By Jim & Doris Wagner & Others

This article will be a review of a limited number of roses introduced in the 21^st century.  Observations will include roses being grown in the E. M. Mills Memorial Rose Display Garden of about 4000 roses in Syracuse, NY and of New Hampshire and Syracuse Rose Society members’ private gardens. Our comments are not specifically noted but comments of other persons are indicated.  Most of these roses have met the requirements to hold the AARS or AoE designations and are so identified.

All of these have been grown in Zones 4B or 5A or both and have had some form of winter protection unless otherwise indicated.  Except for the AARS 2008 and AOE 2007 varieties that were just planted in public display gardens in 2007, unless otherwise noted, they have survived at least one winter of well below zero temperatures.  But many of these suffer winter dieback close to the mulch protection line if that is the only winter protection that they have.  Most of the fragrance and hardiness zone information has been taken from the AARS website for those with the AARS designation and from Nor’East Roses catalog for AOE, miniature and mini-flora roses.

Hybrid Teas

Tahitian Sunset (AARS 2006) (NR).  25 - 35”.  High centered orange yellow that opens to apricot pink.  Large blooms, 25 to 30 petals each.  Good foliage.  Mostly single blooms per stem. Strong anise fragrance.  Zone 5, zone 4 with good winter protection.   Cohen (NH) – The blooms have superior form.  Showed great vigor for a first year plant and no blackspot at all.  Unfortunately, deer pruned many of my roses at the end of the summer. 

Pope John Paul (2007) (NR). Observed as part of a foundation planting along a church wall in Syracuse where it gets minimal care.  Very attractive HT like blooms on 30 to 36” canes and disease free foliage.  Winter hardiness unknown.  McKeown (NH) – Got this at the March Yankee District Convention this year (2007).  The pure white flowers are somewhat ruffled and very pretty.  So far it is disease resistant in my garden.

Elle (AARS 2005) (NR).  30 - 45”.  Super, dark green foliage with mostly single, pink with deep yellow underside blooms.  Dark shiny foliage.  High centered fragrant blooms with 50 – 55 petals.  Zone 5, zone 4 with good winter protection.  Gibson (NY) – Grown for one year.  Large blooms.

Love and Peace (AARS 2002) (7.8).  35 - 40”.  Very attractive long lasting large yellow with pink tinge blooms.  Almost always just one bloom per stem.  Good garden rose.  Minimal disease and insect problems other than its yellow color attracts Japanese Beetles.  Hardy to zones 4 and 5 with winter protection. 

Memorial Day (AARS 2004) (7.7 interim rating).  25 – 35”. Upright, bushy with large pink blooms, some up to 5” in diameter.  Fades to pale pink and white as it matures.  50 petals.  Strong damask rose fragrance.  Disease resistant.  Hardiness at least to zone 5 and probably to zone 4.

Floribundas

Mardi Gras (AARS 2008) (NR). 30 - 35”.  Semi-glossy dark green foliage.  Yellow orange blend that fades to a light pink.  20 – 25 petals.  Slight fragrance. Disease resistance good.  Good to Zone 5.

Moondance (AARS 2007) (NR). 20 - 30”.   Creamy white.  Very attractive, dark green disease free foliage.  High centered flowers.  Spicy fragrance.  About 25 petals.  Zone 5, zone 4 with good winter protection.

Julia Child (AARS 2006). (NR).  Kind of on the short side, 25 - 30”.  Medium yellow that fades to a pale yellow.  Clean with medium green foliage.  Lots of single blooms per stem for a floribunda.  Sweet licorice perfume scent.  Zone 5, zone 4 with winter protection.  Gibson (NY) – Like color; repeat bloomer.  Grown 2 years.

Rainbow Sorbet (AARS 2006) (NR). 30 – 40”.  Yellow pink bicolor with 15 to 18 petals.  Resistant to blackspot.  Zone 5, zone 4 with winter protection. McKeown (NH) - On its second year as a potted plant.  Always a healthy and happy plant with unblemished leaves.  Blooms are exquisite.

Day Breaker (AARS 2004) (7.8 interim).  30 - 40” high and wide.  Yellow blending to pink and apricot.  Moderate Tea fragrance.  30 – 35 petals.  Disease resistant.  Good mix of single and multiple blooms.  McKeown (NH) – Three years in my garden.  Thought I had lost it last winter but it came back.  Moderately hardy with small blooms but attractive orange clusters.  Moderate fungus problems.

Lime Sublime (2000) (7.6 interim).  Very attractive, double white blooms.  I would consider it more of a cream color.  25 - 30”.  Good quality foliage.  Good mix of single and multiple blooms per stem.  Hardy to at least zone 5.  Storms (NY) – Grown 2 years.  Rose can be very striking.

Hot Cocoa (AARS 2003) (7.9).  25”.  Russet or brownish orange.  Heat tolerant.  Mostly single blooms.  McKeown (NH) – Have grown this for three years.  Not hardy so I winterize with a Styrofoam cooler.  This is another love or hate color.  I like its terracotta color.  Blooms are sparse, but when present, a beauty to behold.  Stever (NY) – Grows well.  Very productive bush.  Color is not for everyone.

