January 1, 2017
Canadian Shield rose
Canadian Shield rose featured at Canada Blooms
When the 21st annual Canada Blooms flower and garden festival — the largest of its kind in the country — opens in March, there will be a distinctly Canadian flavour to the show, from the design of the displays to the plants being used. Central to this “O Canada” theme is the 2017 Plant of the Year, the Canadian Shield rose.
“Canada Blooms 2017 will boast more Ontario grown plants and a Canadian influence weaving its way throughout the show floor, and a key part of that will be the Canadian Shield rose,” says Canada Blooms general manager Terry Caddo. “The Canadian Shield rose is truly a made in Canada rose. It has rich colour and a majestic beauty, and like Canadians is hardy enough to survive and thrive in the diverse weather conditions of our broad and diverse land.”
Branded and marketed by the Vineland Research and Innovations Centre (Vineland), the Canadian Shield rose is the first of Vineland’s 49th Parallel Collection to be released. It will make its debut in garden centres across the country in time for Canada’s 150th birthday celebrations. The collection is from the Canadian hardy rose program at Vineland, in partnership with the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association (CNLA).
The Canadian Shield rose is a versatile garden and landscape rose with a more than one-metre spread and full, red flowers and glossy green foliage. It’s a repeat bloomer that stays stunning throughout the entire garden season. Just as its name suggests, Canadian Shield is a hardy rose that’s resistant to black spot and is winter hardy from coast to coast.
More than 20 Canadian nurseries are licensed to propagate and grow 50,000 Canadian Shield roses for home gardeners and landscapers to plant in time for Canada Day 2017.