nashville rose leaf november 2010

NOVEMBER 2010 Affiliated with the American Rose Society - www.ars.org Volume 44, Issue 10

Nashville Rose LeafOfficial Publication of The Nashville Rose Society

Serving Rose Enthusiasts Throughout Middle Tennessee

Volume 44 Issue 10

November 2nd NRS Meeting Cheekwood 6:30 pm - Refreshments + Chili and Cornbread Cook-off

7:00 pm - Winterization Panel Discussion - Doyle Clark & Lyle Worsham

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November Rose of the Month Mrs. John Laing

Hybrid Perpetual, 1887

“Great Southern Roses” Reign Over Atlanta’s ARS Fall Rose Show

By: Sam Jones

“Great Roses in the South,” the ARS Fall Convention and Rose Show held in Atlanta’s suburb of Marietta, GA, October 7-11, truly lived up to its name. It was a “great” show for southern ex-hibitors, starring David and Tammy Clemons, whose influence on roses grows steadily from their gardens and home in Grant, Alabama, across the Southeast and the wider American rose-scape. They handily won the Hybrid Tea Queen of the Show with an almost perfect stem of ‘Louise Estes,’ groomed for her royal throne, although as rose-breeders, the Clemons’ stable of thoroughbred miniflora winners packed the Court with blooms grown by some of the truly “great” rosarians and exhibitors of south and north.

Best Rose in a BowlMarilyn Wellan

Dan and Barbara Brickman

Reverend Samuel Reynolds Hole, Dean of Rochester from 1887 to 1904 and one of the founders of the “National Rose Society” (now the Royal Rose Society) sang this rose’s praises highly and deemed it “Beauty’s Queen”.

This beautiful Hybrid Perpetual has large, cupped, double pink flowers with 45 petals and a strong sweet fragrance. The foliage is a pale green that complements the soft pink flowers. It is a repeat bloomer with an 7.9 ARS rating. Af-ter more than 100 years this bush is still vigorous and freely flowers as much as ever. It is a good exhibition rose and a great garden rose.

ARS Rating 7.9By: Kathy Brennan, ARS Consulting Rosarian

(Cont’d on page 9)

NASHVILLE ROSE LEAF, NOVEMBER 2010 2

Editor’s Desk

President’s Column Well, If you are one of those members who have been saying “ I am going to go to the Rose Society meeting next month” and have not gotten there, this is your last opportunity in 2010 to come out and enjoy the fellowship and knowledge of Nash-ville’s top rose growers. Our program for the November meeting is the very timely advice on what to do to winterize your roses as protection from our unpredictable Tennessee winter. There will be Consult-ing Rosarians on hand to give individual advice as well. In addition to this great program on roses, this is our annual Chili Cookoff, so bring your favorite chili recipe and your slow cooker and show us your wares. As always, there will be winners in chili as well as cornbread cookers. Don’t miss the fun. The new NRS membership directories are ready and will be available at the November meeting, which is another good reason to attend.

If you missed the NRS Rose Show last month, you missed a good one. We had fantastic participation from a lot of new exhibitors, as in thirteen entries in Novice hybrid tea single bloom where the usual entry is one or none. Congratulations to Millie Dolinger and her novice queen win-ner “Crescendo” Thanks to all who entered for the interest. Also, the walls were lined with many beautiful arrangement designs which tried the imagination of the de-signers to capture the spirit of Chihuly at Cheekwood. I also want to thank all the volunteers who helped set up, operate, and take down the show. It certainly could not have been the success it was without you.

You may have heard by now, we are in need of a new webmaster for our NRS website. Don Gill, who has done such a wonderful job is having to give it up. If you have skills and or desire that would make this of interest to you, please let us know. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Don for all the hard work he has done over the years to make the site infor-mational, user friendly as well as beautiful. We hate to lose you Don.

Lori Emery is hard at work to find new of-ficers for 2011, so if you would like to help her recruit officers or volunteer to serve get in touch with her at ([email protected]) and she will let you know what of-fices need your help.

If you attended the October meeting, I am sure you enjoyed the Popcorn and Movie program on AARS roses. Even with the little technical glitch it was well worth watching. Thanks to Jim Harding, Sam Jones and the Cheekwood staff; especially Barry Sudano for the impromptu musical interlude. Also at the October meeting, maybe the most important announcement made, concerned the sad news that Linda Ring and Cindy LeMay have decided not to continue their excellent work of coor-dinating the refreshments at the monthly meetings. This extremely important vital function will need to be filled as we might be able to get along without a program, but we certainly cannot get along without our refreshments. Therefore, WE NEED VOL-UNTEERS!

The annual NRS Christmas party will be held at the Bluegrass Country Club in Hendersonville. Complete information will be available at the November meeting as well as in another area of this edition of the Nashville Rose Leaf. Make plans to attend because this is always a fun event.

On the inside back cover of this news-letter, there is available to you many years of rose growing advice and experience, our Consulting Rosarians. If you have not taken advantage of this resource, you have deprived yourself of a lot of good advice.

The minute I’m certain I could never of-fer anyone counsel on growing or showing roses, someone will ask me a question that I actually know the answer to. While such an occurrence is certainly more the exception than the rule, it helps me realize that I have at least retained some data in my persistent quest for rose knowledge. That said, the more information I pick up along the way, the more I realize how little I really know. Take it from me, even the smallest lessons have their merit. In that spirit, I’ll leave you to the experts for substantial advice and share with you some of my personal, albeit trivial, tips on rose exhibiting.

