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American Rose Society
American Rose Society (ARS) Garden Performance Ratings:
ARS compiles official ratings for every commercially available rose. These ratings, which range from 0-10, are a national average based on overall performance, taking into account the variety’s vigor, disease resistance, flower form, and quickness of repeat bloom. The higher the number, the better the rose perform. ARS uses is as follows:
9.3-10.0: One of the best roses ever
8.8-9.2: An outstanding rose (the top 1%)
8.3-8.7: A very good to excellent rose (one recommended without hesitation)
7.8-8.2: A solid to very good rose (its good features easily outweigh any problems)
7.3-7.7: A good rose (a little to somewhat above average)
6.8-7.2: An average rose
6.1-6.7: A below average rose
0.0-6.0: Not recommended
​The HANDBOOK FOR SELECTING ROSES (ARS publication) provides information for over 3,000 varieties of roses. Inside, there are classifications for roses as well as the color, number of petals, date introduced and the ARS Rating for determining the overall quality of a rose.
2025 Handbook For Selecting Roses
$10.00
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