Growers Rose to the Occasion Again
Striking colors, improved disease resistance and profuse blooms are just a few of the characteristics of the 1997 crop of roses. Rose lovers can select from more than 25 new or newly available roses at local nurseries.
Each year, All-America Rose Selections awards its coveted AARS designation to the roses that earn the highest marks in two years of trials in 22 test gardens across the United States.
Experts evaluate the plants for disease resistance, vigor, flower production, beauty and other traits. Three of the winners for 1997 were developed by Southern Californians.
Hybrid tea roses Artistry and Timeless were hybridized by Keith Zary, vice president of research for Jackson & Perkins in Somis, Calif.
Scentimental, a fragrant floribunda that is the first striped rose to win the award, was created by Tom Carruth, director of research for Weeks Roses in Upland. Although AARS roses are evaluated for performance nationwide, all three will perform well in this region.
Artistry produces luminous coral-orange flowers that are exhibition quality and long-lasting. When cut in tight bud, the vibrant flowers gradually unfurl and will last up to a week.
Another virtue is the stem length. In sunny Southern California, Artistry can grow up to 6 feet tall, producing cutting stems of 18 to 22 inches. The plant is somewhat disease-resistant but can be prone to mildew, especially along the coast. It has little fragrance.
Timeless is noteworthy because the bush produces a large number of flowers per bloom cycle and is quick to repeat the flowering process. Once the plant is established in a garden, this prolific hybrid tea will produce more than a dozen flowers at a time.
“In our climate, [it] will bloom again in 35 days,” Zary said. “Most varieties take eight weeks or longer before they’re ready to bloom again.”
The flowers are light red in bud stage and open to fuchsia pink. The vivid color lasts even in high temperatures. The plant is slightly spreading and grows to about 4 feet high. Although it is resistant to mildew, it is susceptible to rust, according to Zary.
Scentimental is an exceptionally disease-resistant floribunda that produces striped flowers with a heady clove scent. No two flowers are alike because the burgundy and cream striping patterns vary. Each flower lasts about four to five days, and the bush is quick to repeat the bloom cycle.
“Scentimental is magnificent, very unique and spectacular-looking,” said Lillian Biesiadecki, a consulting rosarian and past president of the Orange County Rose Society. She grows 350 varieties of roses in her Newport Beach garden and is an avid rose exhibitor.
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Although AARS roses garner the most attention, about 25 other noteworthy varieties are newly available for 1997.
J&P; features Spice Twice as its 1997 rose of the year, a company designation. The coral-orange hybrid tea rose with cream-blushed reverse has exhibition-quality blooms and long stems, already attracting exhibitors. Although the name may imply fragrance, this rose has little and relies on dramatic color for its beauty.
Zary has embarked on a hybridizing program to improve climbing roses, and Dream Weaver is the first to reach the marketplace. Dream Weaver grows to 10 to 12 feet and produces clusters of coral buds that open to pink flowers with ruffled petals. It is noted for its vigor and disease-resistance.
Another new and noteworthy climber rose is Cl. Berries ‘N’ Cream, a vigorous, disease-resistant rose that bears clusters of deep pink flowers striped with cream. Unlike most climbers, it blooms the first year in the garden and repeats throughout the year. The glossy foliage is clean, and the plant has few thorns. It can produce 12- to 15-foot canes, so it needs space. It is available by mail-order from Edmunds Roses in Oregon.
If you like striped roses but don’t have room for an exuberant climber, you can get them in a more restrained form as a small shrub named Rockin’ Robin, hybridized by Carruth. He admits to a fascination with striped flowers: “I’m particularly fascinated with the different petal patterns in striped roses.”
In mild climates, Rockin’ Robin forms a 4-foot mounded shrub that blooms profusely. The flowers are striped red, white and pink and appear on the entire plant, unlike some shrubs that bloom only at the top. Carruth recommends this variety for adding punches of color to the landscape. This is also a disease-resistant variety.
In addition to his award-winning Scentimental, Carruth has produced another noteworthy floribunda, Blueberry Hill, which bears lavender roses accented by bright yellow stamens.
“I’m very impressed with Blueberry Hill,” Biesiadecki said. “Unlike many lavender roses, it doesn’t look muddy or mottled.”
For more than a decade, English roses hybridized by David Austin have been winning converts because of their strong fragrance and old-fashioned flower forms. But they have commanded high prices in the United States because of limited supply.
Several years ago, Sylvester Arena obtained patents for some of the most popular varieties and began growing 50 of the David Austin varieties best suited for Southern California. Now several Orange County nurseries offer Sylvester Arena roses, including Dana Point Nursery in Dana Point and Laguna Hills Nursery in Lake Forest.
Arena recommends Tamora as one of the best of the Austin varieties for this region. One of the more compact of the Austin roses, it can fit into a small landscape (many Austin roses can soar to 8 or 10 feet).
Tamora produces cupped flowers in a warm apricot. The strong fragrance is reminiscent of myrrh, and the plant is disease-resistant, unlike other Austin varieties that can be prone to mildew or rust.
Local nurseries carry Weeks and J&P; roses. You can also obtain a J&P; catalog for mail-order by calling (800) 292-4769. Edmunds Roses are available only through mail-order. Contact them at (503) 682-1476 or write to 6235 S.W. Kahle Road, Wilsonville, OR 97070.
(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)
AARS Bouquet
Top new roses for 1997, according to the All-America Rose Selections:
Artistry
Rockin’ Robin
Blueberry Hill
Scentimental
Cl. Berries ‘N’ Cream
Spice Twice
Cl. Dream Weaver
Tamora
Heart of Gold
Timeless
