INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING EVALUATION FORM

INSTRUCTIONS FOR USING RIR ONLINE

Although the forms for submitting your evaluations should be largely self-explanatory, a few words of guidance may be in order for the less experienced rater. The following will walk you through the form and help in explaining what is desired in each section.

NEW USER page

Reporter Information Be sure to answer all the questions asked on this page. You will only need to enter this information once; it will be saved and used again if you return to the RIR site at a later time to continue your reviews. If you don't know your ARS district, don't guess. We will take care of it for you, based on zip.

SIGN IN page

Your Identification Each time you enter the Roses in Review site, you will be required to sign in. You must use the same e-mail address and zip code that you provided for your new-user sign up.

REVIEW ROSES page

Please remember that you must click the SAVE button after completing each cultivar to send your report to your district coordinator!

Cultivar and Class Use the GROUP drop-down list to select the type of roses that you want to evaluate (HT, Miniature, etc.), and then click the REFRESH button. The VARIETY drop-down list will automatically include all of the cultivars in that class which you have not already reviewed. Select a variety by single-clicking with your mouse, then enter your review. Check the class and color of the rose you are selecting to be sure it is the one you are growing. Many rose names are duplicated. For instance, the Aloha in the Climbers is a relatively new variety from Kordes, not the older medium pink Aloha from Boerner, and the Timeless is the white variety and not the deep pink one.

Number of Plants Enter the number of plants of this variety that you grow and used in the evaluation.

Years Grown Show the number of years you have grown this variety. If you have more than one plant and they were planted at different times, show the average number of years grown.

Winter Hardy Simply check "Yes", "Borderline", or "No". If this is a new cultivar that has not yet experienced a winter in your garden, or your climate is such that winter hardiness is not an issue, check "Don't Know".

Garden Rating/Exhibition Rating These should be evaluated using the numerical rating system explained below. First determine which range best describes the performance of the rose, and then choose any score within that range (e.g., 7.4 or 7.7) to fine tune the result. A description of the factors to consider is given below. Please don't be hesitant to use high ratings for the best varieties and low ratings for the disappointing ones. We should end up with 4 or 5 cultivars with ratings above 8.5. If your plant of a given variety is doing poorly, but you have seen it doing well elsewhere and you have reason to believe you received a bad plant, do not penalize the rose in your rating. It is better to just leave it out or rate it based upon the performance you have seen in other gardens. Further, ratings below 5.0 should only be used in very unusual cases since they seriously skew the results. If you don't feel comfortable rating a rose for Exhibition, simply leave that field blank.

Height Indicate whether the cultivar grows tall, medium, or short for its type. For instance, a hybrid tea between two and three feet tall would likely be marked "Short", while a miniature of the same height would be "Tall"

Mildew-Blackspot-Rust Place a check opposite the appropriate level of disease in each of the columns. If you live in and area that does not experience Rust, for example, please leave it blank.

Fragrance Place a check opposite the correct level.

Particular Likes & Dislikes The section under the rating block is an opportunity for you to record what you particularly like or dislike about the cultivar. This is extremely useful information for your district coordinator when compiling a consensus. The numerical ratings provide only a partial indication of the unique merits of each rose. Ultimately, our opinions of a cultivar reflect a subjective evaluation of many attributes which defy quantification. Please take a moment to list the things you find uniquely satisfying or frustrating about the rose, and why you gave it the rating you selected.

When determining the "Garden" rating, you should consider such items as the vigor and growth habit of the plant, the number of blooms and how quickly it repeats, the beauty and lasting quality of the blooms in the garden, fragrance, disease resistance, winter hardiness, quality of foliage, and so forth. Exhibition performance should not be considered here.

When determining the "Exhibition" rating, you should consider the form of the bloom (or spray where appropriate), its lasting quality, substance, color, stem and foliage, and all the other attributes that make for a successful exhibition cultivar. This would also include the ability to bloom at show time. However, do not take into account the ability of a hybrid tea, for instance, to do well in the "Open Bloom" class. Only consider the primary competition for each type.

Please keep in mind that it is very unlikely a cultivar would earn exactly the same score for both "Garden" and "Exhibition". Give each some independent thought and score them accordingly.

SCORING SCALE

9.3 to 10 One of the best roses ever. Scores in this range should be awarded sparingly.

8.8 to 9.2 An outstanding rose. One with major positive features and only minor negatives. The top 1%. Since there are well over 500 roses in this survey, we would expect to have 5 or 6 varieties earn scores in this range.

8.3 to 8.7 A very good to excellent rose. One you would recommend without hesitation to anyone.

7.8 to 8.2 A solid to very good rose. Its good features easily outweigh any problems. Well above average.

7.3 to 7.7 A good rose. A little to somewhat above average.

6.8 to 7.2 An average rose.

6.1 to 6.7 A below average rose.

0.0 to 6.0 Not recommended.

