President's Message - February 2025

Hello Fellow GRS members and friends,

Well, we sure got the cold weather so far this winter. Way colder than Jean and I can handle in regards to outside work. As a result I am way behind in keeping the roses and garden clean and nice looking. I heard on TV weather station that January 2025 has set an all time recorded record for average 30 day degree temperatures. We lost a few tender annual plants and all the rose blooms are now mush. Up to this past week our garden was full of huge lovely blooms which now all need to be cut off. You will see this at our pruning in February. I hope you and your plants made it through the past hard freezes.

I need to remind all GRS CR’s, they need to start attending our monthly meetings. It does not set well for you, our leaders not coming and supporting our efforts and participate in the interaction of our members who have questions.

Our pruning demonstration this February is at the Stream’s garden and it is a tad early this year. In the past, March has been our month for this yearly program. Hope it will turn warm outside for this. Remember to bring your favorite pruners if you want a hands-on experience how Hybrid Tea roses are to be pruned. I can go over how to sharpen your blades if that interests anyone.

I still have three roses left from our fall rose sale. If you would like any or all three, give me a call and you can pick them up at the pruning day. I really need to find these a home. The close-out price will be $20 each. They are Perfume Delight, a Hybrid Tea, Lavender color and very fragrant. Christian Dior, a Hybrid Tea, Red, very tall plant with classic floral shop form, long lasting blooms. Last is Our Lady of Guadalupe. This is a Floribunda that has loads of soft pink bloom, grows up to five foot high and is very disease resistant. It carries an 8.1 rating. All three of these are on Fortuniana rootstock and will grow here in Florida conditions for many years with minimal care.

We will be having a raffle at the pruning meeting if you want to bring an item or two. I hope you can make it.

President's Message - January 2025

Hello Fellow GRS members and friends. Happy New Year.

My o’ my, how fast 2024 came and went. With it came some challenges and opportunities. I hope we lived up to what you as a GRS member expected and if not, please get with one of the society officers and let us know your suggestions and thoughts. I do wish we are all on the same page as to how we can keep GRS a vibrant and working rose growing society.

I want to thank the ladies who did a great job of preparing for our Christmas dinner and gift exchange. If you were not there you sure missed out on great fun. Thank you, Mary, for being our Santa. Also at the dinner, I made a short announcement regarding our GRS show supplies and the storage of them. With our society vote to discontinue rose shows, we need to dispose of all the show supplies in order to empty out the storage space. The DSD Director, after hearing this, offered to pay our storage expenses if we would hold on to the show supplies and make them available for any society who would host a convention and show here in Gainesville. I presented this to our members who agreed. It is a win-win situation. The DSD treasurer has paid the storage costs through June 2025.

My tip of the month is to just keep our roses watered. We have been very dry for the past 10 weeks. And of course, use our CR’s as needed. For those of you wanting to grow a few roses in a small space, our program this month will be helpful. The PowerPoint presentation on Growing Roses in Pots will be fun to watch. Jean and I have just under half of our 160 plus rose plants in pots of many sizes. Please come and let’s see if we can get some good tips that will benefit our rose growing hobby. I just bet we will all learn something.

I hope to see you all at the meeting on the 12. Don’t forget your raffle items.