SKYSCRAPERS & ROSES

Newsletter of the Manhattan Rose Society February/March, Volume 19, No. 1

‘Knock Out’ by Maria Cecelia Freeman

The Manhattan Rose Society Proudly Presents:

Gene Waering “Roses in Botanical Art” Saturday, March 16th, 2018, @ 10:00 a.m. @ The Queens Botanical Garden 43-50 Main Street, Flushing, Queens, NY, 11355 (Bagels and Coffee Served)

Artists and illustrators have painted and drawn the rose for centuries. From the tradition of beautiful flower painting to painstakingly detailed illustration, the rose has been the subject of fascinating studies that reflect mankind's interests and passions. Gene Waering will briefly explore the Western chapters of this story, from the 18th century to the present, through a presentation of selected drawings in his collection of historic rose art.

th (Photo is of an 18 Century botanical print, owned by the editor.)

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About Our Presenter

Gene Waering has grown roses since he was nine years old in Jacksonville, FL, where he currently resides after nearly 40 years in New York City where he was an art dealer and also executive director of a foreign policy association. He edited the Centennial edition of the American Rose Annual in 2016 and co-edited several other rose volumes including The Sustainable Rose Garden(2010) with Pat Shanley and Peter Kukielski. He is past president of the Jacksonville Gene Waering with Will Radler and Pat Shanley at Rose Society and current board the 2011 Great Rosarians of the World Program in member of both the Jacksonville Rose New York City. Society and the Manhattan Rose Society. He has a substantial collection of hand-colored rose botanical studies dating to the 18th century.

Other Events by MRS Members

Rose Pruning Workshop LaGuardia Corner Garden @ Saturday, March 9, 2019, 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Facilitated by Rosarian Shinichi Harada and Dr. Karin Kiontke (gardeners at LaGuardia Corner Garden)

This workshop will explore the correct way to prune the many different varieties of roses. LaGuardia Corner Garden is a 40-year-old community garden with close to 100 rose bushes. Please dress warmly — this is an outdoor workshop.

Stop and Plant Some Roses Dias Y Flores Community Garden @ 520 E13th Street, Manhattan, 100 Tuesday, April 16, 2019 - 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

Facilitated by Shinichi Harada – community gardener and member of the Manhattan Rose Society and American Rose Society

Roses come in many varieties and are a garden classic. Come learn the basics of planting and caring for roses with rose expert Shinichi Harada. Members of registered GreenThumb community gardens may be eligible to take home a rose bush to plant in their community gardens. (One per garden group while supplies last!)

For more information including rain dates and registration information, please go to https://greenthumb.nycgovparks.org www.manhattanrosesociety.org Page 2

Directions to the Queens Botanical Garden

By Public Transportation – It is highly recommended that you take mass transit as parking in Flushing is scarce.

 Take the No. 7 Train to the Main Street Station (Last Stop in Queens). Then, walk South down Main Street towards the Botanical Gardens. It is an approximately 8 -block walk to the Gardens; if you find this difficult, you can take the Q20A/Q20B bus towards Jamaica and ask the driver to let you off at the Gardens. Please check MTA.info for any Planned Weekend Service Changes.

By Car – Limited parking is available at the entrance on Crommelin Street accessible only from Blossom Avenue, off Main Street.

 From Manhattan and Brooklyn – Take the I495/Long Island Expressway East to Main Street. Make a left onto Main Street and proceed up Main Street to the gardens.

 From Eastern Queens and Long Island – Take the I495/Long Island Expressway West to Main Street. Make a right onto Main Street and proceed up Main Street to the gardens.

 From Upstate and the Bronx – Take the Whitestone Bridge to the Van Wyck Expressway and exit at NY 25A/Northern Blvd. Proceed eastbound on Northern Blvd. to Main Street and make a right. Proceed up Main Street to the gardens.

All Meetings of the MRS at The Queens Botanical Garden are held in the Meeting Room of the Visitor and Administration Building.

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2019 Schedule of Events – SAVE THE DATES!!

Manhattan Rose Society Events Saturday, April 13th, 2019 – Saturday, May 11th, 2019 – Saturday, June 22nd, 2019 – 10:00am 10:00am 10:00am Nancy Marr, Kristen Smith of Star Roses and MRS Little Show presented by Pruning Your Roses and Basic Plants Louis Arce Spring Care New Rose Varieties Queens Botanical Garden, Queens Botanical Garden, Special Demonstration on Rose 43-50 Main St., Flushing, NY, 43-50 Main St., Flushing, NY, Fragrance Chemistry by Prof. 11355. Bagels and Coffee Will 11355. Bagels and Coffee Will Be Kevin Ryan in the Rose Garden Be Served. Served Queens Botanical Garden, 43-50 Main St., Flushing, NY, 11355. Bagels and Coffee Will Be Served.

