JANUARY MEETING

For our January meeting we will stay snug in our homes, take advantage of the magic of Zoom and be enveloped in the world of rose fragrance!

Tues, January 13 , 6:30 pm / EST

PROGRAM: Fragrance in Roses
SPEAKER: Carolyn Elgar

Carolyn Elgar is the editor of the multi-award winning Orange County Rose Society newsletter, the Rose Gazette. She has also had several articles published in the ARS American Rose magazine. 

Carolyn will share with us the history of rose fragrance and talk about roses that are noted for their fragrance as well as factors that influence the release of rose fragrance. Bonus… her presentation will include beautiful pictures of roses while our roses are sleeping!

Those who attended the ILL/ IND Fall District Meeting had the pleasure of hearing Carolyn speak via Zoom and really enjoyed her!

Grab some hot chocolate, tea or a glass of wine and make plans to join us in the new year — invite friends too. They can join us from wherever they are via their phones, tablets or computers.

ZOOM SIGN IN DETAILS: Coming soon – check back closer to meeting time!



COMING SOON – 2026 ROSE SALE LIST

Be on the look out for the release of the 2026 ROSE SALE LIST! REMEMBER, first come / first serve for these amazing roses. This information will also be in our member newsletter.



MEMBERSHIP

Start 2026 out by becoming a member or renewing your membership. For details on why and how to do that …. click HERE.



HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON

We wish you a very happy holiday season and look forward to all things rose in 2026!



OCTOBER MEETING

Don’t Miss This One!

Tues, Oct 14 / 6:30 pm / Sullivan Munce / Zionsville

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.

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!

MEMBERSHIP $25

See membership form here…  

LOOKING FOR TIPS ON GROWING ROSES IN INDIANA? Check out article by our members, HERE.

HERE ARE SOME IMAGES FROM SUMMER EVENTS…

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

Lady of Shallot growing in Trudy Struck’s garden.


MARCH MEETING

On March 11, 6:30 pm EST, we will have our first in-person meeting of 2025 at the Sullivan Munce Cultural Center, 225 West Hawthorne Street / Zionsville, IN.

We are excited to welcome Joe and Carrie Bergs down from Wisconsin! Carrie is the current VP of the American Rose Society and Joe is her partner in crime in all things rose. They grow an amazing garden and are major competitors at rose shows – winning high honors both at the local and national level!

HE SAYS / SHE SAYS
A Pair of Perspectives on Rose Gardening

Every year, since 2012, Joe and Carrie have cultivated, mulched, fertilized, winter protected, deadheaded, and pruned over 400 roses on their historic 15-acre farmstead in Union Grove, Wisconsin. Joe, an easy-going child psychiatrist by profession is an energetic, task-oriented gardener in his free time. A glass half-full optimist, he definitely views life and their garden through rose-colored glasses. Always on the lookout for half-empty glasses, Carrie is a detail driven gardening perfectionist who leaves no stone unturned.

Together, (they just celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary) they are an almost perfect gardening match! In their lighthearted presentation “He Says, She Says” A Pair of Perspectives on Rose Gardening they reveal their shared strategies and individual approaches to caring for their roses and other gardens.


MEETING OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!

Our meetings are open to the public, so grab a friend or group of friends and join us. Spring is just around the corner and having so many garden lovers in one place sure ramps up the excitement!


2025 ANNUAL ROSE SALE

There are so many wonderful roses on our rose sale list this year and for a great price – especially if you get the “member discount (see below)! Take a look at them here.


MEMBERSHIP

Membership is open to anyone interested in roses. 

⭐️ 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
  • 🌹Info on how to purchase our very popular 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!

MEMBERSHIP $25

See membership form here…

JANUARY MEETING

FROM THE PRESIDENT

WELCOME!

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.

Available at High Country Roses HERE.



CANCELLED!

SPEAKER

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!


A Fun Video of 2024 Activities…


JULY EVENTS…

We have two great events planned for July! Mark your calendars! These will be highlights of the summer season!

