Thank you to everyone who made the Festival a success

Thank you to everyone who made the World Rose Festival a success!

We will not be updating this blog but if you are looking for more information on roses, visit the World Federation of Rose Societies website (http://www.worldrose.org/) and the Vancouver Rose Society's website (http://www.vancouverrosesociety.org/).

When am I on stage?

After listening to me rant about roses in this blog over the long, cold winter, come to hear what I have say in person! I am talking about my passion, roses, at 2:00 pm on Saturday at Activity Central, and again at 6:00 during a hands-on workshop. I will be wandering between the Festival and the Convention during my "off hours", so please tap me on the shoulder to say hi and to ask that rose question you have been wondering about.

It's finally here

The World Rose Festival has finally arrived. From this Friday to Sunday, come to the Vancouver Convention Centre to Experience the Rose... Check out the schedule, visit a participating garden shop to buy your tickets (or get them at the door), and plan how to spend your days surrounded by roses.

In the Realm of the Rose

by Terri Clark

I am just returned from a month’s sojourn in the eastern United States, specifically Connecticut. I go at this time of year to attend what I think is one of the best and most elegant garden shows called Trade Secrets. It hammers home the notion that people in great numbers do not need beguiling or begging to take part in exhibits and displays that are simple, beautiful, and educational with a big retail component. Read more...

Win a Garden Shopping Spree

What would you do to your garden with $5,500 to spend!

Enter to win, and you have the chance to transform your garden with a $5,500 shopping spree from the World Rose Festival, Crabtree & Evelyn, David Hunter Garden Centers, Northwest Landscape Supply Ltd., Select Roses, Selections Nursery, and Hunter Landscape Design.

Simply drop by any of these fine retailers now until June 18, and the World Rose Festival on June 19, 20, and 21 inside the new Vancouver Convention Centre, and complete your entry ballot.

One lucky winner will receive $5,500 in gift certificates from our Garden Shopping Spree sponsors.

Peter and Amanda Beales!

Rosarians, get out your calendars and ink in this seminar! World-famous rose expert, author, rose breeder and nurseryman, Peter Beales <www.classicroses.co.uk>, will make a special guest lecture on Saturday, June 20 at 12:00 pm, along with his daughter Amanda. The Beales are joining us from Norfolk, England, and you won't want to miss this one-time event.

Topic: Classic Roses in the Garden Landscape
Date: Saturday, June 20, 2009
Time: 12:00 p.m.
Location: Vancouver Convention Centre Exhibit Hall C, 1055 Canada Place

Find out more at www.worldrosefestival.com, on the Activity Central page.

Heavy Petal Contest Winner

They aren't your granny's bloomers!

We asked our readers, and the faithful blog followers over at HeavyPetal.ca, if roses really do have a place in the modern garden. And to convince blogger Andrea Bellamy to change her mind about them!

Find out who won, and why! Read on...

Farewell Dinner's Silent and Live Auctions - What is your strategy?

What could you "win" at the World Rose Convention - Farewell Dinner's Silent and Live Auctions? View the listing to prepare your strategy.

May was a wonderful month

From writer Brenda Viney

At the beginning of May, I talked about taking a final look at your roses to see if any of them were going to make a comeback from the dead! As it turns out, quite a few in my garden did just that. Read more...

The Festival is on YouTube

Check out the World Rose Festival announcement on YouTube!

Decision Time - Dead or Alive?

By Brenda Viney, Vancouver Rose Society Member

The beginning of May is when you can finally make the decision on whether or not your rose plants are dead or alive.

After our worst winter in years, some plants are still struggling to revive themselves, some are totally dead and many are coming back with a vengeance! Read more...

Festival Getaway Package

Experience the World Rose Festival, wander through spectacular rose gardens during the City Rose Gardens Tour, and enjoy your 2-night stay at the Westin Bayshore Hotel... What a wonderful way to spend the weekend. Find out more...

