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President's Messages 1996-1997
Paul F. Zimmerman
What follows is a series of
"President's Messages" written for The Rose Reporter,
which is the newsletter for the Tinseltown Rose Society.
I was President for two years, during which time these
were written. I don't claim them to be important
to roses, but they are an interesting snapshot of a
time.
Message
#1. In which I talk about following our first
President - Tommy Cairns.
Message
#2. What I hope to do with the Society during my
two year term.
Message
#3. "The Rose Spreads its Wings" - The new
landscape roses.
Message
#4. Exhibiting Roses.
Message
#5. Roses and Camaraderie.
Message
#6. Why it's important to volunteer at Public Rose
Gardens.
Message
#7. Welcome back from summer break.
Message
#8. Rosarians and what brings us together.
Message
#9. Why we should join the American Rose Society
Message #10. It's been a year already!?
Message #11. Our Christmas Party and a new year.
Message #12. Roses and Perennials.
Message #13. We install the Beverly Hills Celebrity Rose
Garden.
Message #14. Restoring The Huntington Botanical Garden
Rose Study Plot.
Message #15. Organic Rose Growing.
Message #16. Preparing to break for summer.
Message #17. Back from summer and we go International.
Message #18. We do our first rose show.
Message #19. Goodbye.
Message #1
In another life, another frame of mind it’s
rumored I used to do what is known as Stand-Up-Comedy.
This is an unusual form of self-flagellation in which
one actually thinks he, or she, can convince a room full
of strangers that he, or she, is the holder of the key
to their funny bone. Now while the world of comedy and
the world of roses are far apart, at least as far apart
as I can make them, there is one valuable lesson I am
finding very useful as I begin my term as President. It
is; how do you follow a really great act.
You see, I have face the double edged sword
of succeeding not only our first President buy also a
great President. And while I can, and do, congratulate
all of us for helping make The Tinseltown Rose Society
successful beyond anyone’s expectations deep down inside
I am aware that Tommy with plenty of help from Luis was
the gravitational force that drew everyone in. In his
shadow I was given the freedom and protection to find my
own voice and views. For this he has my gratitude and
respect both as a President and as a person. Not many
rosarians are as open to different points of view and
for this we are a healthier society. Yet now I find
myself in the forefront and with the spotlight comes the
responsibility of knowing I must keep the momentum he
built going.
Which brings me back to my stand up comedy
analogy. When following a really great act there is a
little trick. It’s this. Take the energy and rhythms
they have created, match and continue it. In other
words try to change as little as possible in what the
audience perceives is occurring on stage. And this is
part of my intention as your President. Tommy has
embarked us on a exemplary course. I see no reason to
veer the ship. This is exactly what a good stand up
comedian would do. But not a great stand up comedian.
No, a great stand up comedian matches the
dynamic but then slowly introduces the audience to his
own energy, thoughts and rhythms, all the while allowing
the echoes of the previous performer to resonate. One
builds and expands on what has gone on before. This is
the responsibility I feel you have placed in me by
electing me your President.
As most of you know I have my own way of
looking at things and tend to be very verbose about it.
As Tommy has, and is, about his. And while he and I
might seem to have different opinions on some things we
do share one very important thing. Friendship. And
with our friendship comes respect. And with that
respect comes a healthy and dynamic spiritedness I feel
personifies what is great about our rose society.
Yet, as I freely champion my opinions just
as I always have I am also deeply aware that now even
more so I must champion others. And so I shall. We are
diverse individuals within a singular group. Some like
to landscape with roses, some prefer to grow them by
themselves. Some like Modern Roses some like Antique,
or English, or Miniature. Some use chemicals, some
organic. Some fuss, some let the roses grow as they
will. And this year we introduce an energizing new
facet to our rose society in the form of exhibiting.
All these points of view have found a home in The
Tinseltown Rose Society and as we build towards hosting
Rose Odyssey 2000 I shall make sure they continue to do
so.
In that other life and other frame of mind I
used to get nervous waiting to follow that great
performer. But then, as now, I feel confident once I
begin. Because after all, the joy of following a
virtuoso is you all ready have an enthusiastic audience.
Back
Message #2
Great
events and lots of new members to boot.
This past month the Tinseltown Rose Society
board got together at Tania Norris’ house. It was set
up as an informal “get our feet wet and toss about some
ideas” meeting. As I said in last month’s message we
are a diverse society and both Tania and I felt it would
be good to get some input as to the kinds of things we
as a society would like to do this year.
Our goal is to schedule a broad diversity of
events to appeal to the rose grower in all of us. I
feel with all the surge in new membership (almost ten at
the January meeting alone!) it’s important that we all
feel our particular rose interest is addressed. We are
all to quick to say no one would be attracted to this or
that event when the only basis we use for the statement
is we would not be interested in it. It’s wrong to plan
things based only on the criteria that this will appeal
to the most members. Invariably members will feel left
out. The balance should be between a few large events
to appeal to everyone with smaller “special interest”
events sprinkled in between. I feel we’ve done so.
We have two large events folks will like.
This fall we will are taking Syl Arena up on his
generous offer to go to Wasco to view his growing
fields. Going in the fall enables us to see the fields
in full bloom. Syl is a great host so this will be a
wonderful trip.
This spring we are going down to the
District Convention enemas. We are arranging a bus trip
down to see the rose show, have a private Tinseltown
dinner, do the garden tours, attend lectures, the big
banquet and for the main event be entertained by our own
Luis Desemaro at the same festive repast. If you have
not been to a convention this is a wonderful chance to
attend one in a way that will ensure you get the most
out of it.
Sprinkled in are plans for a garden tour to
The Huntington Garden with tea in the tea room. The
Huntington is known for all their roses but boasts one
of the best English Rose Collections in the country. We
will try to combine this with a trip to Hortus Nursery
where you can purchase many English Roses as well as
perennials to plant with them. Also Descanso’s new rose
garden is coming into maturity and is something many of
us will want to see. Tours of member’s homes is also on
our list as well as some hands on sessions on pruning,
making cuttings of your favorite roses etc. If you have
ideas make sure you pass them along to Tania or myself.
We know this sounds like a lot but as I said above we
don’t expect everyone to attend everything. Pick and
choose the events you like and if 15 people show up it
will be considered a success.
Now I’m going to take a moment to brag. You
figure a two year old society has about reached most of
the folks in the area that are interested in roses.
