Earth-Kind® Rose List: The First 11 Proven Cultivars for Southern Gardens

After a five-year, no-spray, no-fertilizer, no-irrigation trial in alkaline clay, Texas A&M designated these 11 roses as the inaugural Earth-Kind® class (January 2002). Each combines beauty with bulletproof performance.

The First Earth-Kind® Roses

1. Sea Foam – Creamy white shrub, cascading habit, 3′×6′.
2. Marie Daly – Pink polyantha dwarf, fragrant, nearly thornless, 3′×3′, spider mite tolerant.
3. The Fairy – Light pink polyantha dwarf, 3′×4′, hardy to -20°F, prone to Cercospora in East Texas.
4. Caldwell Pink – Lilac-pink carnation-style found rose, 4′×4′, heat-loving, striking fall foliage.
5. Knock Out® – Cherry red shrub, 4′×4′, 2004 Rose of the Year, national trial candidate.
6. Perle d’Or – Peach polyantha, fragrant pompom blooms, 4′×4′, outperformed ‘Cécile Brünner’ by 40%.
7. Belinda’s Dream – First Earth-Kind® designee, “Rose of the 20th Century,” fragrant pink hybrid-tea-like blooms (114 petals), blue-green foliage, 5′×5′.
8. Else Poulsen – Pink floribunda, 5′×5′, best for background plantings.
9. Carefree Beauty (Katy Road Pink) – Griffith Buck rose, fragrant pink doubles, 5′×5′, national trial candidate.
10. Mutabilis – “Butterfly Rose,” single blooms shift yellow→pink→crimson, 6′×6′.
11. Climbing Pinkie – Pink semi-double polyantha, fragrant, repeat or once-blooming, canes to 10′, shrub form 5′×7′, up to 800 blooms/day.

Sources: Earth Kind Rose Sources