When Roses are a Mystery – Meet “Darlow’s Enigma”

Wondering about some of the newer roses on the block? Terri Clark has an interesting story about a mystery rose.. read more...

Tamara Taggart CTV visits Select Roses!

Tamara & Brad

Tamara Taggart and her crew from CTV came to visit the rose farm. We spoke about rose planting, rose breeding, and some top rose pics for this area. Tamara loves to garden and was kind enough to mention the World Rose Convention and Festival, which is of course the reason for this blog!

The Convention and Festival will soon be here. If you haven't registered now is the time. If you haven't bought your ticket for a day at the festival, NOW is the time! Full details can be found on this blog.

This is a once in a lifetime Rose event to be held in the stunning new Vancouver Trade and Convention centre. It's time to tell your friends, tell your media contacts, facebook about it, twitter about it and most of all plan on being there!

If you want to order a "ROYAL CITY ROSE" you need to attend the Festival as we will be launching it to the general public there.

Rose Convention Tours and Social Events open to the public

Great news! The daily tours and many of the social events offered as part of the World Rose Convention program are now open to the public to attend. Buy your tickets today!

Vancouver Sun Feature on Royal City Rose

Here is another take on the "Royal City Rose". All very exciting!

Attendees will be treated to SenceNectar

SenceNectar is going to treat Rose Convention Attendees to a real treat - an elegant nectar, enjoyed regularly as a tea by Leonardo DaVinci, is a refreshing alternative to juice or soft drinks, or it can be mixed with them as well as with champagne, vodka, rum, gin, sake and many cordials. It will also be available at the Rose Festival! www.sencenectar.com

Understanding Different Types of Roses

by Brenda Viney

Ever wondered what the difference was between an OGR and a modern rose was? And what is an OGR anyways... Read more...

Rose City Rose

"The City of New Westminster unveiled its own unique rose at a dedication ceremony at city hall on Monday. Officially named the "Royal City Rose," the hybrid flower was bred by Brad Jalbert of Select Roses in Langley" stated the Record, New Westminister's hometown newspaper....

Let Roses take the place of Easter Lilies

by Terri Clark

As someone who seems honour-bound to tradition, you might find it curious that, as one decade gives way to the next, I find that a general “stir-up” on occasion to be just what the doctor ordered.

Since childhood the anticipation of the Easter holiday did not only include the excitement of annual delectable culinary treats like hot cross buns and the best of baked hams, but also the delivery of flowers cut and potted.

Read more...

A Look at the April Rose Garden

By Brenda Viney, Vancouver Rose Society Member

It’s been a tough winter for our gardens…semi-hardy shrubs and plants are not looking too healthy and may have to be replaced this year…and the same goes for some roses! The only things looking really good are all the spring bulbs just coming into flower now and many of the perennials I have growing along with my roses. Read more...

Brad Jalberts Favorite Rose!

Over the years I have been asked countless times to name my favorite rose. That's a tough question since it can change depending on who's in flower. As years go by I have come to notice that one rose has left me aw stuck at every glance.

She is one of the first in her class to flower each summer and one of the last to finish. Her colours are dazzling,ever changing and simply can't be captured in photos or described with words. When it comes to fragrance, she is simply without equal. There isn't another rose on this earth that has her perfume, a blend of exotic sweet citrus.

She is strong growing, defiant of cold winters and seems to mesmerize everyone that sniffs her exotic scent. This beautiful wonder of the rose world is also the rose I have chosen to plant near my front porch were I enjoy my morning summer coffee with Elizabeth and Skye. ( cocker spaniels)

Rosemary Harkness is the love of my rose life and my most favorite rose of all.

Recent News on the World Rose Festival

Indulge Magazine filled its pages on Friday, April 3 with news on the World Rose Festival.

Brenda Viney, Festival Co-Chair, discusses her love of roses and all things rose.. Read on...

