Little Jimmy Dickens proudly exhibits a photograph of the rose created in his honor. Opry member Pam Tillis presented Dickens with an arrangement of roses featuring Little Jimmy Dickens and Grand Ole Opry roses in honor of his 60th Anniversary with the Grand Ole Opry. Left to right: Pam Tillis, Dickens and Rose Hybridizer Whit Wells. 2008 Copyright Grand Ole Opry, Photo By: Chris Hollo, Hollo Photographics, Inc.
Nov. 11, 2008 — A rose by any other name would still smell like the Dickens — Little Jimmy Dickens, that is.
When Jimmy celebrated his 60th anniversary of Grand Ole Opry membership earlier this month, fellow Opry member Pam Tillis was on hand for a surprise unveiling of two new floral hybrids: the Grand Ole Opry rose and the Little Jimmy Dickens rose.
"It is a rare honor to have a rose named for you," Pam said. "To date, there are just over a dozen country artists with roses named after them."
The new models will be featured in the Nashville Music Garden, a budding piece of land across from the Country Music Hall of Fame. Ground was broken on the garden last November, and the site will be formally dedicated in 2009. Among the roses that will be featured are flowers named after Lynn Anderson, Elvis Presley, LeAnn Rimes, Shania Twain, Barbara Mandrell and Minnie Pearl.
A bit of relevant trivia: Little Jimmy earned a 1962 hit with a Mel Tillis-penned song that makes his newly dedicated hybrid apropos: "The Violet And A Rose."
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