Wrong! At Tommy’s Mordigans pruning demonstration we
had a lot of people come up to us to get membership
applications. As I handed them out I thought to myself,
if a quarter of these people show up it will be great.
Well, almost everyone showed up. To the point where the
last meeting was standing room only! So a round
of applause goes to all the members of Tinseltown Rose
Society for creating the energy that keeps drawing them
in.
Last but not least welcome to all our new
members. I hope in the years to come you find a home
with us here at Tinseltown. And as you quickly notice
when you attend a meeting our members are very
outspoken. Please do not hesitate to join right in.
Back
Message #3
The Rose
Spreads Its Wings
A quote. “One of the most distinct and
wholesome effects of the spread of garden knowledge and
love of flowers that has filled the land of late years
is the demand for good garden Roses. By the term
‘garden Roses,’ is meant Roses for ordinary garden
use,...”
Sound like something you’re hearing lately?
Guess again. This was taken from the book “Roses For
English Gardens” written by Gertrude Jeckyll in 1902.
I’m reminded of the quote because as I leaf through the
latest issue of the “American Rose” (the official
publication of the American Rose Society) I can’t help
but be struck by the ads now featuring “landscape
roses”.
On the inside cover is a full page, full
color ad for “Roses that border and landscape”. It
offers “rose lovers an entirely new way of looking at
their favorite flower”. On the back cover my eye is
caught by an ad for “Carefree Delight” a disease
tolerant perky pink rose also for the landscape. While
I don’t know if I would use the term “perky pink” to
describe anything, it all points towards a trend. Just
as Ms. Jeckyll wished for ninety four years ago, Roses
are coming out from behind the boxwoods to take their
rightful place back in the general garden. And not just
“landscape roses” but all roses. Including hybrid teas
for those of you who think I am just writing an
anti-hybrid tea message here.
This is a good thing for roses. Too many
articles are written in gardening magazines about how
difficult it is to grow roses; they get disease, they
don’t open, they look ugly. This trend in roses that
the gardener can plant and forget about will only lead
others to be try them who might not have a few years
ago. And they, just like us, will be bitten by the rose
bug.
This is also a good thing for rose
societies. A few years ago I wrote an open letter to the
American Rose Society citing what I felt was a
stagnation both in the society and in the way roses were
being viewed and produced. While I take no credit for
affecting the current trend I feel that just as the rose
is opening up to new uses, so will rose societies to
gardeners who’s interest is triggered by this same
trend. Gardeners who in the past might not have joined
a rose society.
But the past dies hard. And since this is
my column I’m going to indulge in a little story. It’s
about a person who went to a rose society with a new
found enthusiasm triggered by the current revival of Old
Garden Roses for the landscape. She arrived at the
meeting bringing both enthusiasm and the gift of yet
another way of growing the flower we all love.
Approached by a current member she was welcomed and
asked what roses she had. She mentioned several Old
Garden Roses. But then something sad happened. The
current member turned their nose into the air, huffed
out the words, “oh, you like those roses” and turned
away. The new member left, never to return; taking with
her, her gift and enthusiasm.
It’s a unhappy tale isn’t it?
Back
Message #4
Exhibiting Roses
In the next couple of months we as a society
are going to embark on our first rose show. For those
of you not familiar with this, rose showing is about
displaying roses in predetermined categories and having
them judged. The categories and the judging follows set
guidelines and we are lucky enough to have two people in
our midst who are among the best at it. That they are
willing to share this knowledge with us only enhances
our society.
Up to now I’ve not said much about rose
showing primarily because I’m fairly ignorant about it.
I never shown roses mainly because I enjoy the gardening
aspects of our hobby and chose to pursue it in that
setting. But as our society begins to include this
aspect of our hobby I’d like to offer up some words.
We as rose growers owe a huge debt of
gratitude to those who exhibit. The range of
horticultural knowledge and products concerning rose
growing is enormous. More so than for most other
ornamental plants. I feel this is due in most part to
the high standards of judging and the focused
competition at rose shows. Exhibitors constantly strive
to be the best. To do this they continually tinker with
feeding, spraying and planting techniques. We as
hobbyist growers all benefit from this and I tip my hat
to them.
The flip side of this is one I’ve noticed
during my membership in The American Rose Society. It
is too easy to apply the standards used to judge
exhibition roses as the standards used to judge
all roses. By this I mean roses some as
hobbyist/gardeners grow in the garden for their own
pleasure. Petal count, stem length, form; are all
words that will be added to our rose vocabulary. They
are good words for a certain type of rose. The
exhibition rose. They don’t necessarily apply to garden
roses. There words like growth habit, fragrance, subtly
of color, remontant, constant blooming come into play.
Remember this as you visit other people’s gardens. A
rose that is wonderful for the garden might not be good
for the exhibition table and to judge it by exhibition
standards is unfair to the rose and the rose grower. (I
might add the same applies in reverse) Especially
remember this as you interact with members who might not
have as much experience growing roses as others. There
is plenty to learn without having to live up to very
high standards achievable only after years of
experience.
I personally will not fall into the trap of
saying growing roses for exhibition is superior to
growing them in the garden or vice a versa. That is
fractious debate and has no place in what is supposed to
be a fun hobby. Growing roses for and then exhibiting
them is merely another way of enjoying our hobby.
Nothing more and nothing less. It is foolish for any of
us to say this or that is the highest form of our hobby
and while I’m President I will do my best to calm such
conversation. It is discourse that can only serve to
divide.
So as we begin showing roses within the
Tinseltown Rose Society I plan to be right in there with
encouragement and enthusiasm. Then, as we move into
competing with rosarians outside of our society I’ll be
there to root us on in our endeavors. I’m proud of our
society, I’m proud of our members but most of all I’m
proud that we all respect each other no matter how we
choose to enjoy our roses.
So, let the games begin.
Back
Message #5
For those of you who didn’t attend last
month’s meeting you missed the tidal wave of enthusiasm
from the folks who went down to San Diego. Person after
person described the trip, what they enjoyed the most
and what in their own rose enthusiasm was sparked. As I
listened to their stories I was struck by several
things.
The first was that even after two and half
years the members of Tinseltown Rose Society are, if
nothing, more enthusiastic than ever about rose growing
and roses. I been in other organizations which start
out with great energy but than it shortly wanes down to
a hard core few. Eventually even they begin to trickle
out; finding other things to occupy their time. We seem
to be taking the opposite tack. I was also struck by
the fact many of the stories I listened to that day were
being related by new members. Some of whom have only
joined just recently. Their enthusiasm is very catching
and reminds me of why we started this rose society in
the first place.
