As we make the transition to the beginning of the glorious summer season, we celebrate and remember our brave heroes who went to face the enemy to protect our freedom.

All of us have family members that have stepped up when necessary. Some were just boys when they were called to service, and over the years, girls and women entered the frey. Memorial Day was created for those heroes that lost their lives in the line of duty, but I like to remember all who have served on this special day at the end of May. My husband and I will attend the annual parade and my eyes will fill with tears, as always, when the fighter planes fly over the center of our town. I will think of all these brave people from the Revolutionary War all the way up to Iraq and Afghanistan.

I will remember my grandfather who outlived the trenches in WW1. My uncle who was 19 while at Guadal Canal during WW2. I will always be thankful that my wonderful father came back from WW2’s Tinian and Saipan to marry my mother and be my hero till I lost him 20 years ago. My mother’s brother died protecting his troops in the Siege of Khe Sahn, Vietnam, in 1968 when I was just 15.

Of course, I think of these brave ones and others at different times, as well. But Memorial Day morning’s annual celebration here in Windsor is for me a time of thanksgiving and somber remembrance of those who no longer walk among us. They deserve all the honor we can muster. I will share with you a few roses that have been hybridized to honor these brave souls.

Veteran’s Honor roses

‘Veteran’s Honor’ is the ultimate rose to remember a hero. It is a deep, dark red that never blackens on the edges. The blossoms sit high upon tall, straight canes and they have a pleasant, light fragrance. The foliage is a deep, glossy green with good disease resistance. The petals have so much substance that they are almost waxy and I have had blooms last almost two weeks in the vase.

‘Veterans Honor’ was created by Dr. Keith Zary and was introduced by Jackson and Perkins in 2000. I have had it all this time and I know my dad would have loved this rose. Currently I have custody of what is left of my dad’s cremains to be mixed with my mom’s when it is her time to go. I put a tablespoon of my dad beneath this rose years ago, and I feel like he is my company when I walk otherwise alone in my garden. I find it very comforting to feel Dad’s presence close by.

Memorial Day roses

‘Memorial Day’ is a big, buxom, wildly fragrant hybrid tea that was introduced by Weeks Roses in 2004. The blooms are a ruffly-pinky/lavender and are six inches across! She boasts long stems and her fragrance captures one’s attention from across the garden. She is a cross between ‘Blueberry Hill’ and ‘New Zealand’ and was hybridized by Tom Carruth. This rose is a sweet way to honor special heroes.

Bronze Star roses

‘Bronze Star’ is a gorgeous tribute rose, as well. It produces very large, truly bronze-colored blooms on a fairly compact plant. The foliage is a nice, medium green, and the contrast between the unusually colored blossoms and the pretty foliage is really striking. This rose was hybridized by Ollie Weeks (the founder of Weeks Roses) and was introduced in 2000. It looks beautiful beside my next offering…

Eternal Flame roses

‘Eternal Flame’ is a soothing, soft yellow that fades to an ivory edge. The petals are ruffled and the buds are tall and pointed. She has a soft citrus fragrance. This rose grew ten feet tall in my Neighborhood Garden last summer and put on an amazing display, especially in blending with ‘Bronze Star,’ her neighbor! ‘Eternal Flame’ was hybridized by Meilland International and is distributed by Star Roses.

Maybe you can find some room in your rose garden for some or all of these beauties. I like the idea of celebrating our brave men and women with memorial roses. May we all feel true gratitude and find peace and love in the celebration of this year’s Memorial Day.