The American Garden Rose Selections (AGRS) is an annual award that recommends the most outstanding rose varieties for the United States.
The AGRS replaced the All-American Rose Selections. In 2012, a “Great Rosarians of the World” lecture series was held in New York City. Here they decided to establish a new, more rigorous nation rose trial program – and include an emphasis on regional winners.
Most rose growers have discovered, to their dismay, that a rose that does well in another locality will utterly fail in their area. Roses from England turn wimpy in the dry summers of the Great Plains. Roses that bloom their heads off in Southern heat might turn miserly in New England or turn into a blackspot factory in the Pacific Northwest. And, of course, rose selection is limited up north, where temperatures drop to -40 degrees (both in Fahrenheit and Celsius).
The national rose trials now present a higher bar for roses. Promising varieties are grown over two years at trial gardens across the nation and evaluated three times each year for a variety of traits, including disease resistance, bloom abundance and attractiveness, hardiness, and foliage.
The best of these roses are named for the AGRS. Winners are also named for regional areas around the United States, so gardeners can find the best roses for their specific growing conditions.
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1000 Wishes
| Bred by: | Mike Shoup |
| Introduced by: | Antique Rose Emporium (2022) |
| Zones: | 4-11 |
Regional Choice Award:
- Northwest
- South Central
- Southeast
- Southwest
This carefree rose consists of the best of the old and new. 1000 Wishes grows to 5 feet tall and wide and bears large, single, coral-pink blossoms with a sweet fragrance. Late in the year, it bears hips. 1000 Wishes is delightfully easy to grow because it’s a pioneer-class rose. Pioneer is a new category of roses that are the result of breeding the most gorgeous and toughest antique roses with their outstanding descendants to create carefree, repeat-blooming roses. Available at Antique Rose Emporium.
Blushing Drift
| Bred by: | Alain Meilland (before 2015) |
| Introduced by: | Star Roses & Plants (2021) |
| Zones: | 4-11 |
Regional Choice Award:
- North Central
- Northeast
- Northwest
- South Central
- Southeast
- Southwest
Part of the ongoing Drift series, Blushing Drift bears double pink flowers with yellow stamens at the center. Like other Drift roses, it stays compact (it grows a foot and a half tall and 3 feet wide), shows excellent disease resistance, tolerates drought, and blooms its pretty little head off during the whole growing season. Blushing Drift is a tidy and attractive rose that can be grown as a landscape rose or groundcover. Available at Great Garden Plants and many other retailers.
Brindabella Roses™ Crimson Knight
| Bred by: | Sylvia E. and John C. Gray |
| Introduced by: | Suntory Flowers in partnership with Dig Plant Company |
Regional Choice Award:
- Northwest
- South Central
- Southwest
The Brindabella series is a collection of tough shrub roses that hail from Brindabella Country Gardens in Toowoomba, Australia. Crimson Knight provides bushy growth, disease resistance, clean leaves, and show-stopping flowers. Crimson Knight’s buds are dark red, almost black, opening to a series of red shades, including crimson and violet-red. Flowers are large and oh-so fragrant, with a strong, true rose fragrance. Originally sold as The Nightbird in Australia. Available from Wilson Bros Gardens. Grows 3-4 feet tall and wide.
Read more about roses and rose gardens from Rosefiend Cordell.
Fiesta Veranda
| Bred by: | Thomas Proll |
| Introduced by: | Kordes Roses/Star Roses & Plants (2020) |
| Zones: | 5-11 |
Regional Choice Award:
- Northwest
- South Central
- Southwest
Here’s an adorable, small floribunda rose that moves through as many color changes as the old Mutabilis, aka Butterfly Rose. The lightly fragrant roses open a deep gold color. As these long-lived blossoms age, they turn orange-pink, apricot, and finally, a soft cream edged with pink. Dark green, healthy foliage with great heat tolerance. Fiesta Veranda is sold as Bright Smiles in Australia. Here in the States, it’s sold at High Country Roses and Antique Rose Emporium.
Firefly
| Bred by: | Ping Lim |
| To Be Introduced by: | Altman Plants |
Regional Choice Award:
- North Central
- Northwest
- South Central
- Southwest
Ping Lim, the Director of Ornamental Plant Research for Altman Plants, bred Firefly (aka Lantern) with an eye toward his lifelong mission: To create stunning roses that will prosper anywhere and can be grown organically. Roses are trialed in a variety of conditions and climates, and Lim selects roses for health, beauty, compact growth, and good hips.
Firefly can’t be found anywhere yet (believe me, I spent over an hour looking!). It’s not due to be released commercially until 2026. Look for Firefly at Altman Plants here in a year or two.
Grandbaby
| Bred by: | Mike Shoup |
| Introduced by: | Antique Rose Emporium (2022) |
| Zones: | 5-11 |
Regional Choice Award:
- North Central
- Northwest
- Southwest
Another Pioneer rose from Mike Shoup at Antique Rose Emporium. Grandbaby is a little yellow rose that grows 2 feet tall and wide. It bears tons of lemon yellow blossoms packed with petals in that great old-fashioned look. Some blooms fade to a soft pink color. Foliage stays green and clean. Works great as a container plant or massed in a perennial border. Available at Antique Rose Emporium.
Like No Other
| Bred by: | Christian Bédard |
| Introduced by: | Jackson and Perkins (2020) |
| Zones: | 5-9 |
Regional Choice Award:
- Northwest
- South Central
- Southwest
Like No Other was also named a Jackson and Perkins Rose of the Year in 2022. Bédard has created a gorgeous floribunda that blooms in rich purples and magentas with over 100 petals in each flower and a delicious myrrh fragrance. The bush grows about 3 to 4 feet tall and wide with good form and healthy, glossy foliage. It blooms all through the growing season and does great in large containers. Available at Jackson and Perkins.
Ruby Red
| Bred by: | Michèle Meilland Richardier |
| Introduced by: | Meilland/Star Roses & Plants |
| Zones: | 4-10 |
Regional Choice Award:
- North Central
- Northwest
- South Central
- Southwest
Originally released in France as Summer Sangria, this brilliant red floribunda/grandiflora is a blooming powerhouse. Its deep red blossoms open to 3 inches wide in clusters, and you get heavy flushes of red blossoms through the growing season. The flowers have a light, fruity scent and don’t fade. The foliage is glossy green and covers the compact rosebush densely. Plant in masses, in containers, in borders, and anywhere else you can squeeze in a rose.
Ruby Red is available from High Country Roses.
Soaring to Glory
| Bred by: | Keith Zary |
| Introduced by: | Jackson and Perkins |
| Zones: | 5-9 |
Regional Choice Award:
- Northwest
- South Central
- Southwest
Soaring to Glory was named in honor of those who have served in the United States Air Force – past, present, and future. This tough floribunda bears big, butter-yellow blossoms with a spicy fragrance. They bloom all season, and the blossoms stand out against the clean, dark green foliage. Growing 3 feet tall and wide, this rose doesn’t fade, and it flourishes even in the toughest of conditions – just as our airmen do.
Soaring to Glory will be available at Heirloom Roses soon. Go here to be notified when Soaring to Glory is ready for purchase.
Conclusion
Enjoy these rose winners, and look up which roses are winners in your area. You might find a new garden highlight to enjoy!
Learn more about the American Garden Rose Selections at American Garden Rose Selections™.
Read more gardening advice from Rosefiend Cordell.
Mary Coakley
The roses are beautiful so.glad you.included.them