New hybrid rose releases get set to make their January winter debut

Last week, we celebrated Thanksgiving. We reflected and gave thanks for our many blessings and the abundance in our lives. This month, our thoughts turn to shopping opportunities and the acquiring of more abundance!

With rose planting season commencing in January, it is time to reflect and deliberate on our must-have roses. Here for your consideration are the new rose releases for 2023.

‘Picture Perfect’ has moderately fragrant, large, fuchsia pink, spiraled, elegant blooms with a white reverse on the petals. The deep, glossy green foliage has very good disease resistance.

(Weeks Roses)

Hybrid teas

‘Heavenly Scented’ is hybridized by Tom Carruth and introduced by Weeks Roses. This salmon-colored, very fragrant hybrid tea rose has pointed buds that open to large, old-fashioned, very double blooms. The bush is tall and upright and bears its blooms on long stems. The foliage is medium-glossy and very disease-resistant.

‘Top Cream’ has large, old-fashioned, abundant-petaled blooms that are creamy white with an occasional light pink blush. The blooms’ pear-fruit fragrance is very strong. The plant is tall and upright and exhibits excellent disease resistance.

(Star Roses and Plants)

‘Picture Perfect’ is hybridized by Christian Bédard and introduced by Weeks Roses. The large, fuchsia pink, spiraled, elegant blooms have a white reverse on their petals. The bush is medium-tall and bears its moderately fragrant blooms on medium-long stems. The deep, glossy green foliage has very good disease resistance.

‘Top Cream’ is a Meilland rose introduced by Star Roses and Plants. The large, old-fashioned, abundant-petaled blooms are creamy white with an occasional light pink blush. The blooms’ pear-fruit fragrance is very strong. The plant is tall and upright and exhibits excellent disease resistance.

The pink blooms of ‘Raspberry Cupcake’ have large, cupcake petals and a strong raspberry and lemon fragrance. The bushy plant grows 4 feet tall, has a good rebloom throughout the season and excellent disease resistance.

(Star Roses and Plants)

‘Raspberry Cupcake’ is a Kordes hybrid tea rose introduced by Star Roses and Plants. The pink blooms have large, cupcake petals and a strong raspberry and lemon fragrance. The bushy plant grows to 4 feet tall, has a good rebloom throughout the season and excellent disease resistance.

‘True Serenity’ is a Ping Lim rose introduced by Altman Plants USA in the ‘True Bloom’ series. The large, hot-pink blooms have exhibition form and a strong spicy scent. This is an upright, medium bush with healthy glossy foliage. It has a good rebloom throughout the season and has excellent disease resistance.

‘Uptown Girl’ has moderate fruit and spice scented, old-fashioned, warm coral-pink blooms with a deep, orange-toned interior. The foliage is glossy, medium green with good disease resistance, and the medium bush is round and bushy.

(Weeks Roses)

Grandiflora

‘Uptown Girl,’ introduced by Weeks Roses and hybridized by Tom Carruth, has moderate fruit and spice scented, warm coral-pink blooms with a deep, orange-toned interior. Pointed ovoid buds open to old-fashioned, spiraled and fully double large blooms which are borne on medium-long stems. The foliage is glossy, medium green with good disease resistance, and the medium bush is round and bushy.

Floribundas

‘Morning Glow,’ hybridized by Christian Bédard for Weeks Roses, has medium-large, soft-gold blooms that are old-fashioned, elegant and very full. The blooms, which have a moderate tea scent, grow both singly and in small clusters on medium-length stems. This medium-size plant is rounded and bushy. It has deep, glossy green foliage and very good disease resistance.

Moderately fragrant ‘Morning Glow’ has medium-large, soft-gold blooms that are old fashioned, elegant and very full and grow both singly and in small clusters on medium length stems. The deep, glossy green foliage has very good disease resistance.

(Weeks Roses)

‘True Courage’ and ‘True Endearment’ are two floribundas hybridized by Ping Lim. ‘True Courage’ has eye-catching orange-red blooms. ‘True Endearment’ is a red rose with multiple layers of petals and a peppery fragrance. Both are compact, carefree growers and are good choices for containers, patios, edgings and borders. They have healthy, glossy foliage and perform well on their own roots.

Shrub and climbing shrub roses

‘Sultry Night,’ hybridized by Tom Carruth and introduced by Weeks Roses, has old-fashioned, cuppy and very double magenta blooms that flower in clusters. The blooms have a moderate, sweet grapefruit fragrance. The medium-small shrub is bushy with glossy green foliage and very good disease resistance.

‘Sultry Night,’ has old-fashioned, very double magenta blooms that flower in clusters and have a moderate, sweet grapefruit fragrance. The medium-small shrub is bushy with glossy green foliage and very good disease resistance.

‘True Perfume’ and ‘True Spirit’ are two shrub roses hybridized by Ping Lim. ‘True Perfume’ has pink, ruffled petals, and a very sweet fragrance. ‘True Spirit’ has large, dark red blooms. Both roses are prolific bloomers, low-maintenance and grow vigorously on their own roots.