Betsy Dening, Michael Trudeau's Aunt, discusses how she came upon the rose now known as the Michael Trudeau Rose. Learn more..

Fast and Simple Rose Planting

I couldn't leave the remark about planting your roses, without providing more information... As they say, this is not rocket science! Read more.

Plant your roses!

Brad's March Tip: Roses do best when planted early in the season so don't wait until it "warms" up. They would rather go into the ground dormant!

Just remember: Roses planted early March will give you armloads of flowers by June of this year.

Roses on the Shelf

By Terri Clark


I figure there are two kinds of people in this world when it comes to roses. First there are those that love roses from afar. You know the type. Happy to receive a dozen long-stemmed beauties at the office on Valentine’s Day, they walk into your garden at the height of June, when the scent of the old-fashioned Madames could literally knock you off your feet, and saunter past without the slightest recognition or comment. The second type, once bitten by the rose bug, is smitten beyond recall and must know all and sundry information about them, generally becoming obsessed with a particular type of rose, e.g. old fashioned, climbers, hybrid-teas etc.

I of course, fall into the latter category and have been head-over-heels about old fashioned roses since my inaugural visit to the Vancouver Rose Society’s annual June rose show. It was the pervading old rose scent that first beguiled me, followed by their voluptuous blooms reminiscent of the finest Redoute painting or Fantin-Latour lithograph.

Read more to learn about Terri's favourite rose books...

Question about Maureen Sullivan

What do Maureen Sullivan and Constance Spry have in common? Read more to find out!

More on pruning

After my Pruning Your Roses article, I realized I just couldn't stop there - read more about "4Ds" rules of pruning, and a few key points to remember when pruning different types of roses.

Brenda Viney, VRS, has also weighted in on the topic of pruning. Read her article "Springtime and Pruning Roses" and then let us know what you think? Do you have any questions? Did we miss any key tips that you want to pass along?

Pruning Your Roses, simple easy basic steps

Pruning is a way of fine tuning and controlling the growth of your rose plants. It helps to reduce diseases, keeping the plant shape attractive and also regulates blooming. Proper pruning encourages the rose to make vigorous new shoots that will support larger flowers. Since we all want our roses to be healthy and produce abundant flowers, pruning should be a job you love and face with confidence!

Pruning your roses is simple and easy! Over my many years of rose growing, I have pruned tens of thousands of roses. I have also read countless articles on rose pruning and have come to the conclusion that some rose growers have too much time on their hands or just want to complicate a very simple task! No offence to long winded writers.

I have written a few suggestions on how I prune my roses, but remember these are only suggestions. If you ask a 100 people how to prune a rose bush, you will get a 101 different answers. One good thing to remember is that you’ll never kill a rose bush by pruning! Well almost never.... Learn more

The Language of Love

By Terri Clark

As the day devoted to love and its expression thereof approaches, who does not think of the perfect flower to say it WRIT LARGE. I speak of course of the long stemmed, blood red rose. Not pink or peach or cerise, but blood red. Chosen no doubt for this color’s resemblance to the very blood that beats fast and furious through the veins of lovers everywhere, the red rose has inspired poets through time immemorial.

When I was young and just beginning to explore amorous emotions, the yellow rose was my favorite. Yellow, like a new day emerging filled with vigor and endless possibility, probably contributed to this rose’s poetic meaning leaning to the frivolous, friendly and even flighty.
Then there is the pink rose in all its hues and shades. Pale pink just hints at romance, more in the guise of admiration but the deeper the pink tints become, the more passionate the feelings - heading for red one might surmise.

Citrusy orange can almost be dangerous with the recipient being drawn to the flame like an unsuspecting moth. It has such desire written all over its red-tipped petals that it brings a flush to the cheek just thinking about it.

Then there is the white rose, pure and pristine. A bouquet of these roses might indicate the innocence of the receiver or express the high esteem in which she is held. White rose buds, on the other hand, indicate youthful innocence, perfect for your favorite younger girl.

