Veterans’ Honor™

This rose's location in the garden is SW 1.

• Classification:   Hybrid Tea
• Flower Color:   dark red
• Flower Size:    5-5.5 inches
• Flower Form:  high-centered
• Petal Count:  25-30
• Fragrance:  slight raspberry
• Repeat Bloomer:  yes
• Foliage:   dark green, semi-glossy
• Plant Height:  5 feet
• Plant Width:   2-3 feet
• Growth Habit:  moderate, tall, upright
• Disease Resistant:  yes
• Hybridizer:  Dr. Keith W. Zary
• Registered:  1999
• Parentage:  (‘Showstopper’ x seedling x ‘Royalty’)
• ARS* Rating:  8.4  (very good – excellent)
  *American Rose Society Rating
  

Awards:

• 2000 Rose of the Year, Jackson & Perkins

Notes:

• “In honor of Veterans Day, it’s time to again recognize the hybrid tea rose Veterans’ Honor, which was dedicated on Memorial Day in 1999 in ceremonies across the United States.
  
  The ‘Veterans’ Honor’ rose was recommended by Dr. Kenneth W. Kizer, who was then the undersecretary for health for the Department of Veterans Affairs.
  
  ‘I wanted to create a commemorative rose to signify the pride and gratitude that we as citizens of this country have for our veterans,’ Kizer said. ‘Without their sacrifices and beneficence, the freedoms that Americans and many other people enjoy today would not be possible.’
  
  According to consulting rosarian Joy Bednorz, when Kizer came up with the idea to create a rose to honor U.S. military personnel, Keith Zary, vice president of research and rose breeding at Jackson & Perkins for more than 20 years, was up to the challenge.
  
  ‘Veterans’ Honor’, the J&P Rose of the Year in 2000, is a dark red hybrid tea with 25 petals, a high-centered ovoid 5 to 6 inch bloom and a light raspberry fragrance.
  
  Now planted on the grounds of Veterans Affairs facilities nationwide, this rose serves as a living and lasting tribute to the U.S. veterans.”
  
  --- Joyce Dean, member of the American Rose Society.