Roses in Review

The 2022 Roses in Review Survey is Here!

This year’s deadline for receipt by the ARS is September 26, 2022.

The annual American Rose Society survey that focuses on how various rose varieties grow and is the basis for the ARS ratings that we see in the ARS Handbook for Selecting Good Roses.  More participation makes for better results, so everyone who grows roses, rose society member or not, is encouraged to participate!  And remember it’s a must-do for consulting rosarians.

You can find this year’s list of roses to rate, along with the actual directions, and you can complete the survey at www.rose.org.  If you’re an ARS member the information is also in the current (July/August) issue of American Rose Magazine starting on page 61.

What’s in it for you?  Completing the survey helps you think through your experience with each rose.  That in turn helps hone your thoughts about your other varieties and may ultimately help you grow roses, or select future ones, just a little more skillfully.

If you haven’t participated in the survey before or have done it but not found the fun in it, below is a little more information and some hopefully helpful unofficial tips.

  • While the September 26 deadline sounds far away, you’ll find the survey easier if you start now.

  • Print the list of cultivars to review and go out to your garden, spend a little time with each listed rose. Maybe even go crazy and take notes!

  • Don’t start the survey thinking about what numerical ratings to give the listed bushes. Think about the rose’s attributes first.

  • Is the bush tall, medium or short for its class? (HT, F, Min, etc.)

  • How fragrant are the blooms?

  • Is the bush mildew or blackspot prone?

  • And the fun part, anything at all you like and dislike and what makes the bush and its blooms unique. Some examples:

    • What other insect and disease issues have you noticed? How bad have they been?

    • Does the bush bloom enough? Are the blooms amazing? Do they have a unique form that you like or even perfect exhibition form? Is their color the just best? Do they last in the garden? Do they last in a vase?

    • Is the foliage nice or even unusual?

    • Is the bush what you expected based on its new release description or is it a little less than promised?

    • Is it one other people comment on when they come to your garden?

  • You may find that you don’t know a particular rose as well as you thought, but since you started early, you can keep an eye on it for a few weeks and figure out what you think as it gets a new set of blooms.

When you’re ready to complete the questionnaire, you will likely skip “Exhibition Ratings” if you’re new to the survey.  And because we live in San Diego, we can safely put “Don’t Know” as the answer to “Winter Hardy?”

Include as much or as little information as you want about your “Likes and Dislikes” in the actual survey answers; it’s totally up to you.

Now you’re ready for the “Garden Ratings.” They are done on a scale of 6 – 10, and because you’ve thought about the various attributes you’ll find it much easier to decide which official rating description fits each rose:

  • 8 – Very Good -- You would recommend it without hesitation

  • 7 – Average –Solid rose. Good features easily outweigh the negatives

  • 6 – Below Average – You can find better roses easily

Don’t be surprised if you end up with a lot of 7 ratings.  Recommending something without hesitation for an 8 rating is a pretty tall order and, conversely, the competition for varieties to make it to market is stiff, so hopefully you won’t end up with too many below average ones in your garden.

Yes, there are a 10 and a 9, but you don’t get to use them often.  Here are their official descriptions:

  • 10 – Outstanding – One of the best roses ever. This score should be seldom used

  • 9 – Excellent – Has major positive features and minor negatives. Top one percent

That’s all there is to it, so rate ‘em if you got ‘em!