By Sharon Cohoon, Sunset senior garden writer

What defines a rose as romantic is all in your perspective, isn't it?  For my husband — and many rose fanciers share his opinion — the higher the petal count, the prettier the rose.  Romantic and sumptuous are synonymous. 

With me, it is just the opposite.  It's the singles that make me sigh.  Sweet innocence combined with primal wildness.  It gets to me every time.  That's why I'll find a place for `Watercolors', a new single hybridized by Tom Carruth of Weeks Roses, in my already crowded yard this winter. 

"Watercolors" has the same range of every-changing pinks and yellows as the popular shrub rose `Mutabilis', only all the colors are more intense.  Despite its delicate, hand-painted appearance `Watercolors' is as tough as nails, says Carruth. (Go to this page to find a source near you.)

Other singles with that same sweetness are `Dainty Bess', a clear pink hybrid tea with burgundy stamens; `Starry Night', a tough little shrub with bright white flowers that look like dogwood; and the rambunctious climber `Sally Holmes.'

More on roses:
How to plant a bare-root rose
How to care for roses