The new roses and the established favorites are available from local garden centers, mail

Fragrance is a passion of mine, so not only do I choose new rose varieties with interesting colors, but those with great aromas.  In my opinion, beautiful roses should have an equally captivating fragrance.  Here are my descriptions of some of the 2013 roses.

“All Ablaze” climbing rose – We might as well start with the biggest and boldest rose of the new bunch.  You can’t help but get all fired up over the showy clusters of big red ruffled flowers.  The red is not too orange and is quite striking against the pure green foliage. Hardy, vigorous, and clean this rose keeps on blooming through the entire season.

“Vavoom” floribunda – Ever seen a rose stand up and say ‘howdy’?  Vavoom has the color that does the trick.  Its combination of gleaming orange flowers against deep mahogany red growth and glossy green leaves delivers a lollapalooza addition to any landscape.  This compact rounded plant can be tucked into the smaller spaces of the yard.   Its bright orange tones make your eyes pucker with glowing colors that last an extra long time. Caution: Sunglasses may be required!

“Fragrant Plum” grandiflora – Imagine the rose “Paradise” touched with smoky blue tones and a marvelous fragrance. This tall rose has more vigor than most, producing armloads of very long elegant buds atop premium-length cutting stems.  Now any home garden can display the enjoyable vision of lush deep green foliage and this pretty plum-colored rose.

“Hot Cocoa” shrub rose – Mysteriously indescribable, there is just no other rose color quite like this one. Pointed buds of deep rust unfurl to reveal a chocolate haze of velvety tones that often take on a purply cast. The ruffled fragrant flowers are set against globs of glossy, really green leaves. Its easy vigor and natural disease-resistance make it a must for any mountain landscape.

Those are my top picks from this year’s new roses.  All can be planted outdoors right now no matter the weather, and should bloom beginning in May right through fall.

Like many parents, I do what I can to entice my family’s next generation to get away from computers, gaming consoles, and I-pods and spend some time out of doors. I especially like ‘backyard projects with Dad’ to achieve that end.

Here’s how I use roses to connect with my daughters.  I take each girl to the garden center and allow her to choose her Valentine from me:  any color rose she likes.  Then we go home and put it into the ground together.  Each time that particular rose blooms we reminisce about the shopping trip and the planting experience we shared.  It’s such a nice way to engage with my daughters, that my son and I have enjoyed similar projects with the same results.

I encourage you to do the same with your children or grandchildren.  It doesn’t matter if this experience doesn’t cultivate a life-long gardening enthusiast.  You will have given your little gardener a practical aspect of property management that is likely to come in handy in the future, and you both will have an invaluable precious memory to look back on for many years.

Until next post, I’ll see you in the garden center.