TUES / JULY 9 / 6:30 PM

ONE THOUSAND ROSES: Anne Belovich’s Indiana Legacy
SPEAKER: Teddie Mower, Anne’s Daughter-in-law

LOCATION: Sullivan Munce Center
225 W Hawthorne Street / Zionsville

Anne Belovich lived a very interesting life especially when it came to roses. Come hear this fascinating story and learn about her beloved rambling roses.

Our meetings are open to the public so grab a friend or two and bring them with you!


WINE & ROSES BY THE POOL … 75th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

LOCATION: Home of Trudy and Jim Struck


The celebration will be held pool side and you are welcome to enjoy an open garden walk around their beautiful garden of 60 roses, in addition to perennials, shrubs, and native flowers.

MENU…

On the menu will be pulled pork sliders, slaw and chips plus wine, beer and soft drinks.

If you would like to bring an appetizer, please do so.

We look forward to an evening celebrating 75 years of rose education, garden inspiration and growing friendships. Bring your Indianapolis Rose Society memories! This is a Members Only Event, but your spouse or “plus one” is welcome.

RSVP…

We are excited you can come. Please let us know to help with planning! RSVP HERE.


 

ROSEFEST UPDATE

Rosefest was truly a lovely day of roses. We met many new growers, answered questions, learned from our fabulous speakers and found fun gifts from our vendors.

HUGE THANK YOU!

Due to the generosity of Proven Winners, Heirloom Roses and Jackson & Perkins, many guests went home with a beautiful rose for their garden. Huge thanks for their donations!

 

  •  

75 YEARS


1949 – 2024: 75 YEARS OF SHARING ROSES
By John Hefner, Past President

In 2024, the Indianapolis Rose Society is celebrating its seventy-fifth year of providing rose educational meetings, garden tours and rose shows to its membership and citizens residing in central Indiana. The society was organized in 1949 by Dr. & Mrs. E. J. Nugent, Dr. E. H. Jordan and Marguerite Smith. Throughout its history, the society has been the benchmark for societies in the Illinois/Indiana District of the American Rose Society by providing continual rose education and leadership at the local, district and national levels of the American Rose Society.

In its proud seventy-five-year history, the society has experienced numerous events the included hosting two successful American Rose Society National Conventions held in 1979 and 1995 and the American Rose Society National Miniature Conference in 2005. Additionally, the society has served as host to eighteen (18) Illinois/Indiana conventions/rose shows and countless Horticulture and Arrangement Judging as well as Consulting Rosarian Schools and Seminars.

Members of the Indianapolis Rose Society have provided leadership at the district and national levels having six (6) District Directors and one (1) Regional Director of the American Rose Society. Many members have served and are continuing to serve on national committees and have had the honor of serving as chairman of the American Rose Society National Committees.

Members of the Indianapolis Rose Society have willingly shared their vast knowledge of the many aspects of their rose hobby by contributing educational articles for publication in the American Rose Magazine. Our organization has received recognition for publication excellence by receiving the American Rose Society Gold Medal for its newsletter, The Rosarian and the Award of Merit for the Indianapolis Rose Society’s publication Successful Rose Growing in Indiana.

Throughout its history, members have been responsible for adding twelve (12) new rose varieties to the rose world for their growing enjoyment. Rose introductions have been named for society members as well as family members. Two rose introductions have received the American Rose Society Award of Excellence Award. Individual success has been achieved by exhibiting roses at national conventions, having won six (6) National Queens of Show, three (3) National Miniature Queens of Show and one (1) National Mini Flora Queen. Members have also won Challenge Classes in both Horticulture and Arrangement classes at district and national shows.

The continual focus of the Indianapolis Rose Society has been the sharing of its members knowledge, expertise, and experiences to further promote rose growing. The membership continually participates in local garden show events, the latest of which is Rosefest. Rosefest features a rose garden created at the Hamilton County 4-H Fairgrounds by master gardeners who are also rose society members. The Rosefest event features nationally recognized speakers and local members sharing information to further promote rose growing. Rose Society members have had the distinct honor to present programs at American Rose Society district, regional as well as national events.

