At the end of the ninteenth century there lived an Englishman named Bennett who is credited with being the first rose breeder to apply Mendeleev's then new principles of genetics to the breeding of roses. His singular great rose was Mrs. John Laing - one of a handful of hybrid perpetuals still worth growing. We are not talking about him here. We are talking about a contemporary breeder, Dee Bennett - presumably no relation - who has bred a number of influencial miniature roses.
Minis fill a lot of niches. Some minis spread out and make ideal ground covers in the garden. Others work well as potted plants. Still others are ideal as indoor or low light plants. And there is a whole line of minis bred specifically to do well on the show bench. My impression is that a few of these are well suited for showing, especially Jean Kenneally and Irresistible. I cannot recall having encountered any of these in a garden used as groundcovers, so I dare speculate that most on this list are not the groundcover sort. There's plenty of room in even the smallest garden for minis, especially the compact ones.
| Name | Color | Class | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ada Perry | Pink/Orange Blend | Miniature | 7.4 |
| Cheer Up | Orange | Miniature | 7.9 |
| Herbie | Mauve | Miniature | 7.8 |
| Irresistible | White | Miniature | 9.1 |
| Jean Kenneally | Pale Apricot | Miniature | 9.2 |
| Luis Desamero | Primrose | Miniature | 7.9 |
| Madhatter | Chrome Yellow | Miniature | |
| My Sunshine | Yellow | Miniature | 8.6 |