Not to be outdone were the original members
who went. Their stories and energy matched the
newcomers. I enjoyed listening to some of these
original members who’ve been growing roses for a long
time, yet somehow managed to find a new passion in a
particular area of rose growing. A budding hybridizer
comes to mind. Amongst all of this was one thing
standing out in particular. Camaraderie.
This same enjoyment of camaraderie is
evident at the meetings. Sure everyone comes for rose
information but I secretly suspect many of us enjoy the
break as much as any other moment of the meeting. That
break is a chance to visit with other members, catch up
on news and talk about our own rose gardens.
The Huntington trip is further proof of
this. When I began planning I cautiously made 32
reservations which I quickly had to scramble to bring to
a total of forty. All of the response has talked about
seeing the rose garden and seeing Hortus but most of it
has been about having tea together. Like San Diego the
lure of the roses brings us in but the camaraderie is
what I suspect we are looking forward to.
This is a part of gardening we do not talk
about much but is very important. Gardeners are very
social people and enjoy nothing more than spending long
hours discussing this rose or that plant or this soil.
Perhaps a discourse over tea on the latest water wand we
found. Probably boring to the outsider but to us a
wonderful way to occupy our time. I believe sharing how
we garden is as important to us as gardening itself.
I have two friends who garden actively and
when we get together for dinner or wine it’s always set
up with, “well we need to get together”. I’ll go over
to their house, they will generously pour a glass of
wine and before we know it it’s off to the garden talk
we go. The latest plant we found, the latest rose to
bloom, the latest project being planned; are things
discussed over in great detail and with much relish. To
the point where Pam will ask in advance if this is going
to be a social get together or a garden session.
It’s nice to be in a hobby where people are
this generous with information. Where two gardeners
from totally different backgrounds can come together and
immediately strike up a friendship. As we ease into
summer and we take a break from the meetings be sure to
pick up the phone and stay in touch with each other.
Just because we take a break from events is no reason to
take a break from the camaraderie.
Back
Message #6
Our recent trip to the Huntington has got me
to thinking. One of the remarks I kept hearing from
folks as we toured the grounds was that it would be nice
if more help was available for the rose garden. Clair
Martin with his limited staff does a great job but there
is simply not enough of them.
Interestingly what the Huntington goes
through is not unusual in regards to public rose
gardens. Exposition Park serves as good example. I
quite often read about how this public garden is in
disrepair or how this one can’t replace a lot of bushes
that have died. While this is sad enough, it’s not what
I’m thinking about.
What I’m thinking about is why do we as
rosarians allow this to happen? The Huntington and
other public gardens are not just pretty things to look
at, more importantly they are repositories for our rose
history. A lot of the roses planted in these gardens
are no longer in commerce and if we lose them in the
public gardens we run the risk of losing them forever.
I mentioned the rose garden at exposition
park earlier. It serves as a good example. Languishing
in the midst of this vast rose garden are probably many
wonderful varieties of Hybrid Teas no longer available
and possibly thought lost forever. To compound the
problem many are now unlabeled and who knows if an
original plot plan exists.
So what do we as rosarians do to minimize
this? Simple, volunteer. Clair Martin, and a host of
other public gardens, rely heavily on volunteers to pick
up the slack. For the volunteers it’s a wonderful
opportunity to learn a lot about roses. With this in
mind I think it would be nice if the Tinseltown Rose
Society set up a volunteer group consisting of our
members. Once a month we would gather together those
who can make it and go to the Huntington for a few
hours. To my knowledge no other rose society volunteers
enemas like this.
I’m going to propose we volunteer to work in
the rose study plot mainly because it needs work and
most of the other volunteers prefer to be in the main
garden. There are some beautiful roses back there
ranging from Old Garden all the way to modern and new
introductions. I’m suggesting the Saturday after the
meeting as a day to go. I’ll act as coordinator and the
best is to call me if you are interested. (213)
651-2427. Every month I’ll sign up those who want to go
and we will see if we can set up some car pools. It’s
best to plan this for the morning as the afternoons in
Pasadena can get quite hot. I think if we arrive by 10
AM it should give us plenty of time before the heat sets
in. If enough of you are interested in going earlier
that’s fine with me. Let me know.
I hope some of you will be interested enough
to at least come every now and then. I feel this is one
of the things that rose societies are all about. A
chance to enjoy each other’s company and learn a lot
about roses and rose care. Plus you will have a chance
to help care take a big piece of our rose history.
Back
Message #7
Our Rose
Society Goes Ka-Bloom!
Welcome back! I trust that all of you had a
wonderful summer break and the roses are getting ready
for the fall Bloom. We’ve devoted several articles in
this issue to help you prepare for this. As always if
you have questions make sure you catch one of us at the
meeting.
While we’ve been away your trusty Tinseltown
officers have not been resting. On the contrary we’ve
had a busy summer starting with finding a new meeting
place.
Why did we move? Because we’ve run out of
room at our old location! That’s right just over two
years old and we’re already bursting through the walls.
Very few rose societies have ever grown at this rate so
our thanks to all of you who keep coming to the
meetings. Our new location besides having more space
also boasts a kitchen, sure to be a popular location if
I know our members. Now if I can just find the key to
that wine cellar.....
A special thanks to everyone who attended
the dinner honoring Tom Carruth. Once again we showed
why we are such a vibrant society. During the event a
roll call was made of all rose societies in attendance.
When our name was read over thirty people stood up. No
other rose society came close. Tom is one of the folks
who has been supporting Tinseltown from the very start,
so on behalf of all us congratulations again on the AARS
award for “Scentimental”. We know there will be many
more to come.
Speaking of Tom’s our own Tommy Cairns flew
across the Atlantic recently to embark upon another
major assault of the British Rose Show scene. Let me
just say he came, he brought roses, he conquered all.
Once again we realize how lucky we are to have him and
Luis in our midst as we continue to gain in our own rose
show experience.
Don’t forget to bring your blooms for the
rose show. And remember folks, as much as anything else
these shows within Tinseltown are learning experiences.
By bringing in your roses you will learn a lot about not
only showing but about roses in general. I don’t want
to hear another person say, “I didn’t think my roses
could compete so I didn’t bring anything”. If we don’t
try we can’t learn, so get into the spirit and don’t
worry about winning or losing!
