Following is an extract I received from Baxter Williams, the chair of the American Rose Center Trial Grounds (ARCTG) in Shreveport.
“Have your members not been producing as many new cultivars as in the past? This year we have only one variety starting a 2-year testing; and last year there were only five put in for testing. (I remember that one year we had 54 new varieties to test, not including the 30+ that were already there. It took almost three hours to evaluate that many entries. We of the evaluating team don’t mind the job, when we have plenty to do. Next year will try our mettle, because some of us have to travel in excess of 250 miles one way to get to the ARCTG - we want the trip to be worth it.) If there is anything that I as ARCTG Chair can do to encourage RHA members to submit entries, I’m certainly willing to give it a try.”
An edited extract from Rose Hybridizing - The Next Step ---- The ARCTG is essentially a free service to our rose creators. To encourage participation, there is no charge for the first three entries per year, and only a small amount ($15 per year) for additional varieties. To enter a variety contact Carol Spiers at carol@ars-hq.org. who will send the forms to get you started.
The hybridizer must send four bushes of each variety to the American Rose Center, 8877 Jefferson Paige Road, Shreveport, LA 71119-8817. Bare root plants preferred; if potted, have in 2 or 3 gallon pots for planting on or about March 1st of the year in the trial ground beds. Each entry will be given a unique number which will be known only by the hybridizer and the trial grounds coordinator.
We will have a variety or two to send - how about you?