The "EDISTO" Rose

The Edisto rose is a red blend miniflora, a miniature variety with petals that vary in color from deep pink to dark red with yellow on the reverse of its petals. The flower is named for the Edisto Memorials Gardens, a 175-acre park owned and operated by the City of Orangeburg, and for the Edisto River, the longest free flowing black water river in the world, stretching more than 200 miles through South Carolina.

Michael Williams of Cross Hill, was the rose hybridizer. In developing the rose, he wanted to capture the lure of the lush park that borders the north fork of the Edisto River. The Edisto Rose received a 2008 America Rose Society Award of Excellence. The Edisto rose is at its best in the hot summer months and takes little maintenance. It is featured in a newly developed bed in the Edisto Memorial Gardens.