The Garden Guy wasn’t stopping to smell the roses, but instead stared in awe at the form of a rosebud. Even though this new rose variety called Suñorita is considered a miniflora, the bud looked like a classic tiny hybrid tea. Then, out of nowhere, as if to confirm my admiration, a butterfly landed on top and proceeded to investigate.
Suñorita is the American Rose Society’s 2022 winner of the Award of Excellence. It was 49 years ago that the American Rose Society took a bold step to form the award to recognize new miniature and miniflora rose varieties of superior quality and marked distinctions.
I say bold because in 1973, other classes of roses like the hybrid tea, floribunda and grandiflora were at their pinnacle of popularity. Who could have imagined the impact these new miniature and miniflora varieties would have in the landscape? Fortunately, some astute rosarians and ARS board members had a vision.
The Garden Guy served as executive director of the American Rose Society in the early 1990s and fell head over heels for the award program, but even then, I didn’t realize the eventual importance the program would play. Award of Excellence trials are spread across the country, and each rose is evaluated for three years.
The name Suñorita tells you its colors. You’ll see yellow and orange with red highlights, and from a distance it looks like a boldly colored spot of golden-peach in the landscape. This rose will get 36 to 48 inches tall and 36 inches wide. It won this award not only for its nonstop spring through frost blooming, but also for its no-spray disease resistance.
Suñorita is the sixth Award of Excellence winner in Proven Winners ColorChoice roses. The others are Oso Easy Petit Pink (2012), Oso Easy Lemon Zest (2016), Oso Easy Peasy (2017), Oso Easy Urban Legend (2018) and Oso Easy Double Pink (2021).
Roses need six to eight hours of direct sun each day. Morning sun is essential, but a little afternoon shade is tolerable. Good air movement helps the dew and rain dry quickly, further enhancing the inherent disease resistance, so space them about 3 to 4 feet apart depending on your variety.
Before you plant your roses, get the beds prepared by incorporating 3 to 4 inches of organic matter and tilling to a depth of 8 to 10 inches. The ideal soil pH for roses is between 6 and 6.5. Planting on raised beds further maximizes good drainage. By all means, finish your bed or planting with a good layer of mulch.
Feed your roses with a slow-release or controlled-release fertilizer per formula recommendation. Apply at the start of spring growth and again in midsummer. Prune your Suñorita or Oso Easy roses in late winter to early spring, just before new growth resumes. Typically the roses will triple in size after pruning, so plan on cutting back by two-thirds.
If you have already gotten the trembles after seeing Valentine’s displays at the store, just consider Suñorita, or Oso Easy roses. They are like giving flowers, except they bloom all growing season, and then stand ready to do it again next year and the year after.