Roses - The Ten Most Rare, Coveted Species of Every Girl's Favorite Flower

Loving roses is easy, picking ten favorite roses from the dozens and dozens of ravishing possibilities is hard. Here is my list today -- tomorrow or the week after will likely see a different list, although numbers 1 through 3 would be on any list of my favorite roses.

10. Oranges 'n' Lemons
An eye-popping yellow and orange striped floribunda with double blooms, very resistant to disease, with a mild rose fragrance.

9. Celebrity
A warm and welcoming yellow hybrid tea that requires winter protection, with a fruity fragrance.

8. Bride's Dream
A delicate pale pink hybrid tea with large blooms and a mild fragrance, also known as Fairy Tale Queen or Marchenkonigin.

7. Brigadoon
A luscious pink blend with white, this hybrid tea has a mild and spicy fragrance and requires winter protection.

6. In the Mood
The saturated red of this hybrid tea has to be seen live to be properly appreciated. Its prolific large blooms have little to no fragrance.

5. Diana, Princess of Wales
A stunning pink blend hybrid tea that requires winter protection, with a mild and sweet tea-rose fragrance.

4. Topsy-Turvy
This dark-red or red and white floribunda has an eye-popping pinwheel form when open and a mild apple-like fragrance.

3. Madame Louis Lévêque
A medium or deep pink moss rose with a mild to strong rose fragrance that blooms throughout the season.

2. Joseph's Coat
A red-to-orange blend climber with a mild fragrance, this rose is armed with thorns and hardy in zones 4 through 10.

1. Mister Lincoln
A big bright red hybrid tea with a strong rose fragrance, Mr. Lincoln rewards your attention with prolific blooms but must be watched for its weakness to blackspot.

Before plunking down cash and plopping a bare-root in the ground, do some planning. Make a list of the characteristics you'd like in a rose. Heirloom, moss or hybrid tea? Miniature, or standard? Upright, moss or climber? Does rose perfume stop you in your tracks from rapture, or knock you to your knees in disgust? Do you want a single variety, or multiple varieties? How many different bushes do you have room for? Do you want a single color, a few colors, ranges of the same color, or a splash across the spectrum? What about disease resistance? Are you willing to put in the work to help a delicate or susceptible bush thrive? Or is a robust disease-resistant variety more likely to flourish under your care?

Remember: always check the plant's label before purchase. If you live in hardiness zone below 7, growing roses may require special effort. You may have to grow the roses in a container that can be brought inside to be sheltered for the winter. Check around locally to find out which roses grow best in your area, and don't stop at asking the clerk at a local home-improvement warehouse store. Look for a local nursery that has a big rose section, and talk to the fellow who orders the roses. Ask around for local rose groups. You may even be lucky enough to have a local rose breeder!

Additional Resources:

Help Me Find Roses. URL: (http://www.helpmefind.com/rose/index.php)

American Rose Society. Associated Content. URL: (http://freshcutproduce.com/nutrifax/nectarines.html)

Heirloom Roses. Associated Content. URL: (http://www.heirloomroses.com/)

Jackson & Perkins. Associated Content. URL: (http://www.jacksonandperkins.com/)

Pacific Southwest District, American Rose Society. Associated Content. URL: (http://www.pswdistrict.org/)