PROGRAM: ALL ABOUT ROSE HIPS SPEAKERS: John and Donna Hefner
John and Donna will share about rose hips, their purpose, and interesting little known uses. John and Donna will also discuss how roses are hybridized.
BOOK AND PLANT SWAP
BOOKS: Have some extra books or gardening magazines laying around. Bring them and get them back into circulation. And, you’ll have a chance to maybe pick up something that will be just right for you!
PLANTS… Have you heard the term Pass Along Plants? If you are from the South, the chances are great that this is a very familiar term to you!
If you are looking for something new or have an over-achiever that is taking up too much space … this is the event for you.
Bring your plants to “pass along” to another garden! Please label and have in a container. NOTE: Your container could be something as simple as a grocery bag as long as it can be transported safely.
If this is new to you and you are wondering what plants you could bring, here are a few ideas of plants that “pass along’ well: Salvia, Iris, Hostas, Daylilies, Catmint, Phlox, Sedum, groundcovers and so many more.
NOTE: You do not have to bring a book or a plant to take some home!
GRAB A FRIEND Our meetings are open to the public, so grab a friend and join us.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Take a look at upcoming events for our society… HERE.
JOIN OR RENEW TODAY!
Membership in the Indianapolis Rose Society is open to anyone interested in roses.
We have members who are just starting to learn about roses and members who grow from one rose to those who grow 400 roses and are excellent at mentoring.
⭐️ Once you are a member… you will receive regular updates that include…
🌹Society news
🌹Upcoming programs
🌹Invitations to private garden tours
🌹Access to past recorded programs via our “Members Only” Section
🌹How to purchase our fertilizer
🌹Discounts on roses through our annual rose sale
🌹Automatic inclusion in the IL IN Rose District events
🌹And, you will learn ways you can jump in and get involved!
LOOKING FOR TIPS ON GROWING ROSES IN INDIANA? Check out article by our members, HERE.
HERE ARE SOME IMAGES FROM SUMMER EVENTS…
IRS 8/12/2025IRS 8/12/2025
DID YOU KNOW?
Last year our society turned 75!
In 2024, the Indianapolis Rose Society celebrated its seventy-fifth year of providing rose educational meetings, garden tours and rose shows to its membership and citizens residing in central Indiana.
At a celebration hosted by Jim and Trudy Struck, several of our past presidents were able to attend.
Whether you are a long time member or brand new, we look forward to seeing you on Tues, Oct 14 / 6:30 pm when we’ll talk about the fascinating subject of Rose Hips! Dont’ miss it!
“In the garden, Autumn is, indeed the crowning glory of the year, bringing us the fruition of months of thought and care and toil.” -Rose G. Kingsley
Join us at the Sullivan Munce Center for a fun evening of food, fellowship and learning! Teresa Byington and Trudy Struck will share some stories and history on how their favorite roses got their names. Ever wonder how the rose Quietness got it’s name? Join us and find out. Members are encouraged to find the history or story of their favorite rose and share it with the group.
We will also be discussing the top 5 things we should be doing NOW to get your roses ready for fall and eventually winter. Don’t be left out in the cold on this one.
Mark Your Calender:
October 14 / 6:30 pm / Sullivan Munce
Join us at the Sullivan Munce Center for a perennial and book giveaway. Have a gardening book or magazine gathering dust on a bookshelf? Bring it to the meeting to give to someone. Dividing some perennials and don’t have a home for them? Bring them to the meeting for a garden friend. You don’t have to bring something to take something. If you do bring a perennial, make sure to cut it back and place it in a pot or plastic bag. Please label the pots or bags so people can remember what they brought home. We will also have a presentation on Rose Hips. What are they? What is their purpose? What should you do with them? What should you not do with them? Inquiring minds will want to know!
Sat, August 2 / 2 pm Grafting Workshop & Garden Tour Hosted by John and Donna Hefner Details Here
Tues, Aug 12 / 6:30 pm / Sullivan Munce PROPAGATION NIGHT Scott Ferrell will demonstrate Air Layering Propagation Method. Teresa Downham will demonstrate pegging method. We will end our time together with… ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION: BEATING THE HEAT Come and share what’s going on in your garden:
What plants are thriving this season… or ones that are not!
Tips on beating the heat in the garden.
Your favorite rose(s) so far this year.
Ask questions about rose care or issues you are having.
Share your advice.
ADDITIONAL EVENTS
To see our calendar of events that includes the American Rose Society webinars, follow this LINK…
DID YOU SEE THESE?
Here are pictures from our Bouquet Making Workshop in June.
Our speaker, Mitch Reed, was fantastic. He gave us so many tips and tricks of flower arranging. It was so inspiring to watch him demonstrate and then turn us loose!
