June 18 Column: Rose Show

I am certain the most beloved of all garden flowers is the rose. And that’s not surprising, considering how beautiful and fragrant they are. Roses will be in the spotlight on Saturday (June 24) because the Spokane Rose Society will be putting on their 70th (!) rose show.

It will be held at Northland Rosarium from noon to 4 p.m. All of the details are in my column today. Here’s a link to it in The Spokesman-Review: Learn about roses at Spokane Rose Society’s annual show.

Or you can read my column below (don’t miss this week’s video underneath it!).

Column:

The next time you visit Rose Hill in Manito Park, take a moment to appreciate the Spokane Rose Society. After all, Rose Hill wouldn’t be the magnificent garden we all know and love without them. The society formed in 1947 and a few years later, members were hard at work establishing the display gardens.

Rose Show details

Rose aficionados will have special opportunity to express their gratitude. The Rose Society’s 70th annual show takes place on Saturday, June 24. It will be held from noon to 4 p.m. at Northland Rosarium. All sizes and types of roses will be displayed to their best advantage.

Lynn Schafer is the society treasurer, newsletter editor and Master Rosarian. She understands why the rose show is such a valuable event for the community.

“The show exposes people to roses and they get to see a wide range of varieties. They also learn which ones do well in this region,” she said. “People are especially attracted to the rose arrangements. They know a lot of time has been put in to create them.”

Rose Show venues

For about the first 30 years, the shows were held at the Davenport Hotel. That must have been a delightful venue. Society president Kevin Brownlee feels Northland Rosarium is an ideal setting.

“It’s a perfect venue because people will have a beautiful rose garden to walk through,” he explained. “It’s a great place to see roses both as cut flowers and in the garden. And many of the roses they see will be available to purchase.”

Why are roses so popular?

Carol Newcomb is the owner of Northland Rosarium and advisor to the Spokane Rose Society. She believes roses are the workhorses in the garden.

“There is no other shrub that blooms like roses do, all season long,” she said. “They come in so many colors and in all different sizes, shapes and heights.”

Everyone is encouraged to enter their roses in the show and, perhaps, secure bragging rights in the end.

“Any hobby can be really isolating,” Brownlee said. “It’s awesome to have the chance to share something publicly like this.”

“The rose show is open to anyone who wants to show roses,” Schafer added. “There are classes for non-members, novices, juniors and for our members as well. We always have people there to help the novice enter their roses the best way possible.”

Those exhibiting roses should bring their entries between 8 and 9:30 a.m. on Saturday. That will allow time for members to help them with their displays. They will have to wait until noon to see how their entries fared during the judging process.

Some visitors plan to exhibit their best roses while others will just enjoy the show. But society members are expecting plenty of rose-related questions as a result of our tough winter. Members are happy to answer all manner of rose questions.

The Spokane Rose Society meets on the 4th Wednesday from February through November. They gather in the Manito meeting room, 4 W. 21st Ave. Guests are always welcome. There is an educational program or workshop at each meeting.

Susan Mulvihill is co-author of “Northwest Gardener’s Handbook” with Pat Munts. Contact her at Susan@susansinthegarden.com.

This week’s video:

For this week’s “Everyone Can Grow A Garden” video, I did a quick interview of Carol Newcomb, owner of Northland Rosarium. Then I topped it off with a video of some gorgeous roses that will be available for purchase. It’s just the tip of the iceberg, though, as there are so many other wonderful roses there. And you’ll get to stroll through the beautiful display garden as well.

Here’s the video. I hope to see you at the rose show!