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NEWS RELEASE

09-10-01

Contacts:
Teresa McLaughlin, Reiman Gardens (515) 294-3720
Nick Howell, Reiman Gardens (515) 294-2117
Steve Sullivan, News Service, (515) 294-3720

ROSE GARDENS AT IOWA STATE NAMED NATION'S FINEST

AMES, Iowa -- Iowa State University's Reiman Gardens is home to the country's best rose gardens, according one of the largest rose growers associations.

Reiman Gardens has been presented the All-America Rose Selections (AARS) President's Award, which is given annually to one public garden that surpasses AARS's high standards for rose care and presentation. Nick Howell, Reiman Gardens superintendent, will accept the award Sept. 23 at the American Rose Society's annual meeting in Cleveland, Ohio.

"Reiman Gardens is a splendid tribute to the queen of flowers," said Phil Edmunds, president of AARS. "No where will you find a more stunning display of beauty and tranquility. It is a real asset to the community and a showcase for the world's most loved flower."

There are more than 130 AARS public gardens in the U.S. AARS public gardens have a minimum of 800 rose bushes and offer special displays of outstanding new varieties chosen by AARS for their beauty, novelty and vigor. AARS is a non-profit organization dedicated to garden rose research and promotion. AARS members represent more than 90 percent of the nation's total rose production.

The Jones Rose Gardens at Reiman Gardens were named in memory of Helen Latch Jones, the late wife of Ames businessman Paul Jones. There are more than 1,354 bushes of 254 varieties, including heirloom roses, hybrid tea roses and shrub roses. Reiman Gardens also features winter hardy and disease-resistant Buck Roses, which were created by the late Griffith Buck, an Iowa State horticulturist.

The care of the rose gardens requires 3,000 labor hours each year, said Howell, who developed the Reiman's rose care program.

Some of the rose collection was moved from the old Iowa State horticulture garden by staff and volunteers in the fall of 1994, while the first phases of Reiman Gardens were being constructed.

Most of the hybrid rose collection has been gained through several gifts from Weeks Roses, a California wholesaler. The Buck Rose collection was established with a gift from the Master Gardeners of Story Country and the Ames Garden Club. Additional varieties of Buck roses have been gifts to from family and friends of Buck. The Gardens staff is still seeking varieties to complete its Buck Rose collection.

Reiman Gardens has seven AARS trial beds featuring roses that are annually judged for their color, fragrance, form and hardiness. There also are four beds of AARS-award winners from the past 10 years. A new rose bed was constructed in the summer of 2001 that has a trellis to support shrub and climbing roses in the trial gardens.

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