American Rose Society

Programs: Educational outreach: the hrs welcomed visitors and members throughout the year at monthly meetings featuring lectures presented by speakers and other educational activities. The society brought horticulture experts from new mexico and texas to present programs on rose gardening, soil management and plant nutrition, roses in china, irrigation and water conservation, and composting, competitive rose exhibition and varietal information. Industry experts presented programs on rose care products. And fertilizers. Consulting and master rosarians from the houston rose society, the texas rose rustlers and the american rose society presented programs on pruning and rose hybridization. In addition to featured speakers, the society's continued its grand prix program (march november) that encouraged members to bring blooms from their gardens as a way to demonstrate cultivar varieties to the gardening public and society members. Hrs board members, consulting and master rosarian members have given in excess of 20 programs on rose horticulture (in addition to the society-presented monthly lectures) to (1) national horticulture events, (2) other local rose societies, (3) local, state and/or national garden clubs, (4) master gardener organizations, (5) customers at nursery-sponsored events, and (6) visitors to the american rose center and at other rose society gatherings at cities in texas, louisiana, tennessee, florida, and new york. Board members have also published a number of rose horticulture podcasts in collaboration with local plant nurseries. The societys liaison with the texas agrilife extension service (part of texas a&m university) presented a national earth-kind outreach program to students at the texas a&m landscape architect school, educating the students on the societys work with the university to develop environmentally sound landscape management practices for roses. Educational activities: the society hosted a community pruning demonstration, a rose show and spring garden tours that were open to the general public and members at no charge. Additionally, the society supported the american rose society fall national convention held in syracuse, new york which was attended by many of the societys members and members of the board of directors presented educational programs at this national event.

public outreach: the society created, maintains and/or has supposed public rose plantings in texas and louisiana, including two gardens at the american rose center in shreveport, louisiana and rose plantings at the university of texas medical branch - md anderson cancer center in houston, texas. Society members also consulted with landscape designers regarding the renovation of the houston municipal rose garden. In addition, hrs board members (as well as some members) help maintain public rose plantings at several churches and schools in harris and dallas counties in texas. The society also sponsors and maintains a rose trial garden as part of a partnership with the harris county texas agrilife extension service and a local hospital district. This plant trial will demonstrate to the public cultivars that can be maintained with no chemical inputs and reduced irrigation. Our consulting and master rosarian members participated in local radio station gardening shows answering call-in questions on rose growing in the houston area. Many of the societys consulting and master rosarians are also part of the american rose societys cyber cr program answering questions about local rose care posed by gardeners around the country. Part of the societys public outreach comes from its affiliation and partnership with local nurseries. Through these affiliations, the society was able to host a rose festival, a rose propagation clinic, and a number of pruning demonstrations at area nurseries throughout the year. Research and education: the houston rose society is the financial underwriter of the earth-kind environmental rose research program conducted by the texas a&m agrilife extension service. As part of this research effort, the society had 400 rose bushes under evaluation in a public planting in farmers branch, texas and in commerce, texas in these multi-year studies. The society also sponsors a rose research trial at the md anderson cancer center in houston, texas and the trial site was open to the public for educational tours in the spring of 2014. The horticulture research efforts sponsored by the society have thus far yielded publication in peer-reviewed scientific journals, a book chapter in a peer-reviewed horticulture textbook, a research presentation to the southern nursery association research conference and many industry and trade journals in addition to publication in the public media. The public demand and interest in environmentally responsible rose horticulture has allowed this research effort to be expanded to currently include 8 universities in wisconsin, minnesota, iowa, kansas, nebraska, new york, louisiana and arkansas and public gardens in texas, new york, wisconsin, minnesota, kansas, iowa and nebraska. In 2014, the board created a horticultural scholarship program that provides an annual scholarship to deserving students of horticulture. The first scholarship grant was awarded in the fall of 2014 and continued in 2016.

published educational material: the society publishes prints and distributes 7 different educational brochures on all aspects of rose horticulture. In 2015, approximately 10,000 of these brochures were distributed without charge to the public. An hrs board member co-authored a book chapter in a peer-reviewed scientific textbook, floriculture & ornamental biotechnology (global science books, 2009); a book chapter in the sustainable rose garden a reader in rose culture (newbury books, 2010); a book chapter in a garden book for houston and the texas gulf coast (river oaks garden club, 2012); an abstract presented at the 2013 international plant trials conference; an abstract presented at the 2012 american society of horticulture science conference; a research presentation to the rose industry at the southern nursery association research conference; a research presentation to landscape design students at the texas a&m landscape design school; a poster display presented at the american rose society national convention; and a manual on the identification and treatment of a new invasive pest of roses. The society also publishes educational brochures concerning the societys earth-kind rose research program. These brochures are being distributed by approximately 80 rose societies across the country. Educational articles written by hrs board members, consulting and master rosarians have appeared in local and national magazines such as: the american rose nm pro (nursery management professional an industry publication) hortscience horttechnology lawn & landscape cowboys & indians the american gardener parks & recreation business martha stewart living readers digest christian science monitorand in newspapers with local and national distribution, such as: houston chronicle new york times associated press (32 media markets nationwide)and by other rose societies and garden clubs and master gardener organizations including: the houston rose society the american rose society the south metro rose society (georgia) the rainey rose society (washington) the linn county rose society (iowa) the rowan rose society (north carolina) the manhattan rose society (new york) the cookeville area rose society (tennessee) the denver rose society (colorado) the spokane rose society (washington) the southampton rose society (new york) texas garden clubs inv. The central florida rose society (florida) permian basin master gardeners assoc (tx) the jacksonville rose society (florida) collin county master gardeners assoc (tx) the rose society of greater st. Lewis (missouri) greater palm beach rose society (florida) the houston federation of garden clubs the texas rose rustlers the cenla rose society (louisiana) the greater gwinnett rose society (georgia) the west jersey rose society (new jersey) the greater cincinnati rose society (ohio) the central louisiana rose society the cookeville area rose society (tennessee) the gold country rose society (california) the india rose society (asia); the big county master gardener newslettermember articles have also been published by the texas nursery & landscape association. Society members additionally work with local nurseries to provide articles of interest that are published on local nursery websites. The society is an affiliate of the american rose society (a 501(c)(3) entity) and extends grants to that organization. The hrs also contributed to educational programs and events sponsored by other rose societies in 2013. The society is the former financial underwriter for the national earth-kind rose research program, and through that program has extended financial and in-kind grants to the texas agrilife extension service and texas a&m university.