1997 All America Rose Selection Scentimental , which proves that someone over there on the AARS judges committee has got some spirit (these rose people can be so serious). Seriously. This rose reminds me of the old question, “Is a zebra black with white stripes or white with black stripes?” When you read descriptions of ‘Scentimental’s’ flower color, she is described as ‘burgundy with swirls of creamy white’ or ‘white with red stripes’ or some variation. Further confounding gardeners is that there are times when the flowers are almost completely white with minimal red markings.

At the end of the day, we have a rose which is highly variable from bloom to bloom, and we should accept and, indeed, appreciate the incorrigible nature of this particular Floribunda rose.

The really impressive thing about ‘Scentimental’ is that it is an excellent garden shrub. It has wonderful fragrance, excellent disease resistance, and an attractive rounded form. Each striped bloom is four inches or so across with thirty five to forty petals. The flowers do not last long, but there are always buds forming to ensure continuous color in the garden. While ‘Scentimental’ may not be every person’s cup of tea, individuality in plants and people is a good thing.

Striped roses are not new; ‘Scentimental’ was the result of a cross between ‘Peppermint Twist’ (1992) and ‘Playboy’ (1976). For further example, consider ‘Variegata di Bologna’, a fine Bourbon rose introduced in the early twentieth century.

By the way, Zebras have both black and white stripes, but if you shaved off their hair, they would be black underneath. I’m just sayin’ is all. I’m not sure why you might want to shave a zebra, but if if you did. Ok. I’ll just go over here for right now.

AARS: 1997, Carruth, USA
Class: Floribunda
Zones: 4b-9
Parentage: ‘Playboy’ x ‘Peppermint Twist’
Flowers: Read description below, because this could take a while…
Size: 3 feet
Fragrance: Excellent, spicy
Of note: Unusual striped flowers are interesting, but this shrub has many strengths: Excellent fragrance, excellent rebloom, healthy foliage.

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