You probably know Jackson & Perkins as the number one name in roses, but you may not know who is responsible for developing the company's legendary roses. Dr. Keith Zary has been breeding roses for Jackson & Perkins for more than twenty years. As vice president of research, he has introduced such beloved varieties as Gemini, Bella'roma, Diana, Princess Of Wales, and Veterans' Honor. Among his many achievements, Keith is only the second U.S. breeder to ever win the coveted Presidents International Trophy of the Royal National Rose Society. He is also the first U.S. breeder in more than 50 years to be awarded the coveted Golden Rose of The Hague, The Netherlands. As of 2007, Keith will have won nine All-America Rose Selections awards.

Born in Canada, Keith comes from a long line of gardening experts whose avocation rubbed off on him at a very early age. His father, Joseph Zary, was a horticultural writer, broadcaster, and show judge. His mother, Cecily "Monty" Zary, was well-known as the editor of Garden Clippings magazine and host of a local gardening show. At the tender age of five, Keith was recruited as Monty's gardening assistant - a job he admits almost drove him from the business forever. The Zary family's greenhouse had no running water, which meant hauling buckets of water into the greenhouse each morning to water Monty's hundreds of plants. During the cold Canadian spring, Keith spent every evening carrying dozens of flats of plants inside to protect them from frost. Because his mother rewarded him with delicious homemade meals - and the occasional chocolate cake - Keith recalls that it was worth the effort. Though he swore off horticulture as a career and pursued other interests, eventually his early experience lured him back and bloomed into a life-long profession.

Keith left home at the age of 17 and received his bachelor's degree in history from the University of Colorado. Still unsure of what to do with his life, he embarked on an adventure to Africa with the Canadian University Students Overseas (CUSO). Keith discovered his hidden love of horticulture in Nigeria, where he developed a talent for educating rice farmers in swamp irrigation techniques. He then spent the next two years in Sierra Leone, using what he had learned to help the local people grow, cultivate, and harvest rice more effectively. His African experience made a lasting impression on Keith and fueled his desire to help beautify the world through horticulture.

Back in the states, Keith returned to college, and received his masters and doctorate degrees in horticulture from Texas A&M University. Following a five year stint as a breeder at a seed company, he joined Jackson & Perkins in 1985 as assistant director of research, working with the renowned rose breeder, Bill Warriner.

Since 1995, Keith has served as vice president of research for Jackson & Perkins. Heading up the company's rose research facility in Somis, California, he is responsible for their extensive breeding program, yielding some of the world's most celebrated roses, and earning numerous awards in trials all over the world.

With such an impressive résumé and list of international accolades, Keith has many reasons to boast. But if you have ever had the opportunity to meet this quiet, unassuming man, you know that he never will.