18 Trendiest Rose Varieties to Plant in 2024 (With Photos)

As spring opens slowly, a blossom at a time, take a look at some of the newest roses available around the country.

Roses are more accessible and easier to grow than they used to be. Roses are no longer “blackspot on a stick.” Breeders are creating disease-resistant roses that are easy to grow, don’t need spraying, and cover themselves with a riot of blossoms that are pure eye candy – like all of these roses on the list. Modern roses have come a long way, baby.

Jump to:

• Cosmic Clouds™
• Miss Manners™
• Quest for Zest™
• Make Me Blush™
• Benjamin Alexander
• Bring Me Sunshine
• Elizabeth®
• Flavorette Pear’d™
• Flavorette™ Honey-Apricot
• Rise Up Embrays®
• Raspberry Cupcake™
• Buttercream Drift®
• Sunblaze® Peach
• Sunblaze® Lemon
• Top Cream™
• English Coral
• Champagne Dreams
• Ball Gown™ (Romantica ® Series)
• La Di Da

Cosmic Clouds™

Class:	Shrub
Habit:	Large shrub 6 ft tall and wide, can be trained as a climber in zones 8 to 10
Disease resistance:	Very good
Flower color:	Magenta-purple, fading to deep purple with silvery reverse
Flower size:	Medium, around 2½-3 inch diameter, in large clusters
Fragrance:	Strong fruity
Hybridizer:	Christian Bédard

This rose, bred by Christian Bédard at Weeks Roses, fits in with the rest of the roses he’s bred –eye-catching blossoms, disease resistance, healthy and vigorous growth, and, best of all, fragrance. This rose delivers on all counts. Even better, breeders have been making great strides in sun tolerance and color saturation in roses. These roses can keep their color in the sun instead of fading to an insipid mauve.

Cosmic Clouds sports ruffled blossoms in rich magenta pink - almost violet - with a unique white back and a delicious fruity fragrance. Its large blooms grow in clusters of three to ten. One cluster makes a lovely bouquet for your home, with long stems for cut flowers. This rose shakes off pests and diseases and even does well in partial shade. Is there nothing this rose cannot do?

Miss Manners™

Class:	Grandiflora
Habit:	Medium-sized plant with an upright, moderately spreading habit.
Disease resistance:	Very good
Flower color:	Raspberry pink
Flower size:	Medium-large, around 3½-4½ inch diameter
Fragrance:	Moderate fruit and spicy
Hybridizer:	Tom Carruth

Miss Manners is an attractive, compact grandiflora rose. Her buds open into old-fashioned, English-style blossoms of up to 60 petals and a moderate, fruity fragrance. The flowers hold their color very nicely, too. Hardy to Zone 6 but can be grown in colder areas with winter protection. Miss Manners exhibits excellent resistance to powdery mildew, downy mildew, and rust. Under this demure exterior is a gal that’s tough as nails.

Quest for Zest™

Class:	Grandiflora
Habit:	Medium-tall; upright
Disease resistance:	Very good
Flower color:	Yellow center with lighter outer petals
Flower size:	Large, 4-5 inch diameter. Some are single, some in small clusters
Fragrance:	Strong citrus, fruit (Rating: 10/10)
Hybridizer:	Christian Bédard

Here’s another grandiflora with a swoon-worthy fragrance. Its large flowers, some single on a stem, others in clusters of 2 or 3, make gorgeous bouquets that will fill your home with delicious strong lemon-citrus/fruity fragrance! These zesty yellow flowers are overflowing with off-the-charts lemon fragrance, both indoors and out.

This rose’s upright growth habit and glossy, disease-resistant leaves make Quest for Zest a great new addition to your rose garden. This just might be the grandiflora that you've been looking for!

Make Me Blush™

Class:	Hybrid Tea
Habit:	Tall, moderately spreading.
Disease resistance:	Very good
Flower color:	Soft yellow with coral-pink blush
Flower size:	About 3.5 – 5 inch diameter
Fragrance:	Moderately fruity
Hybridizer:	Tom Carruth

Here’s a marvelous new hybrid tea from Weeks Roses, bred by Tom Carruth. I always stop when I see Tom Carruth’s name. He’s hybridized over 150 sturdy, eye-catching roses for decades and has created more All-American selection winners than any other rose breeder. Some of his creations include Playboy, Ebb Tide, Julia Child, Chihuly, Diamond Eyes, Scentimental. These roses combine stunning colors and forms with disease resistance, fragrance, and novelty -- as many modern roses do.