Everyone brought flowers and greenery so we had so many beautiful things to choose from as we made our creations.
Our flower arrangements (40 of them) were taken to Zionsville Meadows Nursing Home for their residents to enjoy! We heard rave reviews from the Meadows!
WE’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!
Do you have an idea for a meeting or have a program you would like to give? Send us an email and let us know…. HERE.
JOIN / RENEW
Membership in the Indianapolis Rose Society is open to anyone interested in roses. We have members who are just starting to learn about roses and members who grow hundreds and are excellent at mentoring.
⭐️ Once you are a member… you will receive regular updates that include…
🌹Society news
🌹Upcoming programs
🌹Invitations to members only event / private tours
🌹Access to past recorded programs via our “Members Only” Section
🌹Info on how to purchase our fertilizer
🌹Discounts on roses through our annual rose sale
🌹Automatic inclusion in the IL IN Rose District events
🌹Information on growing roses in our area.
🌹And, you will learn ways you can jump in and get involved!
“The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just the body, but the soul.” —Alfred Austin
PROGRAM: Tips, Tricks & Hacks of Floral Design SPEAKER: Mitch Reed, Catering and Floral Design
In honor of National Rose Month, we are filling vases with roses and other flowers to share.
We will share our creations with those at Zionsville Meadows Nursing Home. They are so excited to get them! Norma Bledsoe has been our contact with them and will deliver our arrangements. Thank you Norma!
ABOUT OUR SPEAKER…
Mitch Reed- flower enthusiast, creative designer, foodie, and your guide for today’s workshop. Born and raised in South Louisiana, Floral Design became a second career after graduating with a degree in Hospitality Management and being immersed in the event and catering world. I attended the American School of Flower Design in Houston and San Francisco which led to a new job in Chicago where my passion for floral design expanded. I’ve now been arranging florals for 8 years, and it’s still a joyful, grounding part of my day when I get a chance to create. I currently work for Crystal Signature Events which is how I got to know Teresa Downham. I can’t wait to share some simple, beautiful techniques to bring your own designs to life. My personal favorite florals are Ranunculus, various types of Tulips, and Dahlias.
Flowers and greenery from your garden. (You can also purchase flowers to bring. Most grocery stores and especially Trader Joe’s usually have some great floral deals.) It would be best to bring flowers in a container of water to keep them fresh longer!
Jars/Vases (Pickle jars, spaghetti sauce jars, ball jars, etc. Nothing larger than quart jars. Please remove labels.)
ROSE SOCIETY WILL PROVIDE…
Jute and other ribbon
Extra flowers/greenery
Extra jars/vases
We look forward to seeing you at this hands-on, super fun event! Psst… Don’t forget to RSVP.
One of our favorites will be ZOOMING with us in February – Connie Hilker.
Zoom meetings are easy to share with others regardless of location. Our January meeting was filled with rose lovers from around the country! So fun to all be together! Please share this information with others! We look forward to seeing you there!
TUES, FEB 11, 6:30 PM EST (ZOOM) PROGRAM: THE ABCs of OGRs
Do you know your Tea from a Centifolia, and what exactly IS a Hybrid China? This program provides descriptions and examples of the various classes of old-garden roses, in approximately the order in which they were developed.
ABOUT CONNIE HILKER
Connie Hilker has been growing and studying heritage roses since 2002. She is president of the Stafford County Historical Society, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Heritage Rose Foundation, manages the historic rose collection at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia, and is the author of Heritage Roses: A Collection of Essays and Lessons. She was the chair of the Heritage and Preservation Committee of the American Rose Society and owned and operated Hartwood Roses, a nursery which specialized in rare, historic roses. Connie can often be found lecturing and leading workshops about all aspects of roses, searching cemeteries and old home sites for roses to rescue, and tending her garden of 500 varieties of roses at the home that she shares with her husband Steve in Hartwood, Virginia.
Zoom programs are recorded and made available to our members at any time. If you are not a member, what a good time to join. Or if you are a member maybe it is time to renew! Details here.
Connie’s Book…
ANNUAL ROSE SALE
The Indianapolis Rose Society’s annual rose sale is on and the list is amazing. Take a look here.
We are excited to kick off the 76th year of the Indianapolis Rose Society’s dedication to helping others grow and enjoy roses. Yes- 76 years dedicated to our shared love of roses! Our theme for 2025 will center around: Growing roses, good for the body, mind, and spirit. Over the past 76 years, our group has evolved to meet the ever- changing trends and needs of the backyard gardener. Some of our members grow 250+ roses and others grow just one special rose. No matter your age, your ability, or your growing space we welcome you to our group. We like to say we’re not just growing roses, we’re growing friendships too.
