If you love roses, you can't do better than to join the Rhode Island Rose Society. Their quarterly publication, Rhode Island Rose Review, is one of the best newsletters by the numerous gardening groups in the state, and well worth the $20 annual membership dues by itself. The current November 2007 issue testifies to the Rose Society members' dedication to rose care and their deep desire to share their passion for growing roses with anyone who will listen.
The Rhode Island Rose Society maintains the Roger Williams Park Rose Garden and organizes a spectacular rose show each June. They meet monthly and have a good time talking roses, sharing roses, propagating roses, and planning trips to see other gardens such as the newly renovated Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden at the New York Botanical Garden. [If you were a member, you could be one of the 48 people on the bus next June ~ First come, first served.] There are other benefits, such as discounts at garden centers.
If you have roses in your garden and live where winter freezes the ground, be sure to check out online articles about winterizing your roses.
There is an excellent article about winterizing in the current newsletter as well. The plants cannot take the freezing and thawing that occurs in our New England winters, so last Saturday we mulched the roses at the park using horse manure courtesy of the Providence Police Mounted Command and the Parks Department.
It was very cold, and we didn't look our best in these photos, but I don't know when I've had so much fun shoveling you know what. The photos are by Angelina Chute, current president of RIRS. The photo on the right doesn't really show what we're shoveling, but I assure you it was the real deal ~ not odorous actually, but full of nutrients the roses will love. We used five truckloads of manure on the garden, FYI. The Rose Society does this every year, and you can pitch in, too! All are welcome. The record for winterizing the garden is around 45 minutes, I think, but this year things took an hour and a half before everyone got into giving away rose plants.
One more item from the newsletter: The lead article by Dacia Nickerson would interest anyone who makes public presentations on any topic. Dacia, who has extensive professional experience as a public speaking trainer, gives valuable tips for making successful presentations. This is a welcoming group, and if you love roses, you'll love the Rhode Island Rose Society.