The holiday season means different things to different people.
But to gardeners who love roses, the holidays mean the release of
the new year’s All-American roses. Yes, All-America Rose Selections
has named three new roses their 2004 winners.
AARS is a non-profit association dedicated to the introduction
and promotion of exceptional roses. The winning roses are the
”
best of the best
”
in trials at test gardens across the U.S. for two years. Each
AARS winner was evaluated for 15 traits including disease
resistance, hardiness, color, form, flowering effect, fragrance and
vigor. They are the absolute best new roses for the next growing
season, according to AARS President Phil Edmunds.
The holiday season means different things to different people. But to gardeners who love roses, the holidays mean the release of the new year’s All-American roses. Yes, All-America Rose Selections has named three new roses their 2004 winners.
AARS is a non-profit association dedicated to the introduction and promotion of exceptional roses. The winning roses are the “best of the best” in trials at test gardens across the U.S. for two years. Each AARS winner was evaluated for 15 traits including disease resistance, hardiness, color, form, flowering effect, fragrance and vigor. They are the absolute best new roses for the next growing season, according to AARS President Phil Edmunds.
So-called “All-American” roses have been named since 1938. The three 2004 All-Americans will be widely available in early 2004. Photos of the three are available on the Rose Resource web site at www.rose.org.
Day Breaker. This rose is an upright, bushy floribunda with bright, multi-shade blooms of yellow, blending to pink and apricot. As a floribunda, it offers a multitude of smaller flowers on a slightly lower-growing bush. Flowers are about four inches in diameter, each nestled among dark, glossy green foliage. Day Breaker is an awakening of the senses, not only for its beauty, but also for its sharp moderate tea fragrance. Hybridized by Gareth Fryer, Day Breaker is being introduced by Edmunds’ Roses of Wilsonville, Ore.
Honey Perfume is one “honey” of a rose. It features bright apricot yellow flowers that grow in large, open clusters. Like Day Breaker, Honey Perfume also is a bushy floribunda-type rose, with clusters of numerous, smaller flowers. Flowers are also about four inches in size. The plant itself will grow about four feet high and three feet wide, and also features dark green, glossy foliage.
This classic floribunda has a spicy scent, and exhibits very good resistance to disease, including rust and powdery mildew. It was hybridized by Keith Zary, and is being introduced by Jackson and Perkins of Medford, Ore.
Memorial Day. Like the holiday of the same name, Memorial Day is truly worth celebrating. Expertly representing the most popular class of modern roses – hybrid tea – this medium-tall, upright variety features very large blooms. Flowers are clear pink, accented with a lavender wash. Each bloom is up to five inches in diameter. Its long cutting stems are clothed with rich green foliage to accent the large blossoms.
With its classic, strong damask rose fragrance, a single Memorial Day rose can fill an entire room with sweet rose perfume. It is a vigorous and productive performer, highly disease resistant and loves hot weather. Memorial Day’s hybridizer is Tom Carruth. It is being introduced by Weeks Wholesale Rose Growers of Upland, Calif.
Look for all three All-American roses, starting in January in selected catalogs and at retail garden centers nationwide. They will be available in bare-root form in January and February, and potted in containers thereafter.
