Gardening Guides
Sneak a Peek at Some of Next Year’s Irresistible New Roses
Here are top 2018 picks for beautiful blooms, lovely fragrances and exceptional disease resistance
We’re in for a treat this year when it comes to the fresh new crop of 2018 garden rose varieties. From ‘Roald Dahl’, a perfectly peach-colored English rose named for the author of James and the Giant Peach, to ‘Easy on the Eyes’, an unusual lavender-petaled rose that smells like citrus and spices, there’s something to spark the imagination about each of these new hybrids. Whether you’re looking for a new variety to try or would simply like to indulge in a bit of flower-gazing, take a look at our top choices for 2018 introductions from England’s David Austin and stateside from Weeks Roses and Proven Winners.
2. ‘Imogen’: A frothy lemon-yellow delight with an unusual button eye. As soft and sweet as lemon meringue, ‘Imogen’ blooms exceptionally generously, with the many-petaled flowers nearly covering the plant for months of repeat blooms. Those with a taste for old-fashioned roses will appreciate the rare button-eye centers reminiscent of antique Gallica and Damask roses. Once past their prime, lemon yellow blooms fade to cream. The plant also touts excellent disease resistance.
Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 26.1 degrees Celsius (zones 5 to 9)
Water requirement: Moderate
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 3 feet wide and 4½ feet tall; can grow larger in warm climates
Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 26.1 degrees Celsius (zones 5 to 9)
Water requirement: Moderate
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 3 feet wide and 4½ feet tall; can grow larger in warm climates
3. ‘Roald Dahl’: The perfect peach rose. Named in tribute to the author of James and the Giant Peach, this perfectly peach-colored shrub rose has fat orange buds that open into rounded, cup-shaped flowers. Blooms have a strong tea fragrance with hints of honey. The plant also is said to have excellent disease resistance and few thorns. Plant it by garden gates where you can appreciate the wafting fragrance — and its lack of thorns —and easily snip blooms for bouquets.
Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 26.1 degrees Celsius (zones 5 to 9)
Water requirement: Moderate
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 4 feet wide to 4 feet tall; can grow larger in warm climates
Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 26.1 degrees Celsius (zones 5 to 9)
Water requirement: Moderate
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 4 feet wide to 4 feet tall; can grow larger in warm climates
4. ‘Top Gun’: Intense color and excellent disease resistance. With richly colored red-burgundy petals around centers with decorative yellow stamens, ‘Top Gun’ is a real head-turner in garden beds. Plant where you’re looking for rich color, either as the focal point of a mixed bed or where it can stand out among evergreen shrubs. The plant has excellent disease resistance — coming out at the top of the charts in trials in the Eastern U.S. — and a rounded, bushy habit. Leaves are glossy and medium to green.
Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 25 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 31.7 degrees Celsius (zones 4 to 10)
Water requirement: Moderate
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 3 to 4 feet tall and wide
Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 25 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 31.7 degrees Celsius (zones 4 to 10)
Water requirement: Moderate
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 3 to 4 feet tall and wide
5. ‘Easy on the Eyes’: Highly unusual lavender blushed with magenta blooms. Purple roses are hard to come by, but the coloration of ‘Easy on the Eyes’ makes it stand out among other purple blooms in a class of its own. The blooms open from pink buds to reveal a semi-double form with lavender-pink petals and deep magenta eyes. As the flowers age, the petals take on more purple-blue tones, creating an ombre-like color gradient among flowers on a single spray. The blooms smell like citrus and spices and the plant has good disease resistance.
Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 25 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 31.7 degrees Celsius (zones 4 to 10)
Water requirement: Moderate
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 3 to 4 feet wide and 4 to 5 feet tall
Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 25 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 31.7 degrees Celsius (zones 4 to 10)
Water requirement: Moderate
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 3 to 4 feet wide and 4 to 5 feet tall
6. ‘Lady in Red’: Ruffled true-red blooms that hold their color. As decorative as the skirt of a flamenco dancer, the flowers of ‘Lady in Red’ have a double form and highly ruffled red petals. Instead of fading to pick up more pink or blue tones like most red roses, the petals of ‘Lady in Red’ stay ruby-red until they fall to the ground, even in hot climates. As a climber, the plant naturally has a sprawling habit but is more compact and bushy than other climbing roses. Plant where it will have some space to sprawl, such as along a fence or trained up the side of a garden shed.
Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 25 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 31.7 degrees Celsius (zones 4 to 10)
Water requirement: Moderate
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: Climbing habit with canes reaching between 8 to 10 feet tall
Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 25 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 31.7 degrees Celsius (zones 4 to 10)
Water requirement: Moderate
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: Climbing habit with canes reaching between 8 to 10 feet tall
7. ‘At Last’: Old-rose fragrance and beautiful apricot blooms. With the disease resistance of a modern rose and the classic tea fragrance of old-fashioned roses, ‘At Last’ has the best of both worlds. The plant blooms from early summer to the first frost with a succession of medium-large flowers. Thanks to the long stems and bloom period, this variety would be an excellent addition to cutting gardens.
Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 26.1 degrees Celsius (zones 5 to 9)
Water requirement: Moderate
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 2½ to 3 feet tall and wide
Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 26.1 degrees Celsius (zones 5 to 9)
Water requirement: Moderate
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 2½ to 3 feet tall and wide
8. ‘Oso Easy Hot Paprika’: An easy-care ground cover rose with great heat tolerance. The electric-pink-orange blooms of this rose have an almost highlighter quality, nearly glowing amid the glossy medium-green foliage. Bred as a ground-cover rose, the plants stay low, growing in mounds from 1 to 2 feet tall and twice as wide. The plant is exceptional for both its cold tolerance (can grow down to Zone 3) and heat tolerance (blooms resist fading in hot climates).
Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 34.4 degrees Celsius (zones 3 to 9)
Water requirement: Moderate
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 1 to 2 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide
A note about ordering roses: Roses ordered now through nurseries or directly from breeders will ship between January and mid-May, depending on the correct planting time for your area. Generally, new introductions sell out early, so it’s best to order sooner rather than later if you’re interested in any of the new varieties. Roses will arrive bare-root.
More
What Kind of Roses Should You Grow?
Planting Time! How to Order From the Garden Catalogs
Learn more about growing flowers where you live
Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 34.4 degrees Celsius (zones 3 to 9)
Water requirement: Moderate
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 1 to 2 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide
A note about ordering roses: Roses ordered now through nurseries or directly from breeders will ship between January and mid-May, depending on the correct planting time for your area. Generally, new introductions sell out early, so it’s best to order sooner rather than later if you’re interested in any of the new varieties. Roses will arrive bare-root.
More
What Kind of Roses Should You Grow?
Planting Time! How to Order From the Garden Catalogs
Learn more about growing flowers where you live
Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 26.1 degrees Celsius (USDA zones 5 to 9; find your zone)
Water requirement: Moderate
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: Climbing habit with canes reaching up to 10 feet tall
Note: David Austin varieties are listed by year of introduction to North America; many were available one or two years earlier in the U.K.