INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

The Chairman 2 Notes

Gareth Davies - 5 In a land Down Under

David Kenny tries a 9 The Times Bloody Mary

VOLUME 2, ISSUE 2 WINTER 2019

Desert Island 10 with Derek Lawrence As it’s still the first month of the year, I hope you’ll forgive one more,

In the desert with 15 Happy New Year. Hal Reynolds We have ahead of us another busy time, as I write this we are filling

Roses on trial with 16 up our calendar of events. We have invites from events all over the Kerry Austen country and whilst it would be wonderful to be able to attend them all, our resources, particularly in terms of volunteers, are limited. World Federation 24 News Simply put, the more members we have that are willing to help out at the shows, the more shows we can attend. No offers to volunteer My Rose Story by 25 are ever turned away, we are always happy to have our members Roz Warley involved in the events that we attend. Please contact us if you would My Rose Story by 30 Alya Alvey like to get involved.

Brand on the Run 32 Thanks to all our members who have renewed their membership and apologies to all those who may have been asked to send membership That’s all for now! 34 fees more than once. We have just migrated our membership to a new, secure data base which was necessary on many levels; our new system first of all complies completely with the new GDPR laws; managing even a modest membership like ours can be time consuming when done manually and mistakes can easily happen. We hope that our new automated system will eventually send reminders at appropriate times, respond immediately with an acknowledgement and a receipt and therefore keep everything in good order. There have been a number of hiccups in the first instance but we are confident that once the bugs are shaken out, all will be well. Again, on the subject of volunteers, a reminder that we are all volunteers and for many of us we are learning as we go along. Please We should always be patient with us as we all endeavor to get the Rose Society UK remember Dean running on the right lines. Samuel Hole’s A special thankyou to all our members who have sent contributions words ...... to this newsletter, sharing our own‘ rose stories’ is the best way to “He who would grow encourage more people to grow and enjoy roses. It’s how we can beautiful Roses must continue to ensure that the rose remains the nation’s favourite have them in his flower. heart”. Ed

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The Chairman Notes

First, may wish all our members a belated HAPPY NEW YEAR; may it be a good one. As I sit here in early January writing these notes I can just see the days lengthening and the rose shoots beginning to break. The winter has been very mild to date and the main pruning season will soon be upon us. February is always best for me in the West Midlands and hopefully we will not get another icy ‘Beast from the East’ blast as last year, delaying the pruning. During May the cold spell rapidly changed to warm dry weather that resulted in the best display of roses for many years. One of the benefits that followed the long hot summer of 2018 was a much lower incidence of Black Spot in my garden and the leaves remain on many varieties despite having been reduced in height during the autumn. I have for many years used the practice of giving my bushes a winter wash of Jeyes fluid at the strength of 70ml in 5ltrs, watered over the bushes and ground beneath. I did this in mid-November and again in late December. This product no longer recommends its use for the treatment of fungal diseases however I have used this for many years and it appears to help in reducing the incidence of black spot. Another benefit is that it weakens surface weeds such as Chickweed and Bittercress which seem to be evergreen in the recent mild winters. In recent years I have sown seed of Rosa multiflora as soon as it is ripe in early November. and grow them on into 4ltr pots; protecting them in the polytunnel ready for budding in July in following year. In July 2018 I budded 36 pots with various varieties and headed them back in December and now have 33 potted rose bushes at very little cost. Details of how I do this was published in the November 2017 Rose times. (still available in the members area) I also have roses in pots tucked up in my cold greenhouse to give me roses in bloom in early May, my aim is to have blooms to exhibit at our Spring Show at Malvern Festival which I enjoy doing. However, it is simple and easy for anyone to put a few pots inside for their own pleasure and the results are rewarding. I

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find just watching the roses grow helps shorten the winter for me. They don’t require any heat the rising temperature and lengthening days during March will do the trick and the blooms will be perfect and clean. If you would like advice on how to go about this then more details can be found in our new publication ALL ABOUT ROSES which is available from the website along with other helpful information. If you can visit our Information stand at the Malvern Spring Show, then we are always ready to give advice on all aspects of rose growing. At the show we will be holding the usual competition for exhibits of roses grown under glass or indeed polytunnels which should give encouragement to have a go at growing a few pots of roses in a greenhouse. It was gratifying to see such a good attendance at Annual General Meeting in October; much of the business being taken up with restructuring our Society’s constitution following our first full year. I thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon session talk by Simon White of Peter Beales Roses. The details and minutes of the meeting are available in the Members area of the website. We do need help with the duties of running our society for there are many tasks that need to be are carried out by volunteers, it was good see some members coming forward. We are planning a full programme for our advice and membership stand at events during the coming year. The dates and venues appear elsewhere and help from members is always welcome, admittance passes are provided at major events when needed. DAVID C.H. AUSTIN OBE 1926 - 2018 It is with great sadness that the Austin family announces the passing of David C. H. Austin Snr OBE VMH, rosarian and founder of David Austin Roses Ltd. David Snr died peacefully at his home in Shropshire on Tuesday 18th December 2018, surrounded by his family. He was 92.

