NEWSLETTER OF THE SOUTHAMPTON ROSE SOCIETY 1

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Volume 36, Number 2June 2012

NEWSLETTER OF THE SOUTHAMPTON ROSE SOCIETY— AN AMERICAN ROSE SOCIETY AFFILIATE

by Harvey FeinsteinPT, DRA, ARS/BMH; President Emeritus 1992-97

I ADMIT IT. I AM AN EXHIBITIONIST. The truth is out. No, I don’t standaround on subway platforms waiting for a train to wiz by so I couldsuddenly ‘exhibit’ myself nor do I wear a long trench coat and followwomen. My particular fixation occurs every June, well actually I start to getaroused in March, when I notice the shrubs in my garden are putting out adolescent leaves. Then I look at my plantings lasciviously, and I am here

now to tell you of The Joy Of Exhibiting. My particular neurosis began in Brooklyn when I was aged 5. My father kept a rose

garden and every Sunday in the spring, he had me out in the garden helping him. Itusually went like this.

Father: “Harvey, stop stamping on the rose beds.” Then, Father: “Harvey, don’t pull the petals of the roses.” Then finally, Father: “Harvey, I think I hear your mother calling for you.”

We had mostly Paul’s Climbing Pillar roses, so I couldn’t do much damage to them.They were interwoven with honeysuckle. The combination gave off the most beautifulscent in the heat of the summer garden. As my bedroom overlooked the garden I went tobed with delight each night to savor the delicious breeze coming through the windows.

Fast forward and I am now an adult. I have purchasedmy first home in Southampton. It had a flowering peartree, dirt and grass. One day at Frankenbach’s I saw arose bush named Mr. Lincoln. I bought it, planted it,watered it, and waited for it to die, which it did thefollowing spring. Five years later I moved to anotherhouse. Stephen Scanniello Head Rosarian Of theBrooklyn Botanic Garden was my first house guest. Hecame bearing a New Dawn. I said, “What do I do withthis.” He said “Shove it in the ground and stand back.”That summer I was asked to exhibit a rose in the SRS16th Annual Rose Show. I brought in one bloom, went

home and when I came back later to see what happened I was awarded “Best In Show” aBlue Ribbon and a certificate. Helga Dawn was heard to whisper. “He’s hooked.”

I’m telling you all this because IT IS A JOY TO EXHIBIT YOUR ROSES.After all you and/or your gardener worked hard, so let’s see what you have accomplished.Win a trophy, see the smiles on your children or grandchildren’s faces, astound yourneighbors. Don’t be afraid. Your roses will love you. AND WE NEED YOU TO ‘SHOW’ UP.This year give it a try. You’ll be glad you did.

— Harvey

Get Ready, Get Set, GrowIn this Issue

1Get Ready, Get Set, Grow

2President’s Letter

3Rose Exhibiting For Beginners

4Special Events

5Everything’s Coming Up Roses

6May Events Photo Review

7Event Coupons

8Notices

Dune Rose EditorsHal GoldbergSally James

Dear SRS Members,

I S THERE SUCH A THING as an organic rosegarden?” When I got that email from one ofour members, my eyes lit up. It is an important

question, it is a question that I myself have beentrying to answer in my own garden and it IS thefuture of rose gardening.

If you have been to any of our recent lectures orevents, you will know that hybridizers from aroundthe world have been working hard to create diseaseresistant roses. With the help of trials at New Yorkand Long Island Botanic Gardens and Universities, wenow have a plethora of cultivars that can reliably begrown organically in our area. Roses from Kordes,Earth-Kind® and Knock Out® are among the best

known. The challenge for us is to translate these successes to our own gardens.To me, this represents an important cultural shift and is also our best shot atattracting a new audience.

That is why I am very excited to report that in cooperation with theVillage of Southampton, the SRS is creating the first public organic rose gardenin the East End. The new garden will sit majestically in front of theSouthampton Cultural Center and Veteran’s Hall across from Agawam Park.Sarah Owens, curator of the Cranford Rose Garden will consult on the roseselections and care of the garden. We are very lucky to have her and if youhaven’t been to the Cranford Rose Garden, you won’t want to miss our touron September 15th or Sarah’s lecture at our Annual Luncheon on September29th.

