Actress Della Reese To Have Rose Named After Her

LOS ANGELES(AP) – Actress Della Reese’s is joining an elite group of famous people who have roses named after them. They include the late Princess Diana, President John F. Kennedy, Queen Elizabeth and Dolly Parton. The “Della” rose is a fragrant hybrid that has a deep burgundy color. It will be dedicated in Reese’s honor Jan. 3 in a ceremony sponsored by Armstrong Garden Centers. “Roses sometime have a personality and it just seems appropriate to call it Della Reese,” said Chris Greenwood, chief “rosarian” at the company. The 73-year-old actress, who starred in the long-running series “Touched by an Angel,” also grows several dozen varieties of roses at her home, said her publicist Eric Raymond. “Roses are very special to me,” Reese said. “There’s a spiritual aspect to them that appeals to me and, like people, each one is uniquely individual and beautiful.”