The Rose Society UK - Winter 2019

David Austin Roses are our sponsor of the Dean Hole Challenge Classes at our three summer shows and I know from Michael Marriott that Mr A, as he was affectionately known, personally approved the sponsorship of the Dean Hole Challenge competition. David Austin and Dean Samuel Reynolds Hole in their time were both giants in growing and promoting roses. My first memory of David Austin goes back to 1968 when the West Midlands Rose Society held their first show at the nursery, in a small marquee along with a rose quiz against Nottingham Rose Society this was the event that was to become, in the following years, the National Rose Quiz. At the final, closing meeting of the West Midlands Rose Society in 2015 which was held in the lovely tea rooms at the nursery, and in spite of ill health, David came talked with us for about 15 minutes. Some years earlier when a member of the Royal National Rose Society Council, I was appointed to judge with David at the then Regional Rose Gardens at Kings Heath Birmingham. I remember making the arrangements with his secretary, Doreen Pike, to pick him up for he did not like driving through Birmingham. We did this for a two years stint after which Douglas Gandy, another great in the rose world, took over. The Royal National Rose Society held their AGM at Linnaean Society in Piccadilly London for two years in the 1990’s and I remember sitting beneath the portraits of those great men when David came into the room. He was there to receive his award which I believe was the Queen Mother Commemoration Award, he came and sat next to me and we sat chatting during the meeting. David Austin Roses hosted two National Midsummer Show at Albrighton and I remember David coming into the small hospitality tent where we were holding the show, late in the afternoon of the first day. It was almost deserted, he had a long look around with me and said how much he enjoyed having the show the nursery. He went on to say how much he like the miniature roses and thought maybe they should grow some of them?

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Our Vice-Chairman Gareth Davies has been on his travels and shares a few memories of the . . . . Rose Gardens of Adelaide, Tasmania and New Zealand

One of the greatest pleasures in life is to visit rose gardens, whether it be in the UK, or in other countries in the world. My wife, Eirona and I recently returned from a visit to Western Australia where we stayed with my sister-in-law at her home in a coastal resort near Perth. This was our third visit to the Southern Hemisphere and on a previous occasion in October, 2007 we were able to visit rose gardens in Adelaide, Tasmania and New Zealand. We spent a week in Adelaide where we visited the Botanic Gardens which incorporated a beautiful where most of the varieties were in full bloom. It was interesting to see McGredy bred “hand painted” varieties like PICASSO, OLD MASTER, MATANGI and REGENSBERG growing alongside well known names such as ICEBERG, MARGARET MERRILL and SALLY HOLMES. The rose were well maintained and regular dead heading ensured that there was rapid lateral growth which would lead to an early second flush of blooms. Water is an essential requirement to maintain a consistent growth rate and an efficient irrigation system in the beds ensured that the bushes received water for a few hours during late evening or early morning The next week was spent travelling around Tasmania where we discovered the fantastic State rose gardens. There the conditions are much more temperate than in Adelaide and the lower temperatures, combined with higher rainfall ensure that shoot growth and flower bud

THE ROSE TIMES The Rose Society UK - Winter 2019 P A G E 6 development are more controlled. These factors combined with the nutrient rich soil produce lush growth, witnessed by the number of basal shoots growing on most of the bushes. The entrance to the gardens was breathtaking with a 100metre pergola tunnel clothed with the orange-yellow climber WESTERLAND leading the way. The garden is sub-divided into beds of old and beds of modern roses, including many Austin shrubs. I was particularly impressed with the beds of GOLDEN CELEBRATION. MOLYNEUX, GRAHAM THOMAS, MARY ROSE, WINCHESTER CATHEDRAL, GERTRUDE JEKYLL and ABRAHAM DARBY. Equally impressive colourful displays were to be seen in the beds of and HT roses where VALENCIA, GLORIOUS, TRAVIATA, HENRI MATISSE and BRASS BAND were outstanding. Three hours spent in such a magical place was all too fleeting but we had to move on! Our next destination was New Zealand where we visited six rose gardens. After spending the first night in Christchurch we set off south to Invercargill which is the southernmost city in New Zealand. The weather there was cooler and although the rose gardens in Queens Park are well laid out there was hardly a flower to be seen. The temperatures in that part of the South Island are much cooler than those in Christchurch, consequently, the growth is some two or three weeks behind. As the majority of the rose gardens in New Zealand are in the North Island the rest of our time in the South was spent appreciating the magnificent and spectacular scenery of the “Southern Alps” before making