But on Valentine’s Day, named we think for a martyred Roman priest during the reign of Claudius II who had the audacity to marry Christians, we naturally are drawn to the red rose. Our heart keeps us alive by pumping beat by beat, day after day. It races when we are in love raising every sense we possess to their heights. Chief among these are scent and sight. The red rose embodies both.

Roses as metaphor have survived for centuries through the written word and still touch a chord.

From Shakespeare to Robbie Burns – who could say it better?

O, my love is like a red, red rose,
That is newly sprung in June.
O, my love is like the melody,
That is sweetly played in tune.

As fair are you, my lovely lass,
So deep in love am I,
And I will love you still, my Dear,
Till all the seas go dry.

Till all the seas go dry, my Dear,
And the rocks melt with the sun!
O I will love you still, my Dear,
While the sands of life shall run.
And fare you well, my only Love,
And fare you well a while!
And I will come again, my Love,
Although it were ten thousand mile!

Robbie Burns

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
by any other name would smell as sweet."

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

Canadian Roses Going to Russia

By guest writer Patrick White

In May of last year, 32 Explorer rose cultivars - some 5 varieties - were taken to Khabarovsk in the Russian Far East - a gift from the CRS to a sister city of Victoria. The selection of Explorers was most appropriate in view of the rather harsh climate of the destination. Imagine ground freezing to 2-3- meters in winter, and very hot, dry summers.

What has this to do with the WFRS meeting in Vancouver?

The hybridiser of the these Explorers, Dr Felicitas Svedja, will be a featured speaker at the plenary sessions. And Alexander Ukulov, President of the Russian Rose Society who translated into Russian the instructions for the planting of these roses is also a featured speaker at the convention. Further to this, the planting method incorporates principles of the EarthKind protocol - a subject to be presented in the Vancouver sessions.

Register now to attend the World Rose Convention 2009!

Julia Childs Wins more Awards!

I'm thrilled to see that Julia Childs, one of my most favorite and recommended roses has won yet more awards. This beautiful floribunda recently won the 2009 American Rose Society Membership choice award. Julia keeps racking up the awards from coast to coast, country to country. You will find this rose to be extremely healthy, bushy in habit, robust in growth and just an all around wonderful garden shrub. Her glossy foliage is dense making her one of those roses that looks good even when not in flower.

Ohhh but when she flowers, it's masses of golden yellow flowers that seem to have a slightly old fashion charm to them. The fragrance is very unusual a mix of anise and sweet tea. Every customer of ours just loves this rose! If you don't yet have a plant, get one! Heck get two or three she is worth planting a border or bed. You will also find her ideally suited for large containers and growing as a standard ( tree) rose.

Master Gardeners Event!

Hello Rose Fans!
Some of you may be familiar with the outstanding Master Gardeners programs of BC. This is a keen group of gardeners and one that I always enjoy speaking to and about. They have many interesting events and I highly recommend that you take a peak at their website and try to attend some of them.
One of their big events this spring can be found at.
http://www.bcmastergardeners.org/

Take a peak at this event!
" The Master Gardeners Association of BC is holding its annual Spring Seminar at the Michael J Fox Theatre, Burnaby, on Sunday, March 8th.
We expect approximately 450 attendees, approximately 60% are Master Gardeners and 40% are general public. All are gardening enthusiasts. This is a one-day event with 4 horticultural speakers."

World Rose Convention - Update

We have well over 400 registrants from 21 countries already preparing their bags to attend the World Rose Convention in Vancouver on June 18 - 24, 2009!

Brad is Back from Hawaii!