We tried to plan some events for this season
but if you have something you’d like to do or try please
let us know. Or maybe there is something from last year
you enjoyed and would like to repeat. Catch us at a
meeting or give us a call.
Last but not least some of you know I
started a rose nursery back in South Carolina and I’m
happy to report 1,580 roses were budded up this June.
At last report from Dufay all are doing well. Now we
pray for rain.
As you can see it’s been a busy summer for
all of us. I trust it was as well for all of you.
Right now I’m looking forward to a wonderful new season
with all of you. See you at the September meeting.
Back
Message #8
A recent trip to the Illinois/Indiana
district convention of the American Rose Society with
Tommy and Luis was my first sojourn to a rose function
out of the California area. The time I spent there was
wonderful; great hosts, great food and great company. I
realized rose growers are the same everywhere and our
rose growing hobby is the common thread of our
camaraderie. A new thread is an interest in “landscape
roses”.
I spoke about the David Austin English Roses
(which I like to group with what I call “Landscape
Roses”) but more so about using these and all roses in
the landscape. I met several rosarians who grow some
David Austin’s but the harder to find varieties are yet
to be found there. But the interest is. This does my
heart good as I feel using roses in the landscape is
something we here in America are just beginning to catch
on to.
The convention took place on the grounds of
the Chicago Botanic Garden; a beautiful location. Aged
weeping willows gracing banks of streams, masses of fall
flowers just coming into peak and a rose garden wearing
it’s last bloom cycle of the year. The highlight for me
was a English Walled Garden designed by John Brookes.
Well laid out, planted and maintained it’s a showpiece
for any Botanic garden. Yet I did not see many of the
English or Landscape Roses.
We are lucky here in Southern California to
have The Huntington Garden with it’s collection of David
Austin Roses. Arguably the largest public collection in
the country. Also blessing us are nurseries such as
Limberlost and Hortus that strive to make all the
varieties available to us.
Also blessing us here is our weather. I
talked to several rose growers in Chicago who due to the
severe winter lost almost one quarter of the bushes in
their garden. When one has some 200 bushes, having to
replace 50 is a daunting task. Something unheard of in
our climate. We are also blessed with a year around
growing climate giving us ample time to grow our roses
into their best.
Let us not forget our Tinseltown Newsletter;
The Rose Reporter. We have a lot of members in the
Illinois/Indiana district who join because of the
knowledge contained in these pages. It’s flattering to
have my own words quoted back to me 2000 miles away from
home.
This is another thing binding rosarians
together. The desire to exchange ideas. While the Fans
of English Rose picked my brain on the varieties I
picked theirs on cold hardiness, pruning techniques and
winter protection. We discussed ways of growing
climbing roses in a climate that frequently freezes
things back to the ground. Using roses in the landscape
particularly the cold hardy Gallicas. Gallicas may only
bloom once per year for six weeks but if your season is
only 12 weeks long this does not matter. I look forward
to the fact that as my new Chicago friends continue to
expand their knowledge of Landscape Roses they will
continue to expand mine.
As I come away from this trip and continue
to write articles for The Rose Reporter I will do so
with a new sense of purpose and responsibility now fully
understanding we have an international audience. And I
hope that international audience will reciprocate by
sharing rose growing experiences in their climate with
us. As for my Chicago friends I’m counting on you to
teach this spoiled warm weather rosarian how the
Landscape Roses do in your area.
Thanks again for a truly wonderful time.
Back
Message #9
The ARS.
Several years ago I wrote a letter to the
“American Rose” the magazine that is the official
publication of The American Rose Society. In the letter
(which they published) I stated as a non-exhibiting,
light chemical spraying, Old Garden Rose lover I felt
left out by the American Rose Society. At the time the
magazine and the ARS seemed to me to be touting only one
kind of rose, grown for one result and dependant on an
arsenal of chemical weapons that would make Saddam
Hussein blush.
Fast forward to know and as I sit and read
my latest issue of American Rose I am to notice the
changes in the magazine and in The American Rose
Society. Changes I suspect that had little do with my
letter but brought about because the ARS is making a
good faith effort to appeal to all kinds of rose
growers. In my mind they are succeeding.
The latest issues contain articles about all
kinds of roses and all kinds of ways to grow them.
Consulting Rosarians are now required to attend seminars
to get caught up on the latest techniques of rose care.
The conventions are taking on a wider scope of interest
reflected in lectures, tours and other events. I’m
glad. This is the organization that ties Tinseltown to
all other rose societies and it’s vibrancy will only
serve to benefit all of us.
This is why I’m asking all my fellow
Tinseltown members who have not already joined the
American Rose Society to do so. They are making the
effort to reach out to us and we need to make the effort
to reach back. The dues are only $32 per year and
include a subscription to the monthly magazine as well
as the yearly Handbook for Selecting Roses. The
magazine is on glossy paper with beautiful color
photographs and lately is crammed with lot’s of good
information for rose growers.
Joining the ARS is simple. Just send a
check for $32 to the address below and be sure to tell
them you’re a member of the Tinseltown Rose Society!
The American Rose Society
P.O. Box
30,000
Shreveport, LA. 71130-0030
Let’s see
if we can become a rose society with 100% enrollment in
the ARS.
Back
Message #10
What A
First Year
I’d prepared a nice President’s message
about why we should all join the American Rose Society,
handed it into Luis when suddenly I got a call.
“Paul, this is Luis. Why don’t you write in
your President’s message about your first year?” “My
first year of what?” was my foggy reply. “Your first
year as President.”
Is it really a year already! I guess the
fact we are holding elections next month should be my
first clue but in all honestly this one slipped by me.
The events of the past five years have snowballed over
me like Frosty on an eating binge and now suddenly I
realize I’ve been President of a Rose Society for the
past year. Who would of Thunk it?
To start with I’m happy to say the rose
society is in fine shape. We added a lot of new members
this year, a cause very important to me. Without new
members and new energy we stagnate. In our ideas and in
our ways of doing things. Novice rose growers have this
wonderful unfiltered way of looking at things and from
this frequently come new thoughts. Our novice rose
growers certainly fit this description and I’m glad you
all decided to join Tinseltown Rose Society.
Everyone’s generosity towards the new
printer and other projects also means a lot to all of
us. It is about more than simply writing a check. It
tells the Tinseltown Rose Society is giving you more
than just information about growing roses.