The Rose Society UK - Winter 2019 VOLUME 2, ISSUE 2 P A G E 7 the ferry crossing to Wellington in the North Island. We moved inland to Palmerston North where the National were located and some of the lasting memories of the varieties on show in the gardens include a magnificent border of ICEBERG, superb upright bushes of LOVING MEMORY and exceptionally powerful plants of ESCAPADE. The next day was spent exploring Taranaki province, a gem in the agricultural crown of the North Island, before journeying to the trout fishing capital of Taupo where there is a small rose garden. This was immaculately tended with most varieties in full bloom, the gardens featuring many old varieties like PASCALI, SATCHMO, CHICAGO Caption describing PEACE,picture CHIVALRY, or graphic. APRICOT NECTAR, PETER FRANKENFELD, ICEBERG, TRUMPETER, STRAWBERRY ICE, ALEXANDER, DEAREST and LIVERPOOL ECHO. We then headed across country to the east coast to visit the rose gardens in Napier and Hastings. The growth of the roses in Napier was very disappointing. Although the gardens covered a large area all the beds had been heavily mulched with large amounts of un-decomposed bark chips which meant that the rose had been deprived of nitrogen which was reflected in pale leaf colour and weak stem growth. Some of the more vigorous varieties like AMERICAN PILLAR, VEILCHEN BLEU and LADY GAY(ramblers) had not suffered as much as DISCO DANCER, TRUMPETER and MARGARET MERRILL. The most impressive feature in the gardens was a central circular pool surrounded by pillars, where plants of SALLY HOLMES were grown as climbers. However, my disappointment with the roses in Napier was tempered by the kaleidoscope of colour and abundant lush growth in the rose gardens in Hastings. Here we met the resident gardener who kindly escorted us around, choosing to identify those varieties that gave the most pleasure. These included CAPRICE, INGRID BERGMAN, SERENDIPIDTY, RASPBERRY ICE and WISE WOMAN The bungalows adjoining the gardens had no boundary fences so that the rose beds formed vistas extending from their properties and seemingly part of them. Our final destination was Te Awamutu, the place which the local authority have dubbed as the “Rose Town of New Zealand”. Here there is a beautiful garden which was extremely

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well maintained and landscaped with water features and surrounded by

many choice trees. Varieties such as INGRID BERGMAN, ICEBERG, DISCO DANCER, SEXY REXY and TANGO were particularly impressive I have great memories of stunning roses, particularly in Tasmania and New Zealand, where the climate is so favourable for their growth. The combination of cool spring weather followed by increasing summer warmth, aided by regular irrigation of soil abundant in nutrients are major factors in promoting three, or sometimes four flushes of blooms in a growing season.

Let no one say that romance is dead in our household! With 14th February approaching fast, I have just made the ultimate romantic gesture. Up on the freezing cold allotment, I have just planted some bushes for my beloved; My Valentine, a blood red hybrid tea bred in 2004 by Tim Kordes and All My Loving, a deep pink hybrid tea bred by Gareth Fryer in 2011. The first because I am just an old softy and the second, because I have heard good reports of the rose from the USA. All My Loving was voted Golden Rose of Rose Hills in 2018. Awarded to the variety with the top points score in the trials. The rose is a cross between the Jack Christensen (USA) variety Silver Anniversary and the Patricia Stephens (NZ) variety Big Purple. The variety is currently offered by Pococks Roses and of course from Fryers themselves. Romantic gesture or not, I’m hoping for great things from this stunning-looking rose. Time will tell. Ed

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More words of wisdom from David Kenny, our man in Tallow

Bloody Mary The great bard wrote that “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet” but I wonder if this is true. Some years ago, bred a very good red cut flower variety and gave it the code TAN97544. It met all the criteria needed to be a success; it grew well, had good head size, long stems, excellent vase life and transport qualities. After testing this variety for a number of years and in a number of locations i.e. South America, Europe it was time to name the seedling. Rosen Tantau choose the name ‘Bloody Mary’ after the famous cocktail. This seemed a great name, the growers liked the rose, but the US and EU buyers didn’t purchase it. The only thing they could do was change the name and they did this by renaming it ‘Freedom’. Sales increased drastically and today it is Tantau’s most widely grown red cut flower variety in Columbia and Ecuador. It just goes to show that giving a variety a good name is very important. Many years ago, Kordes named a red floribunda ‘Atom Bombe’, needless to say it didn’t have a long career in commerce. Yet naming a white rose ‘Iceberg’ didn’t do any harm. The rose is so good it was a success everywhere it is sold and especially in New Zealand where it sold in huge numbers as a standard.

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Winter and Roses One of the things I always loved was looking through rose catalogues during winter. Now in the digital age while one can look up any rose on the Internet, I find there is not the same enjoyment. On the plus side you can find out about any rose very quickly and even if it is in a foreign catalogue one can get a translation from Google. Weather permitting winter is a time to clean up the rose garden. While it is great to get rid of fallen diseased leaves it is a tedious job trying to clear all of them. It is easier to let the wind take care of them and to use a winter wash to sterilize the ground for the new season. I spray Jeyes Fluid on the ground and bushes during late December/early January when the plants are dormant, and this kills off most of the spores of diseases. You can also do this when you have pruned the roses but before they sprout as Jeyes Fluid can burn young growth. Roses, other plants and pests As you may know most of the cut flower rose growers are using IPM (Integrated Pest Management) to control pests in their greenhouses. Some of the growers in Kenya are using Mint and Lavender as aphids do not like Mint but do like lavender which also attracts ladybirds, bees and birds, natural predators of aphids. Aphids do not like the smell of Marigolds or Tagetes so plant these to repel greenfly etc.

