REALLY GOOD ROSES

The latest cultivars to prove themselves in nationwide trials

- MEGHAN SHINN

Pretty Polly Lavender

New roses enter the market every year, promising details like a novel color, heavier flowering, improved health or a certain growth habit to pique gardeners' interest. To help us navigate the ever-widening options among roses, the nursery industry and educational organizations partner in testing new varieties and annually highlight top performers in different regions of the United States. These programs include the American Rose Trials for Sustainability and American Garden Rose Selections. Let's look at how they test roses and which ones have made their 2025 lists.

The American Rose Trials for Sustainability recommends roses by Köppen climate regions.

Arts

Horticulture first covered the American Rose Trials for Sustainability (ARTS) in 2021 with an in-depth feature on the program in the May/June issue. You may wish to read that story, which includes insight from ARTS co-founder (and rose breeder) Dr. David Zlesak, at hortmag.com/plants/american-rose-trials-for-sustainability. In the meantime, here's the gist of it:

From its inception in 2012, ARTS has aimed to identify new rose cultivars that are as naturally healthy as they are exceptionally beautiful. Roses have to prove themselves over a two-year trial in which they receive no pesticides or fertilizer, no pruning except for the removal of dead wood in winter and only enough supplemental water to meet the inch-per-week amount that even drought-tolerant plants need in their first year or two in a garden.