When you have finished evaluating the variety, click on the "Save" button and your report will automatically be sent to your district RIR coordinator. Then choose the next variety you wish to evaluate. Remember, if you want a hard copy of your variety report, or want to be able to refer back to it at some point, be sure to use your browser PRINT function before you hit "Save"

If you have technical problems with this site, please send an e-mail message describing your difficulties in as much detail as possible to: Technical Support Help

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New User

Review Roses


NEW USER page
Reporter Information	Be sure to answer all the questions asked on this page. You will only need to enter this information once; it will be saved and used again if you return to the RIR site at a later time to continue your reviews. If you don't know your ARS district, don't guess. We will take care of it for you, based on zip.


SIGN IN page
Your Identification	Each time you enter the Roses in Review site, you will be required to sign in. You must use the same e-mail address and zip code that you provided for your new-user sign up.


REVIEW ROSES page
Please remember that you must click the SAVE button after completing each cultivar to send your report to your district coordinator!
Cultivar and Class	Use the GROUP drop-down list to select the type of roses that you want to evaluate (HT, Miniature, etc.), and then click the REFRESH button. The VARIETY drop-down list will automatically include all of the cultivars in that class which you have not already reviewed. Select a variety by single-clicking with your mouse, then enter your review. Check the class and color of the rose you are selecting to be sure it is the one you are growing. Many rose names are duplicated. For instance, the Aloha in the Climbers is a relatively new variety from Kordes, not the older medium pink Aloha from Boerner, and the Timeless is the white variety and not the deep pink one.
Number of Plants	Enter the number of plants of this variety that you grow and used in the evaluation.
Years Grown	Show the number of years you have grown this variety. If you have more than one plant and they were planted at different times, show the average number of years grown.
Winter Hardy	Simply check "Yes", "Borderline", or "No". If this is a new cultivar that has not yet experienced a winter in your garden, or your climate is such that winter hardiness is not an issue, check "Don't Know".
Garden Rating/Exhibition Rating	These should be evaluated using the numerical rating system explained below. First determine which range best describes the performance of the rose, and then choose any score within that range (e.g., 7.4 or 7.7) to fine tune the result. A description of the factors to consider is given below. Please don't be hesitant to use high ratings for the best varieties and low ratings for the disappointing ones. We should end up with 4 or 5 cultivars with ratings above 8.5. If your plant of a given variety is doing poorly, but you have seen it doing well elsewhere and you have reason to believe you received a bad plant, do not penalize the rose in your rating. It is better to just leave it out or rate it based upon the performance you have seen in other gardens. Further, ratings below 5.0 should only be used in very unusual cases since they seriously skew the results. If you don't feel comfortable rating a rose for Exhibition, simply leave that field blank.
Height	Indicate whether the cultivar grows tall, medium, or short for its type. For instance, a hybrid tea between two and three feet tall would likely be marked "Short", while a miniature of the same height would be "Tall"
Mildew-Blackspot-Rust	Place a check opposite the appropriate level of disease in each of the columns. If you live in and area that does not experience Rust, for example, please leave it blank.
Fragrance	Place a check opposite the correct level.
Particular Likes & Dislikes	The section under the rating block is an opportunity for you to record what you particularly like or dislike about the cultivar. This is extremely useful information for your district coordinator when compiling a consensus. The numerical ratings provide only a partial indication of the unique merits of each rose. Ultimately, our opinions of a cultivar reflect a subjective evaluation of many attributes which defy quantification. Please take a moment to list the things you find uniquely satisfying or frustrating about the rose, and why you gave it the rating you selected.
	When determining the "Garden" rating, you should consider such items as the vigor and growth habit of the plant, the number of blooms and how quickly it repeats, the beauty and lasting quality of the blooms in the garden, fragrance, disease resistance, winter hardiness, quality of foliage, and so forth. Exhibition performance should not be considered here.
	When determining the "Exhibition" rating, you should consider the form of the bloom (or spray where appropriate), its lasting quality, substance, color, stem and foliage, and all the other attributes that make for a successful exhibition cultivar. This would also include the ability to bloom at show time. However, do not take into account the ability of a hybrid tea, for instance, to do well in the "Open Bloom" class. Only consider the primary competition for each type.
	Please keep in mind that it is very unlikely a cultivar would earn exactly the same score for both "Garden" and "Exhibition". Give each some independent thought and score them accordingly.
SCORING SCALE
9.3 to 10	One of the best roses ever. Scores in this range should be awarded sparingly.
8.8 to 9.2	An outstanding rose. One with major positive features and only minor negatives. The top 1%. Since there are well over 500 roses in this survey, we would expect to have 5 or 6 varieties earn scores in this range.
8.3 to 8.7	A very good to excellent rose. One you would recommend without hesitation to anyone.
7.8 to 8.2	A solid to very good rose. Its good features easily outweigh any problems. Well above average.
7.3 to 7.7	A good rose. A little to somewhat above average.
6.8 to 7.2	An average rose.
6.1 to 6.7	A below average rose.
0.0 to 6.0	Not recommended.
When you have finished evaluating the variety, click on the "Save" button and your report will automatically be sent to your district RIR coordinator. Then choose the next variety you wish to evaluate. Remember, if you want a hard copy of your variety report, or want to be able to refer back to it at some point, be sure to use your browser PRINT function before you hit "Save"
If you have technical problems with this site, please send an e-mail message describing your difficulties in as much detail as possible to: Technical Support Help