Marin Rose Society - Rose of the Month

George Burns
Rose of the Month For June, 2010
by Lydia Treadway

This is another fine striped rose from Tom Carruth with a cheerful blend of red and yellow. The red is more prominent in warm weather and the yellow in shade or cool weather. It grows in small clusters of double flowers, hybrid tea size with a nice fragrance. The plant is compact and free-blooming with glossy dark green leaves. This rose has sparkling energy and its color is unpredictable just like its name sake. It is named to celebrate the 100th birthday of the great Hollywood actor and comedian, George Burns. His energy was infectious, and all who saw him came away with a renewed sense of the possibilities of being alive. Here was a man who, years in advance, signed to do a show at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas on the night of his 100th birthday. However, he was in very fragile health and could not attend his 100th birthday, and died on March 9, 1996.

His arched eyebrow and cigar smoke punctuation became familiar trademarks for over three quarters of a century. And his jokes kept us laughing. One of his quotes about being alone was, “I would go out with women my age, but there are no women my age.”

Breeder: Tom Carruth, 1996
Class: Floribunda
Color Class: Yellow blend
Fragrance: Strong fruist and citrus
Parentage: ‘Calico’ x ‘Roller Coaster’
ARS Garden Rating : 7.7

Photo by Lydia Treadway

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