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Naming A Rose
How do you go about naming a rose for someone special? Who do you contact? Well, there aren't many people who do that sort of thing. But J.Benjamin Williams and Associates in Maryland have been doing just that sort of thing for decades.


J.Benjamin Williams and Associates are breeders of many of the world's prize-winning roses. They offer new and unusual roses for exclusive introduction to the Nursery Industry. Whatever the need, they can offer a new rose in the perfect color, form, or habit of growth, all based around your personal preference -- roses in all colors and classes from beautiful new and unusual climbers to the tiniest micro miniature. Every one of these new roses has undergone from 6- 10 years of field work and testing in different climates, markets, and growing environments.


They are one of the few companies in the world that specialize in introducing new varieties to commemorate a business, person or special event. They can register, trademark, or patent your selection in virtually any name you desire. Their roses are tested in several countries and are included in the All-American Rose Selection Trials. But, their experience goes beyond that of roses and rose culture. They are also horticultural consultants to the nursery industry in patenting, advertising, and promoting nursery products.


J. Benjamin Williams started hybridizing roses back in the 1950s. From the start, his aim was to come up with novel types of roses - especially striped ones. Over the years, he's introduced a wide variety of roses: two of my favorites are 'Red Fountain' and 'Amber Flash', but there are many others.


Continuing that innovative tradition, Hortico carries J. Benjamin Williams' Dutch Masters Roses. The series takes its name from the Dutch Master painters and, from the looks of his roses today, it's clear that Mr. Williams' love affair with stripes has not waned.


There's an eye-popping red-and-white striped rose called 'Jan Steen' which is fragrant and hardy to Zone 5. And a burgundy-red rose - that description does not in any way do it justice because the colors and shadings of this rose are so extraordinary -- called 'Rembrandt Van Ryn' which has petals that remind me of Venetian velvet. (I find myself going to back to that one time and time again. It's stunning.)


If you're thinking about something a little smaller, there's a low-growing, compact striped rose called 'Paul Potter'. It's a Floribunda.


J. Benjamin Williams copyrighted the term 'Mini-flora' to describe roses that are larger than Miniatures but smaller than Floribundas. They can be planted in the garden or they make great subjects for containers on patios and decks. This type of rose is so versatile and so popular that 'Mini-flora' is now an official rose class, according to the American Rose Society and we have Mr. Williams to thank for that.


Unusual roses. Roses that stand out and catch your eye. When I think of Mr. Williams' roses, the color red always comes to mind with a touch of another color to add some life. 'Meindeert Hobbema' is a good landscape shrub rose with double striped blooms in white, red, pink, and burgundy. The blooms are plentiful and their beauty can be appreciated both up close and at a distance.


In closing, there's a very good article about J. Benjamin Williams and his roses in the May/June 1997 issue of "The American Gardener," the magazine of the American Horticultural Society. In that article, Mr. Williams summed up his love affair with The Rose this way:


"When you create a new rose you're making a dream come true, and witnessing something no other person has ever seen. Just to see the glistening beauty of a well-formed bud of your own plant, or smell the haunting fragrance of a stately open bloom, gives pleasure enough to keep one's heart young and pride enough to pop the buttons on any vest. Rose breeding is also the people, the warmth, the friendship, the opportunity to associate with the best hybridizers in the world. It's the medium for the exchange of ideas in an area of pleasure which is not overcrowded, and where the opportunity for research and new discovery is always at hand."


Thanks, Mr. Williams.

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