As you drive past the home of Gary Rankin and his wife Monica Valentovic in the Lavalette area, it might seem strange to see gallon milk jugs without bottoms and the top half of plastic 12-ounce pop bottles on garden stakes throughout their rose garden.

No, it isn't some new way to ward off birds or to recycle plastic. They are just getting ready for the 56th Annual Huntington Rose Society Rose Show being held on Sunday, September 5 at the Huntington Mall in Barboursville.

"Rose enthusiasts from all over the area will converge on Huntington early Sunday morning to enter the rose show, compete for trophies in over 40 categories and show the public how beautiful roses can be," Rankin said.

In the past, rose exhibitors have not only come from around West Virginia, but also from Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia and North Carolina.

"While you never know who will enter roses in the show, you can bet there will be some outstanding examples of roses growing in our area. There are also classes for everyone to bring roses and enter, from the expert to the novice. No matter what level you grow roses, there is a class for you to enter and everyone is welcome," Rankin said.

Two classes, one for hybrid tea roses and one for miniature roses, are only open to novice exhibitors who have never won a trophy at a rose show. Many classes call for single blooms on a cane, while there are other classes for rose blooms floating in a bowl of water or shown in specially made picture frames or boxes. There are also classes for polyanthas, floribundas, shrub roses, climbers and old garden roses. A favorite each year is the class for the most fragrant rose.

When asked about the plastic milk jugs and pop bottles in the garden, Rankin indicated that the bottles are protectors to help keep dew and insects from damaging the blooms.

"Judges are looking for roses in their most perfect form and without damage to the blooms. Some folks cover the blooms with bottles, while others use little bonnets or even umbrellas. Although the hot weather has been hard on the roses this summer, we still expect to see great roses in the show," he said.

For those interested in entering roses in the show, the exhibitor's area (near Dick's Sporting Goods) opens at 6 a.m. and entries are accepted until 10 a.m. There is no entry fee to enter roses in the show. Judging starts at 10:30 am, and the show will be open to the public starting at 1:00 pm. Trophies will be presented at 4:30 p.m. For questions about the show, you can call Gary Rankin or Monica Valentovic, Rose Show co-chairs, at 304-697-0321.

National Video