Hello everyone!! I'm back from my 2 week winter Holiday to Hawaii. It was just a wonderful sunny time but as always nice to be back. As much as I love the tropics for a winter break, I came back with a deeper appreciation for our wonderful four seasons. There is something so refreshing about the rainy days giving way warm sunny days! All of one would be far to boring. We have such an amazing variety of plants to choose from because of our climate. Most of what we grow here needs our winter dormancy and since in normal years its a mild oneeeeeeeee its easy on the plants.
So enjoyyyyyy our cooler winter, complain just a bit as I do, but know as gardeners we have it madeeee in the shade here! Roses, Shrubs, Evergreens, Bulbs,Annuals, Trees, we can do it all in such grand style and with such selection! The price of plants here is also far far less than any place I have visited in both the USA and UK. The quality is far superior, climate is amazing. Love the West coast and this ideal Rose growing and gardening climate.
More to come soon, but im still jet lagged!
Brad

The Best Rosy Scent in the Depths of Winter

By Guest Writer Terri Clark

First off, you should know from the get-go that I am a one-scent woman. Here’s how it happened. In my salad days, I was strolling down Robson Street in Vancouver and discovered a marvelous shop called Gallipots, now long gone. At the entrance to this diminutive treasure was an enticing display of florally scented perfumes and colognes, all made by an east coast American company – The Perfumers’ Workshop. Never before or since have I inhaled such true-to-flower scents in any perfume.

Not cloying but almost wistful, there were about ten different scents that could be purchased. I recall there were Magnolia, Gardenia, Lilac and, my favourite, Tea Rose. From the first moment I smelled this old rose aroma I was hooked and so were all those who would come in contact with me over the next three decades.


Wherever I go I can almost count on at least one person - in a crowd, at dinner, in the butcher shop, at a park – to be heard to say, “What is that wonderful scent, it smells like real roses?” Of course the problem becomes, do I enlighten them about the particular perfume I use and become less unique, or let them wander off always wondering what it was that turned a normal atmosphere into a virtual Mottisfont Abbey on a mid-June day.

I am now about to reveal my source after all these years so others, fortunate enough to cadge a bottle, can experience this fresh scent every day like me. The Perfumers’ Workshop was only able to market their amazing line of flower products for a short time and Tea Rose was ever after always difficult to find. In the early years Bloomingdales in New York could always be counted on, until recently. Now it can be discovered in discount stores like Dollars & Scents in the United States, and of course, online.

The great news is that Tea Rose by the Perfumers’ Workshop is relatively inexpensive with a 4 ounce bottle costing only about $25.

Good luck on your journey to finding what I think is the best and most authentic rose scent anywhere!

Hilary Miles - Roses from the Heart

By Guest Writer Terri Clark
(Hilary Miles will be a part of the Floral Design Exhibit at the World Rose Festival)

As is often the case in life, sometimes we don’t end up choosing a career as much as following what seems to be our destiny. Such is the case with Hilary Miles, one of Vancouver’s and Canada’s most sought after florists. From the tender age of just eight years, when she made her first arrangement in a favourite uncle’s Seattle floral shop, Hilary always knew that one day she would be surrounded by flowers in her very own store.

Sitting in her diminutive and subterranean Kitsilano shop which she opened in 1992, Hilary is giving me a lesson in the many attributes and varieties of roses, from long and short to local and imported. She is stylishly dressed in a fuchsia pink jacket with shimmering matching lipstick suggesting a rosy mood as I asked her why roses are so associated with Valentine’s Day.

“I just love roses. A few years back there was a trend away from roses to mixed bouquets for February 14th but they have returned in a big way. I think people are harkening back to the ‘50s and early ‘60s and all those traditions of trying to create a sense of safety and hominess. By far the biggest seller on Valentine’s Day will be a dozen or more long-stemmed red roses. We are so fortunate now to be able to get a wide variety of these flowers locally and from places like South America where they have become one of the top exports for many countries.”

For the florist, Valentine’s Day is like the Christmas season when businesses make a substantial portion of their annual income. Everyone tends to keep their fingers crossed for passable weather- no snow or freezing temperatures please! But Hilary Miles has also cornered a very lucrative market in supplying flowers for set decorators in the movie, commercial, and TV industries. This, along with weddings, weekly arrangements for businesses and a very loyal clientele, keep her optimistic in these volatile economic times.

