From http://www.regannursery.com/news/

She's at it again...!!

By Dr. Leda Horticulture, O. R.

Dr. Leda's top ten picks for 2005...

Helplessly overcome with rose colormania, Dr. Leda relinquishes her
last vestige of dignified self restraint...

Oh boy, I'm like a kid with a brand new supersized box of crayons!
2005 is really shaping up to be a spectacular year for unusual and
interesting (or, as renowned pollen pimp and Director of Research for
Weeks Roses Tom Carruth affectionately calls them, "wacko") rose
colors. Here are ten of the fabulous new 2005 roses that have already
managed to leap into my shopping cart.

Lime Sublime: Either you love green flowers or you don't, and I'm
firmly planted in the do-love camp myself. This exotic new Floribunda
from the Dicksons of Northern Ireland is not a deep or solid
green--it's actually a rich creamy white with just a faint but
luminous tinge of chartreuse. I've been lying awake nights imagining
how I'll use this unorthodox color in cut arrangements. (With dark
maroons? silvery pinks? coppery tans? Or how about those bright
turquoise Hydrangeas!) Since it's reported to be a non-stop heavy
bloomer that doesn't mind heat and humidity, I think I'll need at
least nine bushes to go in my front beds with Our Lady of Guadalupe
and the tall purple sages. I'll figure out how to make room, somehow.

Black Baccara: Stop the presses! This spectacular blackish-red Hybrid
Tea is darker than any of the "black" roses on the market so far. It's
even darker than Black Magic, Ink Spots, or Taboo. Originally bred for
the florist trade, Black Baccara produces a well-formed and
long-lasting cut flower, with dramatic black-tinged burgundy-red
petals boasting the texture of luxurious velvet. Gardeners who've
grown this rose report that it has impressive disease resistance and
vigor, and that the blooms increase in size as the plant matures. I
plan to put this one in a vase with some pure white Casa Blanca lilies
and see how many of my gentleman callers it causes to swoon.

Midnight Blue: Be sure you're sitting down the first time you
experience this astonishing new Shrub Rose. It's a breathtaking,
heart-stopping beauty, the most striking deep rich velvety purple I've
ever seen on a rose yet. The delicious fragrance is strong and
intriguing, somewhat reminiscent of cloves. The outrageous dark purple
flowers bloom in massive clusters for added impact. And best of all,
I've been hearing outstanding first-hand reports from gardeners around
the country who are happily impressed with Midnight Blue's disease
resistance, vigor, rebloom, and ability to hold it's gorgeous color.
Want, want, want!

About Face: To no one's surprise, hybridizing wizard Tom Carruth has
produced yet another AARS winner--his sixth!--and this one is already
causing quite the buzz throughout Rosedom. About Face is a
traffic-stopping bi-colored Grandiflora, and somewhat of an oddity in
the rose world because the inside is soft golden yellow, while the
reverse is a darker orangy-bronze (bi-colors are usually lighter on
the reverse). One of its parents is an earlier Carruth masterpiece,
the popular 2003 AARS winner Hot Cocoa. Gardeners who've tested About
Face report vigorous growth, very fast rebloom, and an amazing
abundance of flowers. The full vivacious blossoms reach up to 5" in
diameter, and the exceptionally long stems are ideal for cutting. What
a show-off!

Neptune: Prolific rose breeder Tom Carruth is also responsible for
this luscious new lavender Hybrid Tea (the man's a veritable rose
machine!). I'm so enchanted with its exquisite color, huge flower
size, and powerfully sweet fragrance that I've already reserved a
prime spot for it next to my darkest purple Iris ensatas. According to
my reliable internet gossip sources, Neptune would probably have a
better chance of achieving its perfect rave-worthy exhibition form in
coastal areas of California than it will down here in Blast Furnace,
Louisiana. But that doesn't bother me since I'm not an exhibitor. I
really like what I'm hearing about its disease resistance and
vitality. And when it comes to that glorious color, well, you all know
my motto: "Resistance Is Futile."

Voluptuous!: The late, great garden writer Cassandra Danz once accused
a certain rose of looking like it was "wearing a negligee and falling
out of the top." I'm afraid we may have another such indiscreet buxom
beauty on our hands with Voluptuous!, a Hybrid Tea that seems destined
to lure many an innocent lad away from his cactus collection. Even
gawking at the ample photos of this seductive deep-fuchsia hottie
makes me blush. It's a remarkably high-centered cupped blossom, and
the winner of Jackson & Perkins' coveted "Rose of the Year" award for
2005. If I looked anything like this rose, I'd probably have an
exclamation point appended to my name too.

