Roses by some names become All-Americans

While this is not the time to see roses in bloom in Utah, now is a great time to think about them.

Valentine's Day is almost here, and we will soon be planting, pruning and cleaning up our rose beds to get them off to a good start for the spring.

Roses are the most popular flowering shrub in Utah. Few flowers have the rich, storied legacy, the romantic appeal or the intrigue of the rose. Couple that with the huge diversity of color, size, shape and plant forms, and there is certain to be a variety to please almost anyone.

One organization that is devoted to pleasing rose fanciers throughout the country is the All-America Rose Selections.

For the past 70 years, this nonprofit association of rose growers and introducers has been developing and marketing exceptional, easy-to-grow roses.

They operate a network of more than 20 official test gardens throughout the country to evaluate roses before they are introduced to the public.

These locations represent all climate zones in the United States to determine that they are All-American. While the roses grow in the garden, expert judges evaluate them on 15 qualities, including vigor, disease resistance and fragrance. Only the best are awarded the title of All-America Rose Selection.

For 2009, three roses received the honor. They represent three classes of rose and, according to AARS board president, Tom Carruth, "Each plant brings different, yet desirable, qualities to the garden. The goal of AARS is to identify the best new roses of the year, and these three are outstanding in the garden and in containers."

The first winner is Carefree Spirit, a plant that has as its parent Carefree Delight, which was an All-America Rose Selections Winner in 1996.

(I have watched Carefree Delight for the past 10 years in the Thanksgiving Point Gardens, and it is one of the best. Even after severe winters, it has emerged largely unscathed, and it has not needed sprays for diseases.)

As the name implies, Carefree Spirit is also a tough plant.

As a part of the testing requirements, the AARS stopped spraying fungicides on all shrub roses in its nationwide test gardens.

Gardeners are looking for plants with fewer problems, and this rose was the first and only landscape shrub to date to endure this real-world testing and prevail as a winner.

Like its parent, this is a mounded plant that needs minimal pruning. It produces deep-red blossoms with white accents, and as the blooms open completely, they turn pink.

The shrub produces thick, glossy, dark-green foliage and better disease resistance than its parent.

Carefree Spirit was hybridized by Jacques Mouchotte, director of research at Meilland International, and introduced by Conard-Pyle Co. of West Grove, Pa.