All-America Rose Selections Announces Its Region's Choice Program


ALL-AMERICA ROSE SELECTIONS ANNOUNCES ITS REGION’S CHOICE PROGRAM
AT THE 2007 GARDEN WRITER’S ASSOCIATION’S ANNUAL SYMPOSIUM

Regional recommendations will help people choose the best roses for their garden

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 1, 2007 –For nearly 70 years, All-America Rose Selections™ (AARS™) has been the trusted name in exceptional roses – having brought to the forefront some of the most popular roses in history, such as Peace and Knock Out®. Building on this experience, AARS is pleased to announce the AARS Region's Choice program, which will help people choose the very best roses for their gardens based on their specific climate.

For the 2008 planting season, the first phase of the AARS Region’s Choice program will roll out in three regions – Northern California/Pacific Northwest, Southern California/Southwest and Mountain States.  AARS hand-picked ten rose varieties for each region based on their excellent performance in that climate zone.  In 2009 and beyond, AARS will add roses to each region, as well as expand the program to recommend roses for the Midwest, Northeast and Southeast.

AARS Region’s Choice roses for the 2008 planting season are:

Northern California/Pacific Northwest

About Face™ Carefree Wonder™ Cherry Parfait™ Crimson Bouquet™
Day Breaker™ Fourth of July™ Gemini™ Honey Perfume™
Marmalade Skies™ Sunset Celebration™    

Southern California/Southwest

Cherry Parfait™ Elle™

Fourth of July™

Gemini™
Hot Cocoa™ Julia Child Opening Night™ Secret™
Tahitian Sunset™ Wild Blue Yonder™    


Mountain States
Carefree Delight™ Carefree Wonder™ Crimson Bouquet™ Eureka™
Hot Cocoa™ Julia Child Memorial Day™ Scentimental™
Tahitian Sunset™ Whisper    


“There are many unique climate zones throughout the U.S., each presenting local gardeners with challenges to consider,” says AARS board president Tom Carruth. “From dry heat to lots of moisture and longer winters – these conditions impact what plant will grow the best.  To take the guess work out of the equation for gardeners and garden centers, the AARS Region’s Choice program identifies those rose varieties that have proven to perform the very best in each region.”

As part of the program, AARS is helping retailers by providing customized and attention grabbing in-store signage to help educate shoppers.  For more information about AARS Region's Choice email rose@rose.org, visit www.rose.org/regionschoice, or call 415-249-6776.  

About All-America Rose Selections (www.rose.org)

All-America Rose Selections is a nonprofit association dedicated to the introduction and promotion of exceptional roses.  For nearly 70 years, the AARS trial program has encouraged the rose industry to improve the vitality, disease resistance and beauty of roses for American home gardens.  AARS Winners are labeled with the AARS red rose as a seal of approval to distinguish them from other plants in the nursery.  Today, the AARS testing program is one of the most successful and highly regarded of its kind in the world, having brought to the forefront such roses as Knock Out, Peace and Bonica.

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