Many regard it as the best yellow FL. It does rebloom and does that as well any any other.

Sunsprite blooms just don't last very long. So I'd say nay. It was once considered the best yellow floribunca, but many that are out now are much better. I like both Shockwave and Monkey Business. Monkey Business you can cut, but Shockwave has stems that are too short. Both rebloom on a quick cycle.

Kathy

it has a following here in the PNW but the blooms do not last long, however, they smell incredible. supposed to be one of the better Yellows.

I agree with all the previous comments. Mine did nothing for three years. Fun pic- Sunsprite and Cardinal de Richelieu.

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I guess I spoke too soon. Wondering about it I rechecked the Quest-Ritson's comments in the ARS Encyclopedia. No mention of BS in fact a comment about the abundant, dark green and very glossy foliage. Normally resistant to BS. Then I was surprised that the mention of BS came from a poster in S. CA where I lived for 25 years and even Angel Face had no problems with a BS. The only negative was that the blooms shatter quickly and it could benefit from dead heading.

Then good old reliable MG came through with a negative on S. Not surprising as it is a Kordes for which she doesn't share my enthusiasm for K's. Funny I once gave her a plant of Sunsprite thinking it might be a bit tender in my Z5a and she lives a bit South of me. Never knew if she kept it.
Probably not.

Oh yes QR also comments on the repeat bloom, the intense color and fragrance. And the number of flowers. A well like many roses new ones usually surpass old ones. But not always.

SUNSPRITE (1973) is considered a "classic" Floribunda. The rose has a lot going for it: very strong fragrance, better than average resistance to blackspot (although it isn't immune), brilliant true yellow color, and a compact growth habit that makes it perfect for containers, as a standard (tree rose) or in the front of mixed flower borders. For many years it was considered the best yellow Floribunda.

On the flip side of the coin, the rose does have a couple of issues. First, it doesn't repeat well in hot/humid weather. Second, the blooms have no vase life to speak of, zone-zip-nada. Third, and this is just my own opinion, the flowers seem to lack "refinement".

Personally I think Sunsprite is a rose whose day has come and gone. It still has value for breeding because the fragrance, color and disease resistance are attributes worth passing on. However, there are other yellow Floribundas that are a better choice for the modern gardener. One that comes to mind is the new JULIA CHILD (2004). Another good choice is MOLINEUX (1994), an English Rose with a Floribunda-like growth and bloom habit.

Image of JULIA CHILD by HoovB.
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I think I can answer the BS question. Sunsprite is resistant to some strains of blackspot and so may be clean in some gardens for years. But it is highly susceptible to at least one strain, and if that strain comes along, it will defoliate quickly. It is also susceptible to cercospora spot and powdery mildew.

If you spray, it is a good rose with extraordinary fragrance. It is OK for cutting if you cut early, when the sepals are just splitting. This is true of a lot of yellow roses that open fast.

The hue is bright and brassy--doesn't look good with warm (orangey) yellows.

Sunsprite was clean for me without spraying but my roses don't have much BS anyway. Alas the real issue for me was winterkill. It just wasn't hardy enough here in Chicago. The flowers were pretty and smelled divine though.

Huh?? I think I was the only Southern California poster on this thread, and I said nothing at all about blackspot.

Kathy

Here Sunsprite definitely gets BS big way.
Olga

At a dry, windy carwash here it was great, at my home one mile away it has BS problems big time, but all my fragrant roses do. I read somewhere that fragrant roses have a gene for BS. Seems to me to be true. Double Delight, Mr. Lincoln, Chrysler Imperial, Angle Face, etc must be sprayed regularly to avoid it at my place. So give it plenty of air and sunlight and keep it on the dry side. And spray.

Here is a link that might be useful: Black Spot

Rugosa's and OGR's are for the most part, highly fragrant. Most are not at all susceptible to BS.

As for Sunsprite, it is a good yellow Floribunda. There are now better varieties.

The best yellow for my area right now is Carefree Sunshine.

I have Sunsprite, and mine must be treated for blackspot. Others in the area also have it, but their plants are relatively clean. So, it really varies. NJ is a funny, odd, place to grow roses.

I like Sunsprite. It has great fragrance and lots of blooms. The negatives are that the individual blooms don't last long and it is a Japanese beetle magnet. Mine is from Palatine and I think starting with a larger rose helped a lot with the hardiness issue.

I say nay to Sunsprite as well. It was one of the first yellow flori's I got and at the time was the top dog. but, the blooms are gone in 36 hrs and it will definitely blackspot and mildew if not sprayed. Mine had to be destroyed when it and a Hot Cocoa next to it both contracted RRD.
I certainly wouldn't get Sunsprite again.
There are many good yellow flori's out there I like better--Monkey Business and Julia Child are the best...
John

I agree with Diane about Carefree Sunshine. It is a wide, bushy shrub that needs little pruning or other care in my climate, covers itself with bloom, and repeats fast. The bright green matte foliage is unusually attractive. Flowers are single (5-10 petals), slightly fragrant, in a beautiful soft yellow color.

Fully resitant to blackspot in my garden, gets a little Cercospora spot, needs deadheading for good repeat.

Nay! I studied and studied good yellows and first picked Sunsprite for a south facing spot in my garden. Defoliated, blooms shattered same day. Shovel-pruned. Bought Julia Child a couple years ago. Very happy. Wonderful rose.

My Sunsprite didn't have any BS issues, but it was an absolute Japanese Beetle magnet.

I've had Sunsprite for 7 or 8 years now, the fragrance is wonderful. And yes, the blooms shatter rather quickly. And yes, it takes long time to re-bloom. But it's the only rose I've ever had that doesn't get BS. So for that reason alone, it's a keeper for me.

I guess I am the only one who loves my sunsprites?

I have over 7, and absolutely love them. Wish they'd last, but love them anyway...

For an explanation of why some peoples' Sunsprites get blackspot and others don't, see my post above. Mine were resistant for 5 years or more and then became very susceptible.

I didn't say that I didn't love it, but it isn't "easy care" (not a lot of roses ARE "easy care" here...).

I have had a Sun Sprite Rose for several years and have up rooted it and replanted it 3 times. It is a robust and generally trouble free rose. I never had any problems with it. I love the bright yellow blooms and its strong licorice aroma. Mine blooms when it wants to, usually three times throughout the spring and summer. Here is a pic of mine.

My 2 bits:

I've never grown Sunsprite because of reports of health issues.

In another thread, I confessed that "I am quite keen on Kordes," but I should have said then and I should always emphasize that I'm referring to 21st century Kordes roses - particularly 2004 onward. EVERYTHING I've read on these very modern Kordes roses says health is NOT an issue. Criticisms presented are usually a matter of personal preference for certain characteristics. Sunsprite is from 1973 and definitely isn't in the same category.

I wish I could make a specific suggestion, but I don't really grow yellow roses. I have Molineux and at its best Molineux is a delicious changeable blend of pink, apricot, and yellow - a trait shared by some of the most famous Austins - truly beautiful. Molineux was only pure yellow for me in the heat of summer.

Molineux was lovely here, no spray, for about a year and a half - then boom; it completely defoliates annually now. Molineux certainly doesn't get my endorsement for a no spray environment either.

As others have already mentioned, and I agree: if you want a reliably healthy yellow, please look to the more modern yellows.