LADYBUG SAYS...CARIBBEAN, MIDAS TOUCH AND SECRET ARE WINNERS

Caribbean, Secret and Midas Touch are the three outstanding 1994 All-American Rose Selections. They have been tested for two years in gardens across the country and have withstood the extremes of Mother Nature while exhibiting breathtaking blooms all season long.

Grandiflora Caribbean brings to mind the lively flavor of the islands with its tropical orange and yellow-tinged blooms. Rising to 4 1/2 feet, this upright, well-branched plant produces an endless abundance of four-inch blossoms throughout the season. Medium green semi-glossy foliage make it a lively choice for background planting. It pairs well with perennials, such as yellow yarrow.

Secret is a rose lover's dream, bringing together a softly blended pink color and strong appealing fragrance of spice and fruit. A vigorous upright growing hybrid tea, its 4 1/2-inch flowers grow one to a stem with occasional clusters of three. Long, erect stems decorated with medium green, leathery, semi-glossy foliage make it an elegant cutting flower. Combine it with lavender and baby's breath for an outstanding arrangement.

Hybrid tea Midas Touch makes a regal entrance with its stature and rich clear yellow petal crowns. Growing to a height of five feet, this brilliant delight has gleaming dark green, semi-glossy foliage. Its splendidly long, pointed buds spiral open to release the scent of musk. It is particularly striking when mixed with other boldly colored roses in an arrangement.

Secret and Midas Touch, both hybrid teas, were introduced by Jackson & Perkins. Caribbean, a grandiflora rose, was introduced by The Conrad Pyle Company.

Like all AARS winners, the roses for 1994 have completed a rigorous test program. Each cultivar was planted in test gardens all across the U.S. and evaluated by rose experts for two growing seasons.

In AARS competition roses are scored for bud and flower form, vigor, hardiness, growth habit, disease resistance, foliage and fragrance.

The three new winners will be available to gardeners in the spring, 1994. Nurseries, garden centers and mail order suppliers should have them. One should order early to meet the customer demand.

When the Men's Garden Club of Jackson met recently at the rose garden of Millie Kight and the late Ben Kight of Advance, they saw some of the most beautiful roses in this area. Their garden is located on County Road 262, and is often visited by visitors from many places.

In spite of the deluge of rain, several Garden Clubbers walked through the garden under umbrellas. Not only are there many varieties of roses, but beautiful hybrid lilies, daylilies, calla lilies and many other blooming perennials also are at their peak of bloom.

Mrs. Kight has had no problems with mildew and little with black spot, with plague the bushes of so many rose growers. She shared the following control formula from the Memphis Rosarian, a monthly publication from the Memphis Rose Society:

"Mix the following compounds together in a standard Atomist 1026 Sprayer at the same time. Starting with warm to hot water to make it easier, use the following amounts of each substance per gallon of water--1 teaspoon Orthene 70% wettable powder (insecticide); 2 teaspoons common baking soda (fungicide for both powdery and downy mildew); Doconil 2797 (fungicide and emulsifier); 2 teaspoons 80-20 Suffactant (spreader and sticker)."

There is a notation that this is a lot of chemicals, but it has worked for the author as a preventive spray all year long and has done a good job thus far this year.

Also from the bulletin was the information that in 1924 in the American Rose Magazine, a Russian rose grower recommended common baking soda to control black spot.

The rose is the most readily recognized and widely grown flower in the United States. The rose can be grown in all 50 states, so it was fitting the rose was designated as the official national floral emblem in 1986.

It is said that no other flower offers such beauty, elegance, charm and fragrance both in the landscape and as a fresh cut flower. The most famous rose garden is on the White House grounds, where for many years our presidents have entertained and held official state functions.

The three All-America Rose Selections, Secret, Caribbean and Midas Touch join the outstanding roses selected for this honor since 1940 and are growing in display gardens throughout the country.