Concours international de roses nouvelles de Bagatelle

[1] Established in 1907 by Jean-Claude Nicolas Forestier, the city's Commissioner of Gardens, it was the first international competition to assess new roses and remains one of the most prestigious events in the commercial rose growers' calendar.

[2][3] The first competition involved 148 new varieties presented by 27 French rose breeders and 31 growers from around the world.

The plants are identified by a number only and are anonymously subjected to examination by a permanent commission of rose and gardening professionals.

The plants are scored based upon multiple criteria such as vigor, disease resistance, foliage and growth habit, weeks of flowering and the number of flowers produced, as well as the quality, color and fragrance of the blooms.

For each rose entered in competition, the compiled scores of the permanent commission comprise 50% of the grades assigned in the judging, while the novelty commission and the grand jury each account for 25% of the final scores awarded.