Roses, Inc. Changes Name and Scope 
The name of the trade association "Roses, Inc." has been changed to "The International Cut Flower Growers Association". The change is intended to reflect the expanded scope of the organization's activities and enlarge the membership base. For more information contact jkrone@aol.com. 

New Gardening Web Site for Children and Parents 
A new web site www.kidsgardening.com has been created by the National Gardening Association (NGA) to attract children and their parents to the joy of gardening. The site enables visitors to exchang information about gardening. The NGA says it introduces over 500,000 children each year to gardening.

New Funding for Research 
The University of California, Davis, received $72,000 from the Garden Rose Council for research that includes work on rose mosaic viruses and downey mildew on roses. The Council counts over 90% of U.S rose producers among its' members and is open to suggestions for research subjects; call (312) 372-7090. 

UPOV 
After 12years of service, Mr. Barry Greengrass has retired as Vice-Secretary of UPOV. He is succeeded by Dr. Rolf Joerdens, a German national with a scientific and administration background in Agriculture. Dr. Joerdens has been President of the Bundedessortenamt, the German Plant Variety Rights Office, since 1997. 

Dr. Kamil Idriss continues as the Director General of the World Intellectual Propert Organization (WIPO) , Geneva, Switzerland