It used to be that, once the roses were pruned, I would have a chance to breathe; some time to reflect on the garden and what lay ahead before the madness of Springtime activities took over my complete attention. This year was different. First came the annual rose pruning, along with the replanting of four large beds, then the Great Rosarians of the World Lecture kept me busy for January and most of February. And now, March and April are consumed with programs from California to Florida.

I will be participating in a number of programs this spring: the first at Mourning Cloak Ranch Botanical Garden in Tehachapi, California, on March 27th. My subject there will be Roses in the American Garden, and will be a survey of some of the newer shrub roses and some of the best of the old. Check out their website at: www.mourningcloakranch.com. Ed Sampson has developed his private ranch into a fantastic collection of plants in the Tehachapi Mountains east of Bakersfield, California.

On April 3rd, I will be participating in The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art’s Spring Rose Festival, held annually in Sarasota, Florida. Located on the west coast of that state, south of Tampa, the Ringling celebrates art, circuses, and gardens. Check out their website at: www.ringling.org. My program will be "All the Teas in China," a survey of some of the best old garden roses for warm-climate gardens.

Lastly, I have been invited to speak at the spring convention of the American Rose Society in San Diego, California, on May 10th. My subject there will be "The New Shrub Roses," and will cover some of the newer and best shrub roses from Austin, Guillot, and others. You can take a look at the schedule and even regester online at:

www.arsspringconvention2004.org

** If you are attending any of these events, please identify yourself and let me know you read the eJournal. **

I mentioned previously that Spring begins in January for me, with the start of pruning. But it has become unavoidably clear that, whether pruning or teaching, speaking or planting, rose season never really ends for us. Lucky we never tire of the beauty they bring to so many!

GREAT ROSARIANS OF THE WORLD IV

Over the past four years, I have hosted the Great Rosarians of the World Annual Lecture Series at The Huntington the fourth Sunday in January. This is an endowed series which was conceived to honor the women and men who have contributed significantly to our love and knowledge of the Rose.

This year, nearly 400 roselovers from all over the United States and Canada honored Roger Phillips and Martyn Rix for their decades of devotion to horticulture, history, and husbandry of roses; not to mention the nearly 30 books they’ve written on horticulture and roses.

Roger and Martyn presented a fantastic multimedia program on PowerPoint, combining the usual slides with video clips from their television programs and music. They surveyed their collaboration over the years and were quite brave to share photos of a time when, as they said themselves, they "still had hair." The highlight for many of us was the video clip of Roger interviewing Graham Stuart Thomas sitting amidst the early summer bloom in his masterpiece at Montisfont Abby Rose Garden.

The weekend event included a banquet on Saturday evening, an own-root rose sale, garden tours, lunch, and post-honors reception on Sunday.

Plans for the 5th Great Rosarians of the World are already in the works. Mark your calendars for January 22 and 23, 2005.

{ * You can peruse a few more photos from The Great Rosarians 2004 event within some of the other Sections * }

NOTE: We are still looking for correspondents to report from Africa, China, and possibly Japan. If anyone has a thought as to contacts for these areas, please get in touch with the editorial staff and we’ll be grateful to receive any introduction and email addresses you can provide.

Please enjoy our March/April Issue!

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