Of course, June is the best time for roses and our Annual Rose Show is justaround the corner on June 16th . Many of us are passionate about exhibitingour roses and look forward to “bringing home the silver” every year. But forthe uninitiated, it can be an overwhelming experience. That is why this issue ofDune Rose is mostly about exhibiting roses. It’s more fun than you think. Ifyou read Harvey Feinstein’s article on page 1, you’ll agree.

By the time you read this you will have received a postcard about ourBiennial Cocktail Party Benefit on June 30th. We’ve planned a great evening ata truly beautiful garden. Drinks and Hors d'oeuvre will be served while youenjoy the music of Bob Beck, the Meszkat’s lovely garden and a terrificselection of items at our silent auction.

By attending our biennial event, you help keep the Rose Garden at RogersMemorial Library in Southampton and the other community gardensthroughout Southampton Village healthy and looking their best.

The invitation will be in your mailbox any day now and we hope you willattend.

See you in the Rose Garden!

NEWSLETTER OF THE SOUTHAMPTON ROSE SOCIETY 2

PRESIDENT’S CORNER — APRIL 2012

Board of Directors

President Hal Goldberg

1ST Vice President, Carol Kroupa

2NDVice President,Membership Chairperson Nancy Rollins

Financial Vice President,Treasurer Cornelia Bostwick

Secretary Elizabeth Kearns

Program ChairpersonCarol Kroupa

Publicity Chairperson Gary Lawrance

Website ChairpersonCurtis Eaves

Rose Show Chair Miriam Goldberg

Advisory BoardPeter BertrandCynthia Brodsky Adeline ChristieJoy CorderyHelga R DawnHarvey FeinsteinCarole GuestLyn HamerJane IndoeDorothy Nigro

The Southampton Rose Society,established in 1976, is a 501(c)(3)not-for-profit organizationaffiliated with the American RoseSociety.

Dune Rose is the newsletter of the Southampton Rose Society,which is published March through November.

Southampton Rose SocietyPO Box 1022Southampton, NY 11969-1022631-740-4732 www.southamptonrose.org

By Phyllis AllenDPARoses@aol.com

S O, THE ROSE BUG has bityou! You have learned aboutplanting, pruning and

spraying! Now you are ready toexhibit! If possible, attend a roseshow and visit the preparationroom where you can watch theexhibitors at work before youexhibit yourself. Most exhibitorsare usually pretty busy during thistime, so be sensitive about askingquestions. Take mental notes andask them about their exhibitingtechniques after their entries areplaced into the show. Volunteer toclerk (no previous experiencerequired) in order to learn howrose shows are set up and how thejudges work. Obtain a copy of theARS Guidelines for Judging Rosesand read it. For your first show,choose one fairly close to homeand one that offers some NoviceClasses. You are not limited tonovice status, but you might feelmore comfortable starting there.Obtain a copy of the showschedule and read it. Decide whichclasses you might like to enter.Limit your number of entries toallow yourself enough time to giveeach rose your attention. You cantake more than one rose to theshow per class, and at the lastminute, decide which one to enter.

One Month Before the ShowStart watching your roses for poten-tial exhibition specimens. If you planto exhibit a single bloom on a stem,you will need a strong, straight stemthat has been disbudded as it devel-oped. Disbudding is the process ofremoving all side buds that form be-tween the stem and the axil of theleaf. This allows all the energy to goto the terminal bud. Eventually youmight want to stake the cane with abamboo stick and some twist ties. Besure to keep the tip of the stake justunder the bloom. Staking protects

the cane from snapping off in thewind and prevents leaf tearing onthorns from nearby canes. If youplan to show a floribunda spray, youwill want to remove the center(largest) bud at the point of emer-gence from the stem. This allows theside buds to develop and fill in thehole where that first bloom wouldhave been if allowed to develop.That center bloom would have devel-oped first and been finished by thetime the rest of the spray was in exhi-bition form. Removing it at that timewould have left the hole. Water yourbushes regularly and keep up yourspraying schedule! Prepare a groom-ing kit which you will use the day ofthe show. Get a small plastic or metalcase and gather together the follow-ing items: • Soft clean cloths (hotel shoe shine