In its long 75 years history, the Indianapolis Rose Society is extremely proud of their many accomplishments of its membership. The focus has always been on educating and inspiring many facets of the Rose.

Congratulations are extended to members of the Indianapolis Rose Society for their loyalty and never-ending support as well as their desire to educate others regarding our National Floral emblem – the ROSE.

MARCH MEETING

Our first in-person meeting is coming soon and we’d love to have you join us. Our meetings are open to the public so grab a friend to join you. We have a very special guest!

TUES, MAR 12, 6:30 pm

Sullivan Munce Cultural Center, Zionsville, IN (​225 West Hawthorne Street)

SPEAKER: Rita Spalding, Rose Gardener & Professional Artist
PROGRAM: The Big Canvas

Rita will be speaking about growing roses and using the roses in her paintings.

Bio:
Rita Spalding’s paintings have been shown in group and solo exhibitions in galleries and museums in the United States and abroad. Her work has been acquired by public organizations, corporations, museums, schools, local businesses, and many private collectors Ms. Spalding is the recipient of numerous local, regional, and national awards and honors from prestigious associations, such as the American Impressionist Society, Oil Painters of America, Indiana Heritage Arts, and The Hoosier Salon. She was the Artist in Residence at the nationally acclaimed Children’s Museum of Indianapolis in 2018 and 2019 and has received The People’s Choice at the Hoosier Salon’s Annual Exhibition three out of the last three years that she participated.


GROWING ROSES IN INDIANA

Just in time for spring, we have compiled rose care articles from some of our master rosarians in one place for you. Most recently we added a comprehensive article on pruning roses from John Hefner. Check it out here.


ROSES FOR SALE

Our rose sale is still on and we are inching closer to time for them to arrive … early April! There are many beauties on the list. Check them out here.


COMING UP!

APRIL MEETING

Tues, Apr, 9, 6:30 pm
Sullivan Munce, Zionsville, IN (​225 West Hawthorne Street)

What’s New in Your Garden?

A time for members and guests to talk about their gardens, share ideas and ask questions!


MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

ROSEFEST / June 8

Hamilton Co. Fairground
Stay tuned for more information on speakers, the rose show and how you can be involved.


ALL GOOD THINGS MUST COME TO AN END

2023 was a very good year for our rose society! We had a super strong start with two power house speakers… Tom Carruth and Gaye Hammond. If you missed the Tom Carruth or Gaye Hammond program, they were recorded and are available on our MEMBERS ONLY page. As members you will definitely want jump over there and watch. The MEMBERS ONLY page is password protected but you can get the password here…. Email link

In March we moved back to Sullivan Munce for in-person meetings and Teresa Byington gave a program on English Cottage Gardens. March was a great time to “visit” England and begin to make plans for our own gardens. Through Teresa’s program we “visited” some estate gardens in England, had a mini tour of Teresa’s garden, talked about garden planning and plants Teresa found to be suitable for Cottage Style gardens in our area.

WORKSHOPS

Throughout the year we had workshops: tool sharpening, propagation via rose budding and there was fertilizer making day!

GARDEN TOURS

We were inspired by visiting gardens in our area and a member’s garden: Tree Frog Garden, Avon Gardens, and Rita Spalding’s home (where art and roses meet).

We kicked off fall with a visit from Ron Daniels,  Nashville (TN) Rose Society President. It was an over the top meeting leaving us all inspired! Ron actually brought roses from his amazing garden in Nashville to give out to our members!

We finished our year with a fantastic meeting on attracting birds, bees and other beauties to our garden from two experts in the field – Karen Smith and Jennifer Davies. 

A TIME TO CELEBRATE

Last week we had our board installation and awards banquet. 

John Hefner conducted the board installation. He encouraged each board member based on their particular job description and also called on all members to participate and serve when there’s a need. We are so proud of those who lead us! And, invite all of our members to be a part of this thriving group. 

