That New-Rose Smell

Dave Finney, Columbia County Courthouse maintenance supervisor, planted all new roses on the courthouse grounds on March 16. Seven-year-old Dayton resident Moriah Hagg and her family helped Finney install the 20 plants where roses have been tended on the grounds for many years. "Winter kill on the roses was extreme, by all accounts, because of the quick freeze we had in November," Finney said. After consulting with six rose experts, the county decided that since Finney could not determine the extent of the damage to the courthouse roses until later in the spring, this was a good time to replace the aging flowers. "The comment from the saleslady at Wenzel Nursery was that they should have ordered twice as many roses because so many people are having the same problem with the winter kill," Finney said. Most of the new courthouse roses are hybrid tea, but a few are grandiflora and floribunda.