Honey Dijon: At last! A beautiful warm golden-brownish tan rose that's
not a wimpy hot-house prima donna. Honey Dijon is naturally vigorous,
sweetly fragrant, blooms abundantly, and has exquisite exhibition
form. The color is novel, to say the least, but tastefully so, and it
promises to be a fun and versatile hue to play with in arrangements.
(Gardeners report the color is deepest in cool temperatures.) This
unique tan Grandiflora is the love-child of Stainless Steel and
Singin' in the Rain, and it does both its fine parents proud.

Lasting Love: Everyone's raving about this heavenly new red Hybrid
Tea. The exhibitors are praising its huge showy blooms and perfect
form, while the gardeners are thrilled with its beautiful dusky-red to
dark-pink coloring and sparkling glossy green foliage. And everybody
who comes within ten feet of this rose falls head over heels in love
with the fragrance: a strong, rich, pure-rose perfume that outdoes
even beloved old Mr. Lincoln. I predict Lasting Love will sell out
well before Valentine's Day, so reserve yours early. This is the most
exciting red rose to come along in ages.

Tuscan Sun: The extraordinary colors of this highly disease resistant
Floribunda are so evocative of the quintessential Italian dream-villa,
you practically need a passport to grow it. Generous clusters of deep
apricot buds open into spectacular high-centered bronze blossoms then
mature to lovely Mediterranean shades of bellissimo coppery pink. The
strong straight stems are 12"-14" long, and the spice-scented flowers
last exceptionally well in the vase. Amo questo fiore! Venuto a me,
cara mia! Non intrappoli le mie natiche! (Yes, thank you, I do look a
little bit like Maria Grazia Cucinotta.) So dove è il mio marito
italiano bello?

Lemon Meringue and Scent from Above: Ok, I know I said ten and this
makes eleven. But I just couldn't decide which of these two great new
yellow climbers to choose, and the standard rule for rose shopping is
"When in doubt, choose both." For a long time now the world has
desperately needed more healthy, fragrant, reblooming yellow climbing
roses, and here they are. Lemon Meringue is a hardy, soft yellow
offspring of the wonderful workhorse climber Westerland, and it blooms
on both old and new wood. Scent from Above is a cheery golden yellow
that holds its color well, and is a strong repeat bloomer. Go for the
gold, grow them both!

I hope you all enjoy the 2005 catalog as much as I have. Have a happy
winter dreaming, drooling, and designing your beautiful spring
gardens!

Best wishes, Dr. Leda Horticulture

Dr. Leda Horticulture, O.R. (Obsessive Roseologist) aka Elizabeth
Churchill, is a rosarian who worked for eight years at nurseries in
the San Francisco Bay Area. She recently retired and moved to a
beautiful old Victorian in southern Louisiana. If she told you how
much room she has for new roses, you would hate her.

And we have to love a fan of Dorothy Parker, don't we?

Anne Lurie
Raleigh, NC


"Bob Claggett" wrote in message
om...
From http://www.regannursery.com/news/

She's at it again...!!

By Dr. Leda Horticulture, O. R.

Dr. Leda's top ten picks for 2005...

Helplessly overcome with rose colormania, Dr. Leda relinquishes her
last vestige of dignified self restraint...

Oh boy, I'm like a kid with a brand new supersized box of crayons!
2005 is really shaping up to be a spectacular year for unusual and
interesting (or, as renowned pollen pimp and Director of Research for
Weeks Roses Tom Carruth affectionately calls them, "wacko") rose
colors. Here are ten of the fabulous new 2005 roses that have already
managed to leap into my shopping cart.

Lime Sublime: Either you love green flowers or you don't, and I'm
firmly planted in the do-love camp myself. This exotic new Floribunda
from the Dicksons of Northern Ireland is not a deep or solid
green--it's actually a rich creamy white with just a faint but
luminous tinge of chartreuse. I've been lying awake nights imagining
how I'll use this unorthodox color in cut arrangements. (With dark
maroons? silvery pinks? coppery tans? Or how about those bright
turquoise Hydrangeas!) Since it's reported to be a non-stop heavy
bloomer that doesn't mind heat and humidity, I think I'll need at
least nine bushes to go in my front beds with Our Lady of Guadalupe
and the tall purple sages. I'll figure out how to make room, somehow.

