Selection Process

Each AARS test garden has a judging panel that participates in our bi-annual scoring process. In this “blind process,” judges do not know the breeder or introducer for the plants they’re grading, and they’re asked to submit scores by serial number.

In our test gardens, the roses are carefully evaluated on a number of criteria. In fact, the judges put many hours of observation into monitoring the performance of the top roses throughout the growing season. They grade each of the roses on the following characteristics:

• Novelty
• Form - of both buds and open blooms
• Color throughout the blooming cycle
• Aging quality
• Flowering effect
• Fragrance
• Stem/cluster form
• Plant habit
• Vigor
• Foliage
• Disease resistance
• Repeat bloom quality

Each winning rose bears the AARS red rose logo as a “seal of approval” that ensures gardeners that the plants will grow beyond expectations with little maintenance.