  • President: Trudy Struck
  • 1st VP: Teresa Downham
  • 2nd VP: Carolyn Lloyd
  • Secretary: Kim Chmielewski
  • Treasurer: Tad Sayama
  • Membership: Norma Bledsoe
  • Newsletter Editor: Linda Kimmel
  • Website/Blog/Social Media: Teresa Byington

President, Trudy Struck, gave out special mentions to several who served well in 2023…

⭐️John Hefner who hosted an excellent meeting and budding workshop at his home.
⭐️Kim Chmielewski for her excellent work handling all aspects of our extremely popular rose sale.
⭐️Teresa Byington for her work on the website/ blog and programs.
⭐️Linda Kimmel for her work on our very newsy newsletter.
⭐️Eloisa Garza for her work on our 2023 programs and extra effort in storing roses during our sale.

THE BIG WINNER OF THE NIGHT: Norma Bledsoe, Bronze Medal

The American Rose Society’s Bronze Medal is given to a local rose society member for outstanding service to the society. Norma has served in many society capacities through the years. Her primary focus for the last several years has been to serve as our Membership Chairman. From the moment you are interested in the society through the membership process, Norma has it covered! 

Thank you Norma for a JOB VERY WELL DONE.

ON THE JOB

The board has assumed their positions and is already tackling 2024 with plans and projects. 

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Could you take just a minute and let us know if there are things you are particularly interested in that we could work into our planning OR maybe you have a program you’d like to give to our group, OR maybe you’d be willing to open your garden for an exclusive Rose Society tour. That would be fabulous! Remember size and style do not matter. We have members with huge gardens, tiny gardens, container gardens, formal gardens, collectors gardens, cottage gardens and all are so fun to see! Email the Rose Society here with your thoughts and ideas. (link).

HEY SANTA!

Recently we did a survey on FAVORITE GARDEN TOOLS. Here are some of the tools our garden community says they can’t live without. I’ve included links so you can take a look and get additional details. 

🎅 First up were Felco Pruners. Rose growers love them!  (link)
🎅There was also a lot of buzz about the new battery powered pruners. This brand came highly recommended. (link)
🎅Another recommendation was for a Hori Hori knife — used for weeding, dividing plants, planting blubs and much more. (link)
🎅What about general garden gloves? These came highly recommended.  (link)
🎅The Cobra Head weeder was a favorite! (link)

DEALING WITH MIDGE

Midge is a very unpopular addition to any rose garden. If Midge has come to your garden, help is on the way. In the article below John Hefner tells you his midge story and offers tips that will send Ms Midge packing. Read here… 

COMING SOON!

Our rose sale will begin soon. Remember members get first choice and a nice discount! This year’s list is shaping up to be fantastic! New or current members… membership fee is due now!

Membership Fee: $20 More Details here 

Thanks for stopping by!

FEBRUARY PROGRAM…

TUES, FEB 14, 6:30 PM (ZOOM)


Are you ready to spring into spring? Few people can get us more excited or more ready to do just that than our speaker Gaye Hammond. If you have had the pleasure of hearing her before, you know just what we mean. So mark your calendar and join us! Guests are certainly welcome, just remember our time zone is EST so adjust your calendar accordingly! We don’t want you to miss a minute.

Gaye Hammond, Former President of the Houston Rose Society and life member and patron of the American Rose Society. 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.

LINK TO ZOOM:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87842240093?pwd=bmg4MTRQTGFMdkVuK2dzU1Zwc2h4Zz09

ABOUT GAYE’S PROGRAM:

Without question, pruning roses (or any other plant for that matter) is the most intimidating task that a gardener undertakes.

“Should I cut this off or leave it?”, “What if I make a mistake?”, “Can I just leave it and let nature take its course?”  These are all self-doubts that we encounter in our gardening life when it comes to cutting off parts of plants that we worked so hard to grow.  Compounding one’s own doubts, is the misinformation that a gardener finds on the internet.