Another useful plant is Catmint which again helps to keep those nasty pests at bay. I intend to become more organic both in the greenhouse and outdoors in 2019. It should help save expense on sprays and will be better for the environment and for me. Greenfly (aphids) will soon be looking to dine out on our new foliage but should you go organic or resort to chemicals?

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Derek Lawrence, Executive Director of the World Federation of Rose Societies considers his ......

Desert Island Roses

The rigours of 21st Century living, can often compel us to seek some form of relaxation or escapism. Whether it’s through a turn-paging novel, a toe tapping musical at the theatre or becoming engrossed in the latest TV detective series – we all need to find some refuge. When I was in my early teens, I discovered that books can transform you into another world. On scouring the book shelves at the school library, I stumbled across a rather antiquated edition of Daniel Defoe’s novel ‘Robinson Crusoe’. With a certain amount of excitement and intrepidness, I delved into the musty pages. By the vision of the author’s imagination and quill, I instantly found myself on a magical, windswept island. I was hooked into this new world, and didn’t want to leave. It was the first time I’d dipped my toes into a literary adventure. The desire to become a castaway on a remote desert island was recreated by the BBC in 1942, with the first ever radio broadcast of ‘Desert Island Discs’, which has become a perennial favourite and national institution, ever since. The original presenter, the late Roy Plomley invited a special guest into the studio to select eight pieces of music, that they would desire take as a castaway, on a desert island. As rosarians, if we found ourselves in the unlikely situation of being a castaway, and could only take six rose cultivars to paradise island, what would we choose? Not an easy task, I know. Nevertheless, I have attempted to compile a list, worthy of my requirements.

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My first choice would have to be the first rose that captured my heart. The Hybrid Tea ‘Alec’s Red’. It was one of the early cultivars raised by Alec Cocker in Scotland in 1970. As a seventeen-year-old garden apprentice, I was immediately bowled-over by the large vibrant red blooms, which have a strong, deep fragrance. Whenever I encounter this rose, the scent takes me back to my informative; youthful days, when my passion for the rose began. However, it does have a couple of foibles. It is prone to blackspot and has a tendency to be affected by incessant rainfall, where blooms fail to open, often referred to as ‘balling’. That said, I still feel it’s worth taking to my desert island. ‘Arthur Bell’ is an exquisite floribunda bred by McGredy of Northern Ireland in 1965. The blooms are deep yellow, with a strong fruity fragrance. As the flowers fade, they become a lemon colour, fading to cream. The leaves are exceptionally healthy looking; dark, and glossy. The growth tends to be upright, but the structure remains bushy. ‘Arthur Bell’ is also available as a climber. In my experience, the stems are too stiff to train to climb. I would recommend any gardener to select the bush cultivar. This variety is an absolute gem. I simply couldn’t imagine my garden without its sumptuous blooms. It was named after the Scotch whisky manufacturer. I feel it’s very apt, because the fragrance is very intoxicating! ‘Iceberg’ must surely rank and one of the best roses of all time. This splendid variety was bred by Reimer Kordes in Germany in 1958. To my mind, since its launch, no other white floribunda can match ever its shapely, dainty blooms that are rain resistant. The blooms are produced in clusters of 15 per spray. The growth is bushy, with plenty of healthy, green foliage. It is an ideal variety to use where bushes are grown together, for a mass display. I have only grown the bush variety, but I have seen it as a rampant climber, which will clothe any wall or trellis to great effect. I have never detected any pronounced scent. Nevertheless, a true champion of the rose world

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Another charmer, which would join me on my desert island is the stunning, ‘Silver Jubilee’, which remained the most popular Hybrid Tea in Britain for many years. The large flowers are a beautiful confection of apricot and pink, that contain a rich, heavenly aroma. The blooms are perfectly shaped, and make wonderful . The bush is compact, with decease resistant leathery bronzy-green leaves. This diamond of a plant was bred by Alec Cocker to mark the 25th Anniversary of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II accession to the throne in 1977. Although, the rose was officially launched in 1978.

If I could take one climber onto that island, it would be the delectable ‘Blush Noisette’. This timeless treasure was America’s first repeat flowering rose, bred by the Noisette family in 1817. The lilac-pink dainty clusters, are held on strong stems, and as the blooms age, they become white. The flowers have a fresh, distinctive fragrance. From early June until the end of September, it graces my garden with endless blooms. What really attracts me, is the vibrant coloured green, healthy foliage. This cultivar is not a robust grower, but ideal for a small obelisk or pillar. Its compact habit, will furnish this type of structure nicely. The variety truly deserves to be grown more widely.

