It won’t be long now and the rose catalogs will be filling mailboxes. There are a few changes in the rose world.

Jackson & Perkins, once a valued Oregon business, has been sold and there are fears that J & P may be only a memory. Edmunds Roses, also an Oregon company, was sold late last year to Jung Seeds. The changes will be evident with this year’s catalog. Two new roses that show promise are the 2008 All-American Rose Selections. One of them, Dream Come True, is only the third rose in the history of the AARS hybridized by an amateur rose breeder. The only other AARS winner developed by an amateur rose breeder and still in commerce is St. Patrick, hybridized by Frank Strickland.

St. Patrick, which is an unusual yellow rose in that it features a lime green center, is one of those roses that requires lots of heat. The Rose Society in Redding, Calif., has planted dozens of St. Patrick roses in the municipal rose garden it cares for. There, in the blistering heat of summer, St. Patrick produces bloom after bloom after bloom. I planted St. Patrick in my first rose garden when I moved to Bandon. The first year I got about three blooms from the plant. Within three years, the plant was dead.

Each year seedlings are evaluated in nationwide trial grounds for a two-year period. Official All-America Rose Selections test gardens are located throughout the United States, each with its own judge. Shore Acres State Park is one such test garden. The best performers are designated as AARS award winners and promoted with the well-recognized AARS symbol.

Dream Come True is a grandiflora (which is a rose which grows big like a hybrid tea but blooms in clusters like a floribunda) that features large, full golden yellow blooms edged with ruby. It was hybridized by Dr. John Pottschmidt of Cincinnati, Ohio.

Pottschmidt worked hard for several years trying to come up with a rose that would take the rose world by storm. It became a driving force in his life and Dream Come True is his dream come true. The rose will be introduced by Weeks Roses, a wholesale nursery that supplies roses to several nurseries and garden centers in Coos County.

Dream Come True grows tall and the bush is upright and bushy. It is a very floriferous rose bush and has larger flowers in cooler temperatures. It should perform adequately on the coast.

The second AARS winner for 2008 is Mardi Gras, a floribunda to be introduced by J & P. Mardi Gras is a riotous display of yellows, oranges and pinks. It grows taller than wide and is an upright, bushy plant. Its petal count is 20-25 which means it should perform well on the coast. One of its parents, Singin’ in the Rain, is one of the best floribunda roses to grow on the coast. Singin’ in the Rain requires some patience to grow. It improves with establishment and truly shakes off effects of a spring or summer shower. It also will be available from Weeks Roses and other nurseries.

Some of the other AARS winners still available commercially are About Face, Scentimental, Julia Child, Strike It Rich, Hot Cocoa, Livin’ Easy, Fourth of July, Memorial Day, Betty Boop, Sunset Celebration, Moondance, Rainbow Knock Out, Amber Queen, Angel Face, Apricot Nectar, Arizona, Artistry, Bewitched, Bonica, Brandy, Brass Band, Cherry Parfait, Color Magic, Crimson Bouquet, Day Breaker, DayDream, Double Delight, Electron, Elle, Eureka, Europeana, Fame!, First Prize, Granada, Honey Perfurme, Honor, Lady Elsie May, Miss All-American Beauty, Mr. Lincoln, Paradise, Pascali, Peace, Queen Elizabeth, Rainbow Sorbet, Rio Samba, Sheer Bliss, Sheer Elegance, Showbiz, Starry Night, Tahitian Sunset, Tiffany, Touch of Class, Tournament of Roses, Tropicana, Whisper and Wild Blue Yonder.

(Corinne Clifton lives near Bandon and grows more than 200 kinds of roses.)