This program helps the gardener work through the myths of pruning; provides an easy step-by-step approach to pruning any type of rose; helps identify early signs of pests/disease that can be taken care of during the pruning process so that the effects of these maladies can be avoided once the roses break dormancy; as well as share how she boosts spring garden performance with a few steps that are easy to implement once bushes have been pruned.

🌹COMING UP NEXT

For details on our March in-person program and information on our rose sale, read on here.

🌹IDEAS?

If you have ideas for upcoming programs or would like to invite our members to a tour of your garden, please let us know…

Leave a comment

MEMBERSHIP

Membership is open to anyone interested in roses.  Once you are a member… you will receive regular updates that include

  • 🌹Society news
  • 🌹Upcoming programs
  • 🌹4-month free trial to American Rose Society
  • 🌹How to purchase our fertilizer
  • 🌹Invitations to upcoming private garden tours
  • 🌹Discounts on roses through our annual rose sale
  • 🌹Automatic inclusion in the IL IN Rose District events
  • 🌹Access to past recorded program via our “Members Only” Section
  • 🌹And, you will learn ways you can jump in and get involved!

Membership Fee: $20

Download application HERE.

2021 PROGRAMS & EVENTS

We believe that roses are for all seasons – especially now.
It’s not just their beauty, they are well known for their health benefits too.
Something we think about a lot more these days.

We are looking forward to 2021 with all the promise that a new year and a new season can bring! While we hope that soon the cancellations and limitations of 2020 will be moving behind us, we are making plans that can be enjoyed virtually … or in-person when we can safely do so. Regardless of how we meet, we are committed to bringing great opportunities for learning more about gardening with roses and wonderful friendship.

Our meetings take place on the 2nd Tuesday of each month starting in January. As always, our events are open to the public and you are invited to attend! If you would like to attend and need the

 

UPCOMING 2021 MEETINGS . . .

 

TUES, JAN 12, 6:30 PM / ZOOM MEETING

Watch YouTube recording of this meeting HERE.

SPEAKER: GAYE HAMMOND
Gaye is the Past President of the Houston Rose Society and an international lecturer and writer. She is involved in a number of rose trials around the country. She is also a contributing author to A Garden Book for Houston and the Texas Gulf Coast and The Sustainable Rose Garden. Don’t miss this dynamic speaker!

PROGRAM: COLOR AND THE WOW FACTOR: From Drab to Dramatic in the Rose Garden 
The use of color can make or break a landscape. Like an artist creates a masterpiece on canvas, the use of color in the landscape is one of the most important design elements to create the “WOW” factor that we strive for. Color can be used to lighten up a dark shady corner or calm an overly bright one. Come learn the tips, tricks and trends employed by landscape designers in using color in the landscape to make a property pop!

Gaye’s Handouts:

COLOR CHART

Color and the WOW Factor

LANDSCAPE DESIGN

 

TUES, FEB 9, 6:30 PM / ZOOM MEETING

Watch YOUTUBE recording of this meeting… HERE

SPEAKER: CARRIE BERGS
Carrie is the Blogger and Web Administrator of the ARS North Central District and Past President of the Greater Milwaukee Rose Society. She and her husband Joe grow about 20 different varieties of OGR’s in their Wisconsin rose garden of 350 roses. Joe and Carrie are also award winning rose exhibitors. Their garden will be featured on tour during the 2021 ARS National Convention next September in Milwaukee. Convention details here.

PROGRAM: MY PINK LADIES 
Carrie will share her favorite and hardiest OGR’s, you will hear the stories of these gorgeous, fragrant roses as well as how they grow them, prune them, winter protect them and exhibit them.

TUES, MAR 9, 6:30 PM  / ZOOM MEETING

SPEAKER: MARILYN WELLAN

Marilyn Wellan is a 37-year member of the American Rose Society, and served 29 of those years on its Board of Directors. She is a Past President (2003-2006), Horticulture and Arrangements Judge, Consulting Rosarian and Master Rosarian. She was awarded the ARS Gold Honor Medal in 2017, and earlier the Silver Medal and Bronze Medal. She was named a “Great Rosarian of the World” in 2009; and recognized in “Decades of Women” in 2017.