Lesson #1: Rose Exhibiting is best left to “morning” people. This is happy news for Jim who bursts out of bed with glee and en-thusiasm. I am not at all, however, a morn-ing person and therefore find his morning demeanor somewhat nauseating. This is

why it came as no surprise when I felt out of sorts the morning of Nashville’s recent rose show. Still feeling something was not quite right, I accompanied Jim to Cheekwood to help him prepare our roses for the show.

Lesson #2: There are as many lessons on rose exhibiting as there are kind exhibitors who will teach you how to succeed. Sweet Mary Bates, from Knoxville, is a fine ex-ample of this lesson as she took the time to teach me a quick tip on trimming dam-aged leaves symmetrically, which leads us straight to Lesson #3: Just because Mary Bates makes something look easy does not make it so. You might want to consider first practicing on a rose your husband does not intend to exhibit. Otherwise, and I’m just saying, you might find yourself throwing a mangled leaf in the trash can and praying hubby doesn’t notice.

Lesson #4: If clerking for rose judges, be sure to wear your poker face. Jim and I clerked for Jim Preston and Kay Rodgers. Neither could have been more kind and both of them encouraged us to use this opportu-nity to learn by asking them questions. The poker face came in handy when they took the time to share with us the difference be-tween a ribbon-winner and an “inferior” specimen…which just happened to be one of our own entries. The best response is to nod your head concurring completely and refrain from asking any questions which might reveal from whence the rose came. Maybe this was why I still had the peculiar feeling that all was not as it should be this day. This is also where Jim’s most important lesson from this particular rose show comes into play. One he will not soon forget, my friends.

Lesson #5. Never wait until after the rose show is over to casually inform your wife that her pants are on backwards. I already told you, I am NOT a morning person and I did, in fact, wear my pants backwards to the rose show. I thought they were the perfect pants, thank you very much. No zipper, lots of give, very comfy and, as it turns out, only a slight discomfort if worn backwards… directing us neatly towards the end with Lesson #6. Lay your clothes out the night before a rose show and try to remember the pocket should be in the back. Otherwise, your husband, too, may wear out the modified phrase “You can take her out, you just can’t dress her up”.

Starla & Jim Harding —

3 NASHVILLE ROSE LEAF, NOVEMBER 2010

November RoseTips

Here is a tip for dry-wrapping roses. A technique which was described in one of the last issues: I called the Saran wrap makers to find out if they still make extra-wide wrap which they do not. However,I did find out that there are two kinds of Saran now --a Premium and a Cling-free. The Premium is 30% thicker so would be the one to use for dry-wrapping.

Marty Reich, — ARS Master Rosarian

Nothing is more beneficial than having a book of reliable rose information. One such book was written by the late How-ard Walters, a former ARS gold medal winner and a long time author of count-less articles on rose culture. The book is a gold mine of articles that date back several years. Howard was a master at writing in understandable terms. His recent book is a tremendous help in ev-ery phase of rose culture. I have a copy and my tip to rosarians is to purchase the book and begin to have rose show entries on the head table. The cost of the book ($19.95) is very reasonable and can be purchased direct from ARS headquarters. Every rosarian buying the book will have a thousand tips at his finger tips.

Ted Mills, ARS Master Rosarian — —

As we pull off our petals, awaiting beautiful hips, and clean up our leaves, remember “there are no politics in your garden”.

Kathy Brennan, ARS Consulting —Rosarian

For years, rose enthusiasts have been breeding roses that exhibit superb colors, fragrances, petal numbers and even dis-ease resistance through simple crosses. But from where does this immense diver-sity come? Like all organisms, members of the genus Rosa contain multiple chromo-somes, or linear strands of DNA that serve as the blueprints for life. While humans have 2 sets of 23 chromosomes (one set from each parent), roses can have multiple sets of 7 chromosomes. For example, most Hybrid Tea roses are tetraploid, or con-tain 4 sets of 7 chromosomes, while ‘New Dawn’ contains 3 sets of 7 chromosomes (triploid). Naturally occurring mutations in rose DNA (‘sports’) can alter a gene that contributes to, for example, petal color. By having multiple copies of the same gene, a rose can harbor several different mutations that, when combined, produce an entirely different-looking rose. Therefore, the high degree of chromosome number variation seen in roses can contribute to the vast di-versity seen in rose traits.

Recent advances in DNA sequencing and mapping have allowed scientists to determine which genes are responsible for these new traits. For example, it has been found that the scent for which “Tea” roses are named is due to a naturally occurring mutation in the gene for a key enzyme in the production of 3,5-dimethoxytoluene, a volatile molecule. Similarly, a gene named Rdr1 has been shown to, when mutated in a certain way, confer resistance to black

spot. Finally, a naturally occurring muta-tion in the gene everblooming (evb) is responsible for conferring the recurrent-flowering trait of R. chinensis first used for breeding in China 1000 years ago. In this way, changes in DNA sequence can lead to the production of new traits.

One can imagine that increasing the total number of chromosomes, then, can lead to dramatically new traits. Doubling the number of chromosomes means that there is an extra copy of every gene. Therefore, the extra copy can develop new mutations without interfering with the original gene’s function. In this way, increasing ploidy number can allow for greater trait diver-sity. Even without new mutations, simple gene duplications can have drastic effects on rose traits. For example, duplications in key patterning genes called ‘homeotic genes’ can convert sepals into petals, in-creasing petal number.

