Members' Favorites

Nora's favorites Photo courtesy of Regan Nursery and their suppliers Photo courtesy of Regan Nursery & Jackson & Perkins
	My favorite Grandiflora rose is Melodie Parfumeé. This rose produces mass blooms of lavender with one of the heaviest rose scents ever. The petals almost have a round flat appearance when fully opened with light yellow stamens. The bushes are almost disease resistance and produce beautiful foliage. If there were a downfall, it would be: Japanese Beetles. This is their favorite breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, and midnight snack - but we deal with it because it is one of our favorite and everyone who visits my yard admires this rose. It may not be an exhibition rose but we have decided it will always hold a place in our gardens. My favorite new rose this summer is ‘Spellbound’. This rose has a beautiful form and long stems. The petals are almost like satin and are very thick. Fragrance is somewhat light but spicy. The coral color adds an eye catcher to our garden. We have seen no disease this year and are looking forward to see what the second year’s growth bring us. And it was the 2006 Rose of the Year winner. A new favorite rose of ours is ‘St. Patrick’. It was new to our garden last year and did not perform very well. We moved it in the fall and this year, it has produced a multitude of blooms. Even with the very extreme heat we have encountered this year, this rose has been the strongest. Our cut bouquets lasted anywhere from two to three weeks indoors. We plan to get more of these beauties for next year.
Pauline's favorites Photo courtesy of Regan Nursery and their suppliers Photo courtesy of Regan Nursery and their suppliers	Social Climber - The blooms are large, bright pink, a profuse, continual bloomer. Very "showy" The cut flowers will last almost a week. My all-time favorite rose is Garden Party - it has large white buds opening to a delicate, large, white bloom with shades of pink on the edges - a spectacular rose!
Charlotte's favorite Dolly Parton Like the person for whom this rose was named, she is truly an “outgoing girl!” She catches your attention quickly by both the size of her bush and her bloom! As if her radiant color of coppery orange-red is not enough to catch everyone’s attention, there is her wonderful fragrance which reminds one of a spicy clove! While lots of folks are thrilled to have a garden filled with Knock-Out rose bushes, for me it would be delightful to have many more Dolly Parton bushes than the five I already enjoy in our yard. That rose garden would truly be a “knock-out” for me! Imagine a wonderful large bouquet of only brightly colored, amazingly fragrant Dollies to bring inside to enjoy or perhaps to share with others! What a treat that would be to have or receive! When Dolly Parton found out she was having a rose named in her honor, she is reported to have said, “I’m surprised that a wildflower wasn’t named after me. Certainly, it’s a real compliment to have a rose instead.” Since I have not had the pleasure of meeting the lady herself in person, I consider myself lucky to be able to enjoy her namesake! Perhaps you will want to treat yourself to her company…..Dolly Parton, the rose, is truly worth meeting and knowing!
Renee's favorite	My favorite rose is Green Ice. My dear husband surprised me with a small potted plant of this rose for our first wedding anniversary in 1976 because he knew how much I like green flowers. It had a small bloom of about one inch and opened green then faded to white as it aged. I grew it indoors and took one of it’s blooms to the Southeastern Fair in 1977 where it won a blue ribbon. I could not stand the thought of throwing away my prize-winning bloom so I dried it and put it in a shadow-box frame. I entered the framed bloom in the Southeastern Fair in 1978 and it won a blue ribbon in the crafts category. When we moved to the farm and built a house in 1984 we decided to plant the rose outdoors. Life was getting hectic since our son was school age and we were involved with his activities. I knew that my precious rose would be much better off outside. Much to my surprise the bush quickly quadrupled in size and burst into bloom. The blooms were much larger and opened more white than green. The bush is still in the same spot and has bloomed continuously from spring to fall for 22 years. It has never been pruned or fertilized. Since the azalea bush we planted at the same time grew to be a humongous plant, poor little Green Ice has had to fight for it’s fair share of the space. But, with the azalea pushing it on one side and a delicious stand of blackberries on the other side, it seems to thrive and bloom just that much more. One photo shows the 30-year-old plant happily blooming among other plants and weeds. The other photo shows a close-up of bloom and buds.
Ted's favorite Photo courtesy of Regan Nursery and their suppliers	Although numerous roses have been introduced since my favorite entered the scene, this special rose ranks steadfast at the top. One glance at its royal beauty makes me think of royalty. Clothed in spectacular petals that glisten in the sun makes it a creation of ultra beauty. Its velvety red appearance tends to deem it as something special in my garden. It is large in size and even larger in public acceptance. Just this week I gazed upon my initial crop of the new rose year. Two hundred bushes with over 150 varieties met my wandering eyes. But I kept coming back to this one spectacular specimen. I bent over to breathe its wonderful fragrance and just one whiff made my day. The cool rain had left a sparkling appearance that only enhanced its beauty. It is no wonder that after 41 years since hybidization, it still remains a best seller. Then too, it is named for my favorite USA President. You guessed it -- Mister Lincoln.
Jeff's favorites	My favorite hybrid tea is Louise Estes. Hybridized by Joe Winchel, Louise Estes has large exhibition form white blooms edged with pink. The plant is a vigorous grower and consistently produces good long lasting blooms that hold well as a cut flower. The bush is tall as the blooms are generally on long straight stems. Just a great all around rose.
Photos courtesy of Regan Nursery and their suppliers	My favorite shrub is Knock Out. Knock Out is a revolutionary rose that is extremely disease resistant. It has become one of, if not the most, sought-after rose in the industry. Knock Out is primarily a landscape rose, as it only has 7-9 petals and is not a particularly good cut flower. The bush produces lots of showy hot deep pink blooms that look great in the landscape or in a container. This rose is so carefree that designers are routinely using it in commercial landscapes. One of the greatest roses of all time!
Photo courtesy of Regan Nursery and their suppliers	My favorite grandiflora is Gold Medal. Introduces in 1982, Gold Medal is still widely grown and continues to win at rose shows. The medium yellow blooms have a pink edge, especially in cooler weather, with good exhibition form. The bush is a vigorous grower and produces lots of blooms on long stems. I expect this rose to continue to be widely grown for a long time to come.
Sue's favorite Photo courtesy of Regan Nursery and their suppliers	My favorite rose is Medallion because of the color, shape of the bloom and the size. It is a peach to apricot in color and will vary as it opens. It is also fragrant. It only takes a few to make a pretty bouquet.
Jeanne's favorites	One of my new favorites this year is Wild Blue Yonder. It's a beautiful color and the blooms, when fully open, are ruffled. It is supposed to be fragrant, but it's been so hot, I can't detect any yet.
	Another of my favorites in the garden is Fragrant Lace. This rose is a beautiful white with pink, ruffled edges and the bush blooms almost constantly. As its name implies, the fragrance is wonderful. And it doesn't seem to get blackspot!