Bayer Advanced Garden of Imagination Rose Parade Float wins Director’s Trophy

The Bayer Advanced Garden of Imagination Rose Parade float won the Director’s Trophy for outstanding artistic merit in design and floral presentation. The float entertained crowds at the annual Rose Parade held in Pasadena, Calif., Jan. 2. This is the 11th Rose Parade trophy that Bayer Advanced has won.

“It’s an incredible honor to receive the Director’s Trophy on the 12th anniversary of our participation in the Rose Parade,” said Bayer Advanced marketing communications manager Camille Gipson.

The Bayer Advanced Garden of Imagination float tells the story of the Walheim brothers who grew up working in the family garden near San Francisco. The Tournament of Roses’ ‘Just Imagine…’ theme inspired the creation of the display. Rex and Lance Walheim rode on the float in the Rose Parade.

Rex Walheim imagined flying in space and achieved the ultimate dream of becoming a NASA astronaut. He was mission specialist on three NASA shuttle missions, including Atlantis (STS-135) — the final mission of the U.S. shuttle program in July 2011. He’s currently working on NASA’s new deep space exploration system that is scheduled to take its first test flight in 2017.

Lance Walheim imagined working with flowers and plants. Now he’s a horticulturist, owns a 17-acre citrus ranch and is the Bayer Advanced Rose Care expert. He has authored or co-authored more than 30 books, including the best seller, “Roses for Dummies.” He provides gardening advice to millions of people each year.

“A garden begins with small flowers or seeds,” said Lance Walheim. “The thousands of flowers on the Bayer Advanced Garden of Imagination float are symbolic of the ideas that grow in your imagination — just like the ideas Rex and I had growing up.”

“You really can fulfill your dreams if you just imagine the possibilities,” said Rex Walheim. “I was able to see the Earth from 250 miles up in space on three different shuttle missions. That’s a truly amazing experience.”

The Bayer Advanced Garden of Imagination float features more than 20,000 roses including the 2012 All-America Rose Selections Award Winner, Sunshine Daydream, a beautiful yellow rose.

Bayer Advanced is a business group of Bayer CropScience LP (www.bayercropscienceus.com), the U.S. affiliate of Bayer CropScience AG.