PROGRAM: GREAT GARDEN RESTORATION OF AMERICA’S ROSE GARDEN

In early 2017, a five-year Master Plan was approved by the American Rose Center Committee and the ARS Board of Directors which set the path for the Great Garden Restoration, and for success in the future. The plan outlined these major Immediate Goals: 1) consolidation of the many gardens into a “core garden” with visual impact; 2) clearing of many trees; 3) deer fencing; 4) new walkways; 5) soil testing and amending; 6) creating an exciting new design for the gardens (see above image).

By the end of the year 2018, the Immediate Goals of the Master Plan had been achieved; $570,000 was raised in cash, services, in-kind gifts and pledges. The Great Garden Restoration Project is well underway, and promises to create a garden that is a major attraction for visitors from around the world, is visitor-friendly, reduces maintenance, is respectful of the environment, is educational in nature, and that is capable of increasing earned revenue to support the gardens. Images and additional information here.


TUES, APRIL 13, 6:30 PM / ZOOM MEETING

SPEAKER: DIANE SOMMERS
Diane currently serves as the Vice President of the American Rose Society. Diane will be installed as President at the Cream City Roses Convention in Wisconsin in September and you are invited to attend. Details here.

About Diane’s garden…

Diane’s garden is a collage of color and rose varieties, currently holding about 150 varieties. She likes to have a lot of color and bloom all summer long, so she has been adding more floribundas and shrub roses lately, while still maintaining a good selection of hybrid teas for exhibiting. Six years ago, she moved into a new home and the rose garden had to start over.  Starting over is a lot more work than she ever imagined and there are many days she wishes she had the soil and roses from years ago! She is fortunate to have a lot of room and plans on adding 20 – 30 roses each year. Other plans for the garden are learning about other plants to enhance the gardens, and controlling the darn deer.

PROGRAM: DRY WRAPPING ROSES.

Have you ever admired a rose in your garden and wished that it could have waited a few days or weeks to bloom? Drywrapping is one technique that you can use to store your rose without water, rehydrating at a future date. This technique is simple to do with many different varieties.  The arrangement pictured here won the 2016 ARS National Arrangement Trophy with the rose “Joy”, where many of the blooms were cut two to three weeks earlier.  In this program we will discuss the steps to successful Drywrapping.

 


Check back as we are busy working on additional plans for 2021!

Members will receive updates via our newsletters and eblasts. If you would like to become a member, read on here.
If you have questions or concerns about Zoom meetings, we would be glad to help!
We look forward to having you join us!

 

2021 IRS BOARD:

Eloisa Garza: President
Trudy Struck: 1st Vice President
Teresa Downham: 2nd Vice President
Marilyn Ferguson: Secretary
Humberto DeLuca: Treasurer
Linda Kimmel: Newsletter Editor
Teresa Byington: Immediate Past President and Webmaster/Social Media

John and Donna Hefner Have Done It Again!

Long time leaders of the Indianapolis Rose Society and winners of almost every rose award available have been outstanding once again!

They have two new roses being introduced this year!

HUGS & KISSES


Comments from Richard at For Love of Roses: This great looking miniature rose is a sport of Mobile Jubilee that John Hefner found some time ago. We believe it is as good if not better than its look-a-like Breath of Spring. We recently applied for registration when John named the rose ‘Hugs & Kisses’ after the love he and Donna share with their grandchildren. It will be available in mid to late April on our website. Find this rose on the For Love of Roses website here.

BY DESIGN


Comments from Richard at For Love of Roses: This is another sport of Mobile Jubilee that was found by the outstanding rose exhibitor John Hefner. John and his wife Donna debated on several different names for this gorgeous miniature seedling finally deciding to on naming the rose ‘By Design’. In our biased opinion it is the perfect name for this beautiful rose. We are currently building inventory and anticipate having the rose being available sometime this coming Spring. Find this rose on the For Love of Roses website here.

