The Medley of Roses – 2026 ARS Convention & Rose Show was honored to have as one of our speakers Dr. Mark Windham. Dr. Windham was a Distinguished Professor of Ornamental Plant Pathology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. For the last 14 years of his career, Mark worked toward developing management plans for Rose Rosette Disease (RRD), studying the virus’s mite vector, and searching for disease resistance. He was part of a multistate team that discovered genes for resistance to RRD in roses.
Most recently, on October 4, 2026, at the Medley Convention he received the 2026 American Rose Society Gold Medal of Honor. His presentation is entitled “Holistic Rose Care”. He graciously shared his presentation with us to post on the website.
A rosarian must be a nutritionist, soil scientist, pathologist, entomologist, and expert of many other professions to successfully grow healthy, vibrant roses. Often actions we take to solve one problem leads to other challenges. In this presentation, he explores a holistic approach to rose care to maximize rose health and vigor without breaking the bank or robbing us of our most valued commodity: time.
Click here for the presentation.
The following are the handouts for Dr. Windham’s presentation:
Rethinking Blackspot Management
Early Detection of Rose Rosette Disease
Rose Diseases: Identification and Management
Diagnosis of Ornamental Plant Diseases