This giveaway is sponsored by Four Roses Bourbon and is open to gardeners in the contiguous United States.
All opinions are my own.
My husband is a bourbon guy. When I bought him a small whiskey aging barrel a few years ago, his face lit up like I’d given him a Ford Raptor. The truck’s nowhere in the budget so I’m glad he’s easy to please. Occasionally, I like sipping along with him, especially when the nights get colder. He laughs when I shudder after that first sip. It’s a girly thing to do, I know. But it has a way of taking the chill out of a long Chicago winter.
I’m hardly in a position to talk flavor profiles. People who can sniff or sip a glass of bourbon (or wine for that matter) and detect hints of caramel, vanilla, farm animals or whatever amaze me. My taste buds feel inferior. I just smell whiskey. But when Four Roses Bourbon offered me the opportunity to give away a fragrant, disease resistant, reblooming red rose, my olfactory system kicked in. It does that when flowers are involved, especially roses. And who can resist a red rose?
A Name Born of a Love Story
To commemorate the distilleries 130th anniversary, Four Roses partnered with Jackson and Perkins to create the Anniversary rose in honor of the legendary love story it represents. It’s very Scarlett O’Hara-ish. Several versions of the story exist but the gist is the same.
Set in Kentucky, a shy, homely man by the name of Paul Jones, Jr. (other versions attribute it to his nephew Lawrence Lavalle Jones) became smitten with a young southern belle. For five years he courted her, asking several times for her hand. And each time she refused. He persisted. In our modern social climate this could be borderline harassment.
Nonetheless, he made one last proposal on the eve of a dance. In a letter, he explained that this would be his final attempt and asked her to wear a corsage of four roses if her answer was yes. She did and he commemorated the moment in 1888, when he registered the trademark name Four Roses for his best whiskey.
Of the several bourbons Four Roses distills, we sampled the brand’s yellow label which is said to be their mellowest spirit. While I still shuddered with that first sip, it wasn’t overly harsh for my undiscerning palate. A splash of it added to a glass of my homemade sweet peach tea was delicious. My husband agreed.
About the Four Roses Anniversary Rose
The Anniversary Rose is classified as a floribunda, characterized by its clusters of bouquet-like blooms. As an own-root rose, Anniversary will return as itself, even in colder climates where the rose dies back to the ground in winter. Unlike a grafted rose, which may revert back to the root system to which it was attached, it will return as the red rose you planted.
Anniversary is a repeat bloomer, provided you do regular deadheading, from early to late summer and hardy in zones 4-10. It’s fragrant (as it should be), disease resistant and grows 3-4 feet tall and wide. Plant in full sun.
Enter the Giveaway
What’s your favorite rose? Leave your answer in the comments at the end of this post and you’ll be automatically entered in the August 24th drawing to receive the Four Roses Anniversary rose. The winner will receive a 2-quart potted rose shipped directly from Jackson and Perkins. Good luck and happy gardening my friends!
Interested in another rose tale?
David Austin roses are my faves!
I love them too, although I don’t grow any in my garden…yet. Do you have a particular favorite or color?
Any rose that I get from my husband (on special occasions only of course)! Haha
I have only planted knockout roses. I am new to gardening and being a homeowner so I’m slowly learning and planting (and re-planting 😉 )
But my favorites are I believe called Louis de Funès (closely followed by the Queen Elizabeth). But I haven’t met a rose I didn’t like 🙂
The knockouts are nice but not fragrant. I always want to take a whiff, but come up disappointed when there is no fragrance. Keep on gardening and learning. You’ll kill plenty but learn so much!
The seven sisters heirloom rose is my favorite. Aside from its beauty, it has great sentimental value for me. My grandmother had one and when we moved from Chicago we just had to bring it with us. It is still around today and is at least 50 years old! I always had my picture taken in front of it on the last day of the school year because that’s when it was always in full bloom.
I love that you took it with you. What a wonderful way to keep your grandmother’s memory alive.
New Dawn is my favorite because I’ve grown it successfully over an arbor that my husband built. ❤️
Yeah, New Dawn is a beauty. I had the thornless Zephirine Drouhin climbing up my arbor many years ago but the polar vortex did it in. It was fragrant and stunning.
I love my long stem white rose I got from my mom. I don’t know the name. I like the dick Clark rose and one day will get a David austim rose for my garden.
Hi Barbara! I’m not familiar with the Dick Clark rose but the David Austin roses are spectacular!
Sweet–this drawing is on my wedding anniversary! My favorite rose is New Dawn because I love how it grows over the arbor in my cottage garden and covers it with pale pink blooms.
Hey Debbie! Happy Anniversary! I like New Dawn too. It’s small yet but I’m training it to spread across the top of my fence.
“Apricot Candy” has impressed me to no end. I planted her in a pot on my apartment balcony when I moved across the country and missed my garden. She thrived and bloomed for 2 yrs before I moved her to a bigger pot. 2 years since that move and she’s as lovely as ever. Go girl go!
Nice! Apricot Candy is gorgeous and I love that she’s fragrant too.
Love and have planted knock out Roses 🌹 also like the Mr Lincoln roses! Honestly love them all!
It’s hard to choose isn’t it!?
Golden Celebration Roses are my favorite.
Thanks Jessica! I haven’t grown that one. Are they fragrant?
Scent from above, yellow climber 💛💛💛💛💛
Loving yellow this time of year!
(Since you MADE me choose 😂)
Nice choice! Thanks!
Hi Rachel! I’m happy to announce that you are the winner of the Four Roses Bourbon Anniversary Rose! Please email me your mailing address and I’ll have Jackson and Perkins get one in the post as soon as possible. heather@hereshegrows.com
Many thanks and enjoy the rose!
I like wild rose. We had one at our last house. It required minimal maintenance and it bloomed all summer long.
Aren’t those the best? The ones that keep blooming and you just sit back and enjoy!
Mr. Lincoln , Double Delight & Brass Band … Sorry I have three all time favorites !!!
My mom had Mr. Lincoln in our garden when I was a kid. Loved it. Don’t blame you one bit for having several. It’s hard to choose just one!
Freedom.
Hey Brian! I wasn’t familiar with this one so I checked it out. Beautiful AND fragrant. I’m not a fan of roses without a sense. What’s the point?
New Dawn roses are amazing!
Totally agree! I have two and they’re small still but lovely.
Love many but the La Park Floribunda is a favorite. The colors!
I’m not familiar with that one. Gonna have to check it out!
Sterling roses
Thanks Victoria! Good luck!