September 2012

Show Results
Grand Valley Fall Rose Show
Sept. 8-9, 2012
Horticultural:
Class 1: Master Challenge, Hybrid Teas:
Bill & Irma Blok.
Class 5: Three Of A Kind, Hybrid Tea:
Pearl Essence: Bill & Irma Blok.
Class 7: Broersma Challenge, hybrid teas:
Moonstone, Cajun Moon, Gemini
Bill & Irma Blok.
Class 8: Three OGR/Shrub Collection:
Marilyn Whittaker.
Class 9: Hi-Lo Challenge:
Mavrik/ Magic Show:
Bill & Irma Blok.
Class 10: English Box, Large. Exhibition            Stage: Gordon & Alice Otter.
Class 12: English Box: OGR or Shrub, all         the same variety. Joan Stoffer.
Class 13: Rose in a Frame: Richard Anthony.
Class 15: OGR/Shrub Artist Palette:
Marilyn Whittaker.
Class 16: Bouquet Bowl:
Joan Stoffer.
Class 20: Mini Master Challenge:
Richard Anthony.
Class 23: Mini/Miniflora American Heritage:
Jon & Lois Wier.
Class 24: Mini Cycle of Bloom:
John & Rosemary Kelbel.
Class 25: The Konrad Veit Challenge:
Jon & Lois Wier.
Class 26: Mini English Box:
Gordon & Alice Otter.
Class 27: Mini English Box, all the same.              Richard Anthony.
Class 29A: Artest Palette, Open:
Richard Anthony.
Class 29B. Artist Palette, Exh. Blm:
John & Rosemary Kelbel.
Class 30  Mini Rose in a Frame:
Abby’s Angel: R. Anthony.
Class 35: H. Tea/ Grandiflora: 1-Blm.
Queen: Moonstone:   B. & I. Blok
Class 35 (Continued):
King:     Gemini:  B. & I. Blok.
Princess: Marlon’s Day: B. & I. Blok
Court: Veteran’s Honor, Bride’s             Dream,  & St. Patrick;:              B. & I. Blok
Touch of Class:  The Otters.
Class 36:  Single Hybrid Teas:
Dainty Bess:   M. Whittaker.
Class 37: Hybrid Tea Sprays:
Irma Jean
Bill & Irma Blok.
Class 38:  Grandiflora Sprays:
Wild Blue Yonder:
Bill & Irma Blok.
Class 39:  Fully Open H. T.
Hi Neighbor:
Joan Stoffer
Class 40:  One Bloom Floribunda:
Glad Tidings.  M. Whittaker.
Class 41: Floribunday Sprays:                     Lady of the Dawn:
Marilyn Whittaker.
Class 42:  Polyantha Sprays:  Snowbell:
Jon & Lois Wier.
Class 43:  Climbing Roses:  Aunt Ruth:
Jon & Lois Wier.
Class 44: Dowager Queen:
Marchesa Boccella
Richard Anthony.
Class 45: Victorian Queen:
Frou Karl Druschi:
Jon & Lois Wier.
Class 46: Modern Shrubs:
Louise Clements:
Joan Stoffer.
Class 48: Classic Shrubs
R. Rugosa Alba
Jon & Lois Wier.
Class 49: 1-Bloom Exh. Minis.
Queen:       Joy    Anthony
King          Irresistible  The Wiers.
Princess     Fairhope     The Wiers
Court        Bee’s Knees      Blok
Magic Show      Blok
Heather Sproel   Kelbel
Class 39 (Continued)
Court: Soroptimist Int.  The Bloks.
Class 50:  1-Bloom Miniflora, Exhib.
Queen: Patron:            Anthony.
King:   Show Stopper:  Anthony.
Princess: Whirlaway     Otter.
Court:   First Choice    Anthony
Liberty Bell     Anthony
Cachet            Blok
Butter Cream   Blok
Class 53:  Best Miniature Spray:
Soroptimist Int.   The Bloks.
Class 55:  Miniature Open Blooms
Love Torch:   The Wiers.
Class 67: Open Bowl:
Gordon & Alice Otter.
Class 68: Open Bowl, Full Blown
Joan Wiley.
Class 69: Brandy Snifter:
Joan Wiley.
Class 70:  Marine Bowl:
Bill & Irma Blok.
Class 71: Mini Rose Bowl:
Joan Wiley.
Class 72: Mini Rose Bowl, Full Blown.
Joan Stoffer.
Class 73: Miniflora Rose Bowl:
Joan Wiley.
Class 75: Mini/Miniflora Brandy Snifter.
Joan Wiley.
Class 76: Boutonniere
Gord and Alice Otter.
Class 78: Mini End of Trail:
Richard Anthony.
Class 85: Best Judges Challenge:
Playgirl:  Ron Loch.
Best Red Rose: Veteran‘s Honor
Bill & Irma Blok.
Best of Show: Irma Jean Spray:
Bill & Irma Blok
Hort Sweepstakes:  The Bloks
Mini Hort. Sweepstakes:  R. Anthony.
Arrangement Honors:
Joan Wiley:
ARS Silver, and ARS Mini Royalty.

