Press Release

What captures the excitement and passion for gardening better than watching elaborate floats, covered in vibrate flowers parade through sunny California? As Miracle-Gro enters its third year of partnership with the Tournament of Roses, we remember the joy, celebration, and tradition associated with gardens and greenspaces and the Tournament of Roses. For the past two years, Miracle-Gro has left its mark on the Tournament of Roses and the city of Pasadena, California. Unforgettable float designs, commercial-free parade viewing on HGTV, and post parade celebrations are some of the hallmark aspects of the partnership. Through GRO1000 and the Tournament of Roses Association, Pasadena has also seen garden refurbishments that last long after the Parade of Roses and the Rose Bowl game are over.

The Tournament of Roses has become a long standing and widely cherished tradition to ring in the New Year in Pasadena, California and the rest of the world. The first Rose Parade dates back to 1890 as a promotional effort by Pasadena’s Valley Hunt Club to celebrate the warmth and sun of California in the middle of winter through championing fresh flowers on carriages. The Tournament of Roses expanded its national reach and started a new tradition, the Rose Bowl. The first Rose Bowl game occurred on New Year’s Day in 1902 between the University of Michigan and Stanford University football teams.

As part of the Company’s GRO1000 philanthropic initiative, one of the most cherished aspects of the partnership with the Tournament of Roses are the local garden refurbishments. The first refurbished garden took place at Pasadena High School located on the parade route. PHS lost an edible garden for special needs students to the construction of new softball fields a few years prior. In collaboration with the GRO1000 program, Miracle-Gro provided the students with raised vegetable and herb garden beds to allow for students to enjoy the benefits of gardens and green spaces.

In 2014, Miracle-Gro refurbished the City of Pasadena’s Central Park; a 9.2 acre park located in the heart of downtown Pasadena. Miracle-Gro focused on planting, gardening, and beautifying the area around the perimeter of the El Centro de Accion building. In addition to beautifying and revitalizing these outdoor green spaces, all live goods from the floats were recycled and composted into Miracle-Gro soil at the local Chino plant. The 2013 float yielded over 14.32 tons of material and over 1,000 bags of Miracle-Gro Moisture control Garden Soil.

In 2013, the overall theme for the 124th Annual Rose Parade was “Oh the Places You’ll Go.” Based on this theme and the spirit of gardening, Miracle-Gro entered their first float, “Everyone Grows”. The inaugural Rose Parade entry created a backyard fantasy expressed through an arrangement of colorful roses and flowers. “Everyone Grows” was awarded the Crown City Innovation Trophy for the best use of imagination and innovation to advance the art of float design out of the total of 42 floats involved. The 2013 Rose Parade hosted over 700,000 spectators with over 85 Million media impressions.

The second year of Miracle-Gro’s partnership led to a another award-winning float. The “Grow Something Greater” float was awarded the Queen’s Award for the most effective use and display of roses in concept, design, and presentation. The main theme of the 125th Annual Rose Parade was “Dreams Come True” and Miracle-Gro’s dream of families growing delicious fruits and vegetables to be shared from garden to table came to life with the “Grow Something Greater” float. Over 80 million viewers tuned live into watch the Rose Parade as the float made its way through the 5.5 mile route.

As all eyes turn to Pasadena on January 1st, tune in to the Tournament of Roses Rose Bowl Parade to see how Scotts Miracle-Gro is there helping people of all ages express themselves on their own piece of the earth. For the latest Tournament of Roses and GRO1000 updates - Like the Miracle-Gro Facebook and follow both the @MiracleGro and @Scotts_MGro Twitter handles.