Tom Carruth can see a yellow rose and think "Ch-Ching." Finding the next big thing among hybrid teas or floribundas is his blooming business.
He is a rose tastemaker. Who knew that American gardeners would flip over a brown flower? But Hot Cocoa – a floribunda resembling chocolate velvet – was another Carruth idea.
Carruth ranks among the world's top rose hybridizers. His team at Weeks Roses produced 14 AARS winners in 13 years. Carruth personally gets credit for nine of those All-America Rose Selections including the 2009 floribunda, Cinco de Mayo, an unusual blend of smoky lavender and rich rust.
"As long as I've been at this, it's still exciting when you find something new," he said.
Carruth also developed namesake roses for such famous women as Julia Child (a ruffled yellow floribunda), Barbra Streisand (a blushing lavender hybrid tea) and Marilyn Monroe (a voluptuous creamy tea). A cartoon leading lady inspired Carruth's whimsical cream-and-red floribunda, Betty Boop.
His latest tribute – Legends – will be released in Oprah Winfrey's honor for 2009 after extensive evaluation.
Making beautiful roses isn't easy; plenty of thorns and hard work go into each introduction. Recently, Carruth shared his insights into his creative process with the Sacramento Rose Society.
Every year, he evaluates 1,200 to 1,500 new seedlings – each representing a new variety. Of those, three or four will make the cut and eventually find their way into general distribution.
"Making the choice can be absolutely painful," he said.
At Weeks Roses in Wasco, north of Bakersfield, Carruth creates a rainbow of exotic buds with equally enticing names such as Rock & Roll, Shockwave and Wing-Ding.
Sometimes he comes up with a name first, then searches for the right rose. That's the case with Drop Dead Red, a floribunda to be released in 2010. Some names reflect parentage; Home Run is an improved, mildew-resistant version of the popular red shrub Knock Out.
Most varieties took eight to 10 years to develop from first seedling to wholesale nursery. His color palette ranges from the deep wine-purple climber Night Owl to the vibrant juice-orange floribunda Vavoom.
His latest find jumped the production line. Ch-Ching, a brilliant clear yellow grandiflora, is a "sport" – a naturally occurring genetic mutation – of Strike It Rich, his 2007 AARS winner. Carruth and his assistant, Christian Bedard, spotted it in a Weeks field (part of the 1,200 acres of roses the company grows) and realized instantly they had another jackpot. Hence, the cute name.
For 2009, Weeks Roses has several new introductions topped by Cinco de Mayo, the product of matching Topsy Turvy (a scarlet and white daughter of Betty Boop) with Julia Child. It's another example of a lucky genetic gamble; Cinco de Mayo looks nothing like its parents, but has its own unique beauty.
"It's going to be a fantastic landscape rose," Carruth said. "It looks like an azalea. That color, it's so hard to describe. Everybody thinks it's out of Hot Cocoa, but it's not."
Other newcomers include: Rock & Roll (a burgundy and cream striped grandiflora); Shockwave (a pure neon yellow floribunda with acid-green foliage); and Warm & Fuzzy (a Christmas red moss miniature; its buds are covered with soft, sweet-smelling fuzz).
"Shockwave is so completely different," Carruth said. "It's a stand-up-and-say-howdy kind of yellow."
Also new for '09 will be Legends, the Oprah rose. It started with a simple idea: What to get a woman who has everything.
"A group of Oprah's girlfriends approached us," Carruth said. "They wanted a tribute rose for Oprah to celebrate her 50th birthday."
That was 2004. The friends told Carruth that orange would be the perfect color. He gathered several candidate seedlings in a sunset full of orange shades and took them to Winfrey's Montecito estate for her to choose.
"That's when Oprah informed me she preferred pink," Carruth recalled.
So, he repeated his search, this time culling out his best pinks for her perusal. Again, they didn't measure up to her expectations – literally.
"Then, she told me she wanted big," Carruth said. "It had to be a really big rose."
He thought he had a winning candidate in a gigantic, hot pink tea. But that rose (which was later released by Weeks in 2006 as Gentle Giant) didn't like Santa Barbara's climate.
At Winfrey's urging, Carruth switched his search to red and discovered a humongous ruby monster among his seedlings in a cross of several red varieties. The massive candy apple-red blooms measure more than 8 inches across. A single petal can cover a child's hand. The foliage looks like red lettuce leaves.
"She loved it," he said. "One problem: Oprah doesn't own her name."
That belongs to her corporation, which refused permission to use it for the flower. Instead, Winfrey lent her Legends trademark to the release. The rose officially honors not only Oprah but 25 African American women who will be honored during her Legends Weekend.
Now, Carruth is focused on his "new favorite rose," an almost black-purple mini with a mischievous white center eye currently known as S77-8. It's about four years away from introduction.
"My favorites are always changing," he said. "This new one looks like black velvet; it's so unusual. We'll have to come up with a good name."
Call The Bee's Debbie Arrington, (916) 321-1075.