Our new meeting place is also a hit and a
necessity. We have grown fast in our first three years
and Tommy for the first two and myself for the last one
are proud of this. The new meeting place was found just
in the nick of time. Even now we are filling it up.
Who knows what is next.
I am also proud of the diversity among us.
A diversity nurtured, encouraged, and accepted by all.
We are a rose society of very individual rose growers in
the way we grow and view them. But no one condescends
another and everyone keeps an open mind. Strengths
among us are encouraged and all the rest of us learn
from that person’s expertise. Not many rose societies
can make a claim like this. Too many are dominated by
one personality and one way of doing things. I feel
everyone has a home in our society.
We’ve had some wonderful events. The San
Diego Convention, The Day of Tea and Roses at the
Huntington Garden, open houses at member’s gardens, the
Wasco trip last fall; the list goes on and on. This
year we return to the Huntington and we add Descants
Gardens. A trip to Tiny Petals, Sue O’Brian’s miniature
rose nursery. Wasco again next fall. Member’s gardens,
The Huntington volunteer group, the celebrity rose
garden in Beverly Hills, pruning demonstrations all over
town, Tommy, Luis and I representing Tinseltown in
Chicago a few months ago, our rose shows growing more
wonderful by the month! It’s a quite a list of things
we did, do and will do.
Most of all I’m proud of the camaraderie all
of us find in the Tinseltown Rose Society. Yes we are
rosarians, yes we love roses, yes we love good food but
most of all we are all friends. One of the great joys
over the last three years has been watching friendships
develop and flourish among our members. People who
three years ago didn’t know each other now dine
together, go out together and gather together. This is
what makes our society so special.
Lastly I need to thank some folks. First of
all Tommy. When I took office I wrote a message about
our transition. Those words still hold true today. And
as Tommy now throws his hat into the ring for Vice
President of the American Rose Society let him know
Tinseltown Rose Society is behind him 150%. His
knowledge, enthusiasm, energy, and willingness to
embrace all the diverse aspects of rose growing can be
the American Rose Society’s gain. Let us hope it comes
to pass.
Luis Desemaro. Our treasure, our editor and
our silent backbone. Enough cannot be said about what
he does for this rose society. Most of you know a
little but very few know the full story of what he puts
into Tinseltown. Simply, thank you Luis.
Tania Norris is a godsend to me. I have a
lot on my plate and Tania is always there to help me
when it gets too full. Organizing the tours, buses,
running the raffle, the sales table and always coming up
with brilliant idea after idea she is what keeps this
President going.
Our Board of Directors help with all the
details so thank you Helen, Ray, Kathy, Mary Lou and
Tom. All those little things that need attention and
all your ideas help in so many ways.
Lastly our members. You make this fun. I
will confess there are some second Sunday’s of the month
when I do not feel like leaving the house after working
a sixty hour week but when I get to the meeting that all
fades away. I always leave energized and raring to go.
It’s been an honor to be your President for the past
year. Thank you.
Back
Message #11
Our third annual Christmas Party was quite a
success judging by the amount of folks who came and
amount of food consumed. I don’t know what the final
head count was but I suspect it was up in the sixties.
The caterers were constantly present bringing Hour
d-oeuvres, wine and spiced punch to members. I must say
I liked doing it with catering as it gave me a chance to
move more freely throughout the house and visit with
everyone. Even for a vegetarian like me food was a
plenty.
Tania again went all out with the
decorations and the house looked fully clothed in the
spirit of the Holiday Season. I secretly suspect Tania
enjoyed not having to set tables for dinner if for no
other reason if gave her more room to display her
wonderful collection of Christmas ornaments.
We handed out some certificates to several
members to recognize their many contributions to
Tinseltown. Helen Richards, Kathleen Dupree for their
help with the celebrity garden, refreshments during the
meeting and everything else I’ve forgotten. Ray Mossier
for his monthly trips to Orange County Farm Supply for
fertilizers. Kay Kaplan for organizing our planting,
pruning and caring of the rose garden at the West
Hollywood Sheriffs station. I plan to hand out many
more certificates during the year as so many of you do
so much.
Tommy and Luis gave wonderful trophies to
our big winners from the monthly rose shows. I was
impressed by the amount of different members who won as
well as how many novice rose exhibitors who collected
trophies. This shows just how quickly our members have
come along in rose showing. Keep up the good work!
It was my personal honor to award the
American Rose Society’s Bronze Medal for outstanding
service to a local rose society to Tommy Cairns. This
is the highest award we as a local rose society can give
to anyone and I cannot think of anyone more deserving
than Tommy. His constant encouragement and expertise
help make us one of the fastest growing societies in the
nation. Congratulations, Tommy!
Now we look forward to 1997. Look further
into this issue because we are trying to publish a
calendar of events far in advance. This is to give all
of you a chance to plan for the many events we will do.
Look for the Huntington/Descants day of tea and roses
and also look for out trip down to Sue O’Brians nursery
of miniature roses. We’ll squeeze in some member’s
gardens along the way and finish with a trip to Wasco in
the fall.
The Huntington care group for the Old Garden
Rose Study Plot continues to meet the Saturday after the
meeting. Please try and come if even just to help us
deadhead. There are a lot of roses back there. We are
also working on some potential big news with the City of
Beverly Hills so watch the newsletter for news on this.
On another front several years ago I wrote a
letter to the “American Rose” the magazine that is the
official publication of The American Rose Society. In
the letter (which they published) I stated as a
non-exhibiting, light chemical spraying, Old Garden Rose
lover I felt left out by the American Rose Society. At
the time the magazine and the ARS seemed to me to be
touting only one kind of rose, grown for one result and
dependant on an arsenal of chemical weapons that would
make Saddam Hussein blush.
Fast forward to know and as I sit and read
my latest issue of American Rose I am to notice the
changes in the magazine and in The American Rose
Society. Changes I suspect that had little do with my
letter but brought about because the ARS is making a
good faith effort to appeal to all kinds of rose
growers. In my mind they are succeeding.
This is why I’m asking all my fellow
Tinseltown members who have not already joined the
American Rose Society to do so. They are making the
effort to reach out to us and we need to make the effort
to reach back. The dues are only $32 per year and
include a subscription to the monthly magazine as well
as the yearly Handbook for Selecting Roses. The
magazine is on glossy paper with beautiful color
photographs and lately is crammed with lot’s of good
information for rose growers.