Black Baccara: Stop the presses! This spectacular blackish-red Hybrid
Tea is darker than any of the "black" roses on the market so far. It's
even darker than Black Magic, Ink Spots, or Taboo. Originally bred for
the florist trade, Black Baccara produces a well-formed and
long-lasting cut flower, with dramatic black-tinged burgundy-red
petals boasting the texture of luxurious velvet. Gardeners who've
grown this rose report that it has impressive disease resistance and
vigor, and that the blooms increase in size as the plant matures. I
plan to put this one in a vase with some pure white Casa Blanca lilies
and see how many of my gentleman callers it causes to swoon.

Midnight Blue: Be sure you're sitting down the first time you
experience this astonishing new Shrub Rose. It's a breathtaking,
heart-stopping beauty, the most striking deep rich velvety purple I've
ever seen on a rose yet. The delicious fragrance is strong and
intriguing, somewhat reminiscent of cloves. The outrageous dark purple
flowers bloom in massive clusters for added impact. And best of all,
I've been hearing outstanding first-hand reports from gardeners around
the country who are happily impressed with Midnight Blue's disease
resistance, vigor, rebloom, and ability to hold it's gorgeous color.
Want, want, want!

About Face: To no one's surprise, hybridizing wizard Tom Carruth has
produced yet another AARS winner--his sixth!--and this one is already
causing quite the buzz throughout Rosedom. About Face is a
traffic-stopping bi-colored Grandiflora, and somewhat of an oddity in
the rose world because the inside is soft golden yellow, while the
reverse is a darker orangy-bronze (bi-colors are usually lighter on
the reverse). One of its parents is an earlier Carruth masterpiece,
the popular 2003 AARS winner Hot Cocoa. Gardeners who've tested About
Face report vigorous growth, very fast rebloom, and an amazing
abundance of flowers. The full vivacious blossoms reach up to 5" in
diameter, and the exceptionally long stems are ideal for cutting. What
a show-off!

Neptune: Prolific rose breeder Tom Carruth is also responsible for
this luscious new lavender Hybrid Tea (the man's a veritable rose
machine!). I'm so enchanted with its exquisite color, huge flower
size, and powerfully sweet fragrance that I've already reserved a
prime spot for it next to my darkest purple Iris ensatas. According to
my reliable internet gossip sources, Neptune would probably have a
better chance of achieving its perfect rave-worthy exhibition form in
coastal areas of California than it will down here in Blast Furnace,
Louisiana. But that doesn't bother me since I'm not an exhibitor. I
really like what I'm hearing about its disease resistance and
vitality. And when it comes to that glorious color, well, you all know
my motto: "Resistance Is Futile."

Voluptuous!: The late, great garden writer Cassandra Danz once accused
a certain rose of looking like it was "wearing a negligee and falling
out of the top." I'm afraid we may have another such indiscreet buxom
beauty on our hands with Voluptuous!, a Hybrid Tea that seems destined
to lure many an innocent lad away from his cactus collection. Even
gawking at the ample photos of this seductive deep-fuchsia hottie
makes me blush. It's a remarkably high-centered cupped blossom, and
the winner of Jackson & Perkins' coveted "Rose of the Year" award for
2005. If I looked anything like this rose, I'd probably have an
exclamation point appended to my name too.

Honey Dijon: At last! A beautiful warm golden-brownish tan rose that's
not a wimpy hot-house prima donna. Honey Dijon is naturally vigorous,
sweetly fragrant, blooms abundantly, and has exquisite exhibition
form. The color is novel, to say the least, but tastefully so, and it
promises to be a fun and versatile hue to play with in arrangements.
(Gardeners report the color is deepest in cool temperatures.) This
unique tan Grandiflora is the love-child of Stainless Steel and
Singin' in the Rain, and it does both its fine parents proud.

Lasting Love: Everyone's raving about this heavenly new red Hybrid
Tea. The exhibitors are praising its huge showy blooms and perfect
form, while the gardeners are thrilled with its beautiful dusky-red to
dark-pink coloring and sparkling glossy green foliage. And everybody
who comes within ten feet of this rose falls head over heels in love
with the fragrance: a strong, rich, pure-rose perfume that outdoes
even beloved old Mr. Lincoln. I predict Lasting Love will sell out
well before Valentine's Day, so reserve yours early. This is the most
exciting red rose to come along in ages.

