Award-winning roses: A.R.T.S names fourteen exceptional varieties

Why gardeners trust A.R.T.S. awards

The American Rose Trials for Sustainability (A.R.T.S.) has added 14 roses to the family of 80 award-winning cultivars proven to have superior hardiness and plant performance in various regions of the country.

Gardeners have high expectations when it comes to how their roses perform. They want (1) healthy plants that are disease and pest resistant without the use of chemical sprays, (2) a pleasing appearance with minimal care, and (3) attractive bloom coverage throughout the season. Depending on the regional climate as well as differences in local diseases and insects, certain roses outperform others in different geographic areas.

A.R.T.S. is an independent, non-profit organization that conducts two-year scientific studies to evaluate the newest roses coming to the market. The research team is composed of four Ph.D. university scientists, public horticulturists, nursery growers, and two American Rose Society Master Rosarians who have decades of experience in plant trials, including at least 40 collective years of scientific rose research. A.R.T.S. is a trialing program with a 13-year history of growing, evaluating and making recommendations on roses delivering exceptional performance by recognizing those roses with regional awards.

A.R.T.S. takes the guesswork out of selecting roses that have proven track records of landscape excellence. Nurseries and their customers will find that these award-winning roses require minimal input of resources in return for maximum output of garden performance.

Trials and evaluations

A.R.T.S. trialing program has partnered with organizations across the U.S. which provide space and resources for the trials to take place. Trial sites include six botanic gardens/arboreta, three cities providing trial sites in public parks, five public gardens and ten sites associated with universities, community colleges and/or county extension services.

Each A.R.T.S. trial site grows roses under low input conditions (i.e., no applications of fungicides, insecticides or miticides, no deadheading or in season pruning). Nutrition is managed through a modest application of compost to trial beds prior to planting with no fertilizers applied during the trial period. The trialing program is designed to identify the most resilient and beautiful new roses available today. “We are giving back to the community by supplying knowledge on growing sustainable and even attainable roses in their own backyards. Our visitors are inspired when they see how effortless it is to grow beautiful roses with minimal maintenance — not to mention the abundant variety of roses,” explains Ashley Barkow, horticulturist at the Green Bay Botanical Garden.

Trial plants are evaluated monthly during the growing season using well-defined criteria that includes disease/pest tolerance and/or resistance, flowering, foliage, plant form and general health. To win an award, roses must prove they are resilient on their own merits without being sustained by repeated fertilizer applications or chemical sprays.

Each trial site includes the same two control cultivars, Double Knock Out (‘RADdko’) and Sunrise Sunset (‘BAIset’), which have proven track records for strong performance across the regions. The average regional performance scores of the two control roses become the threshold score that trial cultivars must meet or beat in order to earn a regional award.

Data collection and availability

A.R.T.S., working with AgriSciences Inc., has created a data platform that enables streamlined collection of data in the field. This technology assists evaluators in quickly capturing key performance information, the presence of pests and/or disease, and other trial criteria, as well as upload photographs on a mobile device directly to the research team. Evaluators began using the technology in 2024.

“Our volunteers took to using the app like ducks take to water,” laughs Kathryn Grundle, horticulturist and trial site manager at Boerner Botanical Gardens in Hales Corner, Wisconsin.

As data is input into the software program it is housed in a central depository where it can be readily queried for real-time performance reports, along with using the system’s analytical capabilities to help answer questions like suggesting diseases or disorders from photographs that can be confirmed by scientists. These advances provide even greater benefit to the nursery industry.

How awards are earned

A.R.T.S. awards are based on regional performance data collected over two years. The program has two levels of awards: the Local Artist and Master Rose awards. The Local Artist award is a regional award where a trial cultivar meets or beats the performance scores of the control cultivars in the region tested. Cultivars receiving four or more Local Artist awards are also awarded the A.R.T.S. Master Rose designation. The 2026 winning cultivars include three receiving the Master Rose and 11 receiving the Local Artist awards.

How A.R.T.S. identifies the best roses by region

How regions are determined is important in any plant-trialing program. A.R.T.S. uses the Köppen Climate Classification System to define regions of the continental United States. Unlike the USDA Hardiness Zone Map that only measures minimum temperatures, the Köppen system accounts for both temperature and precipitation levels, as well as the timing of each. Temperature and precipitation not only impact plant growth, but also directly impact disease and insect pressure. It is a system that has been in use since the late 1800’s and has become the standard resource for ecologists studying plants and the overall ecosystem. The A.R.T.S. website (TrustedRoses.com) makes it simple to not only identify different Köppen regions, but to also identify the roses that have won in each region. A list of winners by region may be found on the website under the tab “Climate Zone Map and Winners by Region.”

The Köppen system is a comprehensive tool to help A.R.T.S. better answer the question, “Can we grow that rose here?”