Joining the ARS is simple. Just send a
check for $32 to the address below and be sure to tell
them you’re a member of the Tinseltown Rose Society!
The American Rose Society
P.O. Box
30,000
Shreveport, LA. 71130-0030
Let’s see
if we can become a rose society with 100% enrollment in
the ARS.
Back
Message #12
Roses and
Other Plants
Something I am frequently asked is, “is it
okay to grow other plants among my roses?”. I can
understand why this question comes my way as I make no
bones about growing all kinds of plants in my garden -
not only roses. What puzzles me is why this question
needs to be asked in the first place.
I have yet to discover exactly when someone
decided roses should no longer be mixed with other
plants. (I do know that person should be flogged with
a wide variety of plant material) William Robinson in
his book “The English Flower Garden” complains, “There
is a great loss to the flower garden from the usual way
of growing the Rose as a thing apart,... The Rose is not
only ‘decorative’ but is the queen of all decorative
plants... The outcome of it all is that the Rose must go
back to the flower garden - its true place, not only for
its own sake, but to save the garden from ugliness.” He
was lamenting this back as early as 1838. Luckily
Gertrude Jeckyll came along with the cottage garden and
the rose found its way back into amongst the other
plants.
But it didn’t catch on. Others tried.
Graham Stuart Thomas planted the garden at Mottisfont
Abbey with a riot of perennials mixed in amongst the
roses. Vita Sackville West did the same at
Sissinghurst. Fast forward to today and David Austin
introduces “English Roses” which are roses meant to be
used in the landscape with other plants. The precedent
for plants with roses is there yet we still resist doing
so.
Even the way we speak seems to preclude this
from being done. “You shouldn’t mix roses with
other plants. Wait a minute! Aren’t they all
plants!? When did the rose move into it’s own group.
The Animal Kingdom, The Plant Kingdom, The Rose
Kingdom? I think not. Roses are plants the same as
foxglove, as a delphinium, as a baptisia and so on. And
as all plants mix well so do roses mix well with all
plants.
An issue frequently raised is that other
plants will compete with the roses for fertilizers and
nutrients. If this is the case then no plant should be
planted with another plant and our gardens should
consist of an azalea over there with a camellia close,
but not too close, by and a few impatiens planted at
least two feet apart on center. This is a look I
suspect no one wants in their own landscape.
“The other plants will cut off air
circulation increasing the chance of the roses getting
disease.” True but only if you let the plants grow wild
something any decent gardener won’t let happen in the
first place. Any flower garden requires maintenance and
one of the jobs is to make sure the plants are not
crowding each other out.
My point in writing this is I suspect many
of you would get that much more enjoyment out of your
roses and your garden if you began to incorporate all
kinds of plants into your garden. I love putting
together different combinations of textures and colors
in the garden - something I would not be able to do if I
grew only roses. There is also the factor of constant
surprise throughout the year as I have many plants that
emerge only at certain times. Lastly some rose blooms
are just that much more magnificent when set off against
the flowers of a companion plant.
So this year as you begin to re-plant parts
of the rose garden think about adding in a few other
plants. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, experiment
with different combinations, look at pictures and copy
what you like. Most of all have fun with your roses and
let your imagination run wild. After all, isn’t that
why we garden in the first place?
Back
Message 13
As most of you now know the rose garden in
Beverly Hills on Santa Monica boulevard has been totally
replanted. This was a combined effort of Tinseltown
Rose Society, The City Of Beverly Hills and Weeks
Roses. We also replanted two of the rose beds in Will
Rogers Park with the help of Jackson Perkins and Nor
East Miniature Roses. All in all it was a huge project
and I’d like to take a moment to say thank you to some
of the folks who made it happen.
We began talking about re-planting the
garden on Santa Monica boulevard almost two years ago.
As with anything of this size plans have to be made,
funds obtained and donations arranged. The City Of
Beverly Hills this year began restoring many of their
parks and when we got a call from the Parks Department
we were able to jump on it.
Bob Chavez is our contact at the Parks
Department and he has been wonderful to work with.
Bureaucracy can sometimes be tricky but Bob made sure
everything worked smoothly.
The varieties for the garden took some time
to work out but we knew we wanted to make the
centerpiece the two new roses George Burns and Gracie
Allen. It seems appropriate these two great
entertainers should be the focal point of a newly
renovated rose garden in Beverly Hills. This is where
Tom Carruth comes in. Tom as many of your know works
for Weeks Roses as a hybridizer and is a great friend of
the Tinseltown Rose Society. When contacted he
immediately said he did not feel it would be a problem
to arrange for the bushes and personally volunteered to
select the varieties with an eye towards disease
resistance, constant bloom and color. With in weeks
over 500 rose bushes were on their way to Beverly Hills
Rose Garden. Thank you ,Tom.
The newly renovated Will Rogers Park on
Sunset and Canon is also the recipient of several
donations of new roses. We’d like to thank John Walden
and the folks at Jackson Perkins for their generous
donation of roses. Also a bed of miniature roses
donated by Nor East Miniature Roses through the efforts
of John Seville and Ann Hooper. Thanks to all of you
for helping Tinseltown re-do these wonderful rose
gardens.
Last but not least I’d like to single out
some folks from Tinseltown. Tania Norris who began
going with me and by herself to meetings of the Parks
Department these two years ago. Our Tinseltown Board of
Directors for supporting our efforts and our members for
being excited about the project. It happened quickly so
I think many of you are just becoming aware of all the
activity.
The person I’d like to most thank from
Tinseltown is Tommy Cairns. He is the one who contacted
all the growers, gave Beverly Hills instructions on how
to prepare the soil and oversaw the project for
Tinseltown. These kind of projects are exactly what
Tinseltown and the American Rose Society are all about.
They bring the awareness of roses and rose growing to
the general public and the fact Tommy could arrange for
the donation and planting of well over 600 rose bushes
in so short a time is a testament to his leadership
skills. Thank you, Tommy.
Lastly I’m happy about the whole project
because of what it means for the Tinseltown Rose
Society. We are no longer a “new” rose society just
getting our feet wet. With these new public rose
gardens we’ve gone big time and it makes me feel good.
Contributing back to the community we live and work in
is just another way the Tinseltown Rose Society is
beginning to become a rose society to be reckoned with!