She also cautioned that people get exactly what they pay for. Those $12 a dozen bouquets of red roses being sold curbside have probably been in a cooler for two to three weeks. Their little crimson necks will flop over the minute they hit a room of warm air. The week before Valentine’s Day, prices at the flower auction will skyrocket for quality roses so please expect to pay about $120 for a dozen top-of-the-line roses but they will repay the recipient with over a week of pleasure.

I asked Hilary what her dream rose bouquet would consist of and without hesitating she said, “I am not a fan of pastels at all. Give me a fiery mix of corals, citrus, watermelon and yellows. I adore those colours.” If you visit her web site at hilarymiles.com you’ll see exactly what she means.

Gifted Roses - Rose Garden Legacy Project

By Guest Writer Patrick White

Under the auspices of Thomas Proll, Chief Hybridiser for Kordes of Germany, 450 bare-rooted roses were sent from Gary Pellett of NewFlora, the chief distributor of this international firm in Medford, Oregon to Victoria for municipal plantings throughout the city. The purpose was to “beef up” existing rose plantings for the international visitors expected for the World Rose Convention and Festival, as part of the Rose Garden Legacy Project.

These roses are very much of the 21st century, with high disease resistance typical of the current Carefree Spirit hybridizing programme maintained by Kordes. This will be of paramount interest to rosarians attending the WFRS Convention. And Thomas will be participating in the Hybridiser’s session in Vancouver!

There was a gift of roses from France, from the house of Meilland. Alain and Nadine Meilland have donated 400 rose bushes -of Carefree Spirit, a 2009 AARS winner- to be planted between Victoria, and Vancouver parks.

One of My Favourite Roses …also known as Ramblin’ Rose

by Guest Writer Elaine Senft

My passion is growing roses, mostly the old garden varieties. The climate of the southwestern corner of British Columbia is very similar to the climate of Britain other than their soil conditions are of a clay base and ours, an acidic base.

One of my favourite roses, Madame Alfred Carriere, does her thing anywhere! She was born in the mid 1800s and she is a magnificent climber of spectacular beauty and qualities. She is pure innocence, sporting the creamiest white, fluffy, delicately petalled, full flowering, fragrant blossoms you could ever imagine! I'm not prejudiced or anything...having five of her and all! Her status in the rose world is fantastic and she is classified as a ‘Noisette’ rose.

What are Noisettes? Well, they are a family of roses that have been crossed with the China Roses and the Musk Roses. The gentlemen responsible for bringing them to us are Philippe Noisette, a French emigrant and his brother Louis. One of their first seedlings, "Blush Noisette", is used world-wide in gardens.

Most of these roses flower later in the season, rather than early. Clearly, the blooming season of Madame is from June, right into the month of December, given a mild fall. I have gone out and picked blossoms on Christmas Day (admittedly only one year so far)! Good on-going continuous flowering is from June until November.

This past summer, while wandering about my garden, coffee in hand, I did what I always do…go to one of my Madame’s for an early morning chat! I looked up at one of the newer plants of her and said...boy, oh boy...not long now! In my garden, most of my climbers are in their 20’s! Here's what you can expect from a plant of Madame...the first year you plant, she'll sleep; the second year, she'll creep; and the third year, she'll leap! Watch out! The growth is phenomenal! The blossoms are worth waiting for... you'll see what I mean. I have one of her on an arbor in my front garden on the southwest corner...she goes crazy there and her very supple canes make it very easy to lay her across an arbor. Plus, she's relatively thornless!

In the Southern US she has been known to grow to be 25'. Now, that's with oodles of heat!!! Mine up here grow around 15'. As far as hardiness, zones 6-9, and up, but, alas, she’s a little tender for Prairie weather.

