Do you counting the days to Christmas or Hanukkah when you were a child? First came the excitement — the hoping and waiting for a longed-for gift — and then the absolute thrill, delight and contentment of fulfilled anticipation.
We feel that again when hybridizers release new roses, gifting us annually with an opportunity to reignite that childlike eagerness: first when we select a bare root rose to bring home, and then as we wait in suspense and excitement for its first blooms in the spring.
Here are the 2022 roses that have been announced:
Hybrid teas
‘Chantilly Cream,’ introduced by Weeks Roses and hybridized by Christian Bédard, is a soft yellow hybrid tea rose with pointed ovoid buds that open to spiraled, large, elegant and very double blooms, meaning on the higher end of the “double” petal count. It has medium-long stems and glossy, very good disease-resistant foliage. The bush is medium-tall, and the blooms have a strong fruity and citrus fragrance.
Grandifloras
‘Pop Art,’ introduced by Weeks Roses and hybridized by Christian Bédard, has pink and yellow striped old-fashioned, cupped and large, very double blooms on medium-long stems. Its dark, glossy foliage has very good disease resistance, and the bush is medium-tall. The blooms have a strong fruity and citrus fragrance.
‘Ruby Red’ is a Meilland rose introduced by Star Roses. Its medium-size, dark red blooms are nonfading and have a slight sweet scent. This is a compact rose of medium height and makes an excellent container rose. It is very floriferous and has dark green, glossy foliage.
Floribundas
‘Sweet Madame Blue,’ hybridized by Christian Bédard for Weeks Roses, has medium-size lavender blooms with a magenta heart. The pointed buds open to spiraled, elegant and very double blooms that have a strong citrus and spice fragrance. The medium-size bush is rounded and bushy, and the blooms grow in small clusters on medium-long stems. The deep, glossy green foliage has good disease resistance.
‘Forever Amber,’ introduced by Weeks Roses and hybridized by Tom Carruth, has apricot medium-large old-fashioned, very double blooms with a moderate fruity fragrance. The bush is medium-size, with dark, glossy green, very disease-resistant foliage.
‘Fiesta Verandah’ is a Kordes rose introduced by Star Roses. The 3-inch lightly scented yellow blooms are suffused with orange. The strong, bright flower color contrasts nicely against the dark green, glossy foliage. The bush is compact, and this rose is extremely floriferous and performs well in containers or as a low hedge in the garden.
‘Marion Ross,’ named for the actor in the television sitcom “Happy Days,” is a good repeat blooming floribunda introduced by Burlington Rose Nursery and hybridized by Burling Leong. The large blooms are a beautiful mauve with tan to chocolate centers and have a mild fragrance. As the blooms age, the centers fade to mauve, giving you a unique bouquet of flowers. The foliage is medium-green and disease-resistant.
Groundcover
‘Blushing Drift,’ introduced by Star Roses for the House of Meilland, displays attractive double pink flower clusters with a warm yellow center. Its size, disease resistance and heavy blooming make it a stunning and reliable landscape choice. The small to medium blooms have a slight sweet scent, and the bush is small with a height of 18 inches.
Miniatures
‘Midnight Fire’ has orange overlaid with purple smoke blooms. It is hybridized by Christian Bédard and introduced by Weeks. The pointed buds open to small cupped, old-fashioned and very double blooms and have a mild tea fragrance. The stems are medium-short, and the bush is medium-small, rounded and bushy. The glossy, medium-green foliage has very good disease resistance.
‘Pink Sunblaze’ is hybridized by the House of Meilland and introduced by Star Roses. The deep pink blooms are suffused with a lighter pink and have a light fragrance. The bush is perfect to grow in containers. It has good disease resistance for a miniature rose and grows to a height of 18 inches.
David Austin Roses
Information about the 2022 David Austin roses has not yet been released.
Look out also for these Roses of Excellence
American Garden Rose Selections 2022 winners
American Garden Rose Selections (AGRS) was established to recognize and recommend the best garden-worthy rose varieties for the various regions of the United States. Roses are tested for two years in six geographical regions to provide objective and reliable information to rose gardeners. Characteristics considered are disease resistance, easy care, bloom abundance and form, fragrance, rebloom habit, aging quality of blooms, hardiness in cold and heat, vigor and foliage and plant habit. For our Southwest region, the 2022 AGRS winners were:
- ‘Celestial Night,’ which was introduced in 2019, and is an upright and bushy medium-size floribunda, bred by Christian Bédard for Weeks Roses. It blooms in a profusion of plum purple with raspberry reverse globular, old-fashioned and very double fragrant blooms.
- The other winner for the Southwest region is ‘Easy on the Eyes,’ introduced by Weeks in 2018, and hybridized by Tom Carruth in 2018. This unusual medium-pink shrub rose has a magenta purple heart and cream reverse fading to light lavender with a deep smoky purple eye. Both roses have excellent disease resistance, and both roses also won the AGRS fragrance award.
American Rose Society’s (ARS) ’ Choice Winners for 2021:
- ARS ’ Choice Award for 2021 is ‘Ring of Fire,’ a glowing orange hybrid tea rose hybridized by Chris Greenwood in 2015. This rose has exhibition-quality blooms and brings a big splash of color into the garden.
- ARS ’ Fragrance Award Winner for 2021 is ‘Violet’s Pride,’ a floribunda hybridized in 2016 by Christian Bédard. The lavender blooms have an intense sugary fruit and spice fragrance.
This bare root season, whether you select a brand new 2022 rose or an older tried-and-true rose, to thank your rose for keeping you childlike, joyous and forever young!
Perwich is a member of the San Diego Rose Society, a Consulting Rosarian and a Master Gardener with UC Cooperative Extension.
