4 minute read
New Roses for 2022
What’s New in Roses for 2022
by Diane Brueckman
The beautiful seed and rose catalogues have been a comfort as I sit by the warm fire and dream of spring. The extreme cold in January could have damaged or killed unprotected roses. Fortunately, my roses were well covered but a few plants that were weak may not survive. So, I study the new roses being offered this year. One thing I noticed most are classed as shrubs, which is not to say they are not beautiful. Trends in roses are toward bushier, fuller plants with lots of flowers and fragrance. Best of all, disease resistance is also easier to find in the new offerings. Looking for disease resistance begins with research. Check out the ARTS (American Rose Trials for Sustainability) winners. If you go to their website, you will find a list of about 50 roses that have won the award. Almost all modern classes of roses are represented on the list. Another award to look for is AGRS (American Garden Rose Selections). This award is given to roses regionally. The country is divided into four regions each rose is rated in each region. Select the rose that is best for your region. They also have a fragrance award. There are four AGRS winners for 2022. The first is ‘Celestial
Night’ a floribunda won in three regions and was honored for fragrance. I might add that I grow this deep mauve rose and love it. Second is ‘Easy on the Eyes’, a shrub that won in all four regions plus the fragrance award. This pink blend with a deep mauve eye is also the winner of the ARTS award. ‘Pink Freedom’, a medium pink shrub won in all four regions. The fourth winner ‘Pretty Polly Pink’ is a polyantha shrub by Dr. David Zlesak. The blooms are sprays of tiny deep pink blossoms. Weeks Roses is introducing five new roses. I have selected two I thought would be of greatest interest. The first is a Hybrid Tea, ‘Chantilly Cream’ that is listed as disease resistant and has a strong fragrance of strong citrus and other fruits. This soft yellow rose has moderately long stems for cutting. This rose would be a good choice for lovers of the traditional hybrid tea form. ‘Forever Amber’, another Weeks introduction, is a floribunda with English style apricot color blooms. The large floribunda blooms stay vibrant in the summer heat. The moderately fragrant blooms are good for cutting. Star® Roses and Plants is introducing four new roses. One is a new addition to the Drift® Rose series. ‘Blushing Drift’ promises to be equal to all the other drift roses in landscape value. The second rose is ‘Pink Sunblaze’. ‘Pink Sunblaze’ is more disease resistant than other miniature roses. It is vigorous and suitable for containers. ‘Ruby Red’ is a shrub that performs well on its own roots and is very floriferous. The fourth introduction from Star, ‘Fiesta Veranda’ is my favorite of the four. The Veranda Series from Kordes is healthy, vigorous and I would expect this new addition to the series to be the same. The color is strong yellow suffused with orange which shows beautifully against the dark green foliage. It only has a slight fragrance. Check your local nurseries for roses. If you order your roses from a mail-order company, check to see if the plants are bare-root or in a container. Bare-root roses must be planted before May 1st for the best success. A container plant very likely will be small but it can be planted anytime. Look for mailorder companies with a good reputation. Photo credits: ‘Celestial Night’, ‘Easy on the Eyes’, ‘Pink Freedom’, and ‘Pretty Polly Pink’ courtesy American Garden Rose Selections. ‘Chantilly Cream’ and Forever Amber’ courtesy Weeks Roses. ‘Fiesta Veranda’, ‘Pink Sunblaze’ and ‘Ruby Red’ courtesy Star® Roses and Plants.
Diane Brueckman is a retired rosarian with Missouri Botanical Garden, and currently owns Rosey Acres in Baldwin, Illinois. You can reach her at (618) 785-3011 or droseyacres@ egyptian.net.
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