Snow Laden Roses - Boughed But Not Beaten

By Guest Writer Terri Clark

World Rose Convention city, Vancouver, is known for its temperate climate where extremes are usually reached only at the upper altitudes. Back in the early 1970s, the precursor organization to Tourism Vancouver used to famously tout that when you visited our “city beautiful”, you could golf in the early morning, sail at lunchtime and ski in the afternoon. Such was our ordained Camelot, weather-wise at least.

So too for avid gardeners who realized that Zone 8 plants could edge their way through a Vancouver winter given a little TLC, or at the very least good drainage, so often the key to survival in a wet but cold climate.

But Mother Nature rules in the end and even before winter had fully been declared, she started thumping evergreen Vancouver with innumerable substantial snow storms pre and post Christmas 2008.

Our family had escaped to New England for the holidays and upon our return two weeks later, could nary recognize a rose bush in the garden due to thick layers of snow and ice that had face-planted them earth-side. The elegant and ruby-coloured arms of my most prized Rosa mutabilis, hard to find commercially, was totally prone as were so many others. Fortunately for me, early November had seen major pruning of my climbing rose with sturdy ties holding them skyward.

But what to do with the flattened rose canes? Experience has taught me that time does heal many wounds especially where actual “breaks” have not occurred. The snow is gradually melting now and I have assessed the damage. Broken canes or splits have been cleanly pruned back to just below the injury and boughed ones staked up until their “strength” returns. Once spring comes, the entire inventory will be reviewed for general health and shape and perhaps be further coiffed.

In the worse case scenario, where roses were lost to extremely cold temperatures, just think of all the new opportunities that await you. Gardens by their nature are organic and change is the optimum word. Do what you can to patch-up your injured rose friends but take solace in a future filled with new varieties!

Getting Hip to Rose Jelly

By Guest Writer Terri Clark

One of my best friends likes to quote an old saying every time we are about to indulge in some delectable and impossibly calorie-ridden sweet. While gently wagging her finger she warns, “A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips.” While this is acutely true, especially of the older females of the species, there are times when hips are most desirable, and the bigger the better.

Enthusiastic rosarians worldwide who are fortunate in boasting countless bushes in their garden inventory can easily find enough rose hips to craft one of life’s rare culinary pleasures – rose hip jelly! Long a staple of North American First Nations people and early pioneers, rose hips are loaded with vitamin C and when combined with sugar, water and pectin result in a delicately flavoured jelly best reserved for the most special of occasions.

As this recipe calls for fully four quarts of rose hips, you might want to join efforts with several of your other rose-growing friends in order to procure enough of these special fruits. Read on for the recipe and plan now for one of autumn’s exclusive offerings.

Ingredients:
4 quarts ripe, unsprayed rose hips, rinsed
2 quarts water
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 package pectin crystals
5 cups sugar

Preparation:
Simmer rose hips in water until soft. Crush to mash, and strain through a jelly bag. This should make about 4 cups of rose hip juice. Put hip juice into a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the lemon juice and pectin crystals and bring to a hard boil, stirring constantly, skimming off any foam with a metal spoon. Stir sugar in at once. Bring back to a full rolling boil and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove jelly from heat and skim off any more foam. Pour jelly into hot sterilized canning jars, top with sterilized lids and rings and hot-water process for 10 minutes to safely seal and preserve the jelly (follow instructions in any reputable canning book). Yield: about 5 cups

Being Hung Up On Roses

By Guest Writer Elaine A. Senft

As a little girl growing up in the warm environs of White Rock, the only roses I really enjoyed the smell of were the hot pink rugosas planted along the railroad track near the beach. I didn't think much of roses then. Well, that was to change. I can't remember the year when my husband and kids visited Miracle Beach on Vancouver Island but I do recall what happened. We were visiting friends near the beach when I spotted a quaint cottage and a garden with arbors and roses everywhere.

