champagne’ is a Meilland rose introduced by Star Roses. The 50-petal-count blooms offer a unique color-changing effect that transitions from red to pink with a pale yellow to cream petal reverse. The rose has a sweet fragrance and glossy foliage and exhibits above-average disease resistance.
‘Make Me Blush,’ introduced by Weeks Roses, has a moderate fruity scent. The elegant 25- to 40-petal blooms are a soft yellow with a coral-pink blush.
(Weeks Roses)
‘Make Me Blush,’ introduced by Weeks Roses and hybridized by Tom Carruth, has a moderate fruity scent. The elegant 25- to 40-petal blooms are a soft yellow with a coral-pink blush and are borne on long stems. The foliage is glossy, and the tall plant has very good disease resistance.
‘Romantica Ball Gown’ is a Meilland rose in the Romantica series and is introduced by Star Roses. The 100-petal lush pink blooms are intensely fragrant with a classic rose scent with notes of powder. The plant is tall, upright and bushy and exhibits vigorous growth and excellent disease resistance across the country.
‘Romantica Ball Gown’ is a Meilland rose introduced by Star Roses. The 100-petal lush pink blooms are intensely fragrant with a classic rose scent with notes of powder.
(Star Roses)
There are two hybrid teas hybridized by Ping Lim and introduced by Altman Plants in the ‘True Bloom’ series. Ping Lim roses are known for their excellent disease resistance.
‘True Bliss’ has pink 25-petaled blooms that are high-centered with a wonderfully sweet fragrance on a 5-foot-tall rose.
‘True Harmony’ has 70-petal pink blooms that have a mild spice scent. This 4-foot medium bush is an American Rose Trials for Sustainability (ARTS) winner and is covered throughout the season with exceptionally sized blooms.
‘Miss Manners,’ introduced by Weeks Roses, has moderate fruit- and spice-scented, old-fashioned, cuppy medium pink blooms.
(Weeks Roses)
Grandiflora
‘Quest For Zest’ is hybridized by Christian Bédard and introduced by Weeks Roses. The pointed buds open to large, spiraled, elegant 30- to 40-petal yellow blooms that have lighter colored outer petals. The bush is medium tall and upright and bears its strongly fragrant citrus and fruity blooms on medium-length stems. The very glossy foliage has very good disease resistance. Note that this rose has two fabulous rose parents, ‘Secret’ and ‘Julia Child.’
‘Miss Manners,’ introduced by Weeks Roses and hybridized by Tom Carruth, has moderate fruit- and spice-scented, old-fashioned, cuppy medium pink blooms that have a 40- to 60-petal count. The blooms are mostly single and borne on medium-long stems. This medium bush has dark, glossy foliage and has very good disease resistance.
‘Desert Sky’ is a Meilland rose introduced by Star Roses. The brick orange blooms have undertones of mauve and cedar and are described as having the depth of a West Coast sunset.
(Star Roses)
Floribundas
‘Desert Sky’ is a Meilland rose introduced by Star Roses. The brick orange 34-petal blooms have undertones of mauve and cedar and are described as having the depth of a West Coast sunset. The blooms’ light fragrance is reminiscent of cinnamon. The compact bush is vigorous and an abundant bloomer.
‘Powderpuff Pink’ is a Dr. James Sproul rose introduced by Star Roses. Reminiscent of peonies, the 45- to 50-petal electric pink, moderately fragrant blooms grow in clusters.
(Star Roses)
‘Powderpuff Pink’ is a Dr. James Sproul rose introduced by Star Roses. Reminiscent of peonies, the 45- to 50-petal electric pink, moderately fragrant blooms grow in clusters. The plant is compact and has a very good rebloom.
There are three floribundas hybridized by Ping Lim and introduced by Altman Plants USA in the ‘True Bloom’ series:
‘True Affection’ has 30-petal dark pink blooms with orange centers and a peppery fragrance. The compact, rounded plant is an American Garden Rose Selections (AGRS) award winner for its excellent performance.
‘True Darling’ has yellow 30-petal blooms. The compact plant blooms prolifically throughout the season and has disease resistant and glossy foliage.
‘True Joy’ has spicy scented, 50-petal gold-colored blooms that pop against the plant’s dark, glossy foliage. This 5-foot plant is an ARTS award winner for performance and has strong disease resistance.
‘Cosmic Clouds,’ introduced by Weeks Roses, has open to full, cuppy, medium-sized blooms that are produced in large clusters on long stems and have a strong fruity fragrance.
Shrub roses
‘Cosmic Clouds,’ hybridized by Christian Bédard and introduced by Weeks Roses, has open to full, cuppy, medium-size blooms. The 70- to 85-petaled blooms are produced in large clusters on long stems and have a strong, fruity fragrance. The medium-tall bushy shrub can be trained as a climber and has glossy foliage and very good disease resistance.
‘Pink Freedom,’ hybridized by Christian Bédard and introduced by Weeks Roses, has pink, slightly fruity, medium-size 10- to 15-petal blooms that flower in clusters on medium-length stems. The glossy foliage has excellent disease resistance. This compact rose is an ARTS award winner.
