When selecting roses for your garden, local nurserymen, garden centers, or mail order catalogs can be useful for determining plant hardiness, disease resistance, plant type, bloom form, and color. The American Association of Nurserymen sets standards for grading the quality of rose stock. The best plants of each cultivar are rated No. 1, while lesser plants are graded No. 1 1/2 or No. 2. The roots and canes of No. 1 roses will be better developed and more numerous than those of lower rated plants. Commonly, the price difference between No. 1 and No. 2 plants is modest. Therefore, a No. 1 plant should be purchased whenever possible to help ensure successful growth and flowering.

Other help in selecting roses is available from All America Rose Selections, Inc. (AARS), an organization composed of rose growers and nurserymen. They grow, test, and endorse a select few cultivars each year. The American Rose Society (ARS), a group of mostly amateur rose growers, has a handbook for selecting roses that grades roses on a numerical scale, with 10.0 being the most highly rated. The ratings are derived from surveys of the national membership. For more information, contact the ARS., P.O. Box 30000, Shreveport, LA 71130-0030, www.ars.org. Members of local rose societies and garden clubs, as well as professionals at botanic or display gardens, are good sources of information regarding successful cultivars for your specific locale.

Purchase roses from reputable sources such as nurseries, garden centers, or mail order suppliers. Order early when mail-ordering, so that plants can be shipped at theproper planting time. Quality plants may also be available from supermarkets and department stores if their stock has been kept dormant and protected from drying. Roses are sold as either bare-root or potted plants. Bareroot plants, often sold as packaged roses, have their roots packed in moisture-holding material such as peat moss rather than soil. The roots are exposed when the packing material is removed. Bare-root stock can only be planted during a limited period of time in early spring. The plants must be in the ground before shoots develop. Bare-root plants may also require some pruning before planting. Bare-root roses are often available in many different cultivars.

Potted roses are bare-root roses which growers place into a container of soil in late winter and force into growth. Potted roses often have leaves and possibly flowers when they are purchased. Some new roots will have already formed, which gives these plants a head start over bare-root roses. Potted roses can be planted over a longer period but are usually more expensive and are available in a smaller selection of cultivars than bareroot plants. Potted roses are best suited for the casual home grower who needs just a few plants and does not plant the garden until warm weather has arrived. Whether buying bare-root or potted stock, check the canes for healthy, plump, green growth. Avoid plants with shriveled or discolored canes or signs of insect or disease damage.