Rose Cultivars

The American Rose Society, in conjunction with rose
breeders, has established facilities for testing and evaluating
rose cultivars prior to release to the public. Roses are tested
for 2 years under differing soil and climatic conditions in the
United States. The plant material is scored for vigor, hardiness,
disease resistance, foliage, flower production, bud and
flower form, opening and final color, fragrance, overall value
and novelty. There are now 26 test gardens across the United
States consolidated under the name of Official All-America
Rose Selections Test Gardens (AARS). The Renisch Rose
Garden in Topeka’s Gage Park is one of the sites. Selections
are made annually to receive the AARS award in categories
for hybrid tea, floribunda, grandiflora and miniature roses. In
some years, no roses are selected for the award (see Table 1,
listing past winners). Table 2 lists selected cultivars recommended
by 55 consulting rosarians in the central district of the
American Rose Society (the central district includes Kansas).