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- 2004 All-America Rose Selections Winners
The New Year ushers in new rose varieties and winners of the All-America Rose Selection, according to LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dr. Allen Owings.
Winning varieties have been evaluated in more than 130 trial gardens across the United States and have proven to be good landscape performers. Each AARS winner is evaluated for 15 characteristics, including disease resistance, hardiness, color and novelty. AARS winners for 2004 are Day Breaker, Honey Perfume and Memorial Day.
Day Breaker is a bushy growing floribunda rose with multi-faceted petals ranging from 30-35 in a single bloom. The flower is yellow with feathery appearances of pink and apricot. This floribunda reaches a typical height of about 4 feet in the landscape, and plants produce dark, glossy-green foliage. Day Breaker is being introduced by Edmunds’ Roses.
Honey Perfume’s rich color and bright apricot yellow blooms make it a knockout. Blooms are scented and have open clusters of 25-30 petals each. Honey Perfume is being introduced by Jackson and Perkins Wholesale.
Memorial Day is a classic hybrid tea with crisp pink flowers accented by a lavender wash. Flowers are 5 inches with about 50 petals per bloom. It has a classic, strong damask scent. Memorial Day is being introduced by Weeks Wholesale Rose Grower.
"All three of these roses will be available at retail garden centers in 2004," Owings says, adding, "In Louisiana, we have three trial gardens where AARS winners are featured." They include the Burden Center, an LSU AgCenter agricultural experiment station in Baton Rouge; Hodges Gardens in Many; and the national headquarters of the American Rose Society in Shreveport.
Owings says January through April is the best time to plant roses in Louisiana. "Try some AARS winners to provide beautiful performance in your home landscape," he adds.