Ever wonder what it takes to grow prize-winning roses? Renowned rosarian Rayford Reddell knows. At his famous Garden Valley Ranch in California, he tends to more than 8,000 rose bushes in more than 40 different varieties. Ray Reddell started with 12 roses given to him by a friend. Then what started as a hobby became a business: last year, Garden Valley Ranch shipped more than 250,000 blooms all over the United States. The company's customers have included presidents, Madonna and Caroline Kennedy. Many of the roses grown here are varieties that have been chosen as All-America Rose Selections (AARS). Roses winning the designation must meet certain criteria throughout the United States. Ray is fond of 'Iceberg', which some feel is the finest rose in the world. A floribunda introduced in 1958, 'Iceberg' is rated as excellent by the American Rose Society. Ray calls it a blooming fool, and it's resistant to powdery mildew. The foliage is attractive and deep green, the pure white flowers have a sweet fragrance. In recent years roses in the shrub group have become more popular -- and have started winning the coveted AARS award. In 1987 shrub 'Bonica' was the first in its class to win an AARS award. It blooms repeatedly all summer. 'Carefree Delight', also a shrub, received the AARS designation in 1996. It produces single flowers (the blooms of single roses have only five to 12 petals). 'Carefree Delight' is as easy to grow as its name suggests. The ranch is also one of a few dozen AARS test gardens in the United States where new varieties are grown each year. Plants are evaluated on form, color, fragrance, disease resistance and other factors. For example, a rose with excellent color and flower form will lose points if the stems don't support the flowers. A rose that has beautiful color as a bud and as a half-opened flower will be downgraded if the color fades before the flower fully opens. It's difficult to judge some plants that try so hard to please. Some roses have clusters of blossoms so full and heavy that the stems can't hold them up. Further hybridizing is necessary to produce a similar plant with stronger stems. Roses in the Landscape Here are a few landscaping ideas for using roses: Consider growing a vigorous climber up an apple tree -- or another small ornamental. If they'll bloom at the same time of year, make sure the bloom colors are complementary. Use standard roses to accent a pathway or flank a door. Climbing roses can be combined over a trellis in complementary colors. For example, combine the dark pink rambler 'Excelsa' with the light pink climber 'New Dawn' for a vivid color statement. Finally, if you want to grow beautiful roses, "water and fertilize more than you think is necessary," Ray advises. "Roses are heavy, heavy drinkers. They like hefty, regular meals, and they want to be rewarded for the show they put on." A good diet consists of well-balanced fertilizer during most of the season, a concentration of nitrogen at the beginning of the growing season, and 0-10-10 at the end of the season to encourage dormancy. The Language of Flowers In the "language of flowers," roses mean "love." Here are a few more translations: Pink roses: happiness
White roses: innocence or secrecy
Yellow roses: jealousy or joy
Coral roses: desire
Thornless stem: love at first sight
Full bouquet: gratitude.
RESOURCES :
The American Rose Society
The American Rose Society provides information on rose care, varieties and judging and contacts for local rose societies.
PO Box 30,000
Shreveport, LA 71130-0030
Phone: 318-938-5402
Fax 318-938-5405
E-mail: ars@ars-hg.org
Web site: www.ars.org
All-America Rose Selections
All-America Rose Selections
Website: www.rose.org
for the book The Rose Bible
Chronicle Publishing Company
Website: www.chroniclebooks.com
| 
)
)
)
)
