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| December 2004 |
| BEAUTIFUL BLOOMERS: 2005 AARS WINNERS
Greetings! Whenever a new rose enters the world, it's cause for excitement. Each unique bloom reveals fresh colors, luscious layers of fragrance, and a subtly unique configuration of petals. No wonder roses have always had the power to stir passion and romance-they're endlessly fascinating.
For gardeners, this year's excitement centers around the four All-America Rose Selection (AARS) champions, recently selected after two years of rigorous evaluation in test gardens across the United States.
DayDream™, Elle™, Lady Elsie May™, and About Face™ have been recognized as 2005's outstanding new roses and received the enviable distinction as the absolute best new roses of the next growing season. Their color blends, trouble-free nature and vigor make them ultimately appealing for gardens everywhere.
For over 65 years, AARS, a nonprofit association of rose growers and introducers has been dedicated to introducing and producing exceptional roses. But it's not easy to win the coveted AARS designation. Winners must excel in 15 characteristics-from disease resistance to flower production to color and fragrance.
You'll want to order this year's AARS winners through selected catalogs or find them at retail garden stores nationwide. You may also experience them firsthand at these public gardens throughout the U.S.
Always look for the AARS tag to know you're planting the very best.
All-America Rose Selections
In This Issue
2005 AARS Winners
- DayDream
- Elle
- Lady Elsie May
- About Face
What's In a Name?
How to Smell a Rose
Fabulous Fragrances
Rose Gardening Tip from AARS
What's New At AARS?
DAYDREAM™
 DayDream may seem like a fantasy, but it's as perfectly real and delightful as a rose can be. A low- growing compact landscape shrub rose, it reaches just 2' in height.
A unique color in the shrub category, the massive clusters of lightly scented, fuchsia-pink blooms will flower all summer long and require minimal maintenance. Foliage is glossy, deep green and highly disease resistant. DayDream's moderate size and neat round habit make it an appropriate choice for a variety of garden situations. It is crown hardy to Zone 4.
DayDream was hybridized by Ping Lim and is introduced by Bailey Nurseries of St. Paul, MN.
ELLE™
 The tantalizing Elle combines a strong spicy, citrusy fragrance with a high-centered classic rose bud. This hybrid tea produces shell pink flowers with deep yellow undertones.
The dark glossy foliage provides a nice contrast to the soft, non-fading flower, and offers above average disease tolerance to mildew and blackspot. Elle's flowers bloom on 10-14 inch stems and are 4-5 inches wide with a petal count of 50-55.
Elle was developed by Meilland International and is being introduced by The Conard-Pyle Company/Star Roses of West Grove, PA.
LADY ELSIE MAY™
 Truly a rose unlike any other, Lady Elsie May turns heads everywhere she blooms.
An upright, spreading shrub rose, Lady Elsie May offers a vigorous, uniform growth habit and excellent disease resistance. An abundance of rich coral pink flowers bloom in clusters on strong 12-20 inch cutting stems. Each flower is approximately 3 _ to 4 inches wide and has 12 -14 petals. The fragrance is slight and the foliage is dark green and rugged.
Hybridized by Reinhard Noack, Lady Elsie May is being introduced by Angelica Nurseries of Kennedyville, MD.
ABOUT FACE™
 About Face is a grandiflora with a novel 'backwards' bicolor whose light color of deep golden yellow is carried on the inside of the petals with a darker bronzy orange-red backside.
This super-vigorous plant yields long stems with full old-fashioned blossoms that catch attention throughout the life of the bloom. The flowers, up to 5 inches in diameter, offer a mild fresh apple fragrance and are beautifully complemented by lush, clean green leaves.
Hybridized by Tom Carruth, About Face is being introduced by Weeks Wholesale Rose Grower, Upland, CA.
WHAT'S IN A NAME How do roses get their evocative names?
The rose-naming process combines method with creativity and a dash of serendipity.
"We select names to make people remember a rose," says Tom Carruth, hybridizer of this year's AARS winner About Face™.
Though the actual method may vary, a rose's name may be based on a variety of factors, including "personality" color or fragrance. For instance, the characteristics of a sweet-smelling apricot-yellow floribunda and previous AARS Winner are a perfect match for its alluring name, Honey Perfume™.
AARS roses are often named for celebrities or prominent figures, such as Mister Lincoln™ or Queen Elizabeth™, a regal beauty. Or, a name might be inspired by a character and personality, like Betty Boop™. Described as a "naturally rounded" floribunda, she's a cream-colored rose with a red-hot edge and a moderately fruity, sweet fragrance.
Other examples include Knock Out™ for a particularly disease-resistant variety. Cherry Parfait™ illustrates its evocative name with white petals and a broad cherry-red border-a real treat for the eyes.
"It takes about 10 years to develop a new rose," says Keith Zary, hybridizer of such past AARS winners as Honey Perfume™ and Gemini™. "Toward the end of that time, we create a fact sheet on the essentials of the rose. We try to give people an idea of the real 'flavor' of the rose, with a photograph. Then, it goes out to a formal committee-and to just about everyone we know. The right name is as likely to come from a secretary in the office as it is from a marketing person."
This year's AARS Winners' names exhibit four characteristic types of names. Lady Elsie May was named for the matriarch of Angelica Nurseries in Maryland. Elle was named for the glamorous French magazine. Daydream is an undemanding rose that allows gardeners to sit back and relax. About Face is a bi-color rose, named for its distinctive coloration.
HOW TO SMELL A ROSE Who can resist the intoxicating perfume of a rose?
Here's how to heighten your experience with scent:
Experts say you can catch your roses at the peak of their aromatic power by smelling them in the early morning or around twilight, when the roses are at one-third or half-bloom. This is also the best time to cut them for indoor enjoyment.
The volatile fragrance of a rose is at the base of its petals. It is most evident when there is more humidity in the air-hence the early morning or twilight hours.
You may place cut roses on the dashboard of your car to test the longevity of their scent. The warmth and enclosure of the car heightens the intensity of these natural fresheners.
"Smell is as individual as taste," says grower Tom Carruth. "There is general agreement that roses, lilacs and peonies have staying power and attract people with their scent. When it comes to roses, several natural fragrances make up the character of a rose. They include fresh cut apple, grapefruit, licorice, spice and myrrh, just to name a few.
Fabulous Fragrances
Ever wonder which AARS roses are the most fragrant? AARS varieties known for their appealing scent include:
Memorial Day™ (experts say one bloom perfumes almost an entire room) Elle™ Double Delight™ Mr. Lincoln™ Scentimental™ Midas Touch™ Sheer Bliss™ Honey Perfume™ 4th of July™ Sun Sprinkles™
ROSE GARDENING TIP FROM AARS
 As we head into fall and winter, the experts say this is the time to simply give your roses a rest.
Do not deadhead and do not fertilize. Just enjoy the lovely colors of blooms or rose hips, let them complete their cycle and rest for the winter.
WHAT'S NEW AT AARS
 Lots!
The most obvious change is certainly our new look. You may have already noticed a change in appearance in this newsletter or perhaps you have seen our new brochure at one of the public gardens.
Starting now and over the next few weeks, look for our re-launch of the AARS web site, www.rose.org. You'll see our new logo, a whole new layout of information, a press room where our friends in the media can find more information about AARS roses and rose gardening and our new contact information. And, right out in front, our beautiful new 2005 winning roses.
Most of all, we want to continue to be your source for information on roses and rose gardening so please contact us anytime with your questions, comments and suggestions.
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phone: 415-249-6776
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