July, 2019 – October, 2019 – December 14th, 2019 – Event Details TBA MRS Annual Dinner Meeting and 7:00pm-10:00pm Installation of the 2019-2021 MRS Holiday Party and Open Board of Directors House at Stone Cottage

Date, Time and Location TBA

Other “Rosy” Events in Our Region

Friday, May 10th, 2019 – Sat – Sun, June 1st-2nd,2019 – Sunday, June 9th, 2019 – 7:00pm-9:00pm Rose Weekend at the Peggy “The Vintage Rose” Curtis Aumiller, ARS National Rockefeller Rose Garden at the Long Island Rose Society Photography Chairman and ARS New York Botanical Garden, Rose Show at Planting Fields Penn-Jersey District Director Bronx, NY, 10458 Arboretum, Oyster Bay, NY, speaks to the 11771 Long Island Rose Society about For more information, please see Rose Show Photography at the https://www.nybg.org/event/rose- Contact LIRS for more Plainview-Old Bethpage Central garden-weekend/ information. Public Library, 999 Old Country Rd., Plainview, NY, 11803 Worth 1 CR Credit More information TBA

Sunday, June 16th, 2019 – Fri – Sun, Sept. 6th-8th 2019 – Saturday, September 14th, 2019- Theme TBA NYS District Rose Show and 12:00pm-3:00pm Connecticut Rose Society Rose Convention, hosted by the Rose Day at Great Neck House Show at the Pond House in Rochester Rose Society Come and see a Little Rose Show historic Elizabeth Park, Hartford, hosted by the Long Island Rose CT. (More information including, Society and stay for a tour to see show schedule and fees TBA) a no-spray rose garden in action Contact CRS for more and learn how to diagnose and information. treat rose diseases from Certified Consulting Rosarians. Worth 1CR Credit; more information TBA www.manhattanrosesociety.org Page 4

Friday – Sunday, March 29th – 31st, 2019 At The Ocean Edge Resort & Golf Club 2907 Main Street, Brewster, Cape Cod, MA, 02631

Come one and come all! You are invited to the Annual Spring Rose Convention of the Yankee District! The convention will be held at the beautiful Ocean Edge Resort, in the restored, historic Nickerson Mansion in Brewster, Massachusetts out on sunny Cape Cod. Come in on Friday for a hands on arrangements workshop with Nancy Redington and a dinner buffet featuring a 1960s costume party featuring the musical stylings of Doctor E. On Saturday, see a host of featured speakers including Larry Dapsis, an entomology expert, speaking about insect borne diseases found in the garden; national rose exhibitor Bill Kozemchak talking about rose photography; Richard Anthony of For Love of Roses on the topic of rose hybridization; Manhattan Rose Society Newsletter Editor Jason Capote speaking about selecting roses for hard to grow areas; ARS Past President Marilyn Wellan giving updates on the restoration of America’s Rose Garden in Shreveport, LA; and Baldo Villegas, an Environmental Research Scientist, speaking about the rose pests of New England. Also featured will be a tribute to the late David Austin by Cape Cod’s own Dr. Irwin Ehrenreich. After the speakers there will be dinner, raffles, awards and a live rose auction! Saturday Morning will also host a rose photography show! Don’t miss any of it!

For a complete list of convention documents, registration forms, schedule, speakers, rose photography show schedule and rules, and information on Friday’s arrangement class, please see arsyankee.org.

*** Convention and Hotel Special Room Rate Deadlines Now Extended Through March 5th!

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Editor’s Message –

Hello Manhattan Rose Society members! Long time, no see! Boy did a lat happen! Since last fall, I have been to the ARS National Convention in San Diego with a few other fellow MRS members; we as the MRS held both our annual autumn dinner meeting and our annual holiday open house; and the holidays, two whole seasons, and what feels like an eternity of a winter has passed. Soon we will be welcoming in the spring, with all its promise for the growing year ahead. Unfortunately, while this past autumn was beautiful, it was cut untimely short in mid-November with snow, ice, and record breaking cold temperatures, which was actually also the coldest it has been this whole winter until the Polar Vortex arrived in late January. Now the first signs of spring are appearing. Hellebores and snowdrops are blooming. Daffodils and tulips are poking up from the ground, and yes, at least in my garden, my roses have broken dormancy with my rose canes being dotted with a multitude of nice, red dots of bud eyes. Despite this, please, resist the urge to prune your roses even though it is technically warm enough to do so. Cutting the canes sends a signal to the plant to start growing and one of the worst damages that can be done to a rose bush, is for the tender, new growth to get killed off by an unexpected late freeze. Remember the old adage – do not prune your roses until the Forsythia blooms, which here in the city, tends to happen around the Vernal Equinox, about a week after that for most of Long Island, and about a week or more still after that for parts north and west of the city. Also, in addition to being super excited for rose pruning, planting, and all the bounteous blooms that it will bring, I am also super excited for all the new events that we are planning for the MRS this year as well as for all the other fun, rose filled events that will be happening in our area. First, as an answer to the plethora of survey responses that we have received, the MRS Board of Directors is pleased to announce that we will be having our first rose show as a society in June (more details will be coming in future editions of Skyscrapers & Roses). We are also pleased to announce that we are looking at potential field trips and get togethers at other rose gardens in the NY Metro Area as we also received many survey responses requesting these types of events. While no specific dates or locations are set in stone yet, we are considering a wide range of venues to go to as a group tour from our local Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden at the New York Botanical Gardens, to historic Elizabeth Park in Hartford, Connecticut, to a day of touring the grounds at Boscobel House and Gardens in Cold Spring, New York, as well as touring other public, private, and commercial gardens in our area. If you have a suggestion of a place you would like us to go, just tell one of us on the board and we will be happy to consider it. With that being said, happy spring and happy gardening!