Benjamin Alexander

Class:	Hybrid musk
Habit:	Medium-tall; upright
Disease resistance:	Very good
Flower color:	Mauve
Flower size:	1.5 inches, double blossoms borne in small clusters
Fragrance:	Mild
Hybridizer:	Calvin W. Schroeck

It’s not often that you’ll see a hybrid musk rose on the “New Roses” list, but one is worthy. Benjamin Alexander, introduced by Freedom Gardens, started as a volunteer seedling next to Chateau de Vair 93 and turned into this beauty. So many visitors to the rose fields at Freedom Gardens asked, “What is this rose?” that they ended up propagating it.

Benjamin Alexander, named for the first skier to represent Jamaica in the Olympics, blooms in flushes throughout the season and displays good winter hardiness.

This rose is available only through Freedom Gardens in Ohio.

Bring Me Sunshine

Class:	English Shrub
Habit:	Large shrub, 4 feet tall and wide
Flower color:	Orange-yellow
Flower size:	Medium
Fragrance:	Medium-strong, myrrh
Hybridizer:	David Austin

This sunny English rose has fabulous color. It bears cupped rosettes of rich orange-yellow that pale to lighter apricot/yellow in the sun. Even the fragrances change from myrrh to soft notes of tea. Bring Me Sunshine grows into a healthy, upright shrub that has great disease resistance, and it absolutely covers itself with flowers.

Elizabeth®

Class:	English Shrub
Habit:	Large Shrub, 4.5 feet tall and wide
Flower color:	Pale pink-apricot
Flower size:	Medium
Fragrance:	Mild, sweet lemon/rose
Hybridizer:	David Austin

Naturally, this sweetly-scented rose is named in honor of Queen Elizabeth II. Elizabeth bears clusters of full, apple-blossom pink flowers with a light golden center. The delicate-looking blooms fade to blush-white as they age, creating a two-tone effect and adding to summer interest. The flowers are overflowing with a sweet fragrance with hints of lemon and old rose. Elizabeth blooms in flushes through the season, and her roses almost seem to glow in partial shade. She keeps blooming even without deadheading.

This rose can be used anywhere – in containers, as a specimen, or as a hedge. It is hardy in exposed, windy areas and in partial shade.

Edible Rose Blossoms

You know that rose petals are edible. The next two new roses were bred specifically to make your lunch and dinner a little more elegant.

Flavorette Pear’d™

Class:	Shrub
Habit:	3-4' tall x wide
Flower color:	White and pink
Flower size:	Medium
Fragrance:	Sweet, myrrh
Flavor:	Pear
Hybridizer:	Pheno Geno Roses

This adorable little rose is a small shrub that has old-fashioned blossoms that resemble some of the older Austin roses but is lower-maintenance – and tasty. A Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Flowering Shrub. the Flavorette Pear'd rose covers itself with delicate white flowers with a pink blush. The petals are edible, as all rose petals are, but most rose petals aren’t tasty. This rose’s petals have a sweet pear flavor and a lush, soft texture. Add these petals to salads – use them to flavor sugar – make jam or jelly – add them to desserts and tea for a lovely but tasty garnish.

This rose will be at home in containers, adding a tall central element to the arrangement, and looks great in the landscape. Add it to your edible landscape, vegetable garden, or herb garden. The semi-double flowers are borne profusely on a cheerful, healthy plant that's easy to grow.

Flavorette™ Honey-Apricot

Class:	Shrub rose
Habit:	Tall, arching shrub, 5 to 8 feet tall, 3 to 4 feet wide
Flower color:	Rich yellow and orange, fading to cream
Flower size:	Medium
Fragrance:	Good
Flavor:	Apricots and honey
Hybridizer:	Pheno Geno Roses

The breeders from Pheno Geno Roses really put their money where their mouth is when it came to these two Flavorette roses. They enlisted chefs from top restaurants in Europe to choose the best-tasting and most beautiful rose varieties out of a pool of 100 edible rose candidates. Both the Honey Apricot and Pear’d roses ranked in the top 9.