Back
Message 14
We are now into our fifth month of working
in the Huntington Old Garden Rose Study Plot and I’m
happy to report our numbers are growing every month.
The first time we went out myself and 3 brave souls came
out -- the latter trio not knowing what to expect. I
knew what we were in for having worked back there
before. As I also own a lot of Old Garden Roses I also
knew just how BIG they can become. In spite of a short
downpour all elected to stay and with in a short time we
were off and pruning.
Years of untouched neglect began to slowly
come off the long unkempt roses. We began with the
Chinas because they are the most forgiving. After a few
hours, backs beginning to get sore we stood to survey
the work. Two whole rows of roses now free of dead,
cluttering old wood, standing refreshed and green.
The next month saw the same trio plus a few
more. The excitement for the returning group was in
seeing the roses pruned last month -- how quickly they
respond to a little tender loving care. The two rows of
roses now wore new leaves with many of them all ready
back in flower. With enthusiasm the volunteers plunged
into the rest of the garden. Now five months later we
are through more than half of the Study Plot and the
roses pruned last fall are bursting forth with new buds,
growth and canes.
I ran into Clair Martin at Hortus nursery
recently and he made a point of telling me how pleased
he is with the work we are doing out there. This makes
me proud to be a member of our rose society. To know we
can take an area long neglected and with enthusiasm make
it come back to life.
This is also the kind of project I like
because we are combining a volunteer spirit with
something educational -- for amateur and experienced
rose grower alike. Many of you ask me how to prune the
Old Garden Roses and now with a little time one Saturday
a month everyone can learn. The constant questions I
get as we work of what is this rose, how long does it
bloom, where can I get it? -- Make the day more
enjoyable for me. I like these roses, I like the study
plot and I enjoy teaching others about them.
I realize 8:30 on a Saturday morning in
Pasadena comes around early but I think if more of you
come out will be in for an enjoyable day. The group now
out there is fun, we all have a good time and I plan to
start teaching everyone how to take cuttings and bud
roses. As the roses grow we’ll learn how to peg roses,
how to pillar them, make teepees for them - all the
little tricks that make Old Garden Roses perform to
their fullest.
To my ever expanding group of volunteers I
would like to say thank you for coming out and working
so hard. I do this for a living and it’s hard sometimes
to drag myself out of bed yet another early morning and
do it for free but your enthusiasm makes it all
worthwhile. To those of you who have not made it out
but are thinking about please do so. Even if to do
nothing but deadhead because with all the pruning going
long there are going to be a lot of roses bound to need
it.
Back
Message #15
Roses au’
Natural
There has been much talk lately about
organic rose growing vs. chemicals. Does it work? How
much harm do chemicals do to the environment? What do I
do if I want my roses to be perfect but not harm the
localized micro-environment I am creating?
I may have stirred up a little of this in
the last issue when I wrote about “Rose Defense” the new
product from Green Light based on Neem Oil. I said I
did not feel it worked and then went on to point out
that I had a far better affect with a logical
recommended dose spraying of funginex and orthene over a
three week period. What I did not make clear and what I
want to address is I am not saying give up on organics
completely.
Yet as someone who has raised roses
organically for about two and a half years now I need to
make one thing clear up front. Going organic entails
being willing to live with some damage due to insects
and disease. There is no other choice. You are not
going to get show quality foliage with only organics.
(Exactly why “show foliage” has to be perfect when
nothing in nature is, is another issue not to be
opened.... yet.)
Do organics work? If you grow roses in the
yard for landscape purposes, mixed in with other plants
and enjoy bringing blooms into the house upon occasion,
yes. Organics can help keep disease under control to
levels where the plants still look good in a garden
setting.
A good organic program is more about
prevention than anything. Healthy plants are the best
place to start. Like any living thing a healthy plant
can ward off disease better than a stressed one. Stress
can be created simply by a bad watering program, poor
dirt, no fertilizer, lack of sun. We’ve written
articles in the past about infrequent deep watering as
opposed to frequent shallow watering. Trust me, it
makes a difference. Many a time I walk into a new
client’s yard of sick looking roses and with a change of
the irrigation timer and a once a week deep water the
change is almost overnight.
Anticipate pests and fungus by observing the
time of year and the weather conditions. Spring is
aphid season. Upon first sighting release lady bugs,
spray with insecticidal soap, put up bird feeders to
bring birds into the yard. Cool moist nights? Mildew
is not far behind. Spray the Dr Tommy formula of 1 tbs
per gallon of water of baking soda, white vinegar,
canola oil and safer’s soap before you see it. Coming
into the fall rust season? Clean out the center of your
bushes to keep the air circulation up. Spider mite
season? Begin blasting the undersides of the leaves
with water before they settle in.
If you don’t mind combining chemicals and
organic (and I don’t) begin practicing Integrated Pest
Management (IPM). The theory is simple. Start with
organics and only escalate into chemicals when things
begin to get out of control. The theory also works in
reverse. For example in the spring when mildew is not
long in coming do a couple sprayings of Funginex 10 days
apart. Then back off. This will enable the bushes to
build up some immunity early and then coast along on the
organics. If the mildew gets out of hand do a couple
sprayings of funginex again to get it back under
control.
I don’t want to start preaching to everyone
about the best way to grow their roses. It’s a personal
choice and I feel it’s best left at that. I do feel
that those of us who do grow mostly organic should keep
the pressure on the manufacturers of sprays to give us
products that fill our need. This is why I applaud the
introduction of “Rose Defense”. I wish it worked better
but at least the Green Light company is trying. Perhaps
with some re-tooling they will get it right.
Back
Message #16
As we prepare to pause for the summer I
thought I’d pen a few words on the busy spring we have
all had. First this is one of the best springs I can
remember. We had good heavy rains in the winter to help
flush out the soil in the beds. February dawned crisp
and clear with none of the gloomy weather that brings in
the rust and the mildew. The weather continued into
March when the blooms began to open up. The cool
weather kept the colors strong and the blooms on the
stems for a long time. Our first major rose show of the
season was a reflection of this great bloom cycle. The
quantity and quality of the flowers was definite proof
of not only a great spring but also that our members are
starting to become good rose horticulturists.