While advances in DNA sequencing and mapping are highly publicized for identi-fying human disease genes, this technol-ogy also has major implications for rose breeding. There are many geneticists iden-tifying the DNA changes that give roses certain traits. Furthermore, they are also developing the tools necessary to selec-tively remove or add new genes and mu-tations to roses. An example is the first blue rose ever developed (figure), pro-duced by “silencing” several rose genes and introducing a pigment gene from the pansy and iris. It is likely that many future roses will be the product of direct human genetic manipulation. But for now, thank the evb gene and its spontaneous mutation that occurred 1000 years ago every time your recurrent-blooming rose blooms!

About the authors: Helen Rankin is a graduate of Harpeth Hall School and Duke University. Currently, she is a PhD student in genetics at Yale University, studying cancer biology in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. She developed her love of roses through the encourage-ment of her father, Dr. Scott Rankin, a practicing physician in Nashville. Despite living far apart, Helen and Scott are kept close thanks to discussions of roses and the Nashville Rose Society.

R d i DNA i

An Introduction to Rose Genetics & Genomics

By: Helen Rankin & Dr. Scott Rankin

NRS PatronsOur thanks to the following

businesses and foundations who have made sustain-ing donations to support the educational programs of Nashville Rose Society:

Houghland Foundation


The November Rose Garden

By: Jim Harding

As parents raising two daughters we touted the virtues of the 3 C’s – communication, cooperation and consideration. How well these 3 C’s worked is debatable, but recently I heard one of my daughter’s friend’s say she was adding a fourth C – coordination – for the eldest daughter who evidently had trouble walking and twisted her ankle. At the very least we know they are listening.

A few years ago in this very column Logan Shillinglaw, one of our newest ARS Master Rosarians, coined his own version of the 3 C’s – cut, clean and cover. If you listened, your roses will have benefited from his les-sons learned. However, if you are new rosar-ian like me and were not even a member you missed out. So for those who either missed out, or for whatever lame excuse did not lis-ten the first time, here is a recap of Logan’s 3 C’s plus a few extras thrown in for good measure. Before getting into the details, the best insurance against winter damage is a healthy rose.

As the holiday season approaches, the pri-mary focus should be getting our roses ready for winter – but why? It begins with protec-tion from the freeze thaw cycle. What needs protection? Plants that have been budded or grafted onto a stronger rootstock, like many of the hybrid teas, are the most susceptible. These types of roses have a knot at ground level, a.k.a. the bud union. If it freezes and dies, so will your plant. Roses that have grown and matured on their own root are typically hardier, but can still use some mini-mal winter protection.

Tennessee winters can best be described as unpredictable. Therefore another reason for covering your roses is to provide an even temperature around the base of the rose. Cold spells can be followed by warm spells and vice versa that can be confusing to a rose trying to figure out “Do I sleep or do I grow? Covering the base of the rose allows it to re-main dormant by maintaining a consistent temperature. The cold winter winds are nor-mally drier than warm air and remove mois-ture from surfaces it contacts. This can have a damaging effect on rose canes because they can dry out quickly and die as a result. Hence the source of what is referred to as winter die back, which is part of spring prun-ing. Spraying an anti-transpirant like Wilt-Pruf Plant Protector or Cloud Cover can help

negate this effect. Just remember the canes are round and need spraying on all sides

In our area of middle Tennessee after we have had two hard freezes (28 degrees or lower) and the sap has gone to the roots, it is time to prune or “wind top” your rose bushes. How much? The goal is to prune only enough to prevent the bush from being whipped in the wind and possibly damaging the root system. This usually means about waist high for your larger roses and typically no more than half of the height on any rose. Climbers should already be secured and need minimal pruning if at all. You can also be-gin pruning out any dead or small twiggy growth, saving some work when comes time for spring pruning.

In preparation for covering your roses go ahead and strip the lower leaves that would otherwise be covered up by the winter pro-tection. It is a subject of debate whether to strip off all the leaves or not, but if you stop and think like a plant, the way you breathe is through your leaves. The roots are still active even after winter begins so having leaves to breathe makes sense. You can also apply a fertilizer of 0-10-10 or 0-20-20 at this time of the year to feed the root system. The first of the three numbers represents nitrogen. A zero means there is no nitrate involved, so no growth, only the hardening of the plant for winter weather. If you have a lot of roses that means you have a lot of leaves to strip. The remaining leaves will die and fall off once the rose truly goes dormant; so, why not let old man winter do this work for you?

We all remember the Fram oil filter com-mercials with the “Pay me now or pay me later” slogan. Same goes for cleaning out your rose beds. Either take time now and clean out all the leftover debris or pay for it in the spring. An ounce of prevention us-ing a contact killing fungicide with Manzate will help rid your rose beds of any blackspot spores that might still remain on the soil. If you want added protection from pests and diseases wintering over, then using lime sul-fur is your answer. I talked with NRS mem-ber Doyle Clark, who in addition to sharing his experience with lime sulfur also shared that his knowledge came from an excellent source of rose knowledge, the late Bob Whi-taker. Lime sulfur spray is both a fungicide and pesticide that gardeners have been us-

ing since the mid-19th century that has an extremely pungent odor. Gardeners use lime sulfur to eliminate insects including scale, mites and borers, (this is the sulfur portion), and effectively control certain fungal dis-eases such as anthracnose, powdery mildew and black spot. It is a broad-spectrum contact material so thorough coverage of all plant parts is required. Spray the ground all around the bushes too, but you need to read the label carefully because different brands and con-centrations will have different application rates. There will be a low application rate for warmer weather as well as a higher applica-tion rate for dormancy. Apply anytime after first frost, but the best time to use lime sulfur is in late January, early February when tem-peratures are above freezing or around early spring right before the buds swell. Never apply lime sulfur when the ambient air tem-perature is 85 degrees Fahrenheit or above. This will result in phytotoxicity.