Jason Capote

It sure was a beautiful autumn while it lasted. Puppy Snuggles thought so too!

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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 Sr. died peacefully at his home in Shropshire on Tuesday 18th December 2018, surrounded by his family. He was 92.

From School Boy to Rose Breeder

Growing up in the Shropshire countryside, David Austin developed a passion for plants from a very young age. However, his interest in flowers was truly ignited when he first discovered a magazine called Gardens Illustrated, tucked away in the school library. After being encouraged by his teacher, he decided to pursue his new found passion. James Baker, a friend of David’s father, ran a nursery down the road from their family farm. David would visit with his father and was dazzled by the new varieties of lupins that James was breeding. It was at this time that the idea of developing new varieties of plants himself really started to take hold. Coming from a farming background, David had an innate knowledge of plants but taking this knowledge and applying it to the less practical world of flowers did not meet his father’s approval. It wasn’t until his sister gave him A.E. Bunyard’s book, Old Garden Roses, for his 21st birthday, that he fell in love with roses.

First Shoots

With his new passion for roses, David decided to take up rose growing as a hobby, ordering his first few plants when he was in his early twenties. Beguiled by their beauty, his interest only really lay with the Old Roses, but with the fashion at the time being for modern Hybrid Teas, he decided to order a few varieties to compare the two groups. Although he wasn’t charmed by the Hybrid Teas he did recognise the attributes they possessed that the Old Roses lacked: a much wider colour range and the ability to repeat flower. www.manhattanrosesociety.org Page 7

This was his light bulb moment, the realisation that he had the opportunity to create something entirely new — a rose with the beauty and fragrance of his much-loved Old Roses but with the benefits of modern roses.

Growing Pains

Resolute in purpose, David began the slow process of breeding this new type of rose. Unfortunately, his inexperience revealed itself when he lost his first set of seedlings to a fungal disease, and he had to start all over again the following year. However, with time and extraordinary dedication, David created his first rose, ‘Constance Spry’ (Ausfirst), in 1961. Industry professionals said nobody would buy these ‘old fashioned roses’ and nurseries refused to stock them. Not one to be easily discouraged, David decided to ignore his detractors and sell his roses to the public himself, using his own kitchen table in Shropshire as his distribution centre. He also sold a wide range of other roses including Old Roses, climbers and ramblers.

Coming into Bloom

By 1969 David had refined the breeding process and launched his first range of repeat- flowering ‘English Roses’, the name he coined for his ground-breaking varieties that fused the old with the new. He reasoned that the French have the Gallica roses, the Scottish the Scots, so why shouldn’t the English also have a group of roses to call their own ̶ especially with the rose being so intertwined in England’s culture and history. The early years were quite a struggle, particularly because he was trying to compete with so many other rose nurseries. However, with the support of his wife Pat, combined with the www.manhattanrosesociety.org Page 8 unique combination of attributes his roses had to offer, the English Roses grew in popularity and the Old Rose style began to enjoy a long overdue renaissance. In 1983 David experienced his first real breakthrough when he introduced three very good English Roses at the Chelsea Flower Show, including the rose named after his good friend and mentor, the revered horticulturist, Graham Thomas. The response from the press, as well as the general public, to Rosa ‘Graham Thomas’ (Ausmas) was overwhelming and David credited it with being the rose most responsible for the recognition and success of the English Roses. The following year saw the first of many gold medals at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, and the David Austin garden gradually became one of the highlights for visitors, which continues to this day. With the increased popularity, the nursery business started to grow, the extra income meaning that the rusty, draughty old barns could be replaced by modern packing sheds and the falling down breeding greenhouses replaced by bigger and more spacious ones, although still second-hand. The fledgling rose garden, now considered one of the most beautiful rose gardens in the world, also increased in size.

