I'm conferring these awards on a purely subjective basis and, frankly, without much forethought. It's highly possible that other roses in my garden might be more floriferous, vigorous, or disease-resistant or have a better fragrance, but these were the first that came to my mind when I came up with these categories. I think it's interesting that all four are floribundas, although I grow hundreds more hybrid teas.
Most floriferous: Pure Poetry
I rarely see this rose bush without blooms, even in winter. I've had it for more than 20 years. It spent the first half of its life under a persimmon tree and bloomed almost nonstop in the shade of that tree. It continued blooming nonstop in full sun after the persimmon tree died. It's a large bush -- 6 feet tall and 5 feet wide -- and its blooms inherited the ruffles of its pollen parent, Tournament of Roses.
Most vigorous: Let's Celebrate
Some roses in my garden are much larger than this one, but they took a while to get large. Let's Celebrate grew to 8 feet x 8 feet during its second year in the ground.
Most disease-resistant: Rainbow Sorbet
This is one of the very few roses in my garden that doesn't get black spot. It also has never suffered from rust, powdery mildew, or downy mildew. It also appears to be more pest-resistant than other roses in my garden. Even at the height of my curculio weevil infestations of past years, I never saw a single weevil on this rose bush. And if that's not enough of a testimonial, its blooms are also highly heat-resistant and rain-resistant.
Best fragrance: First Kiss
Please note that I'm not calling it the most fragrant. I'm not a fan of overwhelming scents. Some of you may recall my past posts describing how I have to run past my lilacs with my nose plugged when they're in bloom. Excessive scent is also the reason I no longer grow Mock Orange or Clematis armandii. Their cloying fragrance almost gave me panic attacks when they were in bloom. First Kiss smells like a bouquet of wild Freesias. The fragrance is strong enough to waft, but not strong enough to be overpowering.
I'm editing this post to add more photos of these roses. One of each is just not enough!
Tell us about your garden stars.