How many times have you heard someone say “add lime to your garden” and what does this mean? While I love cherry limeades from Sonic, I doubt they will do much for the roses. We add lime to adjust the soil’s pH if it is too acidic. Last year I learned the real reason why roses need a proper pH to thrive. The simple answer is the correct pH allows the roots to receive the maximum amount of nutrients from the soil. Reference sources will vary, but most agree that a pH of 6.5 is ideal for roses and a range between 6.0 and 6.9 is acceptable. The only real way to know what the soil’s pH is to have it tested.

Getting back to answering the original question, you only add lime if the pH is low-er than the acceptable range. The best time to add lime is in the fall after the growing season is over. It has a chance to break down over the winter before the roses come back in the spring. Until doing some research I did not know that lime is only slightly soluble in water, and unlike most other compounds the solubility of lime increases as the tempera-ture decreases. The cold winter weather is on its way, hence another reason why fall is a good time to add lime.

Also, raking the lime into the top couple inches of soil will yield better results than sprinkling it over the soil’s surface. Because lime is more reactive than soluble a larger portion of its surface area is exposed to the

5 NASHVILLE ROSE LEAF, N OVEMBER 2010

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soil will allow for faster reactivity when it is worked into the soil. Lime applied on the soil surface does not react as fast as lime incorpo-rated into the soil. Avoid digging in too deep and disturbing the rose’s roots; it will leach down into the root zone soon enough.

Agricultural lime is the most common lime used in the garden and contains about 50% calcium, an essential plant nutrient. Available in both powder and pelletized form the latter is easier to work with. There is also dolomite lime that also contains magnesium, another essential nutrient, although needed in lesser quantity than calcium. Some gardeners will alternate the use of these two limes to get a better balance of nutrients.

Until writing this article I never knew to avoid using hydrated or slaked lime, some-time called quicklime, it is much too caustic for the garden.

How much lime is the right amount? To

Rose Show Donations 2010

By: Lori Emery

Rose show chairs, Sam and Nancy Jones, President Larry Baird and I would like to thank all of you who gave donations for the rose show. This year’s donations were close to covering the entire cost of the show, and were the most generous since I have been doing the donations!

I hope all of you came to the rose show and to the Chihuly exhibit. I MUST apologize for not having my poster with the donors names at the show as I had promised. I, un-fortunately, had some unexpected technical difficulties [which I am well known for] and was unable to retrieve the document from my home computer. Thank you again for your generous donations which made our rose show outstanding!

Michael and Mary Bates Thomas and Lisa BeathIn Memory of Buzz Hussey RADM Jerry BreastIn Memory of Van Kirtley Breast Jerry Brinkley Mr. and Mrs. Arthur BuhlPat Bullard of Lifeworks FoundationIn Honor of Sam and Nancy Jones

Cynthia Cato Neely Coble III Mr. and Mrs. Gregory DanielsIn Honor of the Segler Family Gwen Day Lori EmeryIn Honor of Pat Bullard Keith and Martha Garman Peggy Garner In Honor of the Staff of the NRS Newsletter Harris Gilbert Don and Sara Jo Gill In Memory of Calvin Houghland Mr. and Mrs. John Hailey Evan and Shirley HammondBeverly Hanselman Jim and Starla Harding Ms. James Hays David and Nancy Hazelwood In Honor of Larry Baird Sam and Nancy JonesPatricia Stamps Kitchen Jerry and Marise Keathley Cynthia Kwazu Dillard and Dianne Lester Pamela Lewis John Mallernee Joycelynne McCall

Nancy McEwen William and Elizabeth MinkoffGloria Minter Mona Mishu In Memory of Louis MishuAnne Owen In Honor of Sara Jo Gill Bradley and Myra Perkinson In Memory of May Francis Perkinson Carol Rehder Marty Reich In Memory of Lorraine Evers Dianne Richardson David and Rose Marie Robertson Herbert and Jean Rowlett Justin and Pamela Rutledge Dick and Suzanne Sittel Mr. and Mrs. J.J. Tomlinson In Memory of Judd Tomlinson Gary and Denise Thorne In Memory of Louis Mishu Frank & Jeanie Toevs Curtis and Rita Utz In Memory of Mary Jane Utz and Peggy Lea Utz Ray and Fay Vandiver In Memory of John Brevard

raise the pH from 5.5 to 6.5 a typical appli-cation rate is 2 to 3 pounds per 100 square feet of garden area. Do not use more than 5 pounds per 100 square feet at any one time. If you are not sure how big your rose bed is 1 cup of lime per bush and ½ cup per minia-ture. Bringing the pH level of your rose bed to a pH of 6.5 will yield bountiful bouquets of blooms come spring.

The beginning of this article addressed why you should protect your roses for winter. The how part of covering your roses is another area of debate and for an in-depth discussion be sure to attend the November NRS meeting where Doyle Clark and Lyle Worsham will answer any questions you have. In the mean-time here are the basics. Step one: Chose a material to cover your roses. Choices include mulches, compost, soil conditioners, saw-dust, etc, Each has its pros and cons. Where do you get it; how much does it cost; what to do with material come spring? The key is to find a material that works best for your needs and just make sure it is one that drains well. The next decision is how to keep this mate-rial in place where it belongs, covering the base of the rose. Once again there are pro’s

and con’s but it can be as simple as hilling up a mound to cover the base of the bush. More elaborate schemes such as collars made of roofing felt, rolls of metal or plastic mesh, and even old newspapers can be used.

Three last thoughts:

1. While in theory a rose can be transplanted at any time, winter is the best time to trans-plant a rose without suffering harm. Your success rate will be a lot better once the rose has become dormant.