Irma Blok:
ARS Gold, Large Court of Etiquette, ARS Mini Gold, & Mini Duchess,

Irma & Irma Jean
Another Good Show
Rosarians are seldom concerned about finding roses for their June shows, because that is usually the biggest bloom of the year.  More often we wonder whether we will find good roses for our fall show.  That was especially so because of our unusual weather this year, and especially so because of our hot, dry weather this summer.  It is true that floribundas were more scarce than usual, but when all was said and done, the judges were pretty satisfied with the quality and quantity of roses at our show.  The Blok’s brought quite a few hybrid teas to our show this spring, but although we may have had more this spring, the quality was definitely better at our September show.
Thanks to all of you who helped with putting on the rose show.  It was good to see our new member Brian Smith, come out to learn the exhibition rose business by watching our exhibitors at work, and he volunteered as a Judges Clerk to observe the judges work close up.  It was also good to see Ohio exhibitor Richard Anthony exhibiting at our show again.  Though he was delayed in his arrival by bad weather in Ohio that morning, he did add quite a few miniatures, and especially mini-floras, to our show.  Irma would also like to thank Rosemary Kelbel for taking over as hostess for the Judges Coffee.
Although I did bring a dozen or more dry-wrapped roses to our show, only a few were good enough to edge out other more freshly cut roses.   One exception was a bloom of Gemini that I wrapped on Saturday (a week before our show).  It looked good enough to edge out a couple of other Gemini that I dry-wrapped the following Monday .and other more freshly cut roses.  It was entered in the Queen competition, and it became “King of Show”.
Irma Jean
The big thrill for Irma and I at our Fall show was seeing our large spray of “Irma Jean” honored as the “Best of Show”.  It has been at least two growing seasons since we had it officially registered with ARS, but we have found that it produced few blooms with good exhibition form.  After growing the seedling for about 3 years, it surprised us by producing a few blooms with excellent form.   This delighted me so much that I went right out and had it registered with ARS.
Besides the original seedling, we have 2 grafted plants in our garden.  Now after 2 or 3 years in the garden we see some good blooms.  We had one blue ribbon winner this spring, and now we had 2 more, a 1-bloom, and the spray.  We are hoping that the production of more good blooms is a sign that we will have more as the plants matures..
Irma Jean is a hybrid of Crystalline x Lynn Anderson.    Obviously, it has some good qualities from both parents. I don’t have extra developed plants of this rose, but I did graft a few plants this fall.
Awkward Roses
:    Roses with long necks (peduncles), I call awkward roses.  Most good exhibition roses have broad shoulders, that is their stems display their leaves symmetrically around their stem, with 5 and 3 part leaves clothing the stem nearly up to the peduncle.  Awkward roses often have 3 and 1-part leaves towards the top of its stem, producing a distinct taper of leaves up to the base of the long peduncle.  Examples of such roses in our garden are Alabama, Sheer Joy, Leana, and Pearl Essence.