My final choice would be the incomparable, ‘Gertrude Jekyll’ This lady must surely rank as one of the most popular roses to come out of the breeding houses of the late David Austin. The name commemorates the English designer and writer, whose legacy can be seen in many refined gardens around the United Kingdom. The cultivar was launched at the Chelsea Flower Show in 1986. The blooms are rich, dark pink. As they

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open they reveal a mass of small petals, in a quartered shape. They fragrance is extremely strong, and visitors to my garden, during the summer months, are immediately drawn to it. I suppose the only fault, is that dear Gertrude is rather prickly – and one does wonder if this reflects the personality of her namesake. Nevertheless, a truly outstanding variety, which I’d be more than happy to share on my desert island. If you have a particular rose, or indeed a list of cultivars, that you would wish to accompany you on a dreamy island, why not send it to the Editor? I’m sure that Members would be most interested in hear about your selection. You need not be a writer to undertake this task, just a few words would suffice, and a photo would be much appreciated.

Another exciting year in the world of roses has commenced. One of my highlights will be visiting a massive rose garden in China which contains over 1.4 million bushes. I shall be reporting my adventures in a future edition of ‘Rose Times’. However, if this captures your imagination, why not join me at the WFRS Regional Rose Convention being held in Nanyang, China between 27th – 2nd May 2019? For information or to register, simply visit: www.chinarose2019.org

Until next time, brave those wintery chills and head out into the garden. Your roses will beckon for you give them a good prune in readiness for the increasingly longer days and the sunshine of springtime.

Derek - 007, with a license to grow.

Footnote: All images for this article, were by kindly supplied by David Austin Roses. All the roses mentioned, and many more remarkable varieties, are available at:

www.davidaustinroses.com

007 – With a License To Grow Roses

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You think that last summer was a hot one? Our member Hal Reynolds, immediate Past President of the Pacific South West District and a top ARS exhibitor gives us some insight into growing roses in the heat of the Californian desert Dear fellow U.K. Rose Society Members; I know what it must be like growing roses in the U.K. I am from and lived 58 years in western Washington State where the climate is very similar to the U.K. We had lots of wet weather, winter and all the conditions that effect roses causing black spot, powdery mildew, rust, downy mildew etc. as well as all the critters that attack roses. Your editor thought it might be interesting if I would write an article about growing roses in the desert southwest where the temperatures can reach 124 degrees fahrenheit or 51.1 degrees centigrade, and our annual rainfall is less than 5 inches. Here in the desert we have two bloom seasons, one in the fall and one in the spring; both times we get about 2 flushes of bloom. I kid that we also had two rose seasons in the northwest, namely the powdery mildew season followed promptly by the blackspot season.

These two pictures are of my front yard from the street

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In the desert we do have bugs but they are different than in other climates. We have fewer insects but different insects; we do have aphids, whitefly, spider mites but no real cane borers, no Japanese beetles. We however do have a few that others are not bothered with, such as the Hoplia beetle a small relative of the Japanese beetle that bores right through the rose bloom and buds and they only attack the white and very light colored rose varieties. The solution is to plant only red roses. We also have a new pest named chilli thrips. It is one fourth the size of our regular western flower thrips but loves the heat when it gets to 100F or more and attacks all new growth. They can be controlled with a spraying program but left alone they will destroy all new growth and eventually kill the plant.

HT Randy Scott

There is virtually no organic matter in the soil because in this desert not much ever grew and died here to provide any organics in the soil. Our soil varies from decomposed granite, material that is washed down from the surrounding mountains and blow sand. Any organic matter in the soil has to be put there by you when you are planting. Therefore, I dig a large hole and use fifty percent existing “soil” and 50 percent outdoor potting soil with a high organic such as peat moss. Our best time for planting is January so the plants can develop some roots before the heat comes. Once I plant a bareroot rose I cut it way back and cover everything with organic mulch, this allows the plant to develop some roots before

The Rose Society UK - Winter 2019 P A G E 17 growing. Without mulch the roses sense our hot sunny days even in January and begin to grow rapidly. When there are no new roots to feed them the plant uses up all the vigor in the plant, and cannot replenish it or water and then dies.

Floribunda Fabulous! bred by Keith Zary After a few weeks of the mulch treatment, it is gradually and carefully removed to reveal the young white growth that has started underneath. The mulch has given the plant time to develop feeder roots and it then can survive the sunny weather. Heavy pruning is done in January, followed by regular deadheading and a cutback of about one third in September once the daytime temperatures high is below 100 F and nightime below 80F. The roses here in the desert are not deciduous and keep their leaves year round; therefore we pick off all remaining leaves after the January hard pruning. These pruning times bring us into full bloom by April first and early November. Our fall bloom seems to be the better of the two bloom seasons. The one drawback to the fall bloom is that very few of the floribundas want to produce sprays in the fall. I first fertilize after I have one inch of new growth after the January pruning using a common granular rose fertilizer, then after one month I begin using a water soluble rose fertilizer and apply that every week until about April first. Then I stop fertilizing until immediately after my September cutback and then I feed once a week with the water soluble every week until the first of November. I am an exhibitor thus I feed once a week before the shows whereas a home gardener would probably feed every two weeks.

