This month I’ll venture off into a land I’ve not had much experience with, miniature roses. Although I planted lots of them for my mother, (oh yes, watered, pruned and fertilized too), they were HER roses, and did very well there. However for me, not so great. But there are some that are guaranteed to survive even my efforts to eradicate them, NO, I don’t spray them with Roundup, but they have never done well for me. Minis are a group of roses that have small blooms, although in Robert Martin’s garden in the desert southwest, I saw miniature rose bushes that were close to three feet tall, though the blooms themselves were still small.
Ralph Moore, the father of minis, did more to popularize them and introduced more minis than any person ever! So, it’s no surprise that he spawned a whole raft of hybridizers, and Dee Bennett gave this rose to the world in 1990.
‘Irresistible’ has won many awards for its exhibitors, and I write this name on many certificates at our yearly rose show. ‘Irresistible’ is certainly that, with lovely ovoid buds that open to a white flower of about 43 petals with pink center and a slight tinge of green at the base. It has exquisite exhibition form, bears flowers both singly and in clusters, and has a moderate spicy fragrance. The bush has medium green foliage that is semi glossy, and an upright tall growth, and is almost disease free.
Having written all this, it has inspired me to try again, so I’m off to buy a Mini!
By Barbara Picarelli, Consulting Rosarian Emeritus
Edited for the website by Nanette Londeree, March 2020
I love this rose and I am searching all over the internet for it. I had a couple bushes of Irresistible but recently had to move and my little cuttings did not take, so I’m desperate to find somewhere to buy them. Do you know any website or places to search for this rose and a few other minis that I’m having trouble locating? I would love to hear back with any insight as to where to find them. Thank you so much!
Brian