Tuscan Sun: The extraordinary colors of this highly disease resistant
Floribunda are so evocative of the quintessential Italian dream-villa,
you practically need a passport to grow it. Generous clusters of deep
apricot buds open into spectacular high-centered bronze blossoms then
mature to lovely Mediterranean shades of bellissimo coppery pink. The
strong straight stems are 12"-14" long, and the spice-scented flowers
last exceptionally well in the vase. Amo questo fiore! Venuto a me,
cara mia! Non intrappoli le mie natiche! (Yes, thank you, I do look a
little bit like Maria Grazia Cucinotta.) So dove è il mio marito
italiano bello?

Lemon Meringue and Scent from Above: Ok, I know I said ten and this
makes eleven. But I just couldn't decide which of these two great new
yellow climbers to choose, and the standard rule for rose shopping is
"When in doubt, choose both." For a long time now the world has
desperately needed more healthy, fragrant, reblooming yellow climbing
roses, and here they are. Lemon Meringue is a hardy, soft yellow
offspring of the wonderful workhorse climber Westerland, and it blooms
on both old and new wood. Scent from Above is a cheery golden yellow
that holds its color well, and is a strong repeat bloomer. Go for the
gold, grow them both!

I hope you all enjoy the 2005 catalog as much as I have. Have a happy
winter dreaming, drooling, and designing your beautiful spring
gardens!

Best wishes, Dr. Leda Horticulture

Dr. Leda Horticulture, O.R. (Obsessive Roseologist) aka Elizabeth
Churchill, is a rosarian who worked for eight years at nurseries in
the San Francisco Bay Area. She recently retired and moved to a
beautiful old Victorian in southern Louisiana. If she told you how
much room she has for new roses, you would hate her.

And we have to love a fan of Dorothy Parker, don't we?

Anne Lurie
Raleigh, NC


"Bob Claggett" wrote in message
om...
From http://www.regannursery.com/news/

She's at it again...!!

By Dr. Leda Horticulture, O. R.

Dr. Leda's top ten picks for 2005...

Helplessly overcome with rose colormania, Dr. Leda relinquishes her
last vestige of dignified self restraint...

Oh boy, I'm like a kid with a brand new supersized box of crayons!
2005 is really shaping up to be a spectacular year for unusual and
interesting (or, as renowned pollen pimp and Director of Research for
Weeks Roses Tom Carruth affectionately calls them, "wacko") rose
colors. Here are ten of the fabulous new 2005 roses that have already
managed to leap into my shopping cart.

Lime Sublime: Either you love green flowers or you don't, and I'm
firmly planted in the do-love camp myself. This exotic new Floribunda
from the Dicksons of Northern Ireland is not a deep or solid
green--it's actually a rich creamy white with just a faint but
luminous tinge of chartreuse. I've been lying awake nights imagining
how I'll use this unorthodox color in cut arrangements. (With dark
maroons? silvery pinks? coppery tans? Or how about those bright
turquoise Hydrangeas!) Since it's reported to be a non-stop heavy
bloomer that doesn't mind heat and humidity, I think I'll need at
least nine bushes to go in my front beds with Our Lady of Guadalupe
and the tall purple sages. I'll figure out how to make room, somehow.

Black Baccara: Stop the presses! This spectacular blackish-red Hybrid
Tea is darker than any of the "black" roses on the market so far. It's
even darker than Black Magic, Ink Spots, or Taboo. Originally bred for
the florist trade, Black Baccara produces a well-formed and
long-lasting cut flower, with dramatic black-tinged burgundy-red
petals boasting the texture of luxurious velvet. Gardeners who've
grown this rose report that it has impressive disease resistance and
vigor, and that the blooms increase in size as the plant matures. I
plan to put this one in a vase with some pure white Casa Blanca lilies
and see how many of my gentleman callers it causes to swoon.

Midnight Blue: Be sure you're sitting down the first time you
experience this astonishing new Shrub Rose. It's a breathtaking,
heart-stopping beauty, the most striking deep rich velvety purple I've
ever seen on a rose yet. The delicious fragrance is strong and
intriguing, somewhat reminiscent of cloves. The outrageous dark purple
flowers bloom in massive clusters for added impact. And best of all,
I've been hearing outstanding first-hand reports from gardeners around
the country who are happily impressed with Midnight Blue's disease
resistance, vigor, rebloom, and ability to hold it's gorgeous color.
Want, want, want!