This Proven Winners® ColorChoice® rose covers itself with rich, edible orange and yellow flowers, all bearing silky petals with a sweet flavor of honey and apricots. Honey Apricot petals will pair especially well with chocolates and make a stunning topping for cakes, cookies, and cupcakes. Add them to fruit dishes or summer salads.

This easy-growing rose needs little maintenance and will profusely bear double flowers that brighten your edible landscape, vegetable garden, or herb garden.

Rise Up Embrays®

Class:	Climbing Rose
Habit:	Tall, 3 to5 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide
Flower color:	Orange accented with a yellow eye
Flower size:	Medium
Fragrance:	Good
Hybridizer:	Chris Warner

This is part of the Rise Up series and the first climbing roses from Proven Winners ColorChoice. These are affectionately called “mini-climbers” due to their dense, tidy habit, but can be grown as a climber or shrub. Large blossoms of fiery orange blooms with a bright yellow eye will brighten your landscape all summer with fragrant continuous blooms. Grow it as a specimen, or use it to embellish a trellis, column, or wall. The glossy, dark green foliage of Rise Up Embrays offers amazing disease resistance and highlights the brilliance of the flowers. A top-performing rose in our trials.

Raspberry Cupcake™

Class:	Hybrid Tea
Habit:	Bushy, 30 to 37 inches (75 to 95cm) tall and wide
Flower color:	Medium to light pink
Flower size:	Large, 60+ petals
Fragrance:	Strong raspberry and lemon fragrance
Hybridizer:	Kordes®

This special rose bears medium to blush pink flowers with large, cuplike petals and a delicious raspberry and lemon fragrance. It has excellent disease resistance and covers itself with flushes of gorgeous blooms throughout the season that also work well as cut flowers, filling the house with fragrance.

In form, the rose also looks outstanding, with arching canes, and yet the bush stays bushy and compact, with attractive matte foliage.

Raspberry Cupcake was originally sold in Germany as Fräulein Maria von Jever.

Buttercream Drift®

Class:	Groundcover
Habit:	Compact, bushy, 1.5 feet tall and 2 feet wide
Flower color:	Light sunny yellow
Flower size:	Small cuplike flowers, 20–25 petals
Fragrance:	Slight
Hybridizer:	Meilland®
Blooms:	From spring to frost

Every year, new roses in the Drift® series add to their range of bold and brilliant colors, and Buttercream Drift is no exception. Its ruffled sunny flowers with cuplike petals will brighten any gardens of all shapes and styles. These compact roses also attract helpful pollinators.

As with the rest of the Drift series, Buttercream Drift has excellent disease resistance, is hardy, and stays clean and pretty all season. This groundcover rose is an excellent choice for covering hillsides and open areas.

Sunblaze® Peach

Class:	Miniature
Habit:	Compact, rounded, bushy, 18 inches tall and wide
Flower color:	Orange, pink, yellow
Flower size:	Semi-double cuplike flowers, 15–18 petals
Fragrance:	Slight
Hybridizer:	Meilland®

Sunblaze® Peach is easy to grow and blooms throughout the season. This miniature rose produces bright, bold orange, pink, and yellow blooms from spring to fall with pretty little rounded petals. This little charmer thrives in containers, and it’s ideal for small spaces. Tuck it into your porch, patio, and deck to brighten things up. It has dark green, disease-resistant foliage, and the colorful flowers attract pollinators.

Sunblaze® Lemon

Class:	Miniature
Habit:	Compact, rounded, bushy, 18 inches tall and wide
Flower color:	Cream Yellow
Flower size:	Cuplike flowers, 25–28 petals
Fragrance:	Slight
Hybridizer:	Meilland®

Sunblaze® Lemon is an easygoing rose, producing creamy-yellow blooms from spring to fall that attract pollinators and beneficial insects. This cheerful miniature rose thrives in containers, making it ideal for small spaces. Dark green foliage boasts excellent disease resistance. Fits well in containers and will liven up any porch, patio, and deck.