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Bowl of 11 HT Mr. Caleb I am sure you will be pleased and perhaps a little surprised to know that we grow many rose varieties that were bred in the United Kingdom, such as Tickled Pink, Eyes For You, Lowri, Elina and several Austin varieties.

Floribunda Jam and Jerusalem

HT Mr. Caleb You now know what you would have to do should you decide to move to a more arid climate such as Palm Desert California ( in the Sonora Desert ) or the Sahara or such places as Death Valley or Needles California. One of the largest rose plants in the world that clearly loves living in the heat, grows in the Sonora desert, in Tombstone Arizona. Rosa banksiae or Lady

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Banks’ Rose with her trunk 14 feet in diameter and covering 2500ft2 of space, was found in 1807. The original Tombstone rose came from Scotland.

HT Sunny Sundays HT Marlon’s Day

If you do decide to move to a desert do not forget the sun hat and a high number sun block.

Bowl of Floribunda Lady of the Dawn

The Rose Society UK - Winter 2019 VOLUME 2, ISSUE 2 P A G E 20 Getting in touch

General enquiries: [email protected] Membership enquiries: [email protected] Treasurer enquiries: [email protected] or mail to: Tammy Mellor Visit our website: 18 Priory Avenue www.therosesociety.org.uk Leek Staffs ST13 6QJ

Some members experienced difficulties with the website during December. This was because we added a Shop page to the site and conflicts occurred. The more we tried to repair things, the worse they got! Unfortunately, we had to call in the experts to correct the problems and order was restored! Additionally, the website contact forms also failed. Issues with the website and server are now hopefully resolved and we look forward to fewer problems in future. Our apologies for the inconvenience caused but we are all amateurs doing our best on limited resources. Hopefully all is well now but if you have any problems, please let us know.

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Rochfords International Rose Trials

As you will be aware, the RNRS closed in May 2017 due to unmanageable financial burdens. One of the society’s major undertakings was the trialling of new seedling roses which came from many sources, both national and international. The loss of this work has been keenly felt and following discussions with Kerry Austen, rosarian from the RNRS, Joseph Rochford Gardens Ltd have re-established a seedling trial at our Kerry raising a glass to a site in Hertfordshire. successful first year of rose trials The aim is to become a centre of excellence for rose trials and rose care in the UK by encouraging a wide range of people to engage in the world of roses.

This is a not for profit venture as part of

Rochfords CSR commitment and will aim to include not only experts, but also the wider public and in particular, schools and colleges.

Trials will run for three years, with judging taking place in years two and three. We plan to recruit judges from all areas of the rose community and we would welcome enquiries from past judges or from those who would like to join the judging world. We are also going to run a people’s choice and children’s choice which will be judged by local schools, colleges and universities.

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Since sending out invitations for our new rose trials here at Rochfords, we have received a very positive response. We have currently planted more than 33 entries covering the full range of types of roses. Entries have come in from all over Europe including Germany, Denmark, Belgium, Holland, Ireland and the UK. This is very encouraging for our first year and we hope that submissions for the trials will increase each year. The trial ground is approx. 70m x 70m, with 18 x 60m rows to allow space for the 5 year rotation. The site is rabbit and deer proofed with new fencing and gates. Full drip line irrigation is in place which is served from its own reservoir. Access is relatively easy and there is hard standing for visitors. A launch event is planned for this summer to introduce the site to the rose community, potential judges, the Press and interested community groups. Details will be available in late Spring. If you have any questions regarding the trials please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Email: [email protected] Post: to;

Kerry Austen Position of the new trials - accessed from Joseph Rochford Gardens Ltd, The Old Church Road and the A414 1 Pipers End Nursery, Letty Green, Herts.

The Rose Society UK is 100% behind these new International Trials. We are looking forward to taking an active part in setting up this much needed facility. Trials are important for all UK rose growers and we hope that our members will get right behind Rochfords and support this new initiative.

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Our new publication All About Roses has been very well received . Edited by Bernhard Mehring, it is a simple guide to buying, growing, showing and enjoying roses. This ring bound, full colour book is priced at just £5.00

Judging and Showing Roses contains everything a judge or exhibitor needs to know. With line drawings and colour photographs, this ring bound book is just £5.00 and will take some of the mystery out of judging and exhibiting

How To Grow Roses is just £1.50, these handy booklets have been very popular with visitors to our stands at flower shows. It is a step-by- step guide to growing roses based on our series of Rose Fact Sheets All publications are available from the website, from our stands at the shows or by contacting; [email protected]

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As you know, the Rose Society UK is a member of the World Federation of Rose Societies. We will continue to pass onto you all any correspondence and updates that we receive from them.

