Best roses will be named this month
Palmerston North celebrates its blooming image as an internationally renowned rose-growing centre this month.
On Sunday, November 27 the top new roses trialled at the Dugald Mackenzie grounds at Victoria Esplanade will be announced.
In the past two years, 50 roses submitted by growers and hybridisers from around the world have been cared for at the gardens, visited regularly by judges looking for colour, fragrance, health, form and novelty value.
Trial ground committee chairman John Ford said the roses represented some latest trends in the rose industry.
‘‘Rose breeders worldwide are breeding roses with more flowers and improved disease tolerance, plus more and more varieties have fragrant blooms than ever before.’’
The top award is the Gold Star of the South Pacific, presented annually to the top rose grown at the gardens.
Certificates of merit are given for any roses that gain 70 points or more and are available commercially, with special awards for fragrance and novelty. The Silver Star of the City is presented if a rose bred by a New Zealand amateur grower gains an award.
Ford said the ongoing awards, in their 52nd year, reflected the international reputation of the city and the Victoria Esplanade Gardens for rose growing.
The Manawatū Rose Society is celebrating its own landmark this month, marking its 75th anniversary.
It recently held an anniversary lunch at Caccia Birch House.
Members return to the venue and open the doors to the public on November 25 and 26 for their 75th anniversary rose show.
The show is open, for a gold coin donation, from 11.30am until 5pm today, and 10am to 4pm tomorrow.