On Saturday, May 5, twenty horses at Churchill Downs will “run for the roses.” Both my parents were from Louisville, Kentucky and Derby Day was a big deal at my childhood home, complete with mint juleps, enthusiastic friends and a lot of noise during the “most exciting two minutes of sport,” as the Derby has been dubbed. Although this is the 144th running of the Kentucky Derby, the horses have only technically been “running for the roses” since 1896 when the winner, Ben Brush, was presented with pink and white roses, along with the Derby trophy.
What began as a simple, beautiful gesture has grown into a much more elaborate, though still beautiful, tradition. In 1904, the red rose was declared the official flower for the Derby and, on Saturday, the Governor of Kentucky will blanket the winner with 554 red roses, symbolizing the both the beauty of the horse and the achievement of men and animals.
My own “run for the roses” is not quite as far and admittedly, not nearly as fast. Blanketing the front garden, my roses, a mixture of light and dark pinks, white and pale yellows, are coming into their glory. Winners, every one, they vary from the persnickity ‘Iceberg” white rose to the old work horse, “Knockouts.”
Although I love roses of all kinds, I am partial to those that I can just “let out to pasture” and allow them to take care of themselves. Billed as low maintenance, these hardy, prolific shrubs live up to their names. I give them an extra feed every spring, just to boost their energy a little, but they are in the race for the duration and will bloom from mid April until frost.
Although the vast majority of Knockouts are dark pink, you can also now get them in a lovely pale yellow color, adding a little variety to the field. Given the right conditions, they will grow abundantly and may jockey for position, trying to crowd each other out.
The result is a mass of color, exuberant energy and a real crowd pleaser. I would love to think that MY run for the roses will last another 143 years.
Happy Gardening, Laura
HAHA. You just can’t rein in those puns, can you? Bit of a spur to the funny bone, but — hay — you rose to the challenge right out of the gate. Guess you’ll have to corral yourself in for your next blog, but I place my bets on your always winning first.