Miracle-Gro®’s 2017 Rose Parade® Float ‘Ever

MARYSVILLE, Ohio, Dec. 27, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As Miracle-Gro® prepares to return to Pasadena, The Official Rose & Flower Care Company of the Tournament of Roses® announced today details for its 2017 float. ‘Everything’s Coming Up Roses’, Miracle-Gro’s fifth Rose Parade® float entry, honors the Parade’s namesake and the most popular flower in backyard gardens – the rose.

Designed and built once again by Fiesta Parade Floats, all of Miracle-Gro’s past Rose Parade® entries have received awards, including the Governor’s Trophy for best depiction of life in California (2016); Isabella Coleman Award for best use of color in flowers (2015); Queen’s Award for most effective use of roses (2014); and Crown City Innovation Award for best use of imagination and innovation to advance float design (2013).

“This year’s parade theme: ‘Echoes of Success’ celebrates the selfless contributions of others and their inspirational gifts,” said John Sass, Vice President and General Manager of Miracle-Gro. “More often than any other flower, the rose is held as the symbol of life, love and beauty. Our 2017 float not only pays tribute to the very flower for which the Parade is named, we’re celebrating the success gardeners have achieved for decades with the help of our products.”

Meet the 2017 Float Riders What better way to honor this year’s theme than celebrating the success stories of past Rose Queen® royalty? Four former Rose Queens, each of whom have achieved their own successes, will ride the 2017 Miracle-Gro float; joining them will be celebrity DIY expert, Ty Pennington. Ty and the Rose Queens will be onsite at Fiesta Parade Floats December 30, 2016 and January 1, 2017 to help decorate this year’s float alongside more than 400 volunteers.

Barbara Laughray Boyd (1967 Rose Queen) was crowned Rose Queen® in 1967. Reflecting back on the last 50 years, Barbara is grateful for her experience, noting her participation and interaction with the Tournament of Roses® created life skills that she would use throughout her career. Now living in the old Topanga area of Calabasas, CA, Barbara has dedicated the last 30 years of her life to love & marriage. As a minister, Barbara has performed thousands of weddings and has counseled many couples and families.

Aliya Coher (1995 Rose Queen) always admired the Rose Queens®; little did she know that one day her life would be forever changed when she was crowned. Currently Aliya is the Managing Director of Newmark Grubb Knight Frank in Los Angeles and was named Bisnow Power Woman in 2014, an award that honors the 50 most influential women in LA Commercial Real Estate. While she achieved great accomplishments in her career, Aliya still makes time to attend annual Tournament of Roses® events that bring former Rose Queen® royalty together.

Mary McCluggage (2007 Rose Queen) has always held the Tournament of Roses® and Rose Bowl Game® close to her heart.  Now living in Nashville, she currently serves as a client experience executive at MissionPoint Health Partners, an entity of Ascension. Reflecting back, Mary attributes much of her success to her time spent as a Rose Queen®.

Madison Triplett (2015 Rose Queen) attended Marshal Fundamental High School and cherishes every moment spent as Rose Queen®. This opportunity allowed her to be a role model and created life-long friendships with her court.

The magnitude of flowers and foliage that adorn Miracle-Gro’s float will come from nearby California flower fields and serves as a breathtaking visual display of what the state grows year-round. For the second year, Karen Ross, Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture will certify the Miracle-Gro’s float as “California Grown” on January 1, 2017.

For more information about this year’s float visit www.miraclegro.com/roseparade . Join our Rose Parade conversation on social media, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter , Facebook and Instagram .

About ScottsMiracle-Gro With approximately $3 billion in worldwide sales, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company is the world's largest marketer of branded consumer products for lawn and garden care. The Company's brands are the most recognized in the industry. In the U.S., the Company's Scotts®, Miracle-Gro® and Ortho® brands are market-leading in their categories, as is the consumer Roundup® brand, which is exclusively marketed near worldwide by Scotts and owned by Monsanto.  In Europe, the Company's brands include Weedol®, Pathclear®, Evergreen®, Levington®, Miracle-Gro®, KB®, Fertiligène® and Substral®.  In 2016, the Company ranked on Forbes 100 Most Reputable Companies in America. For additional information, visit us at www.scottsmiraclegro.com .

About the Pasadena Tournament of Roses ^®   The Tournament of Roses is a volunteer organization that annually hosts America’s New Year Celebration ^®  with the Rose Parade ^®  presented by Honda, the Rose Bowl Game ^®  presented by Northwestern Mutual and a variety of accompanying events. 935 volunteer members of the association will drive the success of 128 ^th Rose Parade themed “ Echoes of Success ,” on Monday, January 2, 2017, followed by the 103rd Rose Bowl Game. For more information, visit  www.tournamentofroses.com . Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube and visit our blog at blog.tournamentofroses.com.

For media inquiries: Kim Markus Scotts Miracle-Gro Kim.Markus@scotts.com 937-644-7290 Kate Manofsky Zeno Group for Miracle-Gro kate.manofsky@zenogroup.com 614-557-6412