The Art of Rose Breeding

The increased income also gave him the opportunity to gradually expand the size of his enduring passion, the rose breeding programme, which today is one of the largest in the world. Each year David introduced three or so new varieties. From pollination to sale, the whole process of creating a new rose takes nine years. For each new rose released, roughly 120,000 unique roses will have been grown for research ̶ a process which took all of David’s patience, dedication and expertise.

“There is nothing more exciting than having 350,000 seedlings growing that no one has ever seen before” - David C H Austin

His rose breeding endeavours have resulted in a number of awards, with one of his proudest achievements receiving his OBE in 2007 for his services to horticulture. On receiving the award, he said “Every day, I marvel at my good fortune to have been able to make a life out of breeding roses. My greatest satisfaction is to see the pleasure my roses give to gardeners and rose lovers around the world”. He was also awarded the Victoria Medal of Honour from the RHS, an honorary degree from the University of East London and the Dean Hole medal from the Royal National Rose Society. His roses too have won many awards around the world. ‘Graham Thomas’ (Ausmas) was voted the world’s favourite by the World Federation of Rose Societies (WFRS) in 2009 and www.manhattanrosesociety.org Page 9

‘Gertrude Jekyll’ (Ausbord) twice voted the UK’s favourite. 28 of them have also been honoured with the prestigious Award of Garden Merit from the RHS. The garden at Albrighton, both home to David Austin and the National Collection of his English Roses, received the Award of Garden Excellence from the WFRS in 2015.

Through the Generations

In 1990 he welcomed his eldest son, David J. C. Austin, into the business. Together they have developed David Austin Roses into a worldwide business, extending the UK operation to Europe and in more recent years to the USA and Japan, where they now have offices. Not one to rest on his laurels, in 1992, with the driving force and support of David Junior, he decided to start up a completely new side to the breeding programme. The aim being to develop varieties that were specifically for the cut flower market, available all year round, whilst retaining the beauty, fragrance and charm that had become so recognizable in his garden roses. The first group of cut roses was released in 2004 and like his garden roses, it took some time for them to be accepted, being a very different proposition from the status quo. Today David Austin cut roses are considered to be some of the most prestigious and sought-after wedding and event roses in the world and have been used to celebrate the most intimate of private occasions through to the most prestigious Royal Weddings showcased on a global stage. David Austin Roses has grown significantly over the decades but it still remains very much a family business at heart. The third generation, Richard Austin, David Senior’s grandson, and son of David Junior, joined the company in 2010 continuing his father and grandfather’s passion and their lives’ work. They in turn are supported by a loyal team, with many having been with the business for more than 15 years including his Rose Breeding Manager, Carl Bennett, who has worked for him for almost 30 years. As the company has grown, so too has the wider David Austin family who affectionately refer to David Senior simply as ‘Mr A’.

An Author and Poet

Apart from his passion for roses he had a great love for literature and his sitting room is lined with bookcases filled with a great variety of books. The first book he wrote was The Heritage of the Rose, published in 1988. In 1993 he published the first edition of The English Roses, the definitive work on his own creation, which won great critical acclaim around the world. He especially loved poetry and published a collection of his own poems in 2014 entitled The Breathing Earth, which draws on his life experiences and his love of nature.

The Father of English Roses

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He will be remembered as one of the greatest rosarians and rose breeders of all time who is responsible for creating the world’s first horticultural brand. With over 240 varieties to his name, he was still absolutely passionate about developing new varieties of English Roses until the very end. He died already knowing what the future may hold, having planned and undertaken the next crosses, which will hopefully create a new rose that will be introduced in nine years’ time. Despite continually discovering new found inspiration his dream, broadly speaking, remained the same as when he first started breeding roses as an amateur, all those years ago: to create the perfect garden worthy rose that combines beauty, fragrance, repeat-flowering ability and good disease resistance with great charm – the quality his English Roses are most renowned for. As he said in his book, The English Roses, he had one goal that was more important than any other, “… that we should strive to develop the rose’s beauty in flower, growth and leaf.” Of fragrance he wrote, “[It] may be said to be the other half of the beauty of a rose”. He leaves behind a great legacy that very many around the world will treasure as a result of his passion, unwavering vision and lifetime’s work. He is survived by his three children, David J. C. Austin, James Austin and Claire Austin, from his marriage to his late wife, Pat Austin. He also has a surviving sister, Barbara Stockitt, and eight grandchildren, as well as his much-loved dog and companion, Bertie David Charles Henshaw Austin, rose breeder, writer and founder of family business, David Austin Roses, born 16th February 1926; died Tuesday 18th December 2018.

Reprinted from DavidAustinRoses.com/us/about-us/david-c-h-austin

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In Memorium

The Rose World recently lost two great ladies. Both were from the PennJersey District and both were pillars of the organization, strong ARS supporters and good friends. Their contributions will be long remembered.