During January and February, our meetings are held via zoom. The link can be found on the home page of our website. During the other months, we hold in-person meetings, garden tours and special events. Most in-person meetings are held at the Sullivan Munce Cultural Center in Zionsville, Indiana. All meetings are open to the public so feel free to bring yourselves and friends. People who join as members of our group will enjoy extra benefits such as members only garden tours and events. Please visit the events page of our website for meeting dates and times.
We hope to see you in 2025! Teresa Downham, President
NOTE: Robin has had to postpone and Gaye Hammond will now be joining us on Jan 14.
PROGRAM: HISTORY OF ROSES: AMERICA’S TRUE NATIVE PLANT
Few do the indepth research on a subject as Gaye. Join us as she takes us on a journey of the history of roses in the United States from antiquity to the 1900s.
ABOUT GAYE HAMMOND
Gaye is the Past President of the Houston Rose Society. She is a life member and patron of American Rose Society and serves on the Marketing Committee of the national organization. Gaye is also the study liaison between the Houston Rose Society and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in connection with Earth- Kind® Rose Research – the largest environmental rose research study done in the U.S. Gaye is an entertaining speaker and an avid writer of more than 300 articles that have been published in local, state, national and international magazines and newspapers. She has co-authored a peer-reviewed journal article on Earth-Kind Roses published in 2009 in Floriculture & Ornamental Biotechnology, a chapter in The Sustainable Rose Garden and authored a chapter in the book, Gulf Coast Gardening.
GAYE HAMMOND ROSE: Shrub by Dr. David Zlesak, United States, 2007
A rose that’s hardy enough for northern climates and strong enough for the deep south? That’s the Gaye Hammond for you, a vigorous shrub rose creating clusters of 2 inch blooms throughout the year on an upright shrub covered in glossy green foliage. Golden orange buds open into cheerful yellow blooms with tinge of coral and age to cream. Flowers are self-deadheading and the shrub is very resistant to black spot and mildew.
Robin Jennings is the Senior Brand Marketing Manager at Heirloom Roses
PROGRAM
Robin will tackle the very important topic of bridging generations of gardeners. As a millennial, she will share who the new gardeners are, what they are looking for, and how seasoned gardeners can play a part.
CHECK BACK for upcoming meetings!
ZOOM MEETINGS ARE RECORDED
Zoom meetings are recorded and made available to our members. If you are not a member, what a good time to join. Details here.
A TIME TO DREAM
Who doesn’t love the fresh start a new year brings! Yes, garden dreams filled with baskets of roses, opportunites to learn and rosy friends to share our rose love with. Come join us!
Several of our members have told us they have fun rose stories to share. I hope you will have one too. Maybe it’s the background of a favorite rose or maybe it’s how you became interested in growing roses – whatever it is we are eager to hear it!
At this meeting we will also go over all the ROSEFEST details so each one of us feels ready for a fun day. We are also looking for volunteers to help. Take a look at the Volunteer list HERE. (NOTE: they’re all fun jobs!)
We’ll also have an update on the rose sale.
ROSEFEST
A day of roses is coming Saturday, June 8 from 9 am – 3 pm at the 4H Fairgrounds in Noblesville. Free and open to the public! We will have demonstrations, speakers, garden tours, vendors, a rose show and more! 🌹 For Rosefest details read on HERE…
ROSE TIPS AND TRICKS
Our rose expert John Hefner has written several articles that help us to care for our roses. Here are three that are great for spring!
DEALING WITH ROSE MIDGE
If you are dealing with Rose Midge, you are not alone. At one time or another most rose growers do! She’s been around awhile. Rose Midge appears to be an imported species that was first detected and described in 1884 when it was attacking greenhouse roses in New Jersey. We are lucky, John has had it and conquered it. Read all about it below.
It can be a daunting process for a newbie. John Hefner is not a newbie. Actually he is one of the most decorated rose growers in the US, winning local, district and national awards. I can’t imagine how many roses he has pruned in his 50+ years of growing the most amazing roses. Maybe he’ll tell us sometime! Certainly enough that we can count on his expertise! 😉 Read pruning article below.
Here is Trudy, Eloisa and Teresa having fun talking about our society and selling roses at the Hendricks Co Master Gardener Event – Gardening For All Ages.
SEE YOU SOON!
We look forward to seeing on Tuesday, May 7 at Sullivan Munce, 225 W Hawthorne St., in charming downtown Zionsville.
Our meetings are open to the public, so grab a friend and bring them too! Who doesn’t love roses!?!
Indianapolis Rose Society 