‘Ringo Double Pink’ is a pink shrub rose hybridized by Christopher Warner and introduced by Proven Winners. Its unusual bloom has a wine-stained eye that is accented with bright yellow stamens. This compact rose has glossy foliage and exhibits excellent black spot resistance.

Also hybridized by Warner are three roses classified as climbing shrub roses: ‘Rise Up Ringo’, ‘Rise Up Amberness’ and ‘Rise Up Lilac.’

‘Rise Up Ringo’ and ‘Rise Up Amberness’ grow up to 5 feet tall. ‘Rise Up Ringo’ has lightly fragrant, double golden-yellow flowers that feature a bright red eye. ‘Rise Up Amberness’ has exceptionally fragrant, wavy, amber-colored blooms with golden stamens. ‘Rise Up Lilac’ has lilac-blue blooms that have a powerful, heady fragrance. This mini climbing shrub rose grows to a height of 5 to 8 feet tall.

Climber

‘True Devotion,’ hybridized by Ping Lim, is a vigorous 6-foot climber. The soft pink blooms have a strong, spicy fragrance. It is healthy, easy to grow and a prolific climber that thrives on its own roots. It is perfect for a pillar, trellis, arbor or wall.

Landscape

‘Reminiscent Crema,’ ‘Reminiscent Coral’ and ‘Reminiscent Pink’ are three compact landscape roses hybridized by Phono Geno and introduced by Proven Winners. ‘Reminiscent Crema’ has large, full buttermilk-cream blooms. ‘Reminiscent Coral’ has deep pink-coral, bowl-shaped blooms. ‘Reminiscent Pink’ has medium-pink blooms that have a moderate tea fragrance. All three roses bloom continuously through the growing season without the need for deadheading.

‘Buttercream Drift’ has small, light-yellow flowers with cuplike petals that make a cheerful addition to the landscape. The plant is very bushy and grows to a height of 18 inches.

(Star Roses and Plants)

Groundcover

‘Buttercream Drift,’ introduced by Star Roses for the House of Meilland, has small, light-yellow flowers with cuplike petals that make a cheerful addition to the landscape. The plant is very bushy and grows to a height of 18 inches.

Miniatures

‘Sunblaze Lemon’ and ‘Sunblaze Peach’ are both hybridized by the House of Meilland. ‘Sunblaze Lemon’ has small creamy-yellow blooms, and ‘Sunblaze Peach’ produces uniquely colored orange, pink and yellow blooms. Both roses are easy to grow, bloom from spring to fall, grow to a height of 18 inches and are ideal for growing in small spaces and containers.

David Austin roses

Information about the 2023 David Austin roses has not yet been released.

‘Sweet Mademoiselle’ is a 2018 Meilland hybrid tea rose. It received the American Rose Society Members’ Choice Fragrance Award for 2022. The large, 5-inch pink-peach blooms have a strong, sweet fragrance reminiscent of anise, apple, apricot, damask and lemon. Not just a pretty, fragrant face, the plant has long stems, grows to a height of 4 to 6 feet tall and has a very high garden rating for disease resistance.

American Rose Society (ARS) awards:

Members’ Choice Award for 2022: ‘Peggy Martin’ is a very hardy, climbing rose that has small, pink semi-double blooms that flower in large clusters. This “found,” nameless rose remained alive despite being under saltwater for two weeks after Hurricane Katrina. It was named after Peggy Martin, the lady who saved the rose. It has a major flush in the spring and a smaller secondary flush in the fall. It is mostly thornless and grows between 6 to 15 feet tall.

Fragrance Award for 2022: ‘Sweet Mademoiselle’ is a 2018 Meilland hybrid tea rose. The large, 5-inch, pink-peach blooms have a strong, sweet fragrance reminiscent of anise, apple, apricot, damask and lemon. The plant is very disease-resistant, has long stems and can grow to a height of 4 to 6 feet. It is rated a very high 8.4 in the ARS Handbook for Selecting Roses.

The James Alexander Gamble Fragrance Award for 2022 went to William Kordes’ fabulously fragrant hybrid tea rose, ‘Beverly.’ Introduced in 2007, ‘Beverly’ has since won many international awards for fragrance, vigor and disease resistance.

(Rita Perwich)

James Alexander Gamble Fragrance Award: The 2022 hybridizer recipient of this prestigious award is William Kordes for his fabulously fragrant hybrid tea rose, ‘Beverly.’ Since her introduction in 2007, ‘Beverly’ has won many awards, including The Golden Rose of the Hague in 2013, international fragrance awards in Baden-Baden (2008), Belfast (2009), Nantes (2010), The Hague (2011), Glasgow (2012) and the Gold Medal, National Rose Trial Garden award in 
Adelaide (2012).

Pruning workshop

The San Diego Rose Society’s consulting rosarians invite you to their annual no-cost Rose Pruning Workshop, which will be from 9 to 11 a.m. on Jan. 14 in the Inez Grant Parker Memorial Rose Garden in Balboa Park, 2125 Park Blvd, San Diego. Please bring your sharp pruners and gloves to this hands-on learning event.

Perwich is a member of the San Diego Rose Society, a Consulting Rosarian and a Master Gardener with UC Cooperative Extension.