Every three years the WFRS holds major international conventions, bringing together rose enthusiasts and experts from around the world with garden visits and expert lectures. 19th World Rose Convention- Australia 2021 Thursday 21st October to Thursday 28th October 2021 - hosted by the National Rose Society of Australia Inc. 20th World Rose Convention- Japan 2024 - Hosted by the Japan Rose Society

2021 World Rose Convention (click for link)

This year’s Regional Conventionwill be held in Nanyang, China ; 27th April 2019 - 2nd May 2019 - hosted by the Chinese Rose Society. For all information about the convention please use the link below;

2019 WFRS Regional Convention (click for link)

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My Rose Story Musings of Plumptiousness by Roz Warley a member from Hull

Our editor recently asked for contributions of members musings; well here goes with a short introduction to the part roses have played in my life thus far, and a few other bits which might be of interest from a tiny corner in Yorkshire! Having spent the majority of my life living in the middle of nowhere in 2005 I moved into the City of Culture – you’ve guessed it – dear old ‘ull’ or for those south of the Watford gap– HAL!

Now my dear Father loved and grew roses throughout his later life, his favourite being Zephirine Drouhin. He lived with my Mum in an ex coastguard’s cottage on the North bank of the river Humber in a quaintly named area of reclaimed river bed called Sunk Island. It was an idyllic spot, with a beautifully maintained garden which was home to over 75 shrub and climbing roses. These were magnificent throughout the summer months, sprayed only once per year and fed likewise. As I was lucky enough to be brought up with horses, my childhood memory of a red rosebud in my show jacket buttonhole with silver foil wrapped tightly around the stem by Mum is very dear to me - sometimes a yellow one but always a rose.

Back in 2005 with my last horse sold, my love for gardening continued and I took up growing/showing sweet peas, and enjoying them ever since, however for me the show season was always too short, that is when I realised that roses could make up the shortfall, so sweet peas and roses are now my passion.

Having 2 allotments plus one small city garden, I decided that the garden would have to be lower maintenance in order to fit everything in around my full time job in road haulage. After watching an episode of my favourite- Gardeners World, when Joe Swift visited the London garden of designer Butter Wakefield, my garden makeover began in earnest. My garden is now 75% Butters design and 25% Rozes sentimental plants, for instance I have bulbs bought at shows, a couple of Mums Crocosmia, but mainly the garden consists of Hydrangea Annabel, clipped Yew, climbing roses, honeysuckle, Clematis, Jasmine,

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Thalictrum, Foxgloves, Lupins, Japanese Anemones, Sweet Williams, and bulbs – you’ve guessed it – its pretty full – and I love it!

The climbers are mainly David Austin varieties including Claire Austin, Graham Thomas, Madame Alfred Carrier, plus Gertrude Jekyll, Souvenir de Docteur de Jarmain, and the rambler Lady of the Lake. Loving Butter Wakefield’s description of how things should be; ‘the front garden should talk to the back garden from a design point of view and the house should sit comfortably in between’. That is the yard stick I work to, haven’t got there yet, and maybe never will, but it’s a great challenge! On the allotment I have a polytunnel, which, has proved too hot for the sweet peas, however I was reliably informed at Harrogate Autumn show that it is fine for roses, so I have maybe 50 HTs, minifloras and miniatures in there, and they love it. One is Baby Boomer (in the pot at the back next pic) which I brought into a 37 litre pot last December and it started flowering in May 18 and is still flowering now!

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Rose cuttings love it in the tunnel too, the latest are 3 taken from the prunings of 2 beautiful roses in my front garden at home called True Love:

HT True Love Bred by De Ruiter Innovations BV (Netherlands, 1979) Also known by the slightly less romantic name; Yorkshire Bank

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True Love is in my top 5 roses; if not top it is close. It, to me is everything a HT should be it is scented; it has a lovely colour and is plumptious in the words of Ken Dodd! A guy was showing it at Driffield show and I thought it was the clearest white, I asked him what it was and he said he had won a rose class 10 or more years ago, his prize was 3 bushes called Yorkshire Bank, it had since been renamed and he didn’t know its new name, so off I set on the Help me Find website found its name and its breeder and ordered 2 bushes. The cuttings are absolutely galloping away in the tunnel, my target is to have 10 plants of plumptiousness just for the hell of it!

Last October I took over a tip of an allotment onto which I am moving my 50 odd HT’s plus 10 babies out of my nursery bed, that is a story for another day as is the cut flower garden which my daughter and me hope to develop along with the sweet peas on that plot. The soil is light and sandy up there, and it is hard work to keep the roses well-watered, but having just had an operation the week before Christmas I am recovering at the moment, and things are on hold for a short while.

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Hopefully my musings will have been an interesting read for some and not too boring for others, our roses are in for Malvern – we are not expecting to do any good but we are really looking forward to the great atmosphere in the tent and meeting more lovely members of this great society, good luck to everyone for 2019!

