I can so see the dark-shingled avocado ranch house, the faux diamond pane window in the front door. Out back a prized new bed of Angel Face, Pascali, Comanche, Miss All American Beauty, Scarlet Knight, Gay Princess, American Heritage..........the teenage kid is listening to "Sugar, Sugar" by The Archies, the parents (Mom with a thick, wide headband and in a shift dress) are watching the moon landing..............some of those Miss AAB's and Pascali's may be sitting right on top of that console television set................

From the 1953 ARS Annual Proof of Pudding re: Fashion.............................."July Packard had new dining room chairs upholstered to match Fashion so you know how much she likes the color. The buds, like small hybrid teas, are lovely for corsages or boutonnieres. It is good for mass planting and landscape effect. Opinion is divided as to abundance and continuity of bloom; many feel it does not bloom enough for its type and for others the flowers in summer were too few. One reporter likes Donald Prior, Betty Prior and Else Poulsen better; several prefer Vogue, Red Pinocchio and Floradora. Disease resistance is rated average or above by most; it blackspotted badly in Michigan for one person; a few complained of rust and several noted mildew...................."

And yet 196 reporters gave it 9.5!!!!! Which underscores how "forgiving" even saged rosarians can be (let alone the general public) when something truly unique does appear..............First Prize for years could do no wrong and is still rather highly rated despite the fact it falls prey to mildew, is no stranger to blackspot, clusters so often it truly is a GR it really is, and the plant is just downright ugly: thorny, angular, sparsely foliaged, prone to grow lopsided................but the SIZE just stopped everyone in their tracks and the fact these huge beauties, be they in a cluster or not, most always are gorgeously formed just had the exhibiton crazed 70's in a love fool dither......................

Knock Out is revolutionary. It is. But does anyone REALLY love that color???? Because thousands of seedlings get culled every year for being single let alone garish red-magenta............for all we know, someone around 1974 may have had something very close to Knock Out and culled it. Last year someone may have created something like First Prize but maybe in another color. And culled it.