cloths are great) • A package of Q-tips • Tweezers • Small sharp scissors • Small camel-hair brush • Several sheets of aluminum foil

and/or plastic wrap • Return address labels • An ARS Handbook for Selecting

Roses and ARS Exhibition Names • If possible, some exhibiting tags

with rubber bands that you pickedup at a previous show or localsociety meeting

One Week Before the ShowWatch the blooms that are starting toopen and have show potential.Protect them from night dew by cov-ering with a plastic baggy and twisttie gently below the bloom. Thisshould be done in the evening and re-moved before the sun shines on thebloom and heats the air inside thebag.

2-3 Days Before the ShowWhen do you cut the rose? The tim-ing varies depending on the varietyof the rose, the number of petals, thetemperature and general weatherconditions and your ability to storethe cut roses. Roses should be cut 1/4 - 1/3 open which allows themtime to open more on the morning ofthe show. Cut them early in themorning if possible or late in theevening. Cut the stem a little longerthan the 7:1 ratio (the stem should be7 times longer than the height of thebloom) to allow for recutting later.Cut the stem at an angle with sharp,clean pruners and immediately takeit to your preparation area. A laun-dry tub works great! Have some tall,white plastic buckets available whichyou can usually obtain from a bakeryor a sandwich shop. In one bucketput a flower preservative mixture,such as Floralife®, and cold water up

NEWSLETTER OF THE SOUTHAMPTON ROSE SOCIETY 3

FEATURE

Rose Exhibiting for Beginners

Continued on page 4

Rose Exhibiting for BeginnersContinued from page 3

to 3-4 inches. Fill another bucket tothe top with tepid water. Bring theroses in from the garden, one or twoat a time to prevent them from snag-ging one another. Submerge the rosestem in the full bucket, recut the stemand then lower it into the water sothe water comes up just below thebloom. Allow the roses to rest in thetepid water and drink their fill, butwatch the blossoms carefully. If yousee a bloom start to open, place it inthe cold water that contains the pre-servative immediately. After an houror two, move any remaining roses tothe cool water bucket and put in acool dark place. If you place yourrose bucket in a refrigerator, be sureto put a baggy on the blooms so theydo not lose moisture from the petals.If you cut the night before the show,you probably will not need to refrig-erate.

The Morning of the ShowRise early. Remove the roses fromthe refrigerator and take one lastwalk through the garden for anotherpossible entry. Pack up your rosesand your grooming box and head forthe show. Plan to arrive early so you

can get table space and your favoritedoughnut! Register, if required, andgather enough vases for your roses. Ifyou plan to enter a rose in a bowl(you do not need a good stem forthis), check ahead of time to see ifyou need to bring your own bowl oruse one supplied by the show com-mittee. Place each rose in a bud vaseand evaluate the bloom stage. If thebloom is too tight, carefully insert Q-tips between the petals to encourageopening. Take note of the tempera-ture in the room and check if anysunlight is shining in on your roses.Warmth will hasten the opening.Sometimes, the air conditioning is solow, you have to remove the rose toanother location to warm it up. Ionce put a rose in my car which wasparked in the sun. Guess whoshowed an open bloom? You have touse your own judgment. A lot ofknowing what to do comes with trialand error and experience. Supporteach leaf from behind with your fin-gers, and polish the surface with asoft cloth. During this time, watchyour blooms for any adjustmentsthey might need. Carefully removeany guard petals (those small petalson the very outside that protected thebud) that have color faults or aresmaller than the outer ring of petals.

If an outer petal is hanging low, youcan raise it by carefully by lifting itso it rests on the petals next to it. Useyour brush to remove any fine debrisfrom the petals and use the scissorsto trim any brown or torn edgesfrom the petals or leaves. Check theproportion of the bloom to the stem.You can adjust this somewhat bypushing the stem deeper into the vaseor wedging it with rolled up plasticwrap or foil. Be sure the stem is inthe water and the wedging materialis not showing above the top of thevase. Fill out the exhibitors’ entrytags, if you haven’t already done so.Use your ARS Handbook to checkrose names and the proper spellings.Use your address labels to save writ-ing all that information on each tag.Attach your entry tags to the vaseand make one final check of theoverall appearance. Set the vase onthe floor and look down on the en-tire entry. If you need to adjust ortrim, this is your last chance. Placeyour entries on the exhibition table,one at a time if possible. Immediatelyclean up your work space. Returnany unused vases and wipe up anywater. Secure your personal belong-ings and go find some fellow rosari-ans to enjoy a hearty breakfast androse talk! Good luck!

