WINNERS ANNOUNCED AT 2018 BILTMORE ROSE TRIALS
By Suzanne Gilbert Houston Rose Society
This year on September 29 winners of the 2018 Biltmore International Rose Trials were announced after a final judging by rosarians from across the country. Paul Zimmerman of Paul Zimmerman Roses launched the Biltmore International Rose Trials in 2011. The roses in the trial are planted in the walled Rose Garden, which is located on the historic Asheville N. C, estate that was the home of George and Edith Vanderbilt.
The winners of this year’s trial were planted in 2016. A permanent jury judges the roses four times a year. The trial goes for two and a half years. There is a nominal fee to enter and it is open to professional and amateur breeders who submit their roses by mail in one-gallon pots on their own roots. Each entry must have six plants of that variety.
The roses are planted and cared for by the Biltmore’s horticultural staff. During the trial the roses receive minimal care. They are not sprayed with chemicals. The roses are fertilized with sustainable products mostly from Beaty Fertilizer using a combination of granular and foliar feedings. Roses continually plagued with blackspot are removed from the trial. The roses in the trial are cared for in the same way the home gardener would take care of them in his garden with monthly care. The roses have been grown, tested and evaluated under sustainable conditions so the real winner is the consumer who can buy a rose that will be healthy and beautiful in his garden. Roses in the trial are evaluated on four categories. The first is overall appearance. Does the rose have a pleasing shape? Is the foliage healthy and does the plant appear to be vigorous? The second is flower. Are there many buds, blooms and color? Is there evidence of recurring bloom such as spent blooms or withered flowers? The third is disease resistance. There should be evidence of minimal fungal disease. The fourth category is fragrance. This is a very subjective category because we all smell roses differently. However a fragrant rose will have a pleasing aroma that is detected easily.
Asheville N.C. and Houston are different growing areas of the country however, we experience similar challenges such as hot dry summers, humidity and periods of cold in the winter. Since the roses are tested in no spray, sustainable conditions they should be a good choice for the Gulf Coast area as long correct growing practices for our area are followed: raised beds, 6 hours of sun, good air circulation etc. They won’t grow in shade or near tree roots.
The winners are: — George and Edith Vanderbilt Most Outstanding Rose in the 2018 Biltmore Int’l Rose Trial: • Princesse Charlene De Monaco (Meidysouk), hybrid tea rose bred by House Meilland in France, distributed by Star Roses & Plants.This rose also won the Cornelia Vanderbilt Cecil Award for Most Fragrant Rose and Pauline Merrell Award for Best Hybrid Tea. — Lord Burleigh Award for Best Disease Resistant and the Chauncey Beadle Award for Best Shrub Rose: • Oso Easy Urban Legend (R. ‘ChewPatout’), bred by Chris Warner of Spring Meadow Nursery. — Gilded Age Award for Climbing Rose and the William Cecil Award for Best Growth Habit: • Highwire Flyer (Radwire), bred by William Radler of Star Roses and Pla — Edith Wharton Award for Best Floribunda: • Shining Moment (Radshining) bred by William Radler of Star Roses and Plants. Winners of the 2018 Biltmore Rose trials should be widely available in nurseries this spring. They may be also ordered online.
