Delightfully durable Roses

Roses are not a one-size-fits-all product. Depending on regional climatic, disease and insect differences, certain cultivars outperform others. How can busy growers, retailers and landscapers decide which new rose cultivars have what it takes to be successful for their customers, especially without personally having grown them? This is where a trusted rose evaluation program that provides awards on a regional basis comes in. The American Rose Trials for Sustainability (A.R.T.S.) program has an 11-year history of scientifically growing and evaluating new rose cultivars under low input conditions and making recommendations with regional awards.

Each A.R.T.S. site evaluates trial roses monthly throughout the growing season using well-defined criteria to assess flowering, foliage and plant form. Trials last two years and are conducted using low input conditions (i.e., no pesticides, no deadheading, etc.). Sunrise Sunset (‘BAIset’) and Double Knock Out (‘RADtko’) are planted among the trial roses as industry benchmarks. The average regional performance scores of the two benchmark roses becomes the threshold score that new cultivars must meet or beat in order to earn a regional award. Cultivars receiving four or more regional awards are also awarded the A.R.T.S. Master Rose designation. Using this objective and straightforward method for award determination means that A.R.T.S. winning roses are among the most durable and hardy roses for the region(s) in which they won.

With trial gardens in every major Köppen climate region of the continental United States, A.R.T.S. is the premier source for science-based, unbiased rose recommendations for you and your customers. The A.R.T.S. website (TrustedRoses.com) makes it simple for industry professionals to not only identify their Köppen climate region (Climate Zone Map), but to also identify the roses that have won for that region. With these tools, A.R.T.S. helps take the guesswork out of selecting roses for your customers that have proven track records of landscape excellence.

There are 13 roses which have won at least one A.R.T.S. regional award for 2024 (Local Artist award winners). Among them are three roses that have earned the coveted A.R.T.S. Master Rose status, winning in four or more regions. All the roses have proven themselves to be beautiful, durable and hardy in their winning region(s).