About Face: To no one's surprise, hybridizing wizard Tom Carruth has
produced yet another AARS winner--his sixth!--and this one is already
causing quite the buzz throughout Rosedom. About Face is a
traffic-stopping bi-colored Grandiflora, and somewhat of an oddity in
the rose world because the inside is soft golden yellow, while the
reverse is a darker orangy-bronze (bi-colors are usually lighter on
the reverse). One of its parents is an earlier Carruth masterpiece,
the popular 2003 AARS winner Hot Cocoa. Gardeners who've tested About
Face report vigorous growth, very fast rebloom, and an amazing
abundance of flowers. The full vivacious blossoms reach up to 5" in
diameter, and the exceptionally long stems are ideal for cutting. What
a show-off!

Neptune: Prolific rose breeder Tom Carruth is also responsible for
this luscious new lavender Hybrid Tea (the man's a veritable rose
machine!). I'm so enchanted with its exquisite color, huge flower
size, and powerfully sweet fragrance that I've already reserved a
prime spot for it next to my darkest purple Iris ensatas. According to
my reliable internet gossip sources, Neptune would probably have a
better chance of achieving its perfect rave-worthy exhibition form in
coastal areas of California than it will down here in Blast Furnace,
Louisiana. But that doesn't bother me since I'm not an exhibitor. I
really like what I'm hearing about its disease resistance and
vitality. And when it comes to that glorious color, well, you all know
my motto: "Resistance Is Futile."

Voluptuous!: The late, great garden writer Cassandra Danz once accused
a certain rose of looking like it was "wearing a negligee and falling
out of the top." I'm afraid we may have another such indiscreet buxom
beauty on our hands with Voluptuous!, a Hybrid Tea that seems destined
to lure many an innocent lad away from his cactus collection. Even
gawking at the ample photos of this seductive deep-fuchsia hottie
makes me blush. It's a remarkably high-centered cupped blossom, and
the winner of Jackson & Perkins' coveted "Rose of the Year" award for
2005. If I looked anything like this rose, I'd probably have an
exclamation point appended to my name too.

Honey Dijon: At last! A beautiful warm golden-brownish tan rose that's
not a wimpy hot-house prima donna. Honey Dijon is naturally vigorous,
sweetly fragrant, blooms abundantly, and has exquisite exhibition
form. The color is novel, to say the least, but tastefully so, and it
promises to be a fun and versatile hue to play with in arrangements.
(Gardeners report the color is deepest in cool temperatures.) This
unique tan Grandiflora is the love-child of Stainless Steel and
Singin' in the Rain, and it does both its fine parents proud.

Lasting Love: Everyone's raving about this heavenly new red Hybrid
Tea. The exhibitors are praising its huge showy blooms and perfect
form, while the gardeners are thrilled with its beautiful dusky-red to
dark-pink coloring and sparkling glossy green foliage. And everybody
who comes within ten feet of this rose falls head over heels in love
with the fragrance: a strong, rich, pure-rose perfume that outdoes
even beloved old Mr. Lincoln. I predict Lasting Love will sell out
well before Valentine's Day, so reserve yours early. This is the most
exciting red rose to come along in ages.

Tuscan Sun: The extraordinary colors of this highly disease resistant
Floribunda are so evocative of the quintessential Italian dream-villa,
you practically need a passport to grow it. Generous clusters of deep
apricot buds open into spectacular high-centered bronze blossoms then
mature to lovely Mediterranean shades of bellissimo coppery pink. The
strong straight stems are 12"-14" long, and the spice-scented flowers
last exceptionally well in the vase. Amo questo fiore! Venuto a me,
cara mia! Non intrappoli le mie natiche! (Yes, thank you, I do look a
little bit like Maria Grazia Cucinotta.) So dove è il mio marito
italiano bello?

Lemon Meringue and Scent from Above: Ok, I know I said ten and this
makes eleven. But I just couldn't decide which of these two great new
yellow climbers to choose, and the standard rule for rose shopping is
"When in doubt, choose both." For a long time now the world has
desperately needed more healthy, fragrant, reblooming yellow climbing
roses, and here they are. Lemon Meringue is a hardy, soft yellow
offspring of the wonderful workhorse climber Westerland, and it blooms
on both old and new wood. Scent from Above is a cheery golden yellow
that holds its color well, and is a strong repeat bloomer. Go for the
gold, grow them both!

I hope you all enjoy the 2005 catalog as much as I have. Have a happy
winter dreaming, drooling, and designing your beautiful spring
gardens!

Best wishes, Dr. Leda Horticulture

Dr. Leda Horticulture, O.R. (Obsessive Roseologist) aka Elizabeth
Churchill, is a rosarian who worked for eight years at nurseries in
the San Francisco Bay Area. She recently retired and moved to a
beautiful old Victorian in southern Louisiana. If she told you how
much room she has for new roses, you would hate her.