These two beauties join the other two Hefner hybrids …
Miniature “Regine.” Regine won the 1990 ARS Award of Excellence.
Hybrid Tea “Classic Touch”

CONGRATULATIONS! WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU!

Thank you both for making the world a more beautiful place with your friendship,
your leadership and with your beautiful roses.

Please leave a comment below to help us celebrate the Hefners!

Rose Rosette Update!

Mark Your Calendar!

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Tuesday, May 10 at 6:30 pm.

Mark2Dr. Mark Windham, Distinguished Professor in Ornamental Pathology at UT Knoxville, will speak to our society about Rose Rosette and where we are with the research being done. Dr. Windham is a very knowledgeable and entertaining speaker. In fact, those of us who have heard him are sure he could be a stand up comedian. Come enjoy a fun evening talking about a serious subject in the world of roses.

Our meetings are open to the pubic, so invite those you think might be interested.


We have several great events coming up…

Saturday, June 11 is our Rosefest 2016. This is going to be a day filled to the brim with roses. More on that here.  If you need tickets ($10), contact us via email at indplsrosesoc@gmail.com.

Saturday, July 9 at 6 pm is our Wine and Roses Party in the beautiful garden of Mark & Cathy Nolen. Details here.


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Rosefest 2016: Timeless beauty for today’s gardens

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Indianapolis Rose Society invites you to a day filled with roses!

June 11 / 9:30 am – 5 pm
Hamilton County Fairgrounds
2003 Pleasant Street / Noblesville, IN

$10 EVENT TICKETS AVAILABLE
CONTACT: Monica Taylor at IndyMonica@gmail.com or 317.514.7284

Schedule for the day…

  • Tea in the HCMGA Rose Garden: 9:30 -11:30 am (Free)
    • Sponsored by the Hamilton Country Master Gardener Association.
  • Rose Display in Exhibition Center opens at 10:30 am (Free)
    • Public is invited to judge the rose displays.
  • Lectures 12:30 – 4 pm ($10) (Tickets required)
    • $10 ticket – entrance to all three lectures! Limited seating for lectures. (Tickets will go fast… let us know if you want them, here or contact Monica @  IndyMonica@gmail.com.
  • Rose display winners announced at 4 pm.

Speakers … 

Take a look at this rose dream team…

Peggy Martin of New Orleans, LA
12:30 – 1:30 pm | Program: Old Garden Roses
Peggy is the VP of the Heritage Rose Foundation and owner of the original Peggy Martin Rose, the rose that survived Hurricane Katrina.

Carol Tumbas of Bloomington, IN
1:45 – 2:45 pm | Program: Hardy, Sustainable Shrub Roses
Carol is the former President of the Indianapolis Rose Society, a well respected rosarian and grower of more than 500 roses.

Gaye Hammond of Houston, TX
3 – 4 pm | Program: Earth-Kind Roses
Gaye is a noted expert of the Texas A & M Earth-Kind Program and lectures nationwide about growing roses in no spray conditions.


Additional Information

  • Roses and rose products will be available for purchase.
  • Roses and rose arrangements from member’s garden will be on display.
  • The public is invited to judge displays.
  • There will be educational resources on roses and rose culture.
  • Download flyer here.   

Questions

IndplsRoseSoc@gmail.com


Tickets

$10 EVENT TICKETS AVAILABLE
CONTACT: Monica Taylor at IndyMonica@gmail.com or 317.514.7284

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Happy New Year!

We are busy making plans for 2015 programs and garden tours and it looks to be an outstanding year!

We start our rosey year in March with a workshop for the public on “all things rose”… rose varieties, rose care, tips on how to be successful growing roses in Indiana and more!

Stay tuned … more details to follow!


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FYI:

All our meetings are open to the public and we are dedicated to rose education (and fun). We hope you will join us!

HAVE QUESTIONS?

Send your questions to us via the contact form on the site and we will get right back with you! Or leave us a comment.

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