‘Easy Bee-zy Knock Out,’ hybridized and introduced by Star Roses, has eight-petal, bright yellow blooms that have longlasting color. The stamen display is alluring to pollinators.
(Star Roses)
‘Easy Bee-zy Knock Out,’ hybridized and introduced by Star Roses, has 8-petal bright yellow blooms that have long-lasting color. The stamen display is alluring to pollinators. The plant is vigorous and demonstrates excellent resistance to black spot.
‘Orange Glow Knock Out’ is a Will Radler rose introduced by Star Roses. The orange blooms display shades of coral, yellow and pink throughout the cuplike 25-petal blooms. The rose has incredible rust resistance and has standout performance especially on the West Coast.
‘Flavorette Honey-Apricot,’ hybridized by Pheno Geno and introduced by Spring Meadow Nursery/Proven Winners, is the first in a new edible rose series. The 80-petal large, rounded peach blooms have a light, sweet, fruity fragrance and flavor and can be added to salads and desserts.
Rose pruning workshop
January is the month we prune our roses in San Diego. Come learn how, with help from San Diego Rose Society experts.
‘Oso Easy Ice Bay’ hybridized by Pheno Geno and introduced by Spring Meadow Nursery/Proven Winners, is a white 18- to 20-petal continuously blooming rose with dark leaves and wonderful disease resistance.
‘Rise Up Emberays,’ hybridized by Pheno Geno and introduced by Spring Meadow Nursery/Proven Winners, has large orange blooms that have a yellow eye and a 15- to 20-petal count. This shrub rose is a top performer in rose trials, has dark green, very clean foliage and can be trained as a small climber.
Climber
‘True Delight,’ hybridized by Ping Lim and introduced by Altman Plants, is a climber in the True Bloom series. The large pink-and-yellow-striped blooms have a 30-petal count. The plant is described as a vigorous 6-foot climber.
Groundcover
‘True Charm,’ hybridized by Ping Lim and introduced by Altman Plants is a charming 30-petal pink-and-white-striped groundcover rose. The versatile, constantly reblooming 2-foot-tall rose can be used in borders, patio pots and hanging baskets.
Miniatures
There are two miniature roses hybridized by the House of Meilland and introduced by Star Roses. Both roses are easy to grow, have a height of 18 inches and are ideal for growing in small spaces, borders or containers.
‘Sunblaze Watermelon’ has 50 red cupcake petals per bloom. It has a vigorous growth habit and excellent resistance to disease.
‘Sunblaze Dragon Fruit’ is a deep-pink-to-red 45-petal miniature rose that blooms abundantly and is extremely disease resistant.
(Star Roses)
‘Sunblaze Dragon Fruit’ is a deep-pink-to-red 45-petal rose, blooms abundantly and is extremely disease-resistant.
American Rose Society (ARS) Members’ Choice Awards for 2023
‘Celestial Night,’ bred by Christian Bédard for Weeks Roses and introduced in 2019, is an upright and bushy medium-size floribunda. It blooms in a profusion of plum purple with raspberry reverse. Its 60 to 75 petals are arranged in a quartered style, making the blooms look old-fashioned and cuppy. This slightly fragrant rose is widely grown and has a garden rating of 8.7.
American Rose Society (ARS) Members’ Choice for Fragrance for 2023
‘Sweet Spirit’ is a red-blend grandiflora from Meilland that was introduced in 2018. This 35-petal rose has a garden rating of 8.5 and has a strong fruit and clove fragrance.
Look out also for these Roses of Excellence
The American Garden Rose Selections winners: AGRS was established to recognize and recommend the best garden-worthy rose varieties. Roses are tested for two years in six different geographical regions. Characteristics considered are disease resistance, easy care, bloom abundance and form, fragrance, rebloom habit, aging quality of blooms, hardiness in cold and heat, vigor and foliage and plant habit.
The 2024 winners are as follows:
‘Sweet Mademoiselle,’ a Meilland hybrid tea rose introduced by Star Roses, has large pink to orange blooms that have a very strong old rose and fruit fragrance. It is an AGRS winner.
(Star Roses)
‘Sweet Mademoiselle,’ a Meilland hybrid tea rose introduced by Star Roses. Its 35-petal large pink to orange blooms have a very strong old rose and fruit fragrance.
‘Sitting Pretty’ is a Will Radler grandiflora rose introduced by Star Roses. The large, 25-petal pink blooms have a medium, damask scent.
‘Sunset Horizon’ is a Meilland floribunda rose introduced by Star Roses and is an AGRS winner. The 15-petal blooms start out bright yellow and fade to a deep pink-cherry red.
(Star Roses)
‘Sunset Horizon’ is a Meilland floribunda rose introduced by Star Roses. The 15-petal count blooms start out bright yellow and fade to a deep pink-cherry red.
Perwich is a member of the San Diego Rose Society, a consulting rosarian and a master gardener with UC Cooperative Extension.
