February 14 Reminder! – Bob Martin, American Rose Society President

“Things (about roses) I Didn’t Learn in Kindergarten.”

Bob Martin, 56th President American Rose Society
We are excited to have Bob Martin, President of ARS, speak to us virtually (via GoToMeeting) on February 14, 2021, at 2:00pm – our first meeting of the year.

Bob will be sharing with us an updated program that recounts valuable lessons he has learned about growing roses, many through making mistakes, in 50 years of rose growing at seven different gardens in Southern California and Arizona.

Bob has been growing roses for nearly 50 years. He and his wife Dona live in Escondido, California, where they maintain a rose garden of more than 600 roses of all types. He is an American Rose Society Master Rosarian, an Accredited Horticultural Judge and an Accredited Arrangements Judge. Bob is active in the San Diego Rose Society, which he has served in several capacities, including two terms as President. Bob is the recipient of the ARS Silver Honor Medal for Service to the District, and four ARS Bronze Honor Medals for service to the Pacific Rose Society, San Diego Rose Society, Los Angeles Rose Society and Pasadena Rose Society.

Bob is an active rose exhibitor at all levels and the 2007 recipient of the ARS Guy Blake Hedrick Jr. Award for lifetime achievement in rose exhibiting. He is also a hybridizer with 15 named varieties, including the show roses, ‘Dona Martin’, ‘Butter Cream’, ‘Peter Cottontail’ and ‘Pasadena Star’. Two of his latest roses are orange blend shrub named, ‘Ruth Tiffany’ and it the orange blend floribunda, ‘Escondido Sunset’.

Bob is also a prolific writer, having authored more than 700 published articles on roses. He is the National Editor of Horizon Roses, an annual review by the nation’s top exhibitors of new exhibition roses. Bob is also the author of the book “Showing Good Roses”. He was honored for his lifetime contribution to rose education as a 2009 recipient of the ARS Klima Medal.

For more information on how to log into GoToMeeting, please see Marty Reich’s email to NRS members. If you would like to attend as a guest, please submit your request on the Ask a Consulting Rosarian form on the website.


Nashville Rose Society Announces 2020 Bronze Honor Medal Winners

The NRS Awards that are typically (in normal times) given at the annual Christmas Party were announced this year at the December 6, 2020, virtual meeting.

Bronze Honor Medals, the highest award that can be presented by a local rose society, were given to Bob Bowen, the Cheekwood Rose Study Garden manager, and Keith and Martha Garman, co-chairs of the NRS Grand Prix Rose Show.
Continue reading “Nashville Rose Society Announces 2020 Bronze Honor Medal Winners”

A Year in the Cheekwood Rose Study Garden as of Dec. 7, 2020

Enjoy our gallery of the Cheekwood Rose Study Garden as it evolved in 2020 from being sheltered in place, to its summer-time peak and on into being but to bed for the winter. This gallery is as of November 9, 2020.

Photos by NRS Rose Study Garden Manager, Bob Bowen.
Continue reading “A Year in the Cheekwood Rose Study Garden as of Dec. 7, 2020”

January 10, 2021 – Virtual Social Hour, 2:00pm – 3:00pm

According to the Year of Rose Care – Winter calendar, in January we have the following tasks:

* Monitor the winter protection and add more if it is washed away by winter rains.
* Plan any changes in the garden, order seeds and plants.
* Plan to attend Nashville Rose Society meeting in February.
* Join the American Rose Society.

Not a lot to do in the garden – January is rather quiet. To touch base with friends of the Nashville Rose Society, plan to attend the Virtual Social Hour on GoToMeeting.

Stay in your comfy’s, grab a cup of tea, and spend an hour with friends in the Society talking about your holiday festivities and your plans for 2021, in the garden and otherwise.

In addition to socializing, John Wendler will do a brief review of the “Preliminary Programming Calendar for 2021” and will ask members for ideas on topics, speakers, events, etc. that would be of interest to our members.

For more information on how to log into GoToMeeting, please see Marty Reich’s email to NRS members. If you would like to attend as a guest, please submit your request on the Ask a Consulting Rosarian form on the website.