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The Best of Recent Minis and Minifloras

by Sandy Lundberg

The world of miniature roses has expanded to include some exciting new varieties this year. Among the new offerings, there are some finding their way to the show tables and more that have the potential to make and impact on the show table.

Miniatures

Arcanum Although we have been growing Arcanum for a couple of years, the plant was slow to grow. Grafted to fortuniana rootstock, this variety has shown what a show-stopper it can be. The form is impeccable and the creamy white with their orange outer petals is a beautiful combination. The petals have great substance and the dark foliage sets a complimentary frame for the bloom.
Bee’s Knees has fantastic exhibition form and the blooms with their brightly colored yellow and red blooms command attention. The bush stays loaded with exhibition blooms. This looks like a potential “Queen machine”.
Erin Alonzo, a sport of Bee’s Knees, was discovered by Peter Alonzo of California and named for his daughter. It has the same fantastic form as Bee’s Knees and is a bright yellow. The petal edges can be lighter or white. It has been registered and patented.
Miss Charleston was the official miniature rose of the ARS All-Miniature Show and Conference. Mike Williams specially hybridized it for the show. The color is a clear non-fading purple with excellent exhibition form. The foliage is dark the blooms grow on straight stems. It is certainly one of his best, if not the best. A vigorous grower, it produces lots of blooms.
Marie Jeanette is a sport of Irresistible that has more of an apricot center and none of the green petals. With fewer petals, it does not have a hole in the center like Irresistible. The growth habit and foliage is identical to Irresistible.
Breath of Spring was introduced by Bridges Roses last year. It is a great medium yellow with a very high center. The outer petals fade to white. The flowers come on straight stems with medium green shiny foliage. Exhibitors should include this rose in their inventory. The bush is a great grower and produces loads of blooms.
Doris Morgan is an ARS Award of Excellence winner for 2003. Dennis Bridges hybridized it. It has the same hot pink color of Hot Princess. A true miniature, it grows on long stems with dark, shiny foliage. It has exhibition form in cooler weather, but lacks petals during the summer. It has great exhibition potential.
This Is the Day is Jim Sproul’s A of E winner for 2003. Its color is an unusual russet or brick red color. The blooms are small and have exhibition form. The bush is a good grower and produces flowers on long straight stems.
Baby Boomer is Frank Benardella’s A of E winner from 2003. It is a true pale pink similar to Bride’s Dream. His entry of Baby Boomer won Mini Queen in Charleston last summer at the ARS All- Mini Show. My plant wasn’t purchased until May. It has been fairly slow getting established and the blooms are very small although the bloom size has been increasing this fall. I will continue to watch this one for improved size.
Merlot was a winner of the A of E in 2003. The blooms are true mini size and have good exhibition form. The blooms are wine red colored with a white reverse. Although it produces one bloom stems, most of the stems produce sprays.
Chloe’s Star is a sport of Glowing Amber. It is bright yellow with the same pointed, quilled petals that are typical of Glowing Amber and Amber Star. The new plant is growing, after a slow start, and producing blooms, but so far they are all very tiny and lack form.
Norwich Sweetheart was created by David Berg , an amateur hybridizer from Connecticut. It was named to honor the town of Norwich, Ct.. The plant is still small but has produced some well-formed fragrant red blooms.
Nancy Jean is one of the first roses introduced by new hybridizer, Vernon Rickard. He has produced a beautiful deep apricot miniature rose and named it for his wife. The blooms have exhibition form with needlepoint centers. The seed parents are Fairhope x Michel Cholet.
Tammy Darlene is a delicate light pink. It has just produced the first bloom. It looks to have good exhibition form. This is another miniature hybridized by Vernon Rickard of Almost Heaven Roses.

Minifloras
Dr. John Dickman has excellent exhibition form on a stunning purple rose that has a touch of red on the petal edges. The color combination is beautiful. The blooms come on long stems with complimentary dark foliage. The plant does not produce a lot of blooms at any one time. Miniflora exhibitors will want to add this beauty to their inventory.
Butter Crème. This cross of Anne Morrow Lindbergh x Fairhope has the same superb form as Fairhope and medium butter yellow color. This bloom can be large as the plant establishes. Bob Martin, the hybridizer, reports that it refrigerates well. This is another “must have” for the miniflora exhibitor.
Conundrum. This rose is a beauty! The colors are stunning and it has excellent high centered form. The golden yellow blooms have deep red on the outer part of the petals. The bush has an upright growth habit and produces long-stemmed beauties on straight stems with attractive dark green foliage. This rose has been making a mark on the show tables already. It will be a bright spot in your garden. Robbie Tucker, the hybridizer, believes that this is his best all around rose yet.
Ruffian is a miniflora with salmon orange blooms that have needle-point centers. They grow on long stems with dark green foliage. The bushes are vigorous. The bloom does not have many petals, but the petals have superb substance. The bloom can be opened in the prep room with Q-tips in the outer petals to reveal the center. David Clemmons of Huntsville, Alabama, hybridized Ruffian. I was fortunate to test this for David for the last two years and have been pleased with it and have used it in National Challenge Classes.
Foolish Pleasure. David Clemmons also hybridized this miniflora rose. This pink-blend rose grows on long straight stems. The lower parts of the petals are white blending to a deep pink on the outer petals. The foliage is a medium green sized to compliment the bloom, but not overly large.
Charismatic was also hybridized by David Clemmons. It is a blend of white on the lower parts of the petals becoming a deeper cherry red on the outer part of the petals. In cooler spring and fall weather, the color will be redder.
Providence. Hybridized by Robbie Tucker, the blooms are a bright medium yellow and have an excellent high centered form. They grow on long stems with light green foliage. The blooms tend to produce side buds so some disbudding is necessary for one-bloom entries.
Aliena.Slow to grow in my garden, this rose has exhibition form. It is creamy yellow with red blushing on the petal edges.
Fancy Dancer. Some blooms have exhibition form, but it seems to need cool weather to produce them. The color combination is pretty with a dark red that sometimes has black edges much like Dublin.
Starship. The blooms are very large. They are golden yellow in color blending to orange on the outer parts of the petals. The foliage is a dark green and glossy. The blooms have exhibition form and grow one to a stem on a tall plant.
Fontana. The blooms have hybrid tea form and can come in sprays. The blooms are a light apricot. The stems are very long and the foliage is dark green.
Charmed. The color of this rose is unlike any I’ve seen before. It is best described as the color of sand, almost a very, very light brown. The blooms have exhibition form, good substance, and grow on long stems with dark green foliage.

Hybrid Teas

Big Time. This was the only new hybrid tea we grew this year. We did not get the first blooms from the fortuniana plant until May when the heat had set in. The blooms this fall seem to have good size and exhibition form. The color is a deep hot pink, almost identical to Hot Princess and has the same glossy foliage.
Pat’s Choice. In our second year with this bush, we see competitive size on these nicely formed soft orange-colored blooms. This one will show.
Hot Princess. We were told that it takes two years for Hot Princess to become good and it is true. We are seeing an excellent exhibition rose that has what it needs to be a winner, excellent exhibition form, an arresting hot pink color, long stems, shiny foliage, and size. We’re impressed and have added more bushes to our garden.

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