On June 7 & 8, Arlington Rose Foundation growers shared their mastery of growing great roses through a diversity of rose and photography exhibits for public display at Merrifield Garden Center. The two-day event showcased our passion and talent through a friendly competition by our many members.
The Back Story
The phone calls, e-mails, garden visits and questions two weeks before the rose show were fast and furious. Members new to exhibiting were planning to put their growing skills on exhibit at Arlington Rose Foundation 58th Rose Show & Photography Contest. Exhibit they did. Of the 51 awards, 36% were awarded to new or relatively new exhibitors! To take the nerves out of exhibiting, ARF’s top-flight coaches who are
award-winning exhibitors like Bill Blevins, John Smith, Rick Brown and Pam Powers helped members through team coaching at a mini practice show. For some, one-on-one coaching in their rose garden in the weeks
prior to the show was helpful. At the show, Bill assisted the novices while John helped everyone else!
Highlights of Arlington Rose Foundation Exhibitors and Their Roses
Flashlight in hand, Angela Lungu was out before 5 am the morning of the show, cutting her roses. A fan of old garden roses and David Austin roses, Angela captured two awards, Best Novice Single Bloom with Julia Child,
where there were 16 entries and Most Fragrant OGR or Shrub with Jude the Obscure. As a first time experience, Angela exclaimed, “what a fun way to meet other rose growers and learn more about your own roses! Bill Blevins was so knowledgeable, everyone was so helpful.” Now, she vows to cut a day earlier for the District show in Richmond. My prediction is she will be hard to beat in the categories she chooses to
enter. Rebecca Peterson set out to improve her rose-growing techniques this year. She came to the pruning demos to learn, applied the right fertilizers, sought exhibiting advice before the show and beat out the
competition for Best Modern Shrub with a lovely Graham Thomas. George Carneal, a member and excellent grower since the 1960s, exhibited for the first time and won an award for Best Grandiflora Spray with Cherry Parfait. Everyone was thrilled that you finally competed, George!
Mary Arnhold won Best Novice Spray with Julia Child and her son Chris won Best Junior Spray with Sexy Rexy. Mary looks forward to our spring show and sandwiches it in between Chris’ softball games and her daughter’s dance recital that tend to fall on the same busy weekend. All of us are proud of both of them! Amy Kemp from Clarksville, Maryland, one of the “famous Park sisters of the rose world” won her first awards with a graceful cycle of bloom with Tropicana. It is not an easy category to do. You must prepare and cut for the stages of bloom with three roses, one exhibition, one full open stamens showing and one buds, petals beginning to unfurl. She also won the public vote for Best Fragrant Hybrid Tea with Sugar Moon. It is so engaging having attendees vote with their nose! In my opinion, they picked the right rose. Noemi Vayra who graduated from novice status last year, made the award table with three mini blooms of Kormisso. Initially, they were tight blooms but she followed John’s instructions to open the blooms and her roses looked just like miniature Hot Princess. Likewise, another novice graduate from last year, Steve Sparks who exhibited with Sharlie Eaton, won several awards. Their nicest award, I thought was a Hi-Lo with Elina and Sunsplash. It was refreshing that they go for the challenge classes. My good friend and neighbor, Sandra Friend goes for the Court of Honor win. She continues winning with her miniature rose, Bees Knees, this time for miniature King.
Consulting Rosarian Bill Toth dominated with two Queens, Hybrid Tea with Hot Princess and Mini-Flora with Whirlaway, plus an assortment of nine other
awards, including a stunning collection of three Hot Princess and Best Floribunda Spray and Single Bloom with Golden Holstein. Growing about 60 rosebushes, Bill really appreciates the beauty of an opening bloom and tries different techniques to yield the perfect bloom. About the 2014 show, Bill said, “what a great way to spend the day! Seeing so many new exhibitors
display and share their roses is invigorating,”
