While the North Otago Rose Society past president has shown roses since the late 1990s, picking up the champion of champions this year was "very special".
"This year was quite a challenging time, really. So, it was lovely to just know that that rose was there — nice and vibrant and just the one for the show to come today."
Last year, "terrific rain" caused the roses to be "soggy and a real mess" and the show was cancelled.
Then this year, October was a "bitter cold" month.
"Considering that the conditions weren’t that good coming into the spring — things were a bit late and the roses didn’t come on as we would have liked ... we are very happy with the way it has turned out. There’s a wonderful mix of colour here today."
Both North Otago growers and North Otago conditions had a good reputation in the rose world, she said.
"Wind currents and all those sorts of things come into play, too — and frosts — we’re pretty frost-free," she said.
As Mrs Ludemann was speaking to the Otago Daily Times she was approached by an admirer who asked what her secret was.
"I talk to them," she replied. "If you treat the soil right, the roses look after themselves.
"A lot of roses in my garden wouldn’t really make it on the show bench," she said. "But it’s nice to have some special ones that do enjoy an outing like this."