FEATURE

CALENDAR 2012

Sunday, June 10Planting Fields ArboretumOyster Bay, NY 1:00 – 5:00 pm

Come and see hundreds of roses ofall colors and classes from mini rosesto hybrid teas, climbers and old gar-den roses, all garden grown on LongIsland. This is a unique opportunityto meet the growers to discuss thecharacteristics and requirements ofeach rose.

Have your questions answeredby American Rose Society certifiedconsulting rosarians.

Anyone who wishes to join the soci-ety will receive a FREE trial member-ship to the American Rose Societywhich will include two issues of theirbeautiful publication American Rosemagazine. There is also a plant saleand raffles.

Admission to the show is FREE.Parking at Planting Fields is $8. Fordirections to the Arboretum, go towww.plantingfields.org. For furtherinformation about the show, go tolongislandroses.org or contact mary-janelee127@yahoo.com.

Don’t miss our ownAdeline Christie on WLIWWeek of June18

Adeline will talk about SRS during P. Allen Smith’s Gardens, “All AboutRoses” episode. Check your providerlisting for time. Ms. Christie is SRSpresident emeritus.

For more about the program,visit www.pallensmith.com.

Long Island Rose Society Annual Show

NEWSLETTER OF THE SOUTHAMPTON ROSE SOCIETY 4

By Helga Dawn and Lyn HamerBenefit Chairs

J UST AS Stephen Sondheim’shit song, “Everything’sComing up Roses,” made

his Broadway musical,GYPSY, the talk of the town — sowill that popular theme make theSouthampton Rose Society’s fifthBiennial Cocktail Party BenefitFundraiser the hit ofSouthampton’s 2012 summerseason! The date is Saturday, June30. The time is 6:00 to 8:00 PMand the theatre is the lovely homeand beautiful rose garden ofChristl and Kenny Meszkat!

All theatrics aside, the RoseSociety is very lucky and appreciativeto have the Meszkat’s spectacular set-ting for the event and to have Christlagree to be our Honorary Chair forthis most important fund-raisingevent. The funds are necessary for

SRS to continue its beautificationprograms of Southampton Village,the maintenance of our showcaseRose Garden at the Rogers MemorialLibrary and to expand educationalprograms in schools and online. Wefeel certain that Christl’s ability towin awards — she has won Best inShow, King, Queen, Princess ofShow, Sweepstakes, etc. , at ourAnnual Flower Show and Best inShow in our PhotographyCompetition — will bring us goodfortune at the box office!

Box seats are already filling upwith nearly fifty enthusiastic patronsand corporate sponsors; including,Mr. And Mrs. Stuart Baker, Dr. andMrs. Martin Stone, Mr. and Mrs.Frederick Guest, Suffolk CountyNational Bank, UBS, The MorleyAgency, Stitch and Lynch’s GardenCenter.

Individual tickets are $175 perperson, and sponsorship level partici-

pation is available with more ticketsand recognition in Rose Society pub-lications, website and the publicpress. Levels of participation are: • Friend – $500 (two tickets) • Sponsor – $1200 ( four tickets) • Patron – $5,000 (eight tickets) • Benefactor – $10,000 (10 tickets) It is hoped that all members will finda seat and that the house will be fullon June 30.

Throughout the evening drinksand delicious canapés will be servedto accompany guests through thegarden and around the silent auctiontables, which already include estateand contemporary fine jewelry, a fab-ulous ring from Judith Ripka, VIPpasses to the Hampton Classic, styl-ish fashions to wear fromJ.McLaughlin, Dazzle, Pucci andmuch, much more!

Stay tuned — there’s more tocome! With every member’s help — “Everything’s Coming up Roses”!