Joan Singer –

Deepest Sympathy from the Manhattan Rose Society to the family of Joan Singer. Joan passed away in November. She was a member of the PennJersey District and served as their Secretary. She was a great arranger and exhibitor. She was dedicated to her local society, her district and the ARS. She came to Manhattan Rose Society with Nancy Redington in 2015 and together they presented a program on Rose Arrangements. She will be greatly missed. Joan Singer receiving the PennJersey Outstanding Consulting Rosarian Award from Gus Banks.

Condolences can be sent to her husband:

Randy Hetrick 6356 Winterberry Drive Chambersburg, PA, 17202

Georgianna Papale –

Deepest Sympathy from Manhattan Rose Society to the family of Georgianna (Georgie) Papale who passed away in January. Georgie was a member of the Pittsburgh Rose Society and was the PennJersey District Treasurer. She will be greatly missed.

Photo courtesy of gardens.everybodyshops.com

Condolences can be sent to her family:

Family of Georgianna Papale 2371 Perricrest Drive Pittsburgh, PA, 15220

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Oldies but Goodies By Jason Capote

At our October dinner meeting, we had a roundtable discussion on roses that seem to be “fool proof,” i.e. roses that are both highly disease resistant and very winter hardy and vigorous for our climate. While there was a great deal of excitement about many of the new varieties to the market, many of our members, myself included, pointed out a few older varieties that, despite not being marketed as easy care varieties, are bullet proof and have withstood the test of time. Below is a list of roses, some being in commerce for over a hundred years, with a full description and a place to source them for anyone who wants to give these grand old gals a try for this spring.

Fragrant Memory aka Jadis – This rose, despite being very common back in the day, is perhaps one of the hardest roses to find on this list, and is one that is unfortunately facing the grim prospect of commercial extinction. That all aside, it is perhaps one of the easiest, disease resistant, cold hardy, heat tolerant, and vigorous hybrid teas to grow, with the capacity of a mature bush to reach heights of over 15 feet tall by the end of the growing season, dwarfing most climbers. After consulting with a rosarians across the country, it seems to be mutually agreed that it also one of the most fragrant modern roses ever, if not the most fragrant hybrid tea of all time carrying a heady old rose fragrance that can easily fill a small garden. As a result, I personally feel that it is a total shame that this rose is not widely available, but it can still be purchased as a rooted cutting from Roses Unlimited. From what I have been told from others, even as a small, rooted cutting, this rose is so vigorous that it will easily reach the size of a mature bush in only 3 years. (Photo courtesy of the editor.)

Maria Stern – Bred by the Brownell Family, Maria Stern, named in honor of the wife of the creator of Miracle Gro, is part of the Sub-Zero series of roses. It is truly a sturdy plant being ridiculously cold hardy (being able to survive Zone 4 winters with no protection), exceptionally disease resistant, and exceptionally heat tolerant, all while still having a mild fragrance. In my opinion, this rose also has the capacity to be used for exhibition and arrangement purposes as it has stiff, waxy petals creating flowers with a long vase life. So far I did not have any in bloom in time for a show, but I am holding out hopes for this year. Despite its top qualities, it is also not widely available running the risk of commercial extinction as there is currently only one supplier of this rose. It can be purchased budded from Jung Seed Co. (Photo courtesy of HelpMeFind.com)

Voodoo – Another hybrid tea that is exceptionally disease resistant and vigorous that when it was first launched in the 1980’s it was dubbed “Mr. Clean.” This rose is also very vigorous and it is not uncommon for mature bushes to reach heights of over 10 feet. It is also exceptionally heat tolerant and holds its color and form in temperatures over 90 degrees. This rose was also once a top national exhibition variety only recently being eclipsed by recent introductions such as Ring of Fire (which is not reliably cold hardy in our area). This fragrant, must have rose for the exhibitor’s arsenal can be purchased www.manhattanrosesociety.org Page 13 online from Jackson and Perkins, from Regan Nurseries, and can possibly be spotted by chance at a local nursery that sells varieties from Star Roses. (Photo courtesy of HelpMeFind.com)

Europeana – This rose is perhaps one of the best floribundas of all time and an archetype of the class, representing what a true floribunda should look like. It is very cold hardy, requiring no winter protection in our area. It is also very vigorous, very heat tolerant, drought tolerant, exceptionally disease resistant, and can be grown in organic conditions. It forms a round bush of about 3-4 feet high and round, sporting canes that produce trusses of anywhere from 3 to 15, 3-4 inch flowers. The rose also has longevity as there are specimens, such as the one in the photo, that are approximately 50 years old. This rose’s popularity has ebbed and flowed over time, but is considered widely available as it can be found at most local nurseries and big box stores in our area. (Photo courtesy of the editor.)

