President's Message - April 2026

Dear GRS members and friends,

As most of you know, our rose friend, mentor, and President of GRS, Ralph Stream, passed away on March 3 after a long illness. Despite his health, Ralph soldiered on, helping wherever he was needed and leading our society, with the help of his wife Jean. We truly miss him. As Vice President and acting President, I am trying to fill some very big shoes. Jean is working to pare down their rose collection and has roses to give away. Please arrange with her if you would like some rose plants.

Thanks to all who attended our special rose program with Michael Johnson of David Austin Roses USA on March 8. With your help, it all came together, and the day went well. We learned a lot about the business side of a world-renowned rose breeding and selling company. It was also interesting to learn how bare root roses are grown and prepared for selling and shipping.

Our next event will be our Roses for Everyone program at the Millhopper branch library on April 25. See below for rota and other details. We will have a short business meeting to vote on the slate presented at the March meeting. Many thanks to Dan Mills and Kathi Warren for serving on the committee and to those who agreed to serve. There will be no regular meeting in April. I thought we had already decided that, but if I made an “executive decision,” I apologize.

Please help us publicize this event and invite your gardening friends and neighbors. Flyer is attached for your use. Dr. Joe Rush will be providing rose plants to give to all who attend.

Our May 17 end-of-year picnic will be at Dudley Farm. Art Wade is working with the staff there and details will follow. Highlight will be the heirloom roses in the garden.

I hope you are taking time to enjoy the lovely spring weather and that your roses are waking up and flourishing after such an unusually cold winter.

Jean Giesel, Master Rosarian, Acting President 

President's Message - March 2026

Hello to all GRS members and friends:

Ralph is still in Shands Trauma ICU and unable to put together his message for you. He asked that I let you know he misses you all and is trying his best to get better and heal. He thanks each of you for pitching in and keeping everything moving along. Thank you for your prayers, cards and concerns. Everything is appreciated and is a blessing. - Jean Stream

Reminders from your VP – Jean Giesel

We need to remind everyone that Daylight Savings Time begins on the day of our meeting, March 8. Bring family, friends, and neighbors. Speaker is Michael Johnson of David Austin Roses USA, of Tyler, Texas. “The presentation will focus on David Austin Roses and is designed to be informative and engaging for both experienced and newer rose growers.”

We are scheduled to have access to the room at 1:30, so we need some help setting up about 40 chairs. I will arrive early to start setting up the literature table for Dan.

We will not have our usual raffle since we will be giving out door prizes at the program.

On April 25, we will be at the Millhopper Branch Library with our Roses for Everyone program. We'll be welcoming people of all ages to participate in rose activities and learn more about growing and appreciating roses. It's also a good time to get to know our fellow rosarians better. We will start setting up at 10 a.m. when the library opens.