Inclement weather did not deter the dogged spirit of 98 members of local societies to attend the annual spring district convention on March 16-18.  Represented were RI, who hosted the event, MA, CT, ME, and NH.  To avoid the storm some came the day before, others earlier in the day. Latecomers caught at the height of the storm arrived very late and one convention speaker, who was flying in never made it.  Who would drive hours in a snowstorm to attend a convention? Rose nuts, of course.  The book entitled, "Otherwise Normal", comes to mind in reference to the uniqueness of some people who grow roses.

The convention was held at Best Western, The Mainstay, in scenic Newport. RIRS president Angie Chute warmly welcomed the attendees. Before this, the conventioneers were entertained by a slide show: Yankee District Moments. The digitalized photographs were representative of different events held by the Yankee District. Most notable of these was the traditional Lobsterfest on the Cape. Along the perimeter of the convention hall was an array of vendors who sold various goods, from colorful birdhouses to silk plants and flowers, to worms for compost piles.  There was a fabulous assortment of raffle items which ran the gamut of Winterwood products, Kona Coffee, Oil Painting, ornate vases, ample gift certificates to garden centers and nurseries, gardening books, etc.

Programs:

Irwin Ehrenreich, also know as the Roseman, did a program on Designing Rose Gardens.  First he wowed the audience with the beauty of his own rose gardens in Barnstable.  He mentioned how he and his wife Cindy like the effect of similar colors in a bed.  So they have a red bed,
yellow bed, pink bed. Irwin is in the rose business with thousands of potted roses for sale in his yard.  The lay out of his beds helps customers in locating plants that they want to buy.  Some of the ideas Irwin used in designing his gardens were replicated from designs used at houses in Williamsburg, VA.  Incidentally, if and when you are on the Cape and itching to buy roses, he gives discounts to rose society members.

Mike Chute, past president of RIRS, and who has also written, "Roses for Beginners" on the ARS magazine, did a slide presentation on shrub roses. He also referred to these as, "sustainable roses".  These are roses that can be attractive and healthy without the use of pesticides. In other words, the kind that average rose growers can grow successfully with little effort.  Among the many that he showed were: Nearly Wild, Home Run, (new last year), Chuckles, Bee-Bop, Sally Holmes, the Knock-Out roses, Carefree Delight, Lady Elsie May, Clair Matin, Pretty Lady, Bonica, My Hero, Yellow Submarine, to name a few. I have the complete list, if you want it.

Lois Fulton and Nancy Warner- The Worm Ladies of Charlestown, did a program on using earthworms to speed decomposition in your compost piles.  They brought samples of worm castings and talked about the speed at which worms could easily transform vegetable matter, or rabbit droppings and horse manure into fertile additive to the soil.  (Nancy and Lois were selling starter worms at the convention).  You can contact them at www.angoraandworms.com, or tel.# 888-917-9593.  If you don't want to bother making your own castings, you can buy worm castings at stores that carry fertilizers.

Wendy White is a hybridizer for Nor'East Miniature roses. She spoke about the time the company was in Rowley, MA, and fondly remembered its founder, Harm Saville, as one who loved fishing same just as much as he loved hybridizing miniature roses.  She recalled the time the rose fields at Rowley were bulldozed and treated with Roundup.  When she went to investigate, one lone miniature rose was alive.  She dug it up, nurtured it and named it Happy Thoughts. Wendy spoke about the benefits of using Messenger in growing plants.  She showed pictures documenting the significant difference on plant size after using Messenger.  She commented that it was cost effective to use this chemical even for larger gardens.  Ken Jones mentioned the
effectiveness of using lukewarm water when diluting the mixture. Wendy added that Messenger stimulates the plant's defenses and helps with nutrient uptake.  She noted that Organic Kelp contains carbohydrates and amino acids that help hold moisture and promote root growth.  Neptune's Harvest is a great fertilizer, and Molemax will repel moles and voles.  Grow and show roses: Salute, Sweet Revenge, Merlot, Irresistible, Caliente, Hilde, Jennifer, and Picottee.

Tom Carruth, hybridizer for Weeks roses was the keynote speaker.  He spoke and showed slides of new roses and roses that are coming up.  He started with Strike It Rich, a golden yellow Grandiflora.  This is one of the All-American Rose Selections for 2007.  Julia Child, butter
yellow Floribunda, was selected by the chef herself to bear her name. Ebb Tide is a Floribunda that has a strong spicy clove fragrant.  He mentioned a number of climbers: Soaring Spirits, a lighter version of Fourth of July, is a large-flowered climber that is buttery yellow; Night Owl is wine purple and sweetly fragrant; Jacob's Road is a likeness of Joseph's Coat.  Vavoom is orange-juice orange Floribunda.  In the Mood is a vivid true red Hybrid Tea.

At the awards ceremony, Mike Chute was given the Master Rosarian certificate.  CTRS was
applauded for receiving the King website award.  Dave Candler was recognized as Outstanding CR.  The Silver Medal was not awarded this year.