Hansa – This rose, as featured in a previous edition of Skyscrapers and Roses as the Odd Ball of the Month, is what most people would consider fool proof. Born from what is assumed to be a cross between Rosa Rugosa and an unnamed Hybrid Tea, this rose sports Hybrid Tea like flowers and is ridiculously cold hardy (hardy to Zone 3), drought resistant, heat tolerant, shade tolerant, rain tolerant, and is resistant to almost every fungal disease. It is also exceptionally vigorous and can even thrive in poor soil conditions and in polluted environments. In the days before the advent of ‘Knock Out’, The City of New York used this variety extensively across the five boroughs as plantings in medians along highways and boulevards and in city parks in industrial areas as it can also, from its Rugosa heritage, even withstand winter road salt making it an excellent planting for driveway edges. Because of its excellent cold hardiness, it is a perfect rose for a container rose garden in the city as it can be overwintered in a pot outdoors successfully with no, you read that right, no winter protection. This mainstay can be found at practically every local nursery and big box store in our area. No need to break the bank on this gal, she usually shows up in large quantities at Home Depots in black pots for 10 bucks in early Spring. Don’t be dismayed if plants for sale have brown canes; as a Hybrid Rugosa, it canes are not evergreen like other modern rose varieties. (Photo courtesy of the editor.)

The Fairy – A mainstay of gardens and the posterchild of Polyantha roses since its introduction over 80 years ago. This rose grows into a low growing shrub that sends out large sprays of miniature flowers. Because of its cascading and trailing growing habit, as well as its well above average cold hardiness, this plant is excellent for containers requiring little protection to be overwintered outdoors successfully. It also has excellent disease resistance and is also both heat and rain tolerant and has been known to thrive even in poor soil conditions. While not necessarily rare in our hobby, it can be hard to find in local nurseries but may occasionally appear in small numbers at Home Depot. This rose is available as a budded plant, grown by Weeks Roses, sold online by Regan Nurseries and Edmunds Roses. (Photo courtesy of HelpMeFind.com) www.manhattanrosesociety.org Page 14

Cecile Brunner – another excellent polyantha that has been growing in people’s gardens for almost 140 years. This rose has both a bush and climbing form with the climbing variant being more cold hardy then the bush form and able to send out 20 foot canes to scramble high into tree limbs. Unlike other polyanthas, Cecile Brunner grows into a fairly large shrub growing approximately 6 feet tall and 4 feet wide at full maturity. Both the bush and climbing forms produce canes sporting clusters of anywhere between 15 and 40 light pink flowers the size of your pinky nail. Like Europeana, this bush has longevity, with a specimen at Great Neck House believed to be original to the garden. This rose is disease resistant, heat tolerant, drought resistant, and rain tolerant. One note that was mentioned at the dinner meeting, for this rose to repeat bloom, it must be properly deadheaded, with the cut made at the nearest bud eye below the bottommost flower on each cane. While the climbing variant is readily available in local nurseries, in big box stores and from a multitude of online retailers, the bush form is quickly facing commercial extinction. At the time of this writing, only Heirloom Roses sells the non-climbing, original, Cecile Brunner as a rooted cutting. (Photo courtesy of HelpMeFind.com)

New Dawn – This hardy climber is the first climber registered with the ARS and possibly still the best climber ever, being a standard setter. It is also the first plant ever to be patented with the US Patent Office. This very vigorous climber is cold hardy, heat tolerant, drought resistant and rain tolerant. It is also extremely vigorous and disease resistant, being able to send out canes that can climb into trees and cover city town houses. This rose is also shade tolerant and will rapidly grow in shady areas in its ever increasing search for light. Like Hansa, there is no need to break the bank when it comes to purchasing this rose. Nearly every online retailer, local nursery, and big box store is stocked with New Dawn in the early Spring, and Home Depot in particular is notorious for having a plethora of them marked for 10 bucks in black pots. (Photo courtesy of HelpMeFind.com)

Climbing Iceberg – Unlike its non-climbing counterpart which has much to be desired in terms of disease resistance and cold hardiness outside of the Southwest, its climbing sport is a superstar here in New York City climbing over brownstones and converted factories gracing them with their pure, stark white flowers, blooming from mid-Spring to hard freeze. Unlike its non-climbing variant, Climbing Iceberg is highly disease resistant, very cold hardy, and fragrant. There were times I seen bushes that are in bloom until early January provided that the bush is mature and the temperatures do not drop below 30 degrees. Climbing Iceberg is available from Jackson and Perkins online and from most nurseries and big box stores. Its only downside is that it only blooms on “mature wood,” and as such the first flowers on new plants will not appear until late August, and the first flush may be delayed in Spring, if a gardener is over zealous with their pruning. (Photo courtesy of the editor.)

