The clear, buttery yellow miniature ‘Behold' was one of the last rose introductions of breeder Harmon Saville before his death. The seed parent was a cross of [Rise ‘n' Shine x Sheri Anne] (both miniatures), while the pollen parent was a cross of [Heideroslein (a Lambertiana large-flowered climber) x Nozomi] (a climbing miniature). That is very intriguing parentage!
Officially introduced in 1997 by Nor'East Miniature Roses, a miniature mail-order supplier in Massachusetts, ‘Behold' got off to a slow start in Southern California. It wasn't until April 1999 when I won the Pacific Southwest District Dee Bennett Memorial Trophy in Santa Barbara, CA, with a bouquet of 12 ‘Behold' that rose exhibitors began to sit up and take notice of this sleeper. Once ‘Behold' began to appear on the show tables, then rose gardeners began to grow it, too. What initially brought my attention to ‘Behold' was its bright yellow color and excellent form.
In Southern California ‘Behold' is a beautiful mini rose with
superb exhibition form. The stems are plenty long enough, although it sometimes needs vigilance in disbudding if exhibition of one-bloom-per-stem is your goal. Otherwise, ‘Behold' will produce many clusters of blooms (sprays).
It refrigerates well, but I prefer to cut it tight on the day before a rose show since it only has 19 petals. ‘Behold' may not be for everyone. It is said that exhibitors in other regions of the country do not like it because it can have too few petals, and lacks form in their area.
‘Behold' makes a truly wonderful landscape plant because it tends to bloom continually, with bushy growth 12-18 inches high. The foliage is a semi-glossy, medium to dark green, depending on your feeding schedule. It will need a little protection from mildew in early spring, but the rest of the year it is fairly clean. ‘Behold' is not much bothered by spider mites as other minis are. Four of my ‘Behold' plants are grown in 7-gallon containers in full sun on a swimming pool deck. Another four plants are grown in a raised planter in partial sun close to my patio. The plants in the shade perform somewhat better than the plants in full sun.
I have been fortunate to have ‘Behold' included in 3 district trophies that Bob and I have won: The Dee Bennett in 1999, the Invitational Rose Seminar Challenge in 2000, and the Ralph Moore in 2003. Additionally, we have had ‘Behold' on the mini Court of Honor twice, included in a winning Mini Artist's Palette, and won the Best Mini Spray in Palm Springs in 2002. ‘Behold' is a frequent winner in the Mini English Box class at the local rose shows for many exhibitors.
According to Bob Martin's annual tabulation in the Rose Exhibitors' Forum, ‘Behold' is ranked only #17 nationally. But in the Pacific Southwest District it is ranked as the #2 exhibition miniature rose.
First published in the October 2003 issue of 'Rose Ecstasy,' bulletin of the Santa Clarita Valley Rose Society, Kitty Belendez, Editor.
