Drift Roses come in seven colors, including this Apricot Drift Rose. All are Louisiana Super Plants. (Photo by Allen Owings)

Summer Sun is one of the new Kordes rose varieties being evaluated at the LSU AgCenter. (Photo by Allen Owings)

News Release Distributed 03/10/15

BATON ROUGE, La. – Roses continue to be among the most popular flowering plants in Louisiana landscapes, and the LSU AgCenter is expanding its rose research and demonstration trials at the AgCenter Hammond Research Station and the AgCenter Botanical Gardens at Burden.

Leading the rose trials are two new national rose evaluation programs sponsored by the American Garden Rose Selections and The American Rose Trials for Sustainability, said AgCenter horticulturist Allen Owings.

The American Garden Rose Selections was begun to replace the All-America Rose Selections program. “The last winner in this program was named in 2014, and the first winners in the new AGRS program will be official in 2016,” Owings said.

The AGRS model employs a long-used rose trialing method from Germany. It includes disease resistance, hardiness, attractiveness and habit, and roses are not treated with any chemical pesticides in the evaluations. The motto of this new program is “bringing you great roses you can grow where you live,” Owings said.

The LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens at Burden is one of 12 initial AGRS trial sites in the country. The U.S. selection program will include regional winners from the Northeast, Southeast, North Central, South Central, Northwest and Southwest.

More information on ARGS trials is online at www.americangardenroseselections.com.

The first ARTS trials were conducted in 2014, Owings said. The program uses regional evaluation and testing under low-input conditions to identify the most disease- and pest-resistant, hardiest and best garden-worthy rose varieties. The purpose is to provide the industry and public with objective, accurate and reliable information about the roses tested for each region.

The methodology will establish and maintain an environmentally responsible testing model. It will incorporate current research-proven landscape management techniques to evaluate rose varieties for regional suitability in the United States for landscape use under minimal input conditions, Owings said.

The model will expand as scientific advancements in the area of environmentally responsible landscape management become relevant.

More information on ARTS trials is located at www.americanrosetrialsforsustainability.org.

The LSU AgCenter is also evaluating Kordes rose varieties for the Gulf South. Kordes is one of the world’s largest and oldest rose-breeding companies, Owings said. They do not use fungicides in rose development and evaluations.

Kordes roses are sold in the United States by NewFlora.

“Disease resistance in hybrid teas, sustainability in rose growing and growing ‘own-root’ modern roses can be achieved with some of these varieties,” said Wanda Ellis, research associate at the Botanical Gardens at Burden. “Well-known older Kordes varieties that we have successfully grown in Louisiana many years include Shreveport and Iceberg.”

Some of the newest Kordes hybrid tea and floribunda rose varieties being evaluated at the AgCenter Hammond Research Station and at the Botanical Gardens at Burden include Beverly, Grand Amore, Pink Enchantment, Sunny Sky, Wedding Bells, Winter Sun, Poseidon and Summer Sun.

“Serious rose gardeners and members of the American Rose Society know these new varieties, but the average gardener is not yet knowledgeable on these plants,” Ellis said.

These evaluations are being done in cooperation with K & M Roses in Buckatunna, Mississippi, and Chamblee’s Rose Nursery in Tyler, Texas.

David Austin English roses are crosses between modern and old garden varieties. “They have the profuse flowering of modern roses along with the fragrance and disease resistance of older garden roses, and they continue to be popular with some gardeners,” Owings said.

A new three-year trial started in 2014 includes observations of factors such as flowering, plant size, flowering cycles, leaf spot susceptibility, blackspot susceptibility and more to determine the best of these roses for south Louisiana.

“Plants will be exposed to typical rose management practices except for disease and pest control,” said Jeff Kuehny, director of the Botanical Gardens at Burden. “Fungicides and insecticides will not be used.”

“This study is the largest David Austin rose landscape performance trial conducted in four or five states around Louisiana,” he added.

The LSU AgCenter has many current recommendations to aid Louisiana rose growers as they select new varieties, Kuehny said.

The popular Belinda’s Dream rose has previously been named a Louisiana Super Plant by the LSU AgCenter and has now been named the Gulf District Rose of the Year for 2015 by the American Rose Society.

The ground cover, dwarf landscape shrub Drift series roses with seven colors – apricot, red, pink, coral, popcorn, sweet, and peach – are also Louisiana Super Plants.

“Gardeners also can try the LSU AgCenter-approved and -tested Easy Tea hybrid tea roses – Tahitian Sunset, The McCartney Rose, Fredric Mistral, Traviata and Pink Traviata,” Owings said. “We also are nearing completion of a study in cooperation with Texas A&M University evaluating dwarf and compact roses for recommendations as Earth Kind rose varieties.”

Roses continue to be popular. “We also need to remember that roses are our country’s national flower,” Owings said. “Now through spring is a great time to add new roses and enjoy them in your home landscape.”