2. If you have an irrigation system, don’t for-get to drain the lines before freezing weather takes its toll.

3. Logan Shillinglaw’s three C’s are as im-portant for fall rose care, as our three C’s were for parenting teenage daughters. We also had another favorite saying around our house, “The rules are clear; the penalties are severe”. The penalties? An alternate set of 3 C’s.... calamity, catastrophe, followed shortly thereafter by crying. Summary - picking the right 3 C’s will lead to picking good roses next spring.

The November Rose Garden

(Cont’d from page 4)


Queen of Show Louise EstesDavid & Tammy Clemons

Huntsville, AL

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Miniflora Queen WhirlawayFred & Barbara Wright

Shelby, NC

Miniature Queen JoyAndrew Hearne

Oxford, PA

Floribunda Spray Collection Moondance & Lavaglut

Michael & Mary Bates - Knoxville, TN

King of Show ParoleBob & Chris Thorpe

Greenville, TN

J. Benjamin Williams Miniflora Trophy - Satish & Vijaya Prabhu

Columbia, SC

Miniflora Bowl Nashville MusicDan & Barbara Brickman

Chattanooga, TN

Miniature Gold Certificate entitled “Mountain Dew,”

w/ Memphis King Paula Williams Louisville, KY

Best Judges Entry Chihuly

Sam Jones Nashville, TN

American Rose Society Fall Rose Show - Atlanta, GA

Nashville Rose Society Rose Show

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Queen of ShowLouise Estes

Frank & Jeannie Toevs

Best of ShowVeterans’ Honor & Louise Estes

Lyle & Ruby Worsham

Novice Queen of ShowCrescendo

Millie Dollinger

Miniflora QueenTobasco CatDavid Clemons

Best ClimberAltissimo

Cindy Worch

Bloom Sales VolunteersMargaret Devine & Gwen Day

Best Novice Arrangement“Blankets Black”

Lois Sloan

Best English BoxSweet Revenge

Bob Jacobs


“Great Southern Roses” Reign Over Atlanta’s ARS Fall Rose ShowBy: Sam Jones

(Cont’d from page 1)

‘Whirlaway,’ a Clemons’ white mini-flora of impeccable proportions, reigned regally as the Miniflora Queen, shown by Fred and Barbara Wright of Shelby, North Carolina. And the Clemons’ sway continued over the miniature line, as their recent outstanding prodigy, ‘Joy,’ earned the crown of Miniature Queen, as shown by Andrew Hearne of Ox-ford, Pennsylvania. Foolish Pleasure, a Clemons’ rose that has brought genu-ine pleasure to countless gardeners, was Miniflora King, shown by David and Tammy, the breeders, themselves.

But Tennessee and the Tenarky Dis-trict were not unnoticed in the show. District Director, Sam Jones, serving as an Arrangement Judge in the show, was awarded a Certificate for the best Judges’ entry. Bob and Chris Thorpe of Greenville, Tennessee, won King with ‘Parole,’ a uniquely colorful, deep pink hybrid-tea specimen. Michael and Mary Bates of Knoxville won a place on the Miniflora Court with another Clemons’ prize-rose, ‘Unbridled’. Dan and Barbara Brickman of the Chatta-nooga Rose Society demonstrated how far they have advanced from novice, by placing a ‘Saluda’ bloom on the Minia-ture Royal Court in their first ARS na-tional rose show effort.

The Brickmans contended nationally by placing third highest out of six en-tries for the top ARS challenge prize, the J. Horace McFarland Trophy, re-quiring seven hybrid tea roses, each of a different variety. The McFarland prize was won by Jack and Nancy Wright of Mooresville, North Carolina; Jack is the brother of Fred Wright, the Mini-flora Queen winner. Fred Wright also won the Earl of Warwick Urn (a collec-tion of six AARS winners of different varieties).

After competing in the hybrid tea challenge classes, the Brickman’s “left-over” roses won recognition in the “Tin-Can” class, prominently displayed on the winners’ table. However, if the comments of the public hold any value

as judges of rose beauty, the Brickman’s hybrid-tea floating-bowl prize, ‘Mari-lyn Wellan,’ was spoken of by more than one spectator as the most perfectly beautiful, single bloom of the show. The bright, strong, pure cardinal color, with high-centered, spiraling form and spectacular size and freshness, created a rose display of lasting memory. Another Brickman floating bowl with ‘Nashville Music’ won a miniature blue-ribbon.

Michael and Mary Bates won a flo-ribunda spray collection with ‘Moon-dance’ and ‘Lavaglut’ in an array of white and red blossoms. They also won the Fully-Open-Hybrid-Tea class with ‘Color Magic’ and the Large Climber class with ‘Altissimo.’ Bob and Chris Thorpe won prizes with a miniflora floating bowl of ‘Whirlaway’ (another of the many times this rose was honored in this show) and an eye-catching Eng-lish Box of ‘Randy Scott,’ ‘Hot Prin-cess,’ and ‘Crystalline’ hybrid teas.

Bill and Jill Chappell, fellow members of the Huntsville Twickenham Rose So-ciety, Huntsville, AL with the Clemons and veteran southern exhibitors who re-cently claimed prizes in the Nashville Rose Show, also won rose honors in At-lanta. Three of their ‘Veterans’ Honor’ blooms, a variety by legendary hybrid-izer Keith Zary, won the Hybrid Tea Collection class.

