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SPRING-2019.Pdf INSIDE THIS ISSUE: The Chairman 3 Notes Let’s Talk 5 Gareth Davies - 6 Fancy being a Judge? The Rose Times Whartons Roses 12 VOLUME 2, ISSUE 3 SPRING 2019 Steve James 14 Welcome to your late Spring newsletter. Minifloras Since the last issue we have been very busy. We attended the Keeping it Cool 17 Harrogate Spring Flower Show with our ‘Education and Scientific’ stand What’s in your fridge? and, although judged under the wrong criteria, still managed a Gold medal. Roses on trial with 19 At the RHS Spring Festival the society stand was awarded an RHS Gold Kerry Austen Medal, which was very pleasing and our Spring Show for greenhouse The Rose King 20 grown roses at Malvern was a great success in spite of some serious concerns about scarcity of blooms running up to the show. A report is World Federation 22 News included in this issue. My Rose Story by 23 Every year we try to include, as a theme for part of our stand, rose Rod Pengelly information which has a particular relevance. This year we celebrate 200 years since the birth in 1819 of The Rose King, Samuel Reynolds The Barts Nurse Rose 29 Hole, Dean of Rochester. As many will know, the Dean was the first Ronnie Rawlins President of the National Rose Society and a leading figure in the The Name of the 31 Rose - Jeff Wyckoff promotion of roses and rose shows in the nineteenth century. He remains an inspiration to us all. The short video presentation that we Diary 2019 33 Malvern Spring 34 feature on the stand will be available on the website, in the member’s Show area. I know that some members have once again experienced difficulty in accessing the member’s area; entry should be very simple. Please check inside this issue for clear instructions and log-in details. Additionally, at the end of May we experienced difficulties with our website and email server. We have now moved to a new provider and all should be plain sailing from now on. We should always remember Dean It seems that nearly every week we get from our members and website Samuel Hole’s visitors, requests to find roses that are no longer in commerce. The words . reason that they find themselves in the ‘no longer available’ category is “He who would grow often because they are not strong, healthy and reliable varieties. This beautiful Roses must does not however diminish the desire for them to be grown by some have them in his people. These roses often have sentimental connections with the heart”. people seeking them and we always try to find a way of obtaining The Rose Society UK - Spring 2019 them. Brian Schofield is our researcher and deals with a lot of enquiries in this vein. Our member Kevin Doherty who hails from the West Midlands is currently seeking the David Austin variety ‘John Clare’. Although still available in the USA, it is no longer offered for sale in the UK. If any member has a bush of the variety growing in their garden we’d be pleased to hear from you. ([email protected]) Any help would be appreciated. It was great to have Kerry Austen visit us at Malvern. Kerry is Co Ordinator at the new, Rochford’s International Rose Trials in Pipers End, Hertford, Hertfordshire. News from the new trial grounds is very encouraging; Kerry tells us that this year’s rose candidates are all planted and growing well. We fully support this initiative that will provide UK rose growers with important information and recommendations for roses that grow well in our climate. More news from the trials later in this issue. It seems this issue has a lot of show related information, no excuses for that as we are all getting excited about our developing blooms. Remember, our rose shows at Malvern, Shepperton, Chorley and Harrogate are seen by thousands of visitors, many of whom will never have seen roses looking as good as those on display. Our remit as a rose society is to promote roses and rose growing and our shows do just that. Do try to get along to a rose show this season, our exhibitors do a great job in showing roses at their very best. On a personal note, I was saddened to hear of the passing of David Wilce. He and I worked well together when both serving on the RNRS Shows Committee and were planning to do so again in future bringing BIRS and The Rose Society closer together to support roses and rose growers in the UK. Please check the website for an article celebrating David’s life in roses. He will be sadly missed. I hope all of our members have a wonderful rose filled summer and remember, please let us know if you would like to get more involved in any of the society’s activities. Ed The Rose Society UK - Spring 2019 VOLUME 2, ISSUE 3 P A G E 3 The Chairman Notes As I write these notes during the period between Harrogate and Malvern spring shows for our Newsletter, I am very much aware of the contrast in our weather compared with 2018. Last year here in the midlands we endured a long cold wet spell, but now this year I find following the above average temperatures of winter and early spring I’m having to water my very dry ground. This is to ensure the first application of rose feed is made available to give my bushes a spring boost, applications of fertilizer on dry ground should always be avoided. Having hoed it the really hard work follows when I carefully cover my rose beds with an annual layer of garden compost. This has been made from leaves gathered from Pelsall common in the autumn, mixed with my general garden waste matter and left for twelve months to rot. With new growth developing rapidly with the ever-increasing daylight it is a good time to begin protecting my bushes from fungal diseases. There are still a few chemical products available to the amateur grower, but my preference is to use Uncle Toms Rose Tonic. Some of our members have been using the product for a few years now; it does not contain any nitrogen which results stronger leaves that seem able to resist disease. I water it over the bushes at 10ml/ltr about every three weeks in from early spring until late September but spraying during the same period is equally effective. The Society has a supply of the product on the website shop or it can be purchased from our advice stand at the shows without any mailing costs. The main show season will be upon us soon and by the time you read this the Spring Show for rose grown “under glass” will have happened. I have pots in my greenhouse from which I hope to stage some blooms but await with trepid anticipation to see just how many because the temperature has plummeted since Easter. It is rewarding to meet members both old and new at shows. There is a list elsewhere of the shows we are attending this year which is always available on the website. Why not consider entering a few blooms on the show bench there THE ROSE TIMES The Rose Society UK - Spring 2019 VOLUME 2, ISSUE 3 P A G E 4 is always experienced help available to give advice and we have many simple classes for beginners. Help with the advice stand is always welcome and you will be given access passes for the event and there will time to look around the show. You don’t have to be an expert to answer visitors’ queries. We are all still learning and other helpers are to hand to help, just give Ray a call for more information. I recently attended the 90th birthday Party for one of our members whom many of you will remember. Jean Coleman was a member of the former RNRS and accredited judge who judged at national shows on a regular basis. She retired the south coast recently to be closer to her daughter but is still very active with a local garden club and receives all our society correspondence via the internet. Quite an inspiration to us all. I was saddened to learn of the death of David Wilce one of our members with whom I had served on shows committees in the past. He was a fine rosarian and promoter of roses. In conjunction with his family a few words about David and his involvement with roses can be seen on the website. May I wish our members a successful summer rose season whether you are exhibitors or just keen rosarians like myself and look forward meeting up if our paths cross. Rose Society UK member and West Midlands stalwart Jean Coleman at her 90th birthday The Rose Society UK - Spring 2019 Let’s keep talking We are aware that some members have experienced difficulties in communicating with us. We are trying to keep everything as simple as possible but being mindful of the fact that we have to work within a very tight budget it is not always possible to do things as quickly or as seamlessly as we may wish. Our membership database is not the most sophisticated but should be adequate for our purposes. We apologise for some of the gliches that have occurred where some members have been requested to pay their membership more than once.
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