"I have 150 rose bushes at home," said Sharon McDermott, associate gift buyer for Van Winden's Garden Center. "My favorite rose is Ingrid Bergman because it's a deep velvet red, has long lasting vase life and good foliage. It's the rose I recommend when customers ask me for one that's disease resistant and beautiful."

A member of the North Bay Rose Society, McDermott knows roses. That's why she and Gary Sampson, manager of Van Winden's and past officer of the North Bay Rose Society, will present a free seminar on new rose varieties and old favorites on Nov. 4 from 10 to 11 a.m. at Van Winden's.

"We're going to show people how to do different palettes," said Sampson. "For example going from white to red using bicolor roses."

They will also show a variety of plants that complement rose selections.

"Our suppliers are Jackson & Perkins, which also has a mail order business, along with Weeks Roses and Star Roses, both of which are wholesale only," said Sampson. "We always order roses classified as No. 1, which are the best quality. If that variety is sold out, we will accept a No. 1 1/2 , but not a No. 2. The No. 2 quality is generally what you see in big box retail gardening departments."

Roses varieties are patented for 17 years, when they become non-patented. The Peace Rose, for example, was created in 1948 and still remains popular, but it has become less expensive when it became a non-patented variety.

"The exciting part of the seminar is that we'll be introducing the new annual AARS, or All American Rose Selections, that the public hasn't seen before," said Sampson. "Each year, seedlings are sent to people around the U.S. for two-year trials. These test gardens are located all over the country; in fact, there's one close to us in Sebastopol. Every garden has its own certified rose judge to evaluate them. The best performers are designated as AARS Award winners.

"Each of our suppliers names its own Rose of the Year. This year, Jackson & Perkins has named a coral rose, Sheer Magic, as their Rose of the Year."

The suppliers make several of their varieties available exclusively to independent garden centers such as Van Winden's.

"This is the start of bare root rose season," said Sampson. "We keep them the old fashioned way, in sand. It's a good idea to pre-order now so we'll have what you want when they arrive the second week of December. The advantage to bare root roses is that they are less expensive and have the biggest selection. The disadvantage is that customers can't see the actual bloom."

Depending on the weather, bare root roses can be planted from mid-December to early February.

"It's very easy to plant bare root roses," said Sampson. "You dig a hole, mix rose planting mix into the soil and make a cone in the middle of the hole. The roots go over the cone. The hole should be filled so the bud union is 1 to 2 inches above the soil."

Van Winden's rose buyer, Anne Marden, starts ordering roses in April for December delivery. In total, they receive 500 bush and climbers every year. Out of those, 300 are Iceberg roses, a white bloom usually mass planted.

The experts can't predict what roses will be favorites each year but McDermott and Sampson have a few ideas. Popular this year should be: Hot Cocoa, a floribunda in a deep rust color with chocolate tones; St. Patrick, a greenish yellow hybrid tea; Fragrant Clouds, a hybrid tea in deep coral; the ever-popular Mr. Lincoln, a velvety deep red hybrid tea; the Black Baccarra, a blackish hybrid tea rose with blueberry, blackberry and burgundy colors; and for experienced growers only, the Leonidas, a large bi-colored hybrid tea rose with yellow and rusty reddish tones.

What errors do rose-growing novices make?

McDermott doesn't hesitate to answer. "Not enough sun, roses need sunlight," said McDermott. "Also, I find that people don't water roses enough. If it's warm, roses need seven gallons of water a week. The easiest roses to grow are carpet roses, which will grow in almost any situation except deep shade. They grow about three feet tall and can get five feet around. They used to be limited to a garish pink color, but now there are a lot of colors including yellow and coral."

Another mistake people make is asking for a hothouse rose variety.

"They'll come in with a rose from a bouquet, not realizing it was grown in Columbia," said Sampson. "A lot of those roses don't adapt to a garden, they're suited only for a hothouse environment."

Still, McDermott and Sampson encourage growing roses.

"This climate is perfect for rose growing," said Sampson. "We don't have summer rains, our winters are mild. With a little care, it's easy to grow roses. If you don't want to try bare root, roses in cans do just as well."