Tenarky arrangers also shown brightly in the Atlanta show. Paula Williams of the Louisville Rose Society was awarded the Miniature Gold Certificate with her modern arrangement entitled “Moun-tain Dew,” using Memphis King mini-flora roses (hybridized by Tennessee’s Whit Wells), and the Miniature Silver Certificate with her modern transpar-ency design entitled “Hush Puppies,” using ‘Bees Knees’. Her Duke-of-Arrangements design entitled “Shrimp & Grits,” using Veterans’ Honor roses, also received the ARS Silver Certifi-cate. The ARS Gold Certificate went to Susan Waites of Chapin, South Caro-lina, awarded for her ARS Duchess-of-Arrangements modern design using one ‘Louise Estes’ bloom.

National trophies were won by Satish and Vijaya Prabhu of Columbia, South Carolina (Dr. T. Allen Kirk ARS Me-morial Trophy—Stages of Bloom; the Lawton Miniature Trophy—12 Minia-ture Roses; and the J. Benjamin Wil-liams Miniflora Trophy—10 Miniflora roses); Pennsylvania’s Andrew Hearne (ARS Ralph Moore National Award—9 Miniature Roses of different varieties); and Georgia’s Jim Harrell (Millie Wal-ters Miniature Arrangement Trophy). Showing strong prospects for the future, David Clemons won the Rose Hybridiz-ers’ Association Trophy with his culti-var cross between the miniature ‘Mer-lot’ and the miniflora ‘Robin Alonso’.

Tenarky District Arrangement and Horticulture Judges in the show, in ad-dition to Jones, included Barbara Ol-ive from Memphis, Donna Tarrant and Howard Carman from Louisville, and John and Kay Rodgers from Knoxville.

The Atlanta convention planners demonstrated true southern hospitality in their detailed planning and attention to the comfort and pleasure of more than 300 attendees. The Marietta, GA conference facilities, the tours of gar-dens and Atlanta sites, the speakers, and the vendors, including Nashville’s own Jeff and Jennifer Harvey with their Dirt Dawg Nursery and Garden prod-ucts, made the Conference a memora-ble four-day adventure. Special appre-ciation goes to all committee members, who, according to reports, met monthly for four-five years preparing to host an outstanding rose experience. It was time well-spent, and the Atlanta Con-ference’s impact on “Great roses in the South” will be felt for years to come. The weather cooperated beautifully, and America’s flower was lifted high over Atlanta! Thanks to Bobbie Reed, Convention Chair, and all who made it happen!

(See page 6 for photos)


NRS

News

New NRS Master Rosarians

A few years back the American Rose Society established a new program to recognize consulting rosarians who have served the rose growing public for an extended period of time. In the past this program known as “Master Rosar-ian “ has honored Nashville Rose Soci-ety members Cecil Ward, Anne Owen, Marty Reich and Larry Baird.

For 2010, this honor has been extend-ed to four more of our members. Our new Master Rosarians are Sam Jones, Lyle Worsham, Logan Shillinglaw, and Robbie Tucker. Our sincere congratula-tions go out to these newest ARS Mas-ter Rosarians.

2011 NRS Fortuniana Rose Sale

The 2011 Nashville Rose Society For-tuniana Rose sale offers some new va-rieties not previously available on For-tuniana root stock. Our supplier (K & M Roses, a.k.a. James Mills) has added new cultivars to the list and more than 300 roses, all grafted on fortuniana root stock, are available in the sale.

Only a limited number of growers provide roses on Fortuniana root stock,

Mrs. John Laing

(Cont’d from Page 1)

How I came to know this rose and have my interest sparked: I was working in the rose garden when a car pulled up and stopped in front of my house. Two ladies got out of the car. One was the driver and a neighbor-friend of the other lady and not much interested in roses. The other one was a tall, stately, sil-ver haired lady who walked gingerly with a cane and was very much interested in my rose garden. Later she told me she was 90 years old and had grown roses for many years as had her mother and grandfather.

As we walked around the garden, she began telling me about herself and her husband, now deceased. She introduced herself as Mrs. Evelyn Hatcher. Together with her husband, Carl, they grew as many as 250 roses. They exhibited their roses whenever possible and visited as many rose shows as they could in the Tenarky District.

Noticing many varieties of roses in my gar-den, Mrs. Hatcher asked me if I had “Mrs. John Laing”, a hybrid perpetual. I was not familiar with this rose, so I asked her to tell me more. Her family acquired this rose through an ancestor who served in the first colonial government as a member of the House of Burgesses in Williamsburg, Va. He brought a “Mrs. John Laing” rose bush (or maybe more) with him from England when he settled in Virginia. This rose was passed on to her grandfather, Stephen Anderson Whitaker. When he died, Evelyn’s mother moved “Mrs. John Laing” to her rose gar-den. So, naturally when her mother died in l944, Evelyn dug up this coveted rose bush and planted it in her and Carl’s rose garden; giving it a special place of honor and lots of tender love and care.

One stormy, rainy day a neighbor’s 18’ tree fell on their rose garden, killing all their roses and ending the passing-down of “Mrs. John Lang” in her family. This upset Mrs. Hatcher very much having grown up with this rose in her family and seeing the hand-ing-down of this bush come to an end. She was extremely pleased to know I had found a “Mrs. John Laing” and planned to add it to my garden.

“Mrs. John Laing” was hybridized by the English rosarian Henry Bennett in 1887. This is a very hardy rose for zones 5 – 10.

While we equate roses with thorns, some are prickle free. “Mrs. John Laing” is one of these thornless roses. There are many reasons to add this rose to one’s garden but having no thorns is a great reason to grow this rose.