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Odd Ball of the Month

Trade Name: ‘Mother of Pearl’ Exhibition Name: ‘Mother of Pearl’ Classification: Grandiflora Official Color: Light Pink Hybridizer: Alain Meilland Year Introduced: 2007 Zones: 6 – 9 Disease Resistance: Extremely Resistant Why it’s Unusual: Unusual Color Despite being officially classified as a light pink rose, this rose always presents itself as an apricot rose with orange-pink undersides to its petals. In the cooler weather of the later autumn months, this rose can even present itself as a pale, pastel orange. Despite having absolutely no fragrance, this rose is a superstar in the garden and a must have in the rose exhibitor’s and rose show arranger’s arsenal. It is extremely disease resistant (it rarely gets disease and when it does, it tends to just abscise its leaves and produce fresh, disease-free leaves in a few days), it is incredibly vigorous, rain tolerant, heat tolerant, and yes, even shade tolerant as the specimen in the photo only receives about 3 hours of direct light and 2 hours of indirect light a day. In our area, it also produces perfect exhibition form flowers every time and its flowers have an exceptionally long vase life of over a week. Because of these qualities, Mother of Pearl is one of the few roses developed for the home garden that have crossed over into the floral trade as its cut flowers can be purchased by the dozen in Manhattan’s Flower District alongside other garden roses turned florist roses such as Voodoo, Let Freedom Ring, and Tiffany, making them ideal for floral arrangements.

Jason Capote

Photo and Description provided by the Editor

Do you have a favorite odd ball rose in your garden, or one you like to frequent in the garden of a neighbor, friend, or in a public garden? If so, submit your own, original, non-color adjusted photographs via email to [email protected] with the subject title Odd Ball of the Month. In the body of the email, please include your name, the name of the rose that you are submitting, indicate if you are the grower of the rose and, if not, credit who is, and give a brief description of why you love it! Roses eligible for entry include all those listed in the ARS Handbook for Selecting Roses as Mauve, Apricot, and Russet as well as those blended varieties that exhibit colors that do not exactly match their Handbook color description, such as those which have tones of yellow-orange, green, gray, brown, those Pinks and Pink Blends that appear to be magenta, and those that are so deeply colored that they seem to approach “black”. Also considered are any blends that are a combination of three or more colors, those that are an unusual and striking paring of two colors, and roses of any color that exhibit an unusual fragrance, growth pattern, bloom size or form. The best photos will be selected by the editor to appear in our monthly newsletter under this column as a digital rose show. Enter your favorites today! www.manhattanrosesociety.org Page 16

Past Events

MRS October Dinner Meeting

On a beautiful October evening, the Manhattan Rose Society held its annual dinner meeting at il Riccio restaurant featuring the cuisine of the Amalfi coast. Not only was the food just wonderful, but so was our roundtable discussion about great roses to grow in our area. Everyone was so enthusiastic to pitch in on what they think were some of the best new roses to grow in our area. Some names that came up frequently were Bathsheba, Celestial Night, Sweet Spirit, Arctic Blue, Frida Kahlo, At Last, and The Ancient Mariner, all of which are excellent odd ball colored roses which will be featured in future editions of this newsletter. We also discussed many old time favorites to grow, a discussion that was so lively that I decided to post the highlights of the discussion in the article above for those of you that missed the meeting. At the close of the meeting, Pat Shanley was awarded by the ARS New York District for all her years of service by out- going ARS New York District Director and Incoming ARS Region 1 Director Ann Gibson. Pat’s extensive service to the American Rose Society includes her time as the ARS New York District Director, the ARS Vice President, and ultimately for her service as the ARS President with her continuing service to the American Rose Society as a continued nonvoting member of the ARS Board of Directors as a Past President chairing and serving on a multitude of committees. It was an exciting evening that I am thankful that I didn’t miss.

Jason Capote

MRS Holiday Party at Stone Cottage

The Manhattan Rose Society held its annual holiday party and open house at Stone Cottage, home of Pat Shanley and John DelVecchio. There was good food, good raffle prizes, good music, and most importantly, excellent conversations and excellent company. Their home was beautifully decorated, and a group of us were caroling on through the night. It is definitely not an event to miss. See you all there again next year!

Jason Capote

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Special Report: ARS National Rose Convention in San Diego

The ARS National Convention in San Diego was filled with excitement and fun filled memories. It featured a tour to the historic Balboa Park Rose Garden as well as private gardens of its local members allowing us to see how they grow roses in the Southwest. There was a beautiful rose show, a plethora of speakers, a live auction of rare roses hosted by the California Coastal Rose Society, the installation of the new ARS Board of Directors and many tears at the dinner party held in Pat Shanley’s honor to commemorate her service as the outgoing President of the ARS before welcoming in the new ARS President Bob Martin. There was too much going on to list everything that happened in full detail so I will let a few of the photos I took of the convention do the talking!

Jason Capote

Clockwise top left to bottom right:

The incoming 2018-2021 ARS Board of Directors

John Mattia giving a talk on rose photography

Live entertainment at Friday’s dinner.