The continued enthusiasm all of you show at
the meetings in terms of wanting to learn about growing
roses is very exciting to me. I notice that while the
questions continue to flow the complexity of them is on
the rise. It’s as though all of you have absorbed the
basics in terms of feeding, fungus and pests and are now
interested in the details. Details such as how to get
the most bloom out of your Old Garden Roses hence
questions on pegging, pillaring and tying climbing
roses. An increasing interest in gardening more
organically. This is also good because as insect
populations continue to dwindle in our over sprayed
agricultural environment the home garden is rapidly
becoming one of the last refuges for the creatures that
are so important to the plants we love so much. The
questions I constantly get on growing roses in the
landscape do my heart good. It’s showing that we are
all starting to look at roses as they should be looked
at – in the garden amongst the other plants where they
belong.
The interest in learning about growing roses
is carried into events such as the Huntington volunteer
group, attendance at pruning demonstrations, the turnout
at the West Hollywood Sheriff’s station rose garden and
the excitement about the prospect of pruning the new
Beverly Hills rose garden en masse come this winter.
The best way to learn about roses is hands on and your
willingness to do so is another indication of what a
dynamic society we have. Makes me proud.
Looking forward to the future we are
planning our first rose show this fall. Under Tommy and
Luis’ guidance.
Back
Message #17
While We
Were Out
Phew!
What a summer it’s been for the Tinseltown Rose
Society. You would think that after such a busy spring
we would all take the summer off and use it as a chance
to regroup but this was not to be.
First the big news. As some of you already
know our own Tommy Cairns won the election for Vice
President of the American Rose Society! We here at
Tinseltown are all very, very excited both for Tommy and
for the American Rose Society. While we will certainly
feel a little jealous about having to share him, it is
with our full support that we send him off to Shreveport
to be installed in October. Congratulations, Tommy!
The Tinseltown Rose Society went
International this summer with several tours abroad.
Some of us attended the 7th annual
International Heritage Rose Conference in Cambridge,
England the first week of July. As those of you who
watched Wimbledon this year know near record rains fell
but still the conference went off without a hitch.
Three days of lectures followed by two days of garden
tours gave all of us Old Garden Rose Lovers a very
satisfying week.
Another group from Tinseltown attended the
Ben-a-Lux convention in Belgium, Holland and
Luxembourg. From the reports I get back from those who
went it sounds like a grand time. Beautiful gardens, a
very successful rose show and tasty banquets.
I know some of you went over on your own and
I am looking forward to hearing all about it when we
meet again in September. We are trying to arrange a
slide show where we can all donate a few minutes to show
scenes from Tinseltown abroad.
On our home front Tania Norris graciously
represented Tinseltown during the formal dedication of
the Beverly Hills Rose Garden on Santa Monica Blvd.
Tommy and I were out of town and we thank Tania for
filling in for us. The Rose Garden continues to thrive
and we hope to use it this year for a giant pruning
demonstration. The Celebrity Rose Garden also continues
to bloom and the signs with the “stars” names are now
in. Go by and take a look before the September meeting.
September brings about a resumption of the
meetings and a host of other activities. For starters
the Huntington Group will start up again in September.
It’s been a few months since we’ve been there and I
shudder to think what the passion vines look like but
get in there we will. December will be time to prune so
those of you want to learn how to prune Old Garden Roses
should make plans to join us.
We are going to hold our first “open to the
public” rose show this fall and we will need a lot of
volunteers so be sure to sign up. We here at Tinseltown
like to do things first class and I want this inaugural
rose show to be a real winner. If we all put our
customary energy into it I know it will be. On a rose
show type note Tommy informs me Alice Hart went to the
Royal National Rose Show in England and walked away with
a number of prizes including several firsts. Her
biggest prize was in winning the amateur division. Way
to go, Alice!
What all this points to is just how far this
rose society has come in a short three and a half
years. From our first meeting where we wondered just
how many people would show up to now taking Tinseltown
all over the world. I can’t wait to see where we will
go from here.
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Message #18
It’s Show
Time!
This month Tinseltown embarks on quite an
endeavor: our first rose show that is open to everyone.
Most rose societies consider this first rose show to be
a milestone in the history of the group. Sort of like
saying we’ve arrived. I prefer to see it differently.
In my mind Tinseltown arrived a long time ago and the
show is another part of our evolution as an
all-encompassing rose society.
I make no bones about the fact I feel rose
societies need to appeal to all types of rose growers to
be successful. Stack the deck too much in one way or
another and you merely end up alienating an individual
who has something unique of their own to add. While
I’ve been President of Tinseltown I tried to be sure
this kind of attitude does not permeate our society.
And to the credit of all of our members it hasn’t.
This is why I am so proud of the way we are
doing this rose show. Peruse the rules and you will
notice that all the classes are present for everyone to
enter. But look a little further and you will find two
special classes I feel speak volumes about our rose
society.
One is the amateur division. This is open
to anyone who has not won a trophy at an ARS rose show.
I like this one because it speaks to the amateurs and it
addresses the very important idea that we as a rose
society must continue to appeal to novice rose growers
if we are to continue to expand. Not only continue to
expand but also to fully realize what we at Tinseltown
are truly trying to do. Promote the hobby of rose
growing in ALL of its facets. Rose shows are
intimidating. An amateur division gives the novice
exhibitor/rose grower a place to get their feet wet
without having to compete against exhibitors who have
been doing this a long time.
The other class I like is the class for
“members of The Tinseltown Rose Society who regularly
attend the monthly meetings”. It refers back to what I
spoke of above. We have a lot of new rose growers in
Tinseltown who might like to try their hand in a rose on
a small basis. This is the perfect class for you. All
of you who attend the monthly meetings are friends so
consider this a rose show among people you already know
and like. No pressure, you’ll learn something and get a
chance to get involved in a full scale rose show.
I encourage all our members interested in
exhibiting to enter something in one or both of these
two classes. Not only that but I also encourage you to
also enter some roses in the open classes. We here at
Tinseltown spend a lot of time learning about care of
roses. Many of you know a lot more than you think and
all of you grow far better roses than you think. So
stick some extra blooms in the vase, walk around and
eyeball the competition in open classes and see if you
don’t think you can do as well as most of them. But
above all remember a rose show’s first and foremost
purpose is to promote the joy of growing roses. Keep
this in mind and no matter win or lose you’ll have a lot
of fun. And please, no wagering.
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Message #19
Just two
fast years ago I was sitting here contemplating my first
President’s message and now suddenly I find myself doing
the same for my last. I recently went over that first
message and found myself pleased about the road we’ve
traveled these past two years.
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