APn  06/30 0054  Krishna-Roses

Copyright, 1988. The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

   NEW VRINDABAN, W.Va. (AP) -- The American Rose Society has awarded
its highest honor to the Hare Krishna community here for its rose
garden.
   The Krishnas' roses showed no signs of disease or insects and had
"lots of healthy growth" despite the drought, Rose Society spokesman
Archie Brant said Tuesday.
   The judges, in bestowing the society's national award for public
gardens, were also impressed with the garden's unusual backdrop, a gold
Indian-style palace built by Krishna devotees, Brant said.
   The devotees pamper the roses with hand watering but like most
gardeners use pesticides, despite the Hindu doctrine of respect for all
forms of life, said New Vrindaban garden director Betty Hickey.
   "Well, that doesn't apply when you want a nice showy garden," Hickey
said. "You have to use some chemicals."