Our monthly meeting will be on Monday, May 20th and will begin at 6:30 p.m. We are pleased to have our own Ruth Tiffany presenting a program on Striped Roses. Ruth is an enthusiastic speaker and a passionate lover of roses. She is one of the finest rosarians in Southern California, an award-winning exhibitor, a Master Rosarian and an accredited ARS Horticultural Judge. A member of the ARS for about 30 years, Ruth has become the greatest “cheerleader” and “rose evangelist” for the American Rose Society and the Pacific Southwest District since the late, great Bob Martin. A retired nurse, Ruth grows more than 800 roses on a small corner lot in east San Diego County. When they are in bloom her roses are phenomenal to see! She opens her beautiful garden to visitors all year round to teach about the various varieties and give information and assistance about growing the best roses. Ruth often has buckets of roses outside of her garden, during the spring and summer, for her neighbors to take home. “Lots of my roses are on the street, so people come by and ask me questions.” she says. “I give them tips on how much water they need and how much fertilizer to use.” Although roses take a little work, Tiffany believes that they are very forgiving. And she finds her time spent with roses to be therapeutic. “Nothing feeds your soul like looking at something that’s growing in the garden.” she says. “It helps to renew you.” It is a true joy to listen to her experiences with the beauty and healing power of roses. She says: “Growing roses in three different gardens over nearly 30 years has taught me, and continues to teach me, of the amazing physical and mental health benefits of this life-sustaining hobby. I want to teach and show people that the beauty, joy, and healing power of roses can be stronger than the pain, anger and division that exists so fully in our world today.”
An enthusiastic supporter of the American Rose Society and the Pacific Southwest District, Ruth served as the Convention Chair for the 2018 and 2014 San Diego Rose Society National Conventions and was Co-Chair of the ARS Convention Planning Committee 2015-2018. In addition, Ruth was co-chair for the 2023 ARS Convention. On the District level, Ruth was the Pacific Southwest District Chair of Consulting Rosarians from 2009-2012. On a local level, she served as President of the San Diego Rose Society 2005-2007 and was awarded the Society’s Bronze Honor medal in 2008. Since 2011 she has served as Fertilizer Chair, the Society’s major annual fundraising event, and she is an expert on nourishing our roses with the best food as well as enriching the soil. She is an educator, giving programs on various topics including fertilizers, striped roses, and fragrance. She is currently running for the Pacific Southwest District Director position and if you are a member of the American Rose Society you will receive a ballot in your June issue of the American Rose Magazine -- where you can vote for our next District Director. At the recent Pacific Southwest District Convention, Ruth was awarded the coveted ARS Silver Medal for her service. You won’t want to miss Ruth Tiffany’s entertaining and informative presentation on the topic of Striped Roses, one of her favorite subjects. Ruth is encouraging everyone to bring a stem of their favorite striped rose.
Meeting location: Casa del Prado’s room 101, in Balboa Park.
We will have a Little Rose Show this month. There will be a Consulting Rosarian corner this month. There will be NO rose auction at this meeting.
Directions to Casa del Prado, Room 101: The Casa del Prado building is immediately west of the Natural History Museum. Entrances to the Casa del Prado lead to an inner court. The rooms are accessible from the court. Room 101 is downstairs on the east end of the court.