JERRY DREYER Consulting Rosarian

tering the market under different climate and growing conditions. Two national groups in the United States use a No-Spray Protocol to evaluate these roses’ disease and insect pressure susceptibility. Results reported by regions are helpful for us to evaluate how winners might perform in our area.

The American Rose Trials for Sustainability (A.R.T.S.®) divides our country by climate zones using the Köppen climate classification system which focuses on temperature and rainfall. Our area is in the light blue Dfa Climate Zone noted by a humid continental climate with a warm summer.

There are two regional Winners in 2023 for the Dfa Climate region. Pretty Polly® White is one of a series of three polyanthas hybridized ings of other regional and past local winners can be found at www. TrustedRoses.com.

In the American Garden Rose Selections (AGRS™) testing program, Kansas and Missouri are in the South-Central Region.

This year OSO Easy® Urban Legend® was a winner in five regions including ours. This bright red landscape shrub shows off with contrasting yellow stamens. It is very disease resistant and has won many trial awards in the United States and United Kingdom.

A three-region winner that includes our region and was a Fragrance Award Winner, is Brindabella™ Pink Princess. This beauty was found as a sport of Brindabella™ Purple Prince which was bred in Australia and has also been a previous multi-region winner. Brindabella Pink Princess grows to about 4 feet tall and wide, has a bushy growth habit, and has striking doubled, fragrant blooms.

Moving up and down Interstate 35, Jerry Dreyer has grown roses over 10 years each in Iowa, Minnesota and Kansas. He is a Consulting Rosarian with the Kansas City Rose Society and American Rose Society. Hybridizing new roses is a special passion (or his wife asks, disorder?) along with experimenting with different propagation methods. Due to their most recent move to a shaded lot, he’s currently growing over 200 roses in pots.

The final South-Central Region winner was Petite Knock Out, described previously. More information and other winners are available at www.americangardenroseselections.com.

Another national No-Spray Protocol evaluation is the Earth-Kind® Trial led by Texas A&M University. To earn the Earth-Kind designation rose varieties must demonstrate superior pest and disease tolerance, combined with outstanding landscape performance. Although not all Earth-Kind cultivars are hardy in our area, more information can be found at https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/earthkindroses/ and select the Earth-Kind Roses Cultivars tab.

While the roses mentioned have scored well in these trials, we should not expect complete absence of fungal disease. For example, there are over a dozen races of blackspot alone around the United States, not to mention other fungal agents, so disease challenge varies by location. Horticulture practice, air circulation, companion plants and weather conditions are among a long list of other influences that affect plant health. These varieties join a growing list of disease resistant roses that allow nospray gardeners to enjoy the beauty of roses.