2007 Festival of Roses ~ Grand Opening

2008 All-American Rose Selection Grandiflora rose 'Dream Come True'

2007 Festival of Roses ~ Grand Opening
Digital Flower Pictures.com

To officially kick off our Festival of Roses I have decided to feature the two All-American Rose Selections for 2008. I am sure it appears I am fascinated with the AARS winners and with my project to photograph all the winners since 1938 maybe I am. These two winners of the Class of 2008 represent a trend in rose growing to the almost over the top color blends. In the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden there is an area where they plant the AARS winners for the following year and I was looking for the 2008 winners and found ‘Dream Come True’ and 'Mardi Gras’. I kept my eyes open for more winners but later found out only two roses were selected. So I got both of them.

‘Dream Come True’ is a nice blend of yellow and red. It was hybridized by Dr. John Pottschmidt of Cinncinati, Ohio and introduced by Weeks Roses. Dr. Pottschmidt is only the third amateur rose breeder to win the AARS award. It is an eye-catching rose and I like the layers that the flower has. It seemed to grow on a fairly compact bush and the group had a lot of flowers.

Photo showing the complex color blending on 'Dream Come True'

Some specifics on ‘Dream Come True’:
Type: Grandiflora
Petal Count: 26-40
Parentage: Touch of Class x Unknown Seedling
Fragrance: Mild
Synonyms: Wekdocpot

The other AARS winner I photographed on Saturday was ‘Mardi Gras’. Again the plot of this rose was thriving and producing a lot of flowers. They seem a bit more variable than than ‘Dream Come True’. It has a beautiful blend of colors and also grows on compact plants.

Floribunda rose 'Mardi Gras'

Type: Floribunda
Petal Count: 17-35
Parentage: Arofres × Singin' in the Rain
Fragrance: Mild
Synonyms: Jacfrain
Breeder: Dr. Keith Zary, United States
Introduction: Jackson and Perkins

'Mardi Gras' reaches 3 feet in height making it good for planting in mixed perennial borders.

The following information is from the AARS website, www.rose.org

“AARS operates the world’s most rigorous plant trial program via a network of more than 20 official test gardens throughout the country and representing all climate zones. This sophisticated evaluation process results in a new crop of AARS winning roses each year, guaranteeing that only the best make it into your garden. AARS strives to identify roses that are easy to grow, and evaluates plants on more than 15 qualities, including disease resistance, vigor and fragrance.”

The 15 qualities of evaluation are:

1. Vigor
2. Fragrance
3. Disease resistance
4. Foliage
5. Flower production
6. Growth habit
7. Bud and flower form
8. Opening and finishing color
9. Stem
10. Overall value

The roses receive the care that they would normally get in a home garden.

“AARS is a nonprofit association of rose growers and introducers dedicated to bringing exceptional, easy-to-grow roses to gardeners across the county. AARS operates the world’s most rigorous plant trial program via a network of more than 20 official test gardens throughout the country and representing all climate zones.”