This will be the 99th time Roses In Review survey will be conducted. Rose growers everywhere can review new roses they’ve grown in their own garden. He will explain the how this survey is conducted and why it is important for all rosarians to complete. The results of the survey from members of our district will be posted on Tenarky website. Results from across the country determine the ratings that will go into the 2025 American Rose Society handbook Selecting Roses, a rose-buying guide to more than 3,000 varieties that all ARS members receive each year.
Please note that everyone can participate in Roses In Review. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE A MEMBER OF THE AMERICAN ROSE SOCIETY TO PARTICIPATE! Jeff is asking that you wait until after his presentation to complete the survey.
In addition, Jeff will also be sharing information on some disease resistant varieties.
In the early eighty’s, Jeff and Cindy Garrett bought a house in Hixson, Tennessee, and planted their first three roses. They just were not performing for them. After reading an article in the local newspaper by Lester Smith talking about growing good roses, they decided to give him a call. Lester invited them over to his garden, which they found to be absolutely beautiful. He took them under his wing and began mentoring them on growing roses. He also took them to a Tri-State Rose Society of Chattanooga meeting. They were hooked!
They moved to their current home on Lake Chickamauga in 1989. That spring they added two rose beds with about 96 plants total. Over the years they have continued to develop their landscape to its current capacity of just over 350 roses.
They have both served their local society, the Tri-State Rose Society of Chattanooga, as President on numerous occasions. Currently they are editors of their local society newsletter, “Basal Breaks”. The Garretts have been honored with the Bronze Medal from their local society.
They are both active in the American Rose Society and are Master Rosarians. They have won a National Trophy for rose exhibiting and have been honored with the Silver Medal from the Tenarky District of the American Rose Society. They have both also won the Outstanding Consulting Rosarian Award for the Tenarky District. For many years Jeff has been the Tenarky District Roses In Review Coordinator. They are also regional editor’s for the annual Horizon Roses publication.
After thirty years with TVA, they both retired in January 2006. They now spend most of our time playing golf and growing roses. The Garretts have found growing roses to be a great hobby. They both enjoy it and it provides a wonderful stress relief to their hectic lives. Perhaps the only thing better than the beautiful flowers is the wonderful friends they have made through their local society and the ARS.
Don’t forget – The August meeting will be the SECOND Sunday of August, due to construction in the Massey Auditorium of Botanic Hall during the first week of the month.
The meeting will be held in the Massey Auditorium of Botanic Hall / Visitor Services Building at Cheekwood Garden and Estate. The Cheekwood Campus Map shows the location of Botanic Hall.
Note: Admission to Cheekwood is not required – let the gate attendant know that you are attending the NRS Meeting in Botanic Hall.
Roses need adequate sunlight to encourage blooming. “As a rule of thumb, we try to plant roses where they will get at least six hours of sunlight a day,” says Geraldine Mahoney, Master Rosarian for the American Rose Society, Pacific Southwest district. “In our area, that means an optimal spot would be where the roses get morning sun and afternoon shade.”
Keep roses blooming for longer throughout the growing season by applying a balanced fertilizer once or twice a month, depending on how the weather is in your area, says Mahoney. For example, when it is very hot, roses do not take up fertilizer as quickly so you can apply it less often. “Avoid fertilizing in the fall and allow the plants to begin shutting down for the winter,” says Jeff Wyckoff, rosarian and former president of the American Rose Society.
Roses need to be planted so there is plenty of room for proper air circulation, which ensures they have room to bloom. What’s more, proper spacing helps to keep diseases like powdery mildew in check and prevents insects from spreading through the garden. Mahoney recommends planting roses so the center of one bush is 3 feet apart from the center of the other in all directions. “We also try to keep a distance from the bushes to any walls or fences—this helps avoid reflected heat in the summer and lets the air circulate,” she says
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