New Columbine Plant to Serve as Living Memorial for High School Victims; Plant Sale Proceeds to Benefit the Jefferson Foundation.

DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 13, 1999--

AT&T Broadband & Internet Services (AT&T BIS, formerly TCI), Ball Horticultural Company, Denver Botanic Gardens, the growers of the Plant Select(R) program and the Garden Centers of Colorado today introduced 'Remembrance(R),' a new Columbine plant named in memory of the victims of the Columbine High School tragedy.

The new plant, never before available, will be offered to the public at Denver Botanic Gardens' Fall Plant Sale and regional garden centers, to help turn community grief into life through the language of flowers.

Proceeds from participants at all levels of the distribution chain (breeder, wholesale growers, allied trades and retailers) of 'Remembrance' will be contributed to the Jefferson Foundation. The Jefferson Foundation will distribute the funds to scholarships for Jefferson County School District students pursuing higher education. This fund was selected by an AT&T BIS employee committee because of its direct benefit to the Columbine community. AT&T BIS has also made an initial contribution of $25,000 to this fund.

"When AT&T BIS approached us to ask how we might work together to help the community in the wake of this tragedy, we began exploring partnerships that would work toward providing a meaningful, living memorial," said Brinsley Burbidge, Executive Director of Denver Botanic Gardens. "Often, people give flowers as a way to express their sentiments. This plant, because it is a perennial which will come back year after year, will provide people with an enduring personal way to remember and heal in the privacy of their own home gardens."

The Plant

Aquilegia x hybrida 'Remembrance,' developed by Ball Horticultural Company, has a unique white and deep violet flower. Ball Horticultural Company has been testing this new plant regionally for several years and supplied all of the seed used by local growers, Welby Gardens, Gulley Greenhouse and Center Greenhouse.

The plant is a perennial, which will survive the cold, dry winters of Colorado and bloom yearly in the spring and early summer. 'Remembrance' has been endorsed by the Plant Select(R) program, directed by Denver Botanic Gardens, Colorado State University and the Green Industries of Colorado, as a plant well suited to the specific conditions of the Rocky Mountain region.

The Name

The new cultivar has been named 'Remembrance' by a committee of AT&T BIS employees who either have family or friends directly touched by the tragedy or who live in the Columbine High School community. "We hope that the 'Remembrance' columbine will provide people with a sensitive, personal way to remember the victims of this tragedy at their own homes," said Julie Wirth, an AT&T BIS employee and Littleton resident whose family was close friends with Lauren Townsend, whose life was taken in the school tragedy.

The name 'Remembrance' is currently trademarked and in use by FTD for one of their floral arrangements. FTD, however, has agreed to allow the use of the name for the new plant and sees this effort as an important part of the grieving and healing process.

Availability

Approximately 50,000 'Remembrance' plants will be made available to the public through many regional garden centers beginning Wednesday, September 15. The plant will also be for sale at Denver Botanic Gardens Fall Plant Sale from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, September 17 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, September 18. The suggested retail price is $5, although the price may vary at various garden centers.

The Organizations

AT&T Broadband & Internet Services provides cable television services to 465,000 customers in the Denver metropolitan area and employs more than 4,000 local residents.

Ball Horticultural Company, a family-owned Chicago business founded in 1905, is a world leader in the development, production and marketing of floricultural crops.

Denver Botanic Gardens, one of the top five botanic gardens in the United States, is recognized not only for its beautiful display gardens, but for ongoing research in plant conservation, educational programs and many community activities.

Started in 1910, FTD is the United States' oldest and largest floral delivery service. Today there are more than 52,000 member florists in 140 countries.

Garden Centers of Colorado supports successful gardening in Colorado by providing independent garden center members with educational programs, product services and promotional activities resulting in value and service to Colorado gardeners.