Roses at the Iowa State Fair

19 years ago

I attended the Iowa State Fair Saturday 8/14/2004. The crowd was large but happy with the great weather. Along with eating some "food on a stick" I watched the judges in the rose competition.

I'd like to grow some roses, but really don't have a clue. So, I thought I'd check out what was popular with the people who compete at the fair. The flowers were beautiful but the area was roped off and I was not able to see the names of the roses on the entry tags. But, no matter it was interesting to watch the event for a while, as the judges worked the entries.

However, one thing did catch my eye. Each of the roses in the fair contest was in a brown beer bottle. It looked like Michelob was the favorite of the rose growers based on the shape of the bottles. Obviously I know more about beer than roses.

Who knew rose growers drank so much beer? Maybe growing roses will be easier to learn than I think...I'm already competent in the beer part...

Pete in Iowa Falls

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Comments (6)

Iowagal
19 years ago
I have no information whatsoever for you but I think your post is hilarious!
Maude_IA
19 years ago
All seriousness aside - maybe you could get some info at the beer tent?

The Rose Forum has plenty of expert advice about all kinds of roses. I know that there was a post here in IowaGardening about hardy roses for this climate, too.

Maybe the beer is for the roses.

Here is a link that might be useful: Buck roses for Iowa's climate
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Mama_Mc
19 years ago
Love it! You're too funny!

When you find out the answer please educate the rest of us!
jansblooms
19 years ago
This will probably spoil your fun, but it might be informative. I think that the floriculture dept at the fair keeps these bottles for use year after year. Judges prefer to have the emphasis on the flowers, so uniform "vases" or bottles are often used. Though not brown, the containers at the Clay County Fair are always very similar to one another, too. My local garden club does not keep containers; members must furnish their own "clear glass bottles with no etching or lettering." So even if those rose growers drink beer and/or use it to bait slugs, Michelob might not be their favorite.
ginni77
19 years ago
Hi Pete,
Please visit us at the Garden Web Rose Forum. I'm a regular there and it's a really nice group of people. There's a rose discussion forum, a conversation forum for chat about other subjects, an Antique Rose forum, a Rose Gallery where there are always lovely rose pictures to view, and a Rose ID forum. Check it out, I have included a link.

I always wondered if they had a special rose show at the Ia. St. Fair! Maybe someday I'll get brave and try showing there!

Ginni

Here is a link that might be useful: GardenWeb Rose Forum
mark_roeder 4B NE Iowa
19 years ago
Pete,

I showed roses at the Iowa State Fair about 15 years ago. I believe the beer bottles were all supplied by a rose society so that no one had an advantage over anyone else in the type of receptacle that was used.

It is a good rose show, with many good entries in it. Follow Ginni's advice if you want to learn about roses and hop on over to the Roses forum.

The exhibitors in Central Iowa are skilled growers, and use chemicals and usually have many rose bushes. Contact Ed Pagliai in Des Moines and he will tell you how to join the Des Moines Rose Society and they will teach you. The exhibitors in Central Iowa can make rose varieties grow in Iowa that many beginners cannot grow past the first year.

If you want to try some easy varieties to grow in Iowa, albeit not exhibition varieties, try Livin' Easy, and Belinda's Dream.

Mark