NEWSLETTER OF THE SOUTHAMPTON ROSE SOCIETY 5

SRS EVENTS

‘Everything’s Coming Up Roses’

NEWSLETTER OF THE SOUTHAMPTON ROSE SOCIETY 6

SPOTLIGHT

May Events

Grace Kearns. ? and Finula Creeat the Mini-Rose Event

Grace Kearns, Finula Cree and Juliette Kearns at the Mini-Rose Event

Sarah Owens, Helga Dawn, Peter Bertrand and Nancy Rollins

Selma Sherter, ?, Arlene Friedenberg, Lorraine Vidal, Curtis Eaves and Peter Bertrand

Cranford Rose Garden curator, Sarah Owens with Hal Goldberg Johnethe deFrietas demonstrates at the Pruning Session

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR NEW SPONSORS

ARF Garden TourThe SRS is happy to support the 26thAnnual ARF Garden Tour.

A self-guided tour of six delightfulgardens in Southampton, the SRS Rose Garden and Annual Rose Show at Rogers Memorial Library.

Saturday, June 1610 am–4 pm

Cocktail party immediately follows at a 40+ acre park-like estate in Southampton. Tickets are $75 for the tour and $175 for the tourand cocktail party. For tickets, contactgloria@arfhamptons.org or 631-537-0400 x216.

NEWSLETTER OF THE SOUTHAMPTON ROSE SOCIETY 7

EVENTS

Bring Home The SilverSaturday, June 911:00 am

Reply to: Ms. Nancy Rollins131 Herrick Road, Southampton NY 11968631-287-4881 chnarol@msn.com

Member’s Name __________________________________

Number of Guests ________________________________

Please mail this form with payment (check, cash or credit card) or email details.Free to members. Registration may also be made atwww.southamptonrosesociety.org.

Brooklyn BotanicalGarden TourSaturday, September 158:00 am Departure$75 per person

Reply by August 15 to:Southampton Rose SocietyPO Box 1022, Southampton NY 11969

Member’s Name __________________________________

Number of Guests ________________________________Please mail this form with payment (check, cash or credit card) or email details.Payments and registration may also be made atwww.southamptonrosesociety.org.

SRS Sponsors Tour ofCranford Rose Garden

T HE SRS INVITES YOU to join us on Saturday,September 15, 2012, for a visit to one of NewYork’s most beautiful public rose gardens, the

Cranford Garden at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens.We will be met by the garden’s curator, Susan Owenswho will be available to answer questions and explainher approach to organic rose gardening

Your visit includes transportation on a deluxeHampton Jitney coach, entrance fees to the BotanicalGarden, guided Rose Garden Tour, time on your own tovisit the Japanese Gardens, the Perennial Gardens, theKnot garden, and much more. Enjoy a leisurely lunch onyour own, in the Garden Café (box lunches available foran additional fee.)

The bus will depart from the parking lot behind theold Parrish Art Museum building in Southamptonpromptly at 8:00AM The bus will make a pick-up inHampton Bays at the LIRR Station at 8:15am.

Please Recycle This Newsletter

Southampton Rose SocietyP.O. Box 1022Southampton, NY 11969-1022

www.southamptonrose.org

Saturday, June 911:00 am“Bring Home the Silver” WorkshopGarden of Ms. Carole GuestDemos by: Freda Smith

Saturday, June 167:00 a.m. – 10:00 amOpen to the public from 1 pm to 4 pm.Rose Day – 36TH Annual Rose ShowRogers Memorial Library – Morris Room

Saturday, June 306:00 – 8:00 pmBiennial Cocktail Party FundraiserHosted by Christl & Kenneth MeszkatTickets from $175 to $10,000

Sunday, Sept. 9 (Rain Date Sept. 16) 3 pmMembers Garden Party & PhotographyCompetition. Hosted by Jack PearsonNo charge for members / $20 for guests.

Saturday, September 158:00 am – 6:00 pmLuxury Coach & Guided Tour of CranfordRose Garden, Brooklyn Botanic Gardens.$75 per person

Sunday, September 2911:00 amSRS Annual Meeting / Luncheon / LectureGuest Speaker: Susan Owens

CALENDAR 2012

www.southamptonrose.org631-740-4732