My excitement was overwhelming…pink roses climbing over trellises, white, yellow...more pink ...it was definitely an awakening...I couldn't stop myself from inhaling all the overpowering fragrances. The cottage on that particular beach happened to be the home of none other than the former president of the Vancouver Rose Society, Pat Murdoch...my poor family, looking all over for me and there I was, talking to her and her husband about roses.

That was it, I was hooked! I had to have a rose garden...and they had to be fragrant! No ands, ifs, or buts! Climbing Cecile Brunner, New Dawn, Golden Showers and, of all things, Veilchenblau ...but where to put them? So, 25 years ago, the trellis and arbor thing began in our Deep Cove, North Vancouver garden. We (my husband and I) built them from used wood and wired them together. My friends thought I was a nut...that’s the passion, once we're hooked! She (Murdoch, my mentor) said... “always remember, Elaine, buy good plants” ...and I have. Three hundred and fifty or so roses later, seventeen arbors and whatyamacallsits, I can say I now have a rose garden consisting of pretty much all Old Garden Roses (OGRs).

My #1 favourite rose of all is Mme Alfred Carriere (a creamy-white, fluffy, wonderfully fragrant noisette from the mid 1800s). Other favourites include a variety of modern roses, David Austin English roses and OGRs: New Dawn, R.Rugosa Rosaerie de la Hay, R. Filipes Kiftsgate, Bobbie James, Wedding Day, Lichtkoenigen Lucia, Sparrieshoop, Albertine, Graham Thomas, Abraham Darby, Leander, Rosa Mundi, Paul's Himalayan Musk, Rosa Canary Bird (she's the first to bloom but can be tender), Rosa Macrantha, Westerland and Autumn Sunset... I have probably missed naming some more...oh yes, Rosa Mulliganii and on and on…then there was the time I tried, and succeeded, in transplanting one of the house-eaters, Wedding Day!!

That day I really was Hung Up On Roses!!! Today, I enjoy a passion I can’t let go of – I enjoy acting as a rosarian consultant and teaching/giving lectures on roses because I have the time and the desire to share this information. I have grown wonderful old garden roses for nearly 25 years and it all started that sunny summer on Vancouver Island…we all have to start somewhere! I feel Mother Nature would be happy with that!

Happy growing!

Roses and Winter 09

BRRRRRRR. Is what my roses are saying this winter. Here is what you are all wanting to know!

Will my roses survive the Vancouver area winter of 08-09?
If they die will the nursery replace them due to a record cold temperatures, snow and wind?

I'll let ya work that one out yourself..wink..

We are in the middle of a long cold winter by Vancouver area standards and that makes it far too early to tell how bad winter loses will be this year. My gut feeling is that some of the more tender hybrid tea roses will have some heavy die back or perhaps total die back. Some climbers will die back but after a hard pruning they will bounce back in a season or two. The Old Garden type and hardy shrub style roses will have very little winter damage, they seem to laugh at the cold and the David Austin roses although more hardy than most Hybrid Teas may have some die back. Ask me in a month or two for a full report on the winter of '09!

One thing I do know is that we will be doing some very heavy pruning of roses this spring! That can be a good thing as it cleans up disease and insect problems and gives way to a nice shapely new rose bush! As long as you have a healthy, strong growing rose, most can bounce back from a pruning down to almost the crown level. Every variety of rose is slightly different but have faith that you will enjoy some of your favorite roses again next spring and enjoy the idea of replacing some of them with better, new varieties!

We will spend more time talking about this winter and how to tell if a rose cane has completely died in future blog postings.

Remember a few things about winter:

Wind, Sun and Cold in tender late growth is what causes most winter damage to plants including roses.
Snow cover is an excellent insulator against cold and the heavy amount we have had is helping protect your plants.

Cold long winters are nature's way of killing of disease and insects but we have to offer a few plants in sacrifice.

Without rain there can be no sunshine and without winter there can be no spring!

Ps. I leave for Hawaii Jan 17, wowowow. I'm sooo outta this winter wonderland. Ha!

Brad