Rose of the Year has been around since 1982, awarded by the British Association of Rose Breeders and the British Group of the HTA to the best of the best.
Rose breeders are invited to submit what they consider to be the best of their up and coming varieties into the competition, which are then put through growing trials to decide the winner. Trials last for two years and are judged by both amateurs and professionals. They are conducted throughout the UK, from Aberdeen to Hampshire, and Northern Island to East Anglia, to ensure all the varieties are trialed in different soil and climate conditions.
This prestigious award highlights excellent varieties of Roses, with excellent growing, disease resistance, and, of course, beautiful flowers.
A full list of winners can be found on the Roses UK site, a website run by the BARB, and who also manage the Gold Standard awards.
A selection of the winners are on display at Roath Park in Cardiff, but if that is too far to travel, you could get your own selection of Rose of the Year winners from us here at English Roses! We currently stock 11 varieties of past winners, and we deliver nationally (excluding highlands and islands). Treat yourself or a loved one to a spectacular rose!
2020 Rose of the Year
Floribunda Rose
Small clusters of apricot-honey flowers grow from strong upright purple and green stems. With a long flowering season until the first frosts, and up to 50 blooms per stem, this stunning rose will enhance any garden for years to come. The fruity fragranced blooms are borne on dark green, highly glossy foliage, thus highlighting their delicate creamy colour. With excellent disease resistance, this healthy and remarkable rose would look incredible as a low hedge, or in borders or containers.
2018 Rose of the Year
Floribunda Rose
A striking cherry red rose, with an exceptionally long flowering season. Repeat flowering until the first frosts, the petals begin tight and then open to reveal an array of bright yellow stamens. The flowers are fairly large, and held in small sprays, giving an eye catching effect. Healthy and bushy, this glorious floribunda rose also has a delicate light scent.
2017 Rose of the Year
Climbing Rose
Scent From Heaven Rose is a truly stunning climbing rose. The flowers are large and hybrid tea shaped, and produced freely throughout summer and autumn. The elegant pointed peach buds open to wonderful salmon orange blooms, that have a rich and fruity scent. The glossy foliage is exceptionally disease resistant, and makes a stunning background for the bright blooms. This climber would be ideal for transforming a plain wall or fence into something to be admired, a real feature of the garden.
2015 Rose of the Year
Floribunda Rose
Pink with hints of coppery apricot, it has a dark pink eye at the very centre, which highlights its prominent bright yellow stems. This floribunda will flower continuously through the summer, thus filling your garden with a delicate light fragrance. A very happy rose in full sun, it is tough with great disease resistance. With the added bonus of being attractive to pollinators, this rose will fill your garden with colour and life!
2013 Rose of the Year
Gold Standard Award Winner
Floribunda Rose
The stunning rich pink flowers are large and shapely, and appear in clusters over a long flowering period. Exceptionally disease resistant, this healthy and hardy grower is easy to grow and will thrive in any garden. A bushy grower with a neat habit, this rose would thus be perfect for borders and containers.
2010 Rose of the Year
Gold Standard Award Winner
Floribunda Rose
The beautiful flowers are a wonderful buttery yellow, which when combined with the rich green foliage makes for an eye catching plant. The fragrance that is reminiscent of liquorice is the perfect balance; distinctive yet not overpowering. A strong grower with superior disease resistance, this hardy rose is happy in both sun and partial shade. With this rose you can enjoy its stunning display from June well into September, a real treat for the garden. The bright colours and captivating fragrance would be stunning in a patio pot or container, so that it can be enjoyed any time you walk past.
2009 Rose of the Year
Gold Standard Award Winner
Floribunda Rose
Huge clusters of lilac-pink semi-double blooms repeat flower right through the season, seeming to always be in flower. The delicate lilac-pink flowers are also enhanced by the attractive foliage, thus producing an exemplary plant. A vigorous grower, with brilliant disease resistance, this easy to grow rose would therefore be stunning in a large container or in a border. A delightfully fragranced flower, this rose is also highly attractive to bees and other pollinators, meaning your garden will team with wildlife.
2006 Rose of the Year
Gold Standard Award Winner
Floribunda Rose
Healthy and reliable, this rose is tolerant of dry conditions and poor soils, flourishing where other roses may struggle. The dark, glossy foliage enhances the creamy pink buds that become beautiful blush apricot blooms. With its light and pleasant fragrance, and eye-catching flowers, this rose is also a favourite in cut displays.
1998 Rose of the Year
Gold Standard Award Winner
Climbing Rose
If you are looking for that quintessential English climbing rose with large double ruffled flowers, then you’ve found it! From July to September this climbing rose is smothered with large ruffled soft blush champagne blooms, and fragrant too! Penny Lane is a healthy, glossy and robust rose, and also attractive to bees and butterflies. This modern variety is repeat-flowering with stunning contrasting dark green foliage and is perfect for covering a sunny house or garden wall.
1988 Rose of the Year
Patio Rose
Still very much popular today over 30 years later! The blooms are a beautiful peachy colour, that stand up well to rain and won’t fade with age. The dense and attractive foliage highlights the delicate coloured blooms that always seem to be in flower. An easy to grow rose, with neat and upright growth. One of the most popular patio roses around, Sweet Dream Rose will thus be a feature in any garden.
1984 Rose of the Year
Floribunda Rose
A winner from almost the beginning of the award, and still as popular as ever! This neat compact rose starts the year with large glossy leaves, dark red initially, turning dark green. Then in early summer, clusters of ruffled coppery/apricot blooms repeat-flower through to winter frosts. All summer the garden is filled with its strong spicy perfume. So it’s no wonder why Amber Queen is a multi-award winning rose and is so well-known world wide! This bushy and attractive rose would be beautiful planted in patio containers, or similarly used in a mixed rose or shrub border. Its blooms are also exquisite in floral arrangement and ideal for enjoying indoors.
If you’re still not sure which is the perfect gift, you can contact us and a member of our team will be happy to help!
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