Colorful "Kelly" Wins Best in Show
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2007 Outstanding Varieties winner 'Kelly.' | Consistency and uniformity were two key features that won 'Kelly', a soft apricot-colored spray rose, top honors at SAF's 2007 Outstanding Varieties Competition with the "Best of Show" ribbon. The competition took place last week at SAF Palm Springs 2007, SAF's 123rd annual convention, which drew nearly 400 attendees.
This is the second year the growers, Eufloria Flowers of Nipomo, Calif., took home the competition's highest prize, after winning with the 'Polar Star' standard rose in 2006.
Judges agreed it was the vase-life, foliage, and consistency of blooms from stem to stem that caught their eyes and made it stand out from the other 367 contestants.
"It's a great color and it has consistent flowers," says Terril Nell of Ph.D., AAF, University of Florida in Gainesville, and an Outstanding Varieties judge. "It has a number of flower stages represented, which a spray rose should have. For a consumer, that represents a longer-lasting product."
Chad Nelson, sales manager for Eufloria, says this was the company's first year growing spray roses and it's a "great honor" to win the top award.
"We have a lot of workers putting in a lot of hours into producing the best stems," Nelson says. "It's very rewarding, we work hard to produce the best possible product and to have it recognized is an honor."
Best in Class winners
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Standard Rose: 'Sweet Avalanche', Eufloria Flowers |
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Chrysanthemum: 'Anastasia Green', Uniflor Columbia/Liberty Blooms |
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Cut Bulb: 'Chimborazo', Mayesh Wholesale Florist |
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Gerbera: 'Esmara', Green Valley Florist |
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Alstroemeria: 'Nemo', Golden Flowers |
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Dianthus: 'Minueto', Golden Flowers |
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Potted Flowering Plant: 'Hot Lips', Kent's Bromeliads |
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Other Cut Flower: 'Black and Green Kangaroo Paw', Resendiz Brothers Protea Growers |
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Decorative Foliage: 'Silver Queen', Mellano & Company |
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Bedding Plant: 'Terra Cotta', Sakata Seed |
View a list of blue- and red-ribbon winners.
Look for complete coverage of the competition in the November issue of Floral Management magazine.
Did you attend the competition? We want to hear which varieties you liked. E-mail your thoughts to kkamradt@safnow.org.
-- Kori Kamradt
kkamradt@safnow.org
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