Convention attendees visiting Balboa Park Rose Garden

Jerry Mathers from Leave it to Beaver present for the auctioning of a rose in his name on Sunday

Pat Shanley receiving an award from ARS President Bob Martin for her years of service as ARS President. www.manhattanrosesociety.org Page 18

Important Announcements from the Manhattan Rose Society

MRS Membership Dues Year Changes!

The Board of Directors has voted to approve changing the membership dues year from date of joining/renewal to July 1st– June 30th.

The dues will remain the same - $30 for one year, $55 for 2 years.

You will be receiving an email about your membership renewal in the near future. Many thanks for your membership and support of Manhattan Rose Society!

Pat Shanley MRS Membership

MRS Elections for the 2019-2021 Board of Directors

Below is the slate of Officers and Directors for the Manhattan Rose Society as proposed by the MRS Nominating Committee. We will vote on the proposed slate during our May meeting, and, if approved, our new officers and directors will be installed at our annual October dinner meeting to serve for the 2019-2021 term of office.

Proposed 2019-2021 Slate of Officers & Directors

President – Pat Shanley Vice President – Marjorie Marcallino Secretary – Open Treasurer – Louis Arce Immediate Past President – Carole Kennedy

Directors:

Henry Manifold Dan Simas Gene Waering Jason Capote

www.manhattanrosesociety.org Page 19

“The Sustainable Rose Garden” Winner of the 2012 World Federation of Rose Societies Literary Award

PRICE REDUCTION!! Now available!! Order from Pat Shanley, [email protected] for $20.00 including shipping & handling. This is a book that you will enjoy on your first reading and go back to time and again over the coming years. Checks should be payable to Manhattan Rose Society, mailed to PO Box 442, Locust Valley, NY 11560

www.manhattanrosesociety.org Page 20

PATRON LIST – 2019

The Manhattan Rose Society wishes to take this opportunity to thank all of our Patrons for their support and ask that you consider contributing whatever you can for 2019, to help us finance the programs and events we are planning for you for the coming year. Many corporations offer matching contributions to not-for-profit organizations. If your corporation has such a program please notify them of your contribution so that we may benefit from their generosity as well. All contributions are tax deductible as provided by law. All contributions for 2019 will be acknowledged in each issue of Skyscrapers & Roses. All attendees of the 2018 Holiday Cocktail Party are Patrons for 2019.

PATRONS 2019

Diamond - $1000+

Pat Shanley John DelVecchio Anonymous

Platinum Plus - $500+

Platinum - $100+

Elizabeth Beck Augustine & Rosalie Capote

Jason Capote Justin & Courtney Capote Ann & Joe Gibson Angie & Mike Nudo Marjorie Marcallino Nancy Marr Xiao, Kevin and Oliver Ryan Dan & Carol Simas Angelika Swantek

Gold $50+

Louis Arce John & Jill Cardillo Cathy & Bob Guzzardo Carole Kennedy Susan Lacerte, Archie Hobson Ellen Minet Shauna Moore Toni Simoneti Sharon Stack June Stoyer

Silver $25+

Skyscrapers & Roses is a publication of the Manhattan Rose Society www.ManhattanRoseSociety.org Editor: Jason Capote, [email protected] Submissions welcome www.manhattanrosesociety.org Page 22

Manhattan Rose Society A Not-For-Profit Organization Affiliated with the American Rose Society www.ManhattanRoseSociety.org

MANHATTAN ROSE SOCIETY MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION Mr. Mrs. Ms. Name ______Address ______Phone ______E-Mail ______

Are you a member of the American Rose Society? Yes No Are you a member of any other Rose Society? If so, which one(s)? ______Membership: 1 Year 2 Year Single $30 , $55 Additional Household Member - $10 , $20

Contributions are gratefully accepted. I wish to contribute______to the Manhattan Rose Society The Manhattan Rose Society is exempt from federal income taxation under Section 501 (c) of the Internal Revenue Code and contributions to the society are tax deductible to the donor as provided by law. Please make check payable to Manhattan Rose Society and mail to: Pat Shanley PO Box 442 Locust Valley, NY 11560 ********************************************************************************** AMERICAN ROSE SOCIETY MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION First Name ______Last Name ______Address ______City ______State ______Zip ______Phone ______E-mail______Membership Classifications: CATEGORY 1-Year 2-Year 3-Year Life Regular Member $49 $95 $140 $1000 Regular Joint $62 $117 $170 $2000 Senior Member $46 $89 $132 $500 Senior Joint $59 $114 $169 $1000 Youth (each) $10 $20 $30 N/A Corporate $250 $500 $750 N/A (Joint membership is one individual and one associate residing in the same household.) Please allow 6 - 8 weeks for your first magazine to arrive.

Please make check payable to American Rose Society and mail to: Pat Shanley PO Box 442 Locust Valley, NY 11560

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