Top Cream™

Class:	Hybrid Tea
Habit:	Upright, bushy. 6 feet tall, 2–3 feet wide
Flower color:	White with light yellow/pink shading
Flower size:	Large, old-fashioned, 40-100 petals
Fragrance:	Strong anise/pear
Hybridizer:	Meilland®

Originally sold in France as Camille Claudel. This amazingly productive hybrid tea is a non-stop blooming machine. The large, old-fashioned blooms of this romantic rose are extremely fragrant with notes of earthy pear. Like its name, Top Cream’s petals are creamy-white with an occasional light pink blush, and they are delightfully abundant. Top Cream exhibits excellent disease resistance, is a wonderful rose for cut floral arrangements, and is an all-around winner.

English Coral

Class:	Grandiflora
Habit:	Tall, upright, spreading
Flower color:	Salmon to coral pink
Flower size:	3 to 4-inch double blooms, 35-70 petals
Fragrance:	Slight fruit

With its old-fashioned form in soft shades of coral and pink and cupped blossoms, the English Coral grandiflora rose might have fit in well with the old English roses in Sissinghurst Garden. But this rose combines the best of the old and the new, as many modern roses do.

Unlike old roses, English Coral are repeat bloomers, bearing bright flushes of stately, cup-shaped blooms of glowing coral pink from late spring to late fall. The long, sturdy stems are ideal for cutting, and the roses’ light fragrance can perfume a small room.

English Coral is a tall bush typical for grandifloras, with an upright, modestly spreading habit and good disease resistance.

Champagne Dreams

Class:	Floribunda
Habit:	Medium-tall, upright, spreading
Flower color:	Apricot
Flower size:	4-inch double blooms, 25-40 petals
Fragrance:	Moderate fruit

Champagne Dreams flowers heavily in continuous waves over a long season from late spring to late fall. Borne mostly singly or in small clusters, the classic 4-inch double blooms have 25 to 40 apricot-colored petals. The flowers have a moderate fruity fragrance and are ideal for cutting. Just one snip makes a lovely bouquet.

Champagne Dreams is a medium-tall bush with an upright, moderately spreading habit and good disease resistance. Highly versatile, floribunda roses make excellent landscapes, garden beds, hedges, borders, and container plants.

Ball Gown™ (Romantica ® Series)

Class:	Hybrid Tea
Habit:	Upright, bushy, up to 6 feet tall
Flower color:	Medium pink
Flower size:	3½ to 4 inches wide
Petal Count:	Up to 100
Fragrance:	Very strong, classic rose
Hybridizer:	Meilland

This new hybrid tea rose, bred by the house of Meilland, has all the hallmarks of an old-fashioned romantic rose: Intense classic rose fragrance and large pink flowers with 100 petals per bloom. This rose makes beautiful, long-lasting cut flowers.

The flowers truly look like a classic centifolia or a cabbage rose, even though Ball Gown is a hybrid tea. Don’t be fooled: This hybrid tea can hold its own against disease and pests. Ball Gown provides all the beauty and fragrance of an old rose, all the vigor and hardiness of a shrub rose, and the excellent disease resistance of many modern roses.

La Di Da

Class:	Floribunda
Habit:	Medium tall, upright, 4 by 3 feet
Flower color:	Lavender with a golden boss
Flower size:	Medium, 3 inch
Fragrance:	Irresistible spicy fragrance
Hybridizer:	Tom Carruth

La Di Da is a reintroduction of ‘Lady Perfume,’ a Carruth rose that was introduced in 2014.

I had an old rosarian friend who told me a long time ago, “Most of those purple roses are real dogs.” Back in those days, breeding a “blue” rose (actually purple) was harder to do, and if a bred rose bloomed purple, then you’d just cross your fingers and hope it had a modicum of disease resistance.

These days, we’re more fortunate. Breeders have an easier time selecting traits such as disease resistance and hardiness, even in hard-to-breed colors. Roses like the La Di Da are the result. This fragrant mauve rose is a stunner, bearing clouds of lavender blossoms and fragrance. What’s not to like?