Pearl Essence – The Komar
Awkward roses may have good bloom form, and substance, and may be floriferous, but judges don’t prefer them over their more balanced neighbors, and with their stem form, they don’t blend as well with them in collections.
There is one place in the show schedule where they shine however.  It is in the “3-of- a-kind” collection.  In our schedule it is called the “Komar”.  In collections we look for uniformity in shape, size, and form.  It seems that when these factors repeat themselves three times in such a collection, the long necks become a factor that strengthens the uniformity of the collection, and become a  positive factor in the collection.
It also helps if the rose is definitely floriferous.  Two very similar blooms won’t help much in building a 3 of a kind collection.  We have two plants of Pearl Essence  in our garden.  One plant bloomed a week too early, but the second plant produced 4 blooms during show week.  The largest competed (unsuccessfully) for Queen, and the other 3 picked a day later, made an excellent Komar Collection.

Rose Show Trophies
At its September meeting, the Board voted to begin the process of the orderly disposal of most of our show trophies.  Rather than dealing with possibly near 150 trophies brought to one place,  and the storage involved in that, we wish to invite those member or individuals who have donated particular trophies to our rose society, or whose relatives have donated trophies, and wish to have them returned, to place their request for such  trophies with Bill Blok.  Be as specific as possible with the trophy requested, and your reasons. (Original donor, family of donor, etc.).  If in doubt, the Board will decide.  Some trophies are in storage at Meijer Gardens, and others are stored (hopefully)  by the members who were awarded them in 2011, the last year they were awarded.  When I get a list of approved requests, I will issue an “All Points bulletin”, and hopefully the members holding them will make them available to the requesting member, or former member.
One suggestion that has come up, is to convert a couple of the better looking trophies from their current assignment, to be “Best of Show” trophies for our Spring and Fall shows.

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September 2012

THE PRESIDENT’S CORNER-By Joan Stoffer
Waking up this a.m. to a chilly 50 degrees, reminded me that winterizing of the roses will soon begin. I choose to cut back in the fall, and many of you leave that chore to the spring. Whenever you elect to start that struggle, I have a few tips which may help you to success.
1.  Those of you growing hybrid teas, minis and minifloras, should locate your sharpeners and go to     work on those Felco pruners.
2.  Rosarians such as myself, who grow shrubs (especially those arching Austins) and climbers, may     want to add a sharpened machete along with those Felcos.
3.  Just a word about outerware for pruning the jungle: Whatever you wear for this task, do not wear  your “Sunday best.” Carhartt makes great coveralls or you may find a good deal on leather jackets at your local Goodwill or army surplus store. Add leather or goatskin gloves. Boots are optional but tennis shoes can freeze up quickly in November. Please note: Jeans do not win in a fight against thorns.
4 .Now that you are outfitted, let’s begin our journey. Start at the outside and work INTO the rose garden. Starting in the middle will already have shredded your Carhartts or left your leather with shrapnel wounds.
5. I have heard a rumor that running your lawn mower over the minis can shorten your workload immensely – nothing was said about what it does to the mower. Weed-whackers are a possibility but I am not recommending either method.
6. Get tough on those babies – show no mercy – you are the boss – wrestle them right down to within inches of the ground!!!
7. To cover or not to cover – that is the question. So, I cover everything and still lose a couple every winter. My choice of cover is Styrofoam cones and bush jackets, a type of blanket that breathes. If you must use buckets, take a drill to them first and make lots of holes – failing to do this will result in sticks with thorns where roses should be in the Spring.
8.  Now stand back and be proud of the job you have finished; the garden now resembles a war zone with no survivors, BUT be assured it will be beautiful next Spring, (or not.).
9.  Last on my list of absolutely silly tips is perhaps a useful one: Voles do not hibernate for the winter, therefore, either you can buy a case of mousetraps and several jars of peanut butter, or purchase a granular vole repellant. I recommend the latter.
10. SMILE as you work – it doesn’t make it any less back-breaking, but your neighbors will be impressed with how easy it is to grow roses!!! Happy winterizing to all my friends and may your roses grow as big as your hearts.