3 exciting new roses

By Terri Hiatt

Every year 3 (on average) roses are given the All America Rose Selection Award. The qualities that the judges are looking for range from disease resistance to fragrance to overall vigor to how quickly the rose repeats bloom to how well the bloom “ages” and on and on.  The list of “musts” is very long for a rose to win this coveted award.  There are 20 rose gardens around the country where these rose trials are performed and these roses are closely “watched” over a period of time to determine whether or not they have what it takes to be the next winner.

While this award isn’t a 100% percent guarantee of experiencing that perfect rose bush there are some past winners that have definitely stood the test of time and are now the “classics” in the rose world. Roses like the yellow hybrid tea ‘Peace’ a winner in 1946 and the deep red and highly fragrant hybrid tea ‘Mr. Lincoln’ a winner from 1965 are two examples of just some of the wonderful roses that are All America Rose Selection Winners. 

The first winner is a rose named ‘Moondance’. ‘Moondance’ is a tall (4 foot) white floribunda with dark green glossy foliage that displays excellent disease resistance and a moderately spicy fragrance.  The famous and highly regarded floribunda rose ‘Iceberg’ is one of its parents.  This rose was hybridized by Keith Zary of Jackson & Perkins.

‘Rainbow Knock Out’ is the next winner and for anyone who is familiar with the ‘Knock Out’ series of roses you know this one is destined for greatness.

This is one of the best roses for a hedge. It is completely resistant to blackspot, mildew and rust.  The deep coral pink blooms lack fragrance, but the plant is so fabulous that you won’t care.  The foliage is dark green and semi-glossy while the plant itself is short and bushy.  ‘Rainbow Knock Out’ is classified as a shrub rose and was hybridized by William Radler and introduced by the Conard Pyle Company.

Terri Hiatt works at Peninsula Gardens as a buyer, designer and rose expert. She teaches gardening classes all over the Pacific Northwest and also at Peninsula Gardens and at Tacoma Community College in Gig Harbor and is the creator of Terosa Ultimate Once A Year Fertilizers. She can be reached at terrihiatt@hotmail.com.