Eureka (AARS 2003) (7.8) 25 – 30”.  Yellow blend.  Mostly long lasting sprays but will have an occasional single bloom per stem.  Nice medium green, clean foliage.  More a garden than an exhibition rose.  Survived winters for us and at the Mills Garden to at least zone 5.

    Miniatures and Mini-Floras

Baby Boomer (AOE 2003) (7.7) Miniature.  Medium Pink.  Double.  Heavy repeat bloom.  Tends to grow more upright (up to 35 inches) than spreading, with lots of long lasting, exhibition type single blooms coming all season.  Disease resistant.  Zones 5-10.  Fragrant.

Bonfire (AOE 2007) (NR). Miniature.  Red Blend.  Stever (NY) – What a disappointment!  Blooms ball and lack form.  Low growing and not very productive. Zones 4-10.

Caliente (AOE 2005) (NR) Miniature.  Dark red. SRS Project Rose for 2006.  Not very hardy.  We lost both of our plants over the first winter as did some of the other SRS members in the Syracuse area. Zones 6-10.  Stever (NY) - The deep blooms can have good form; however, plant did suffer from winter dieback and has been weakened as a result.  Be interesting to see if it improves. Gibson (NY) - Poor performer; does not adjust to extreme temperatures.  Storms (NY) – Grown one year.  Have never had a mini die over the winter; this one did.  White (NY) - Grown one year; did not survive winter. 

Chattooga (AOE 2004). (7.8 interim).  Miniature.  Deep pink, double.  Nice dark green foliage and exhibition quality blooms but limited number of blooms.   Had two plants 1^st year – one with nice vigorous canes; the other with just one weak cane. Latter died over the winter. Zones 5-10.  McKeown (NH) – This is on its third year in my garden, and never without a bloom.  Absolutely love it.  Stever (NY)) – Chattooga is hardy with a spreading growth habit.  Blanchard (NY) – Borderline hardy.  Like color, grown 3 years.  Storms (NY) – A wonderful, beautiful large exhibition mini.  Highly recommend.  Grown 2 years.   Gibson (NY) – Multiple blooms, hold color.  White (NY) - Stingy with blooms that are of exhibition quality.  Beautiful foliage.

Doris Morgan (AOE 2003). (7.7).  Miniature.  Deep pink.  Large, two inch exhibition quality blooms. Frequent repeat bloom.   Compact bush that is about as wide as tall.  Disease resistant.  Zones 5-10. Fragrant.

Harm Saville (AOE 2004) (7.7 interim). Mini-Flora.  Dark Red. Double.  Fragrant.  Zones 5-12. McKeown (NH) – I’ve grown this for four years.  I cover it with leaves and bark mulch.  It is a vigorous grower, but tends to spread out instead of upright.  The blooms are an attractive true red. Stever (NY) – This fast opening, lightly pedaled bush is quite decorative.  Now in its third year it appears to be losing vigor.  Not for exhibition except as an open bloom.

Leading Lady (AOE 2007) (NR). Mini-Flora. White Blend.  Stever (NY) – Has the best exhibition form of recent AOE winners.  First year bush grows well and produces nice one bloom per stem roses.  Cohen (NH) – A slow starter, but the few blooms I had showed great exhibition form.

Picotee (AOE 2003) (7.4 interim). Miniature.  Red Blend.  Single blooms and sprays.  Exhibition quality long lasting blooms but slow to repeat bloom.  Did not survive second winter.  Zones 5-10.  McKeown (NH) – Blooms have good form, but sparse.  Straight and sturdy stems. 

Saluda (AOE 2007) (NR). Miniature.  SRS Project Rose for 2007.  Attractive orange with mostly single blooms per stem.  Blooms heavily and repeats well.  Very disease and insect resistant.  Very vigorous for us in its first year with new growth up to 25 – 30’ by fall.  Winter hardiness unknown – new this year. Fragrant.  Zones 5-10.  Stever (NY) – Pleasant shade of soft orange.  Lacks vigor.

Footnotes:

All America Rose Selections (AARS) Winners.  Designation by a non-profit organization of U.S. producers and introducers that rate roses as exceptional after meeting their standards as an exceptional variety after they have been evaluated for two years in test gardens throughout the U. S. and planted in public display rose gardens a year before they become available to the general public.

American Rose Society Award of Excellence (AOE) Winners.  These are miniature and mini-flora roses that were rated over a two-year period by ARS members of the American Rose Society miniature garden sites throughout the U.S.

Others contributing to this article: NH - McKeown, Wilton, NH, Cohen, Dublin, NH; NY – Storms, Syracuse, NY (Syracuse Suburban), Stever, Liverpool, NY (Most of his comments are from 2007 Horizon Roses Northeast Report), NY, Gibson, Manlius, NY, Blanchard, Syracuse, NY (Syracuse Suburban), White (Syracuse Metro).

NR.  No Rating yet in ARS Handbook for Selecting Roses..