Come learn everything you need to know about how to grow the best roses for our region, and how easy it is to include them in your landscape, at a free lecture on Saturday, May 11, beginning at 10 am at Weston Nurseries, 93 East Main Street in Hopkinton. Henry Schmidt, of WN Senior Horticultural Sales and Design, will be on hand. For directions and more information call 508-293-8091, or visit www.westonnurseries.com.
Are you a rose enthusiast? A newcomer to the world of roses? Or perhaps you’re a fan of Downton Abbey and all things British? Come to Russell’s Garden Center, 397 Boston Post Road, Wayland, on Saturday April 6th to join in a celebration of these finest of British institutions: English Roses and Afternoon Tea.
At 3:30 (before the rose presentation) enjoy a Tea hosted and poured by Gay Hughes from GayGrace Teas. Gay is passionate about tea and has created the Traveling Tea Shoppe. She offers over 30 premium quality loose teas from around the world. Delight in the discovery of new and well -established premium teas along with advice on brewing the perfect “cuppaâ€. Sit back, sip your tea and envision yourself in an English garden! Whether you identify more strongly with the aristocracy or the serving staff is up to you.
The fee is $6.00 per person. Seating is limited and pre-registration is strongly recommended.
While there is a fee for the Tea, the English rose portion of this event is free and open to all. At 4:30 pm, representatives of David Austin English Roses will give a special informative presentation. David Austin’s English roses have been bred to combine the fragrance, form and character reminiscent of the traditional English cottage garden. David Austin, himself, has spent some 60 years developing roses which incorporate the form, beauty and fragrance of Old roses, while being sustainable and flowering repeatedly throughout the summer. Learn about the David Austin breeding program and the beautiful roses it has produced; discover their uses and swoon over the images of the many varieties which will be available at Russell’s this spring. Just imagine how they will look in your own garden as you admire them while sipping tea.
Reservations may be made by email or telephone to: 508-358-2283 ext. 451 OR suzys@russellsgardencenter.com.
Honor your loved ones with a unique and lasting Valentine’s Day gift. On Valentine’s Day, your special someone will receive a customized E-card from the Emerald Necklace Conservancy to announce your gift in their honor ( If you would like a card mailed to your honoree, please order by February 7th, 2013.) It will include the name of the rose that you selected so that you and your Valentine can visit your sponsored rose in the Rose Garden for years to come! In addition, all sponsors and their honorees will receive an invitation to an exclusive summertime reception for the Rose Garden. Sponsorships are $75 and will support the ongoing care and replacement of the roses. If you do not specify a rose, we’ll choose one for you. Questions? Call 617-522-2700. Below, from left to right, are Cherish, Crimson Glory, Love Potion, and Walking on Sunshine, $75 each or all four for $250.
Roses will keep growing and blooming even if neglected, but they love some TLC. Your gorgeous roses may have taken a beating in the recent heat wave, so the efforts you make now will help to achieve beautiful roses for rest of your growing season. Join Mahoney’s Garden Center’s in-house expert, Linda Randlett, at the Mahoney’s East Falmouth location on Wednesday, August 8, from 10 – 11, to learn about how to repair damage, soil amendments needed for more colorful roses, how to prune properly, how to fix leaf drop, fertilization, solutions for diseases and insects, and some general care tips for theses classic plants all season long. Q&A welcome. Free, but sign up at www.mahoneysgarden.com. Photo from www.everydayminimalist.com.
The rose, often considered the “Queen of Flowers,” and the U.S. National Flower, will be the subject of a colorful and fragrant one-day exhibit at Tower Hill Botanic Garden on Sunday, June 17, when the Yankee District of the American Rose Society presents its annual summer show.
A huge variety of roses will be on display, including Hybrid Teas, Floribundas, Climbers, Grandifloras, and Miniatures. In addition, there will be an “Arrangements” division, showcasing flower arrangements that make use of roses. The show is judged in the morning hours, and then open to the public from approximately 12 noon to 5:00 p.m. The roses are judged for Form, Color, Substance, Stem & Foliage, Balance & Proportion, and Size. There is also a division for the most fragrant rose!
The Yankee District of the ARS has been active since 1940, and is an official chapter of the American Rose Society, which is “dedicated to the enjoyment, enhancement, and promotion of the rose, our National Floral Emblem.” More information about the NERS can be found at www.arsyankee.org.
This Thursday, June 7 lecture at Elm Bank in Wellesley, given by Irwin Ehrenreich and beginning at 7 pm, covers rose history, classification, the year in the rose garden from spring pruning to winter protection and finally, a photo gallery of some of Irwin’s rose gardens. Irwin Ehrenreich, owner of The Rose Man, a rose care service on Cape Cod, is an American Rose Society Consulting Rosarian, Yankee District coordinator for Roses in Review, past president of The Seaside Rosarians, and Lower Cape Rose Society, as well as a Master Gardener. Register for this Massachusetts Horticultural Society lecture at www.masshort.org.
The Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts hosts a Horticulture Morning on Monday, March 19 beginning at 10 am at the Espousal Center, Waltham (snow date March 20th, but since winter has been so mild we’re hoping for the best.) The speaker is Irwin Ehrenreich, rose expert, whose topic is Roses for the Sustainable Garden. Irwin is a member of the Lower Cape Rose Society and was president of the Seaside Rosarians before the two groups merged. He and his wife have 240 roses in their garden. Irwin ran the Rose Department. at Cape Cod’s largest Garden Center. He passed the Judging School Exam and will be traveling around the Yankee District area as an apprentice Judge. A $15 donation is requested.
The “Rose Man” Irwin Ehrenreich, noted rose expert, former surgeon, and nursery owner from Carver, Massachusetts, will speak on Roses for the Sustainable Garden at a Horticulture Morning sponsored by the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts on Monday, March 19, from 10 – 12 at the Espousal Center in Waltham. The snow date for this program is Tuesday, March 20. A $5 donation is suggested. For more information, visit www.gcfm.org. Photo courtesy of Cape Cod Magazine.
Mahoney’s Garden Center in Concord will conduct a free seminar entitled Putting Your Landscape to Bed on Saturday, October 22, from 11 – noon. Do you know how to prepare your roses, dahlias, delphiniums or azaleas for the cold weather? Mahoney’s in-house expert will show you how to prepare your beds and containers for the long wintr months. Topics covered include annuals, perennials, trees, and shrubs, and the best way to winterize pottery, statuary, and fountains. Sign up at www.mahoneysgarden.com. In keeping with our “Japan Year” garden club program theme, below is a picture of cycads wrapped for winter in Kyoto, Japan, from Tokyo Moe, a blog about Nakano, Tokyo and public space, found at www.jaredinnakano.wordpress.com.
Manuel Mendes, American Rose Society Certified Master Consulting Rosarian, will present a free seminar at Weston Nurseries, 93 East Main Street in Hopkinton, on Saturday, May 7, beginning at 9 am, on everything you need to know about roses.
Weston Nurseries is delighted to welcome Manny Mendes for a discussion and demonstration all about roses. Manny Mendes will cover the most important aspects of choosing, planting and caring for your roses. He will teach you about the different types of roses and recommend the best cultivars for our region. Come learn everything you need to know about how to grow roses and how easy it is to include them in your landscape. Rose growing can be a rewarding hobby as well as a reliable way to add spectacular color and style to your garden.
Manny Mendes has been growing roses for more than four decades and currently has over 250 rose varieties growing in his yard. He is active in many horticultural societies and has served as President of the New England Rose Society. For more information, call 508-435-4314, or log on to www.westonnurseries.com.