Henry Bennett was one of the first hybrid-izers to raise roses exclusively according to the principles of controlled hybridization. Mr. Bennett was the first hybridizer to see the benefits of artificially pollinating the Tea rose with the Hybrid Perpetual rose, hence the term “Hybrids of the Tea Rose”. From then on Henry Bennett was known as “the father of the Hybrid Tea Rose”. Still today “Mrs. John Laing” is considered his best creation.

ARS

NEWS

Let’s be honest, we all love to show off our baby pictures. No, not our kids, or even our grandkids. We are talking the beautiful babies in our garden! When it comes to our roses we are all shutter-bugs in some shape form or fashion. The American Rose Society has a new and fun way to share our “baby pictures”. Just go to www.ars.org and click on this button

to upload your rose photos. It is a quick, easy and fun way to share your roses. You may see your photo on the ARS homep-age!

and K&M is one of the most popular. Quantities are limited, so send your or-der early if you want to ensure getting the roses you want. You will find the Fortuniana order form inside this is-sue of your newsletter. The order form is also available on the NRS website www.nashvillerosesociety.com . Re-member that all proceeds from the rose sale go to support publication of Nash-ville Rose Leaf. If you have any questions contact Charles Lott at (615) 824-5614 or [email protected].

Nashville Rose Society Annual Awards Banquet

You are invited to the NRS 2010 Awards Banquet at Bluegrass Coun-try Club, 550 Johnny Cash Pkwy, Hendersonville, Tenn. Please come to the celebration and presentation of 2010 NRS Awards Banquet. Enjoy a delicious holiday buffet in festive holi-day surroundings! Monday Evening, December 6, 2010. Cocktails begin at 6:00 p.m. with the dinner buffet being served at 6:30 p.m. Cost is $35.00 per person. Make checks payable to Nash-ville Rose Society.

Please order tickets by mail from: Susan Sinclair, Treasurer NRS, 903 Paddock Pk., Nashville, Tenn. 37220 (615)-386-3818.


from the ground up“One Perfect Rose: A Love Story”

My friend Prissy called last week. “Okay, I’m ready.” she said. “Ready for what?” I asked. “You know, roses. Gar-dening.” She lingered on the word “row-wwzzzezzz.” Uh-oh. She’d been threat-ening to take up the rose gardening “sport” for years. But without a doubt, I knew she would quickly give up, then sweetly beg me to do all the pruning. My fears were at last being realized. I kneaded my fore-head, feeling a Prissy-induced migraine coming on. “Hang on, dear,” I said, tap-ping on the phone, trying to compose my thoughts, “there’s some static on the line.”

Prissy’s midlife crisis was already trou-blesome. After her recent divorce, she had lost 10 pounds and been waxed, fluffed, tightened, and lifted by her new plastic surgeon boyfriend. I urged her to give herself time to heal, but she had jumped head-first into this new relationship before the ink dried on the divorce papers.

Prissy’s world re-volves around the indoors: beauty sa-lons, Macy’s dress-ing rooms, and any-where else with mirrors. Her favorite line at cocktail parties: “Darling, I simply don’t DO nature.” In Prissy’s ideal world, there are no weeds, bugs, sweat or dirt. Bless her heart. In all the years I’ve known her, Priss has never had a chipped nail.

No wonder old Bob ran off with a hippie chick who loves to camp. Now of course, Priss was initially heartbroken, wailing: “That dirty, sweaty tramp took my man,” but it wasn’t long before Dr. Plastic Won-derful showed up in a red convertible with his wind-blown toupee askew. Old Bob and the hippie chick were quickly forgiv-en.

Prissy continued: “Did you hear me? He LOVES roses, so I’m going to grow them...and besides, you always wanted me to get my hands dirty...” I rolled my eyes and groaned loudly into the phone. “Now, Priss, you’ve gone all foggy-headed on me. Lust does funny things to people, you know...and don’t forget your horrid aller-gies.” I was determined to dissuade her. This was a patently bad idea.

A few hours after the phone call, the hap-py couple careened up the driveway, all cuddly and kissy. Yuck. Priss introduced me as “the rose gardener.” I shot her a dirty look, reluctantly shaking Dr. Plas-

tic’s limp, baby-soft hand. Double yuck. Then he reached into the his fancy pants pocket and whipped out hand sanitizer. My jaw dropped. What’s up with the hand cleaner, did I have cooties or something? After all, this quack tucks tummies for a living! This was becoming too precious.

Prissy prissed inside to freshen her lipstick, leaving me alone with Dr. Strangelove. I suggested we stroll around the garden. As soon as she was out of ear-shot, he sighed, “Isn’t she wonderful?” I also sighed. “Oh, I suppose.” Then Dr. Plastic leaned in closer. “Listen. I can’t walk around this garden. Can we go in-side and look at it through the window?”

I inwardly moaned. How did she find this nut job? He hesitated, “Priss told you how I love nothing better than roses...and I do, but...” What was this guy’s problem? I prodded, “Uh, yes?...what?” Dr. Plastic sneezed, blew his nose violently, used his hand sanitizer again and blubbered: “Well, I, I, I am highly allergic to roses. Flow-ers give me the hives. And if we don’t go inside RIGHT THIS MINUTE, you’ll see what I mean!”

As I whisked this poor...make that rich...sniffling physician into the house, I breathed a deep sigh of relief. This would certainly end Prissy’s gardening hobby

before it even began. I cooed, “Why you poor thing, why didn’t you say so? It’s nothing to be ashamed of, lots of people suffer from pollen allergies.”

“But,” he spluttered, wringing his soft little hands, “it’s not okay, Prissy wants to grow ros-es, just for me. It’s all she talks about, and I haven’t had the heart to tell her about my allergies. She’ll be devastated. Will you tell her? You’re her best friend.” I brightened and my migraine had mi-raculously disappeared.

