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For more information go to: http://fortvancouverrosesociety.org
White roses, yellow roses and roses with petals of every shade of pink and red filled a resource room at Vancouver First Church of God on Saturday.
The rows of tables at the 62nd annual Rose Show, put on by the Fort Vancouver Rose Society, boasted hundreds of varieties of the flower, with such names as Sugar Moon, You’re the One and Wild Dancer.
“Roses are a natural art,” said Judy Heath, president of the Fort Vancouver Rose Society. “They only last a little while, so we have to catch them when they’re good.”
Because of the early hot spell, the event had a few fewer roses than normal, Heath said. But the flowers that did make it to the show were just as bright and beautiful, many showing the spiralling blossom that Heath explained is an ideal for roses.
“It’s just beautiful; the shapes are so healthy,” Ellie Kussin of Battle Ground said. “I like the variety, and I really enjoyed the fragrant table. It’s amazing how all these beautiful flowers don’t all have amazing scents.”
About 24 judges ranked the flowers based on American Rose Society rules. Winners in each category won a prize, which this year included pieces of artwork by six local artists.
“I was thrilled to be asked if I have anything,” wood turner Kathleen Duncan said. The winner of one category won two of her pinch bowls, small bowls made of wood from Esther Short Park and local Walnut trees. “We need to make art more visible and collaboration is really the place to do it.”
The event also held a workshop on planting roses with companion plants and offered resources such as which variety of rose the rose society recommends for this area.
Penny Smith of Vancouver said she came to look for a new type of rose to plant this year, and so she appreciated the information.
“I’ve made some mistakes in the past,” she said. “I want a nice disease-resistant flower.”
Smith currently has six bushes that she’s grown for the past 20 years. She appreciated the mastery on display around the room at the event.
“I love their beauty and the way they smell,” she said. “Most people think of roses as red or pink, but it’s amazing all the colors and variety they have.”
