Summer has arrived right on time! We’ve had a lot of surprises in the rose garden this year. All this dismally overcast spring, we have been waiting for the weather to warm up, and so it has…with a little too much heat in much of the country. Here in our neck of the woods, we have had record-setting wet weather this June, and when it’s not raining, it’s swelteringly hot!

All this rain makes our rose plants very happy, but the blooms just collapse under the weight of the water and shatter all over the ground. The roses that are left fall prey to grey mold, or Botrytis Blight. I’ve spent the better part of this week (between showers) out deadheading my gardens and cleaning up the rose petals off the ground. Bob will bring big bags of rose garbage to the dump this weekend. It’s a good idea not to add your rose trash to your compost pile…send those potential fungus pathogens off to the landfill instead.

I have had a delightful month! Several groups have come to tour my gardens, and stayed for a picnic lunch out under our shady trees. The colors during this first flush of the year have been particularly beautiful, and the fragrances will carry you away! Bob and I have traveled a lot since the beginning of June. I was invited to judge two rose shows in Pennsylvania, one in Massachusetts, and another in Rhode Island. Most of the folks in Pennsylvania are now new friends, and the other shows were good visits with old friends. And the roses…mmmm, just beautiful!

Judging the best surprises in the rose garden

All roses are gorgeous, right? That’s how I feel, so what’s up with all this judging stuff? It’s all about displaying your rose at its perfect stage of beauty. A lot of rosarians like to bring their roses to exhibit, and some are really competitive! I know rosarians that grow roses just because they love the thrill of exhibiting and winning the top prize. And in our Rose World, the top prize is not the King, but Queen…King takes second place.

The judge will look for perfection of the bloom, and at rose shows in our part of the country, there are three queens to be won: Hybrid Tea/Grandiflora, Miniature, and MiniFlora. The rose should have a spiraled, tight center…almost like you put a corkscrew in there to make it tight. The petals should recurve just so, and if you hold the rose on its side, it should form a delta. The stem should be about six times the length of the bloom. The foliage should make a nice spiral down the stem and should be clean and free from insect chews, pollen, and spray residue.

Queen and King

It’s a really special thing to win Queen of Show! And, it takes an effort, although, once in awhile, someone will go out in the garden the day of the show and Poof! They bring it in, put it in the container and win! It’s rare, but it does happen.

There are categories for every rose you can think of at every spring rose show: Hybrid Teas, Grandifloras, Open Blooms with Stamens Showing, Hybrid Tea Sprays, Floribunda Sprays and Single Blooms, Antique Roses, David Austin Roses, Knock Out Roses…you name it, there is a spot for your rose on the table. Most rose societies have rose shows once a year, and some have non-judged shows. But, it is an opportunity to go out in your garden and find something lovely to share with your rose friends. If you are looking for a rose society that is close to where you live, the American Rose Society will be happy to help you with that. Go to ars.org or give them a ring on the phone and they will send you in the right direction for your area.

After the Roses

So, after judging Rhode Island’s show on Saturday, it was time to come home and see what my garden had to offer for Connecticut Rose Society’s 32nd Annual Rose Show on Sunday! This is my rose society, and they are my people. I am a firm believer that everyone needs a group to belong to, and this is mine…I love my rose friends! We all pitch in to help, and we encourage folks to bring their beautiful roses to enter the competition.

During the show, it is my job to do the calligraphy on the awards cards. Those of us who are exhibiting can come to the hall at 6am, but I didn’t get there until 8:30 this year. Last year, I was literally bloomed out for our rose show, but this year I brought a dozen exhibits. I submitted several hybrid teas, a few floribunda sprays, a gorgeous miniflora spray, and one miniflora, and then I settled down at my table to get ready to letter the cards as the judging began.

Surprise for me! We had almost 500 exhibits this year, and the color and fragrance was incredible…and I won MiniFlora Queen with my rose, ‘Powerhouse!’ I also got Best MiniFlora Spray with ‘Amy Grant,’ and Princess (3rd place) for my hybrid tea ‘Pop Warner.’ My ‘Elina’ was first in the court. It was fun and exciting. There was so much beauty, and as I said, I love my rose people… Especially love my surprises in the rose garden.

And, you never know when you’ll find that surprise out in the rose garden!