“Oh, silly, she will understand,” I beamed, “didn’t she tell you? Priss has allergies too!”

Precisely at that moment, Prissy came floating back into the arms of her beloved Dr. Plastic. I said, “Now, you tell her, and I’ll go pop a cork on that bottle of cham-pagne I’ve been saving,” excusing myself as I heard Prissy asking, “Tell me what?”

As I grabbed the champagne, I could hear hysterical laughter in the other room. Dr. Plastic called Prissy his “one perfect rose.” And you know? This just might be a match made in allergy-free heaven.

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by:leann barron


Contributions Nashville Rose Society is a 501c-3 organization and all contributions to the society are tax-deductible. Con-

tributions may be made as memorials or to honor some person, group or occasion. Checks for contributions

should be made payable to Nashville Rose Society and mailed to:

CINDY WORCH137 Urban Farms Rd.

Manchester, TN 37355((931) 723-2142

[email protected]

Disclaimer: While the advice and information in this newsletter is believed to be true and accurate at the time of publica-tion, neither the authors nor the editor(s) accept any legal responsibility for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The Nashville Rose Society makes no warranty, expressed or implied with respect to the material contained herein.

Nashville Rose Society MembershipWe are a non-profit organization

serving the middle Tennessee area to educate persons on growing and exhibiting roses. Membership is open to everyone who supports the objec-tives of the organization. Annual dues of $20.00 per household include a sub-scription to The Nashville Rose Leaf, the official newsletter of the society. To join, send a check payable to Nashville Rose Society to:

Marty Reich, 5020 Dovecote Dr., Nashville, TN 37220-1614

Phone: (615) 833-0791; E-mail: [email protected]

Nashville Rose LeafThe Nashville Rose Leaf is pub-

lished eleven times annually by the Nashville Rose Society, Nashville, TN

Editors: Jim & Starla Harding, Sam Jones & Leann Barron

Editorial Advisory Committee: Marty Reich

ARS Consulting Rosarians South Nashville

Leann Barron ....................(615) 269-0240*Marty Reich ....................(615) 833-0791

West NashvilleKeith Garman ....................(615) 352-6219*Sam & Nancy Jones ........(615) 646-4138

Brentwood Area*Cecil & Bessie Ward ........(615)373-2245Jerry & Marise Keathley ....(615)377-3034

Franklin Area*Anne Owen .....................(615) 794-0138Logan & Joan Shillinglaw (615) 790-7346Robbie&Marsha Tucker ....(615) 595-9187

Hendersonville AreaRon Daniels .......................(615) 330-7083Charles Lott .......................(615) 824-5614Jack Wedekind ..................(615) 824-8696

Murfreesboro AreaDillard & Diane Lester ......(615) 896-0203

Columbia Area*Lyle Worsham .................(931) 388-4547

Lebanon-Watertown AreaJeff Harvey ........................(615) 268-7089Jennifer Harvey .................(615) 268-7032

Duck River-Centerville Area*Larry & Connie Baird .....(931) 729-5259

Manchester AreaCindy Worch .....................(931) 723-2142*Indicates ARS Master Rosarian

Nashville Rose Society 2010 OfficersPresident Larry Baird................(931) 729-5259Vice-Pres Ron Daniels...............(615) 330-7083Treasurer Susan Sinclair............(615) 386-3818Rec. S’ty Hayes Gibson ...........(615) 794-1708Cor. S’ty Cynthia Worch ..........(931) 723-2142Previous Pres. Sandra Frank..... .(615) 383-058

Nashville Rose Leaf is printed by: The Print Authority Brentwood, Tennessee

Welcome New Members

Dottie LeeP.O. Box 150066

Nashville, TN 37215

Holly Sears330 E. Lytle St.

Murfreesboro, TN 37130

Vernon L. & Deborah Plant 820 Dalton Hollow Rd.Hartsville, TN 37074

Grace Toney4421 Bull Run Rd.

Ashland City, TN 37015-9417

Kimberley X. Hickok 4815 Merrill Lane

Nashville, TN 37211

A Rose Lover’s CalendarNRS, Tenarky, & ARS Coming Events

NOVEMBER 2 NRS Meeting at Cheekwood 6:30 PM - Refreshments + Chili and Cornbread Cook-off 7:00 PM - Winterization - Lyle Worsham & Doyle Clark

DECEMBER

6 Nashville Rose Society Annual Christmas Party & Awards Banquet Bluegrass Country Club - Hendersonville, TN

JANUARY

No NRS Meeting

FEBRUARY

1 NRS Meeting at Cheekwood

Details & other event news available at www.nashvillerosesociety.com

NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION

U.S. POSTAGE PAIDBRENTWOOD, TNPERMIT NO. 162

www.nashvillerosesociety.com

5020 Dovecote DriveNashville, TN 37220-1614

Address Service Requested

Highlights from the Tenarky District Convention in Memphis

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Horace J. McFarland AwardMichael & Mary Bates

Queen of ShowPop Warner

Tammy Masterson

The Mini Gold Certificate& Mini Artist AwardMemphis MusicMary Ann Hext

Mini Silver Certificate& Mini Oriental Award

Soroptimist InternationalConnie Baird

Silver Certificate & Oriental Award

AltissimoSam Jones

2010 Tenarky Silver Medal Recipient Robbie Tucker with

wife Marsha

nashville rose leaf november 2010

Documents

nrs rose

best rose

rose growers

royal rose society

american rose society

national rose society

wider american rosescape

atlantas ars fall rose