Thanks Roz, we’ll see you at the Malvern show. What Roz did not mention was that last year she convinced her daughter Kelsey and sister Beverley to join the society, grow a few roses in their own greenhouses and enter the Spring show. The results of their efforts are shown below.

Floribunda Odyssey was Bev’s Floribunda Golden Beauty was winning floating bloom Kelsey’s third placed entry

Well done ladies, a fantastic first show for you both

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This year I have “over-done” buying bare root roses from all over EU, just in case Brexit becomes reality and it becomes harder and more expensive to get unusual roses. Sultane, Lady X, Feichtner Moos, Grey Pearl, Reine de Perse, Betty Prior, Duqusa de Peneranda, Black Lady, Black Boy, Black Velvet and Black Ice are all on my list. I suffer from arthritis which makes it very painful to dig the ground. I have resorted to ‘cheating’ and now pot up the bare root roses first. I am then able to put them into the ground as and when I am able. I will usually plant them in the ground because I don’t like keep watering the pots when I have empty spaces - Why have grass or lawn when you can plant a rose? My husband Ian and I dug the lawn up and replaced it with roses; both front and back gardens. This way we were rid of the guilt of looking at a poorly maintained lawn and having to cut it frequently. Our life used to be ruled by the lawn HT Sultane Bred by Francis Meilland 1946

which we always wanted to look presentable. We are much happier now because we replaced the lawn with roses. I am not one of those people who grows roses for showing but I love to grow roses in my garden. Some roses are labelled as fussy or difficult to look after but I like to give them all a chance. Our roses grow, adapting their own needs, to my health and to my mood. It is a bonanza time for my roses when I feel well enough to HT Lady X Bred by Francis Meilland 1946 attend to them and then my garden is full of

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rose flowers. In the summer it is impossible to see the ground because of the rose flowers and the fallen petals. People in the village walk past our front garden especially to take the pictures of the roses - never asking permission to take the pictures even when they see us in the front garden, they just go “click… click…click”. I am still learning and especially keen to learn how to bud a rose. I will be the first to attend if courses become available.

HT Grey Pearl HT Black Ice

Bred by Sam McGredy III 1945 Bred by Douglas L. Gandy UK 1971)

Thanks Alya for your story. Well, Brexit or No Brexit at least we’ll be able to see a great number of rare roses amongst the 600 plus growing in Alya and Ian’s Dunstable garden. The one certainty in rose growing is that we all have our own favourites; rose varieties may come and rose varieties may ‘disappear’. Everyone has got a rose and every rose has someone, it’s all about enjoying them.

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polo shirts

hooded and unhooded sweatshirts

Embroidered society logo on all garments

men’s and women’s fleece jackets waterproof jackets

Our Rose Society UK branded clothing continues to be popular, so much so that we have had to address the ordering process. Difficulties with our suppliers has meant that orders have been delayed but now, to improve the system, your garments will be delivered directly from the manufacturer. Orders can be placed and paid for directly from the website or through the usual email Our range is expanding all the time please check the website for the latest garments and current prices. [email protected] or call on 07867973229 The range now includes; Polos (grey or blue) Hooded sweatshirts (grey or blue) Men’s and Women’s Fleeces (grey) Gents ‘V’ neck jumpers Water Proof Jackets (grey) Sweatshirts (grey and blue)

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Dates for the 2019 Rose Society UK National Rose Shows are;

National Spring , to be held at RHS Malvern Spring Festival 9th to 12th May 2019

National Southern Summer Rose Show to be held at Squire’s Rose Festival Shepperton 29th to 30th June 2019

National Northern Summer Show to be held at Chorley Flower Show 27th to 28th July 2019

National Autumn Rose Show to be held at the Harrogate Autumn Show 13th to 15th September 2019 Dates for Spring and Summer 2019 Provincial Flower Shows are;

Harrogate Spring Show at the Yorkshire Showground 25th to 28th April 2019 (Rose Society UK stand) Rose Society of Wales Summer Rose Show at Pugh’s Garden Centre, Cardiff 22nd to 23rd June 2019 Ryedale Rose Festival at R V Rogers Rose Centre, Pickering 6th to 7th July 2019 Great Yorkshire Show at the Great Yorkshire Showground, Harrogate 9th to 11th July 2019 (RSUK stand)

Note to all Affiliated Societies.Don ’t forget to order your Bronze Medals in good time and, if you’d like your show advertised in the next news- letter, on our website and Social Media platforms, please send details to; [email protected]

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That’s all for now; next edition, in Spring we’ll be previewing the 2019 National Shows. We will also have some more Members’ Rose Stories and news of the International Trials at Rochfords. Don’t forget to visit the website; http//www.therosesociety.org.uk The member’s Area is now live and we’ll be adding content going forward The login USERNAME is always; therosesociety The password is; SallyHolmes It will change on 1st February to; StarlightSymphony Or our Facebook page; (click on logo)

The Rose Society UK - Winter 2019