I know we all love our pink, red, yellow and white roses, but sometimes it's fun to step outside of the norm and go a little bolder with color — or a little funkier. How about some lavender, peach or caramel, or roses with a hint of black? Have I gotten your attention now? Most of these exotically colored roses start with the more typical pink, red or white hues but have added intensity that makes them almost otherworldly. Here are some of my favorites — most are shrub roses, but remember to look for other types, like climbers or miniatures, for other parts of your garden. The New York Botanical Garden 1. Peach. These flowers range from peachy pinks to orange and bronze-red.

A glorious one to try is 'About Face', winner of the 2005 All American Rose Selection. It grows up to 6 feet tall, with blooms ranging from 2 to 4 inches in diameter, from summer into the fall. Best grown in USDA hardiness zones 7 to 9, 'About Face' is easy to care for and disease resistant, and boasts a scent of fresh apples.

Other peachy roses to try are 'Livin' Easy', 'Day Breaker' and 'Sedona Coral'. The New York Botanical Garden 2. Purple. Look for flowers in tones of lavender, purple and bluish reds when you want to add some offbeat charm to your garden.

'Purple Rain' is a hybrid tea rose that offers a saturated purple-pink double bloom for gardeners in zones 6 to 9. Although it's a small bush (2 1/2 feet tall) with small blooms, it packs a punch with strong fragrance and a long bloom season from spring through summer. It also tends to be quite pest and disease resistant, so you can spend more time admiring your purple flowers than fussing with them.

Other grapey hues to look for include 'Rhapsody in Blue', 'Melody Parfumée', 'Sweetness' and 'Burgundy Iceberg'. The New York Botanical Garden 3. Black. There aren't really any true black roses (or many truly black plants), but in this color family, you're going for the deep crimsons and the purple-blacks — anything with that inky undertone that creates instant drama and romantic darkness.

Take a look at 'Midnight Blue', with 2 1/2-inch blooms saturated in a dramatic purple-crimson. It grows up to 3 feet tall and wide in zones 6 to 10. Look for flowers from spring into summer, with repeat blooms later in the season. The spicy clove fragrance makes it even more exotic, and its pest and disease resistance makes it even more desirable.

Other options include 'Black Magic', 'Traviata' and 'Black Cherry'. 4. Chocolate. I love any flower that reminds me of food, don't you? Chocolate roses, of course, aren't really brown — they are earthy shades of orange and cream, leading to spicy or caramel-colored blooms.

'Hot Cocoa', for instance, possesses a delicious blend of smoky chocolate and orange hues. It grows up to 5 feet tall and wide, with large 3 1/2-inch ruffled flowers that repeat their bloom throughout the season. Gardeners in zones 5 to 9 can grow this beauty.

Other options include 'Laura Bush', 'Cinco de Mayo', 'Cinnamon Girl' and 'Honey Dijon'. Now aren't you getting hungry? The New York Botanical Garden 5. Two-color. Add a little exuberance to your garden with bicolored roses. Some have spots, others have stripes, and still others sport colored petal edges.

Check out 'George Burns' with its creamy petals striped with cheery red and pink — like its namesake, this rose evokes a sense of tongue-in-cheek humor. It stays smaller and compact, 3 feet by 3 feet, with large doubled blooms that offer a fruity scent. It is terrific for gardeners in zones 3 to 9, has great disease resistance and reblooms throughout the season.

More enchanting two-color roses include 'Gemini', 'Scentimental', 'Hot Tamale', 'Rio Samba', 'Love and Peace' and 'Cherry Parfait'. The New York Botanical Garden Shown: 'Cherry Parfait'