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New dark-red rose honors veterans Jackson & Perkins developed hybrid tea By PAUL FATTIG WHITE CITY -- Mary Hughes didn't see a bare-root plant when she shoveled dirt to help plant a special rose Thursday morning at the Department of Veteran Affairs Domiciliary. The Veterans' Honor Hybrid Tea Rose was developed by Jackson & Perkins. Nearly 400 of the dark-red roses were planted at VA facilities nationwide Thursday. Instead the veteran envisioned a beautiful blossom bursting forth on the Veterans' Honor Hybrid Tea Rose developed by the Medford-based Jackson & Perkins Company as a living tribute for all veterans. "It's really touching to me that they would develop a rose especially for us veterans," she said. "This plant will receive a lot of tender loving care. It's beautiful." While Hughes was participating in the short planting ceremony at the Domiciliary, company vice president Bill Ihle was taking part in a similar observance at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. Nearly 400 of the unique roses were planted at VA facilities nationwide Thursday. "We felt this was of interest to all Americans," Ihle said in a telephone interview, noting that the dark red color of the blossom is associated with valor. "We wanted to honor veterans," he added. "In a sense, this rose represents what it means to be an American." Among those joining Ihle in Arlington was Congressman Greg Walden, representing Oregon's 2nd Congressional District. Each spring the rose will remind America of sacrifices made by veterans, Walden said in a speech at the cemetery. "We will remember that freedom is not free ... that it has come at an enormous cost," Walden said. "And we will honor our veterans for the services they have given to this great country so we can be free." The firm had initially been approached by Kenneth Kizer, undersecretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, to develop a rose for veterans, Ihle said. Individuals and organizations frequently ask that a special rose be developed to honor something or someone, he added. The goal was to come up with a dark red rose, he said, and this one was developed in the firm's nursery in Wasco, Calif. The firm is the world's largest producer of roses and the nation's first mail-order nursery. Ten percent of the proceeds from the sale of the roses have been pledged to support medical research by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Ihle said. The rose was unveiled at VA facilities nationwide to commemorate Memorial Day, he said. The timing was ideal, observed Domiciliary director George Andries during the White City ceremony. "It's important to honor the millions of veterans to remember who served so honorably for our country, many of whom died to defend the peace we value," he said. Veteran John Petes, 58, president of the Veterans Council at the Domiciliary where he has lived for five years, agreed. He served with an Army infantry unit in Vietnam. "This rose shows the veterans aren't forgotten," he said. "This is a symbol for every veteran. It makes you feel good." That feeling is shared by Hughes, 48, who has been a patient at the Domiciliary since last fall. She is an Air Force veteran who served during the tail end of the Vietnam War. She later worked in the military reserve in Okinawa. "When you worked directly with bases in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam like I did, you felt like these men were family ... it felt very personal," she said, noting that, to her, the rose represents the bond all veterans share. And she is looking forward to seeing the real-life blossom of the new plant growing at the Domiciliary's Camp White Plaza. "It will get tender loving care," she reiterated. The rose bush, which is expected to bloom later this year, will grow to about 5 feet high. Its blossom will be 5 inches in diameter. Limited amounts of the roses are available at the firm's Medford store. The cost is $19.95. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA