All-America Rose Selections announces 2009 winners

All-America Rose Selections named its 2009 winners in February: Carefree Spirit, Pink Promise and Cinco de Mayo.

“We are truly impressed by this year’s winners,” said AARS board president Tom Carruth. “Each plant brings different yet desirable qualities to the garden.”

Carefree Spirit has a mounding habit and produces deep-red flowers with white accents. The rose thrived in AARS test gardens for two years without any fungicide applications. It was hybridized by Jacques Mouchotte, director of research at Meilland International. Carefree Spirit was introduced by Conard-Pyle Co.

Pink Promise is a highly fragrant hybrid tea with large pink flowers and dark-green foliage. A percentage of sales from this rose will be donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Pink Promise was hybridized by Jim Coiner and introduced by Coiner Nursery.

Cinco de Mayo is a floribunda with lavender flowers and a hint of rusty red-orange accents. It’s ideal for use as a hedge or in a border with mixed perennials. Cinco de Mayo was hybridized by Tom Carruth and introduced by Weeks Roses.

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For more: All-American Rose Selections, rose@rose.org; www.rose.org.

May 2008