Roses have been named for people for a long time. Consider Zéphirine Drouhin, introduced in 1868, also known as Belle Dijonnaise, Charles Bonnet, Ingegnoli Predelitta, Mme Gustave Bonnet. In recent years, a number of largely forgettable roses have been named after celebrities. Thankfully, Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy has been honored with the stunning long-stemmed red rose Let Freedom Ring. Introduced in 2006, Let Freedom Ring is a rose that fits the ideal of high-centered elegance…the form and color are exemplary, and Let Freedom Ring is an ideal cutting rose.

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Hybrid Tea rose Gentle Giant was introduced in 2005 and bears ginormous pink roses on long stems. Gentle Giant’s blooms are high-centered rose perfection…in short an ideal cut rose. Good form and substance make Gentle Giant a favorite with the rose exhibition crowd, and really this would be my primary recommendation for Gentle Giant: Grow it in a greenhouse for exhibition or in a cutting or dedicated rose garden out behind the house somewhere. Fragrance is slight and the foliage is light green (I personally much prefer dark green foliage, but the blooms are the thing with Gentle Giant so no huge loss). Growth is upright and strong (stiff and awkward), but this is the price one pays for long-stemmed cutting roses. Watch the cold weather however…

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Moondance is a white Floribunda rose honored by the AARS in 2007. We can always use more white (and true dark red) in the garden and the loose somewhat casual nature of the blooms is a juxtaposition with the clear, precise white color. We can always use more fragrant roses, and Moondance’s fragrance is described by the AARS as ‘delightfully spicy’, and spicy it may be, but the copyrighters over there at the AARS need a swift kick in the rump.

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Floribunda rose Day Breaker is another rose honored by the All-American Rose Selections committee. I’ve been on this streak with that bunch (the AARS) so I might as well keep it going with another dazzling rose, should you be inclined towards Floribunda roses and their ilk. The blooms themselves are stunners, a light orange-apricot (I remember the heartbreak of Tropicana so well…). To Day Breaker’s credit, the roses last a long time cut or on the shrub, fragrance is a nice Tea rose scent, and flowers come in wave after wave throughout the growing season.

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Grandiflora rose Strike It Rich is an old-fashioned garden rose of the modern era, and by this, I mean it’s the kind of rose that might have been found in the 1950’s or 1960’s when we worried whether our martini’s would be ready after work or whether the Russians were indeed coming (and in that order). A 2007 All-America Rose Selection, Strike It Rich was bred by Tom Carruth, who has a undeniable talent for hybridizing stunning and unusual roses (see Hot Cocoa for more evidence of Carruth’s awesome powers). Strike It Rich has a famous parent, Sutter’s Gold, AARS 1950, and thus the connection to the glory days (for some) of the post-war optimism of that time.

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Floribunda rose Hot Cocoa is, simply put, one of the most beautiful roses ever. Compared to the beauty of Hot Cocoa in full-bloomed glory, many roses are merely pretenders. Some readers have taken exception to my general coolness to Hybrid Tea and Floribunda roses, and that’s perfectly okay by me. One must remember (note to self) that there is a reason roses stir such passion, and as a rose, Hot Cocoa is staggeringly beautiful. Stunning. Smoldering. Hit me in the chest, take my breath away, can’t think or speak, just as if I laid eyes the first time on a beautiful woman. It happens so rarely, but when the stars align, love truly can be at first sight.

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Achingly beautiful, Hybrid Tea rose Brandy is the epitome of understated elegance. Well-formed flowers are the picture of the ideal for which other Hybrid Tea roses aspire, although the flowers do quickly mature from the ‘perfect’ stage to a rather open, informal form. The color is a rich apricot; fragrance is good, with a fruity bouquet. Prior to continuing, if you are new to Hybrid Tea roses, you might want to read a classic treatise by Henry Mitchell.

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Introduced in 1930, Betty Boop is notable because she was the first cartoon character to represent a fully-sexualized woman. Garter belts, prominent breasts, Betty Boop was no Minnie Mouse, what with a debaucherous parade of characters endlessly trying to look up her skirt (at least until Production Code censors put an end to her antics in 1934). Betty Boop: flapper, sex symbol, and now a rose.

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Hybrid Tea rose Brigadoon is all classic form and the product of good breeding. Think Ivy League girls fair and firm, the product of good genes, discerning parents, and only the best of boarding schools (with on-campus stables of course). Ah, yes, a cognac by the fire, well, you get the point. Brigadoon’s roses are gorgeous both in color and form. Large flowers are double and variable in color, beginning a light pink or cream and maturing to a pinkish red. The best color will appear in areas with warm summers.

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Hybrid Tea rose Sheer Bliss is recommended as a bedding rose and is most attractive planted in beds specifically dedicated to roses.  The reasoning behind this recommendation is twofold.  First, the stiff, erect form of many Hybrid Teas makes them awkward in the mixed border; grouping Hybrid Tea roses together in a dedicated bed creates a cohesive structure, transforming an uncomfortable fit into a specimen planting which can stand on its own.  The second reason is that Hybrid Teas often require specialized cultivation practices which are more easily managed in dedicated beds.

The chief attraction of Sheer Bliss is the quality of  the flowers, which are indeed graceful examples of classic Hybrid Tea rose elegance.  Double flowers of thirty five petals open to a soft creamy blush, and fragrance is strong and sweet.  Foliage is dark and glossy.  In summary, highly recommended for the rose bed or as a cut flower.

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