If it seems like there are more pink colored roses than any other single color, you are not imagining it. Rayford Reddell says in his book The Rose Bible, “I probably imagined that … pink wasn’t a masculine color – foolish reasoning. As for the pink aversion, well, it helps to know that more great roses are pink or blends than any other color. If pink bothers you, do your best to get over it.”
The majority of species roses and old garden roses fall into the white, pink, lavender and red colors, with the pinks being the most prevalent. Even with the advent of hybridizing the color pink, in all of its variety, represents the majority of roses in commerce. Think about the color pink and the adjectives we use to describe it – there is pale, soft, powder, blush, pastel, hot, warm, cool, medium, dark, glowing, deep, clear, creamy, magenta, rich, intense, silvery – you get the picture. As there are so many to choose from, putting a list together is pretty easy – including all types from species to hybrid teas to climbers and miniatures.
If you don’t have many pink roses now because you’re not partial to the color, follow Reddell’s advice and “do your best to get over it.”
| Name | Type | Color | ARS Rating | Year Introduced |
| R. gallica | Species | Deep pink | 9.0 | < 1500 |
| Jeanne Lajoie | Climbing Miniature | Medium pink | 8.9 | 1975 |
| Mrs B R Cant | Tea | Medium pink | 8.9 | 1901 |
| Carefree Beauty | Shrub | Medium pink | 8.7 | 1977 |
| Marchesa Boccella | Hybrid Perpetual | Light pink | 8.7 | 1842 |
| Pearl Meidiland | Shrub | Light pink | 8.7 | 1989 |
| Penelope | Hybrid Musk | Light pink | 8.7 | 1924 |
| Rose de Rescht | Portland | Deep pink | 8.7 | ~1880 |
| The Fairy | Polyantha | Light pink | 8.7 | 1932 |
| Celsiana | Damask | Light pink | 8.6 | <1817 |
| Gartendirektor Otto Linne | Shrub | Deep pink | 8.6 | 1934 |
| Giggles | Miniature | Medium pink | 8.6 | 1987 |
| Jens Munk | Hybrid Rugosa | Medium pink | 8.6 | 1974 |
| Souv de la Malmaison | Bourbon | Light pink | 8.6 | 1843 |
| Ballerina | Hybrid Musk | Medium pink | 8.5 | 1937 |
| Belle Story | Shrub | Light pink | 8.5 | 1985 |
| Clair Matin | Large-Flowered Climber | Medium pink | 8.5 | 1960 |
| Duchesse de Brabant | Tea | Light pink | 8.5 | 1857 |
| Kathleen | Hybrid Musk | Light pink | 8.5 | 1922 |
| Mlle Cecile Brunner | Polyantha | Light pink | 8.5 | 1880 |
| Mrs. R.M. Finch | Polyantha | Medium pink | 8.5 | 1923 |
| Poulsen’s Pearl | Floribunda | Light pink | 8.5 | 1949 |
| Rosarium Uetersen (Seminole Wind) | Large-Flowered Climber | Deep pink | 8.5 | 1977 |
| Sexy Rexy | Floribunda | Medium pink | 8.5 | 1984 |
| Dainty Bess | Hybrid Tea | Light pink | 8.4 | 1925 |
| Lady of the Dawn | Floribunda | Light pink | 8.4 | 1984 |
| New Dawn | Large-Flowered Climber | Light pink | 8.4 | 1930 |
| Old Blush | Hybrid China | Medium pink | 8.4 | 1752 |
| Baby Grand | Miniature | Medium pink | 8.3 | 1994 |
| Bonica | Shrub | Medium pink | 8.3 | 1985 |
| Marijke Koopman | Hybrid Tea | Medium pink | 8.3 | 1979 |
| Fame! | Grandiflora | Deep pink | 8.2 | 1998 |
| Fredric Mistral | Hybrid tea | Light pink | 8.2 | 1998 |
| The McCartney Rose | Hybrid tea | Medium pink | 8.2 | 1995 |
| Elizabeth Taylor | Hybrid Tea | Deep pink | 8.1 | 1985 |
| Sparrieshoop | Shrub | Light pink | 8.1 | 1953 |
By Nanette Londeree, Master Rosarian
Photos from left: ‘Belle Story’, ‘Rose de Recht’; photos by the author
Updated December 2019