A Rose in Review

Sweet Sixteen - shrub. Introduced in 2002.

Each year the American Rose Society has a little judging called Roses in Review. They are actually asking their members to evaulate certain roses that haven't been evaulated, or they don't have enough info on the roses to rate them for garden and show.

Last year I was surprised to see that they had rated Sweet Sixteen rather high for the garden. I've had this rose since 2002 and frankly haven't had a really high opinion of it. But I was also aware that I had it squashed between six other roses. For three years it continued to flounder for me.

This year, I had this new very large bed around some spruce trees that I was planting in roses. I pulled several roses out of the over crowded bed and put them back in the new bed with the left over munchkins that had made their way into my garden. Sweet Sixteen was one of two of these roses that went back there to flouish. I can see now why the ARS gave it a high rating. Since it settled it's been nonstop blooming and the bush is compact and well leafed. It also appears to be quite disease resistant. All my roses back in this new bed are doing very well.


Little Darling - shrub. Introduced 1956. Rated as 8.2 out of 10 as a garden specimen.

This little rose is also in the same bed with Sweet Sixteen and is doing exceptionally well. However, Little Darling won't stay little. I understand it gets to be a massive bush. This one was taken from the garden of my deceased friend, Bob Sanders. When he passed, his wife called me and asked that we come and get the roses and a couple of trees. Of course I said yes and that's now Little Darling came to live with us. This rose is growing like gang busters and I'm hoping it'll show me it's true worth nex year. Right now, I'm not complaining.