Meet Andy Vanable

Andy planted his first rose in the mid-1990’s to please his wife by planting her favorite flower, the rose, and to help make their yard more ‘beautiful.’ He struggled trying to grow the first few roses that he planted. They were not suitable for his experience level and Zone 5, his Rhode Island home.

A chance internet search brought him to The Uncommon Rose website. There, he discovered the joys of growing old garden roses, and trying something that was ‘different’.

 He joined his first rose society in 2004, and currently belongs to four local rose societies, as well as the Rose Hybridizers Association, and the American Rose Society. He has held leadership positions in the Rhode Island Rose Society, the New England Rose Society, the Yankee District, the Rose Hybridizers Association, and the American Rose Society.

He is a Certified Horticulture Judge, and is Head of the Consulting Rosarians for the Yankee District (as well as the newsletter editor). Andy has received numerous awards for his writing, newsletters that he creates/edits, and work towards the betterment of the rose.

Andy grows all major types of roses from species roses created through Mother Nature’s own natural selections, to floribundas and hybrid teas, to modern shrub roses and seedlings that have yet to be introduced.

He enjoys photography, writing short stories (both fiction and non-fiction), history, letterpress printing, and discovering (and rediscovering) the ways (and wares) of yesteryear, when life was much simpler.

Andy considers the joy of roses to be three-fold. 1/3 of the enjoyment is through the actual roses themselves - the beauty/fragrance/color that piques his imagination and captures a certain elegance that only the rose can impart. The second 1/3 of the enjoyment of the rose is through the great and wonderful people he has had the pleasure to meet, who enjoy a common bond with him - growing and enjoying roses. These people are a special breed that are generally welcoming, and a joy to be around.

The final 1/3 of the enjoyment of the rose is through the stories behind the people and the names of roses. These stories often remind Andy of the people/places/remembrances of bygone eras that were once part of our world. Andy sometimes considers these eras the ‘good old days,’ when the world we live in wasn’t as complicated as it is today. These stories are usually uplifting and bring back many pleasant memories for Andy. But, there are some stories that are powerful reminders of not so pleasant events and people who were less fortunate than we are, and weren’t able to live their lives to the fullest.

Together, the roses, the people, and the stories create a complete hobby for Andy that is truly special. Out of everything that he has done / accomplished in the world of roses, the one thing that Andy enjoys the most, is when other people grow his roses in their gardens, and use them to make their own creations and special memories.