Look For the Bayer Advanced Float in the 120th Rose Parade

Bayer Advanced will be going for its ninth consecutive Rose Parade trophy with its Garden of Oz float during the January 1, 2009, Rose Parade. The theme for the 120th Rose Parade is Hats off to Entertainment. Bayer Advanced and Pasadena-based Phoenix Decorating, the largest Rose Parade float builder, have created a float that salutes one of the most entertaining and popular movies of all time: The Wizard of Oz, which was released in 1939. The American Film Institute considers it one of America’s 10 greatest films. Warner Bros. has launched a 70th anniversary celebration.

"The Bayer Advanced Garden of Oz is truly the most spectacular Rose Parade float we’ve sponsored," says Mark Schneid, head of marketing for Bayer Advanced. "The Garden of Oz is symbolic of the type of wishes Bayer Advanced grants: Rose Parade-quality roses in your own backyard."

Key Features of the Bayer Advanced Garden of Oz Float

• Sculpted characters including the Scarecrow, Tin Man, Cowardly Lion and Professor Marvel (a.k.a. The Wizard of Oz).
• Two riders: Dorothy (Jennifer Oz LeRoy, the granddaughter of Mervyn LeRoy, the producer of The Wizard of Oz) and Glinda, the Good Witch (Name TBD), who will carry a rose that traveled into space.
• A rotating giant rose inside Professor Marvel’s (the Wizard’s) crystal ball.
• The Tin Man’s hat releases steam.
• The float is 55 feet long and 18 feet wide. Emerald City is 30 feet tall and has multiple strobe lights.

Bayer Advanced Garden of Oz Float Features More Than 12,000 Roses Including One That Traveled Over the Rainbow on NASA’s Space Shuttle

• The float will feature more than 12,000 roses. Yellow roses, officially named Yellow Brick Road in 2007, will be used to make the Yellow Brick Road on the Bayer Advanced Garden of Oz float.
• The float will also showcase a rose officially named after The Tournament of Roses® that flew on NASA’s space shuttle Atlantis in February 2008. The rose was grown in the Bayer Advanced-sponsored Wrigley Gardens at the Tournament of Roses Association headquarters in Pasadena. Bayer Advanced products are used to grow all the roses in the Wrigley Gardens. The rose was selected by Bayer Advanced Garden Expert Lance Walheim, who dried it in preparation for the shuttle mission. It was one of two roses from The Tournament of Roses taken into space by Lance’s brother, astronaut Rex Walheim. "Bayer Advanced has always made it a point to feature special roses on our floats," says Lance Walheim. "Featuring a rose that has been in space is very special. It has literally traveled over the rainbow."

This will be the world debut of the Pink Promise rose, one of the 2009 All-America Rose Selections® winners for best rose of the New Year. Bayer Advanced rose care products are the Exclusive Rose Care Products of the Tournament of Roses. Bayer Advanced is the presenting sponsor of the Rose Parade float-decorating centers and the Post Parade Showcase of Floats in Pasadena, January 1-3, 2009. In addition, Bayer Advanced rose care products are used on the 2,000 rose bushes in the Wrigley Gardens near the Tournament of Roses Association headquarters.

All-America Rose Selections is a registered trademark of All-America Rose Selections, Inc.
The Tournament of Roses is a registered trademark of Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association, Inc.
Bayer Advanced is a trademark of Bayer.

Christmas Plant Care

It’s Christmas season, and you want all your houseplants and Christmas plants to look their best. And if you have a living Christmas tree, there are a few things you can do to make sure it comes through the tough trip indoors in good health. Here are some specific ways you can make all your indoor plants shine this holiday season.

Poinsettias and Other Christmas Plants. Every year it seems like there’s an exciting new variety of poinsettia. The days of just reds are long gone. Now we have whites, pinks and even spotted bracts. And sometimes they’re ruffled. What all poinsettias share, as do many types of Christmas plants, is that when you buy them, they are very often too big for their pots. That can cause a number of problems. For instance, larger poinsettias are top heavy and tip over very easily, especially if they get dry. And drying-out is another problem. With all the top foliage and limited root space, poinsettias dry out very quickly. And you don’t want that to happen. What to do? Move your poinsettias and other Christmas plants into larger, heavier containers. Plant them in something nice, like a glazed or ceramic pot, and they will look even better.

Living Christmas Trees. A few days before you bring your tree indoors, water it extra well, making sure you wet the entire root ball. Also, hose the foliage off to remove dust and dirt. To kill any insects, including spiders and ants, that have made your tree home over the summer, spray with Bayer Advanced™ PowerForce® Multi-Insect Killer Ready-To-Spray.

Houseplants. Wipe down the leaves of foliage plants with a lukewarm, damp cloth. Remove any dust or dirt build up, and pick off dead or yellowing foliage. If you notice any insect pests like scale or mealybugs, use Bayer Advanced™ Dual Action Rose & Flower Insect Killer Ready-To-Use.

You can protect and feed all your indoor plants with Bayer Advanced™ 2-in-1 Insect Control plus Fertilizer Plant Spikes. There’s no spraying, no mess. Just push the spikes into the soil with the easy-to-use applicator. Bayer Advanced™ 2-in-1 Insect Control plus Fertilizer Plant Spikes feed and protect for up to eight weeks.