'Pink Pucker' Cl. Hybrid Tea, Devoniensis

The renown “Celebration of Old Roses”  extravaganza organized by the San Francisco Bay area The Heritage Roses Group is held every May, the Sunday following Mother’s Day.

This year, the FREE event will be on May 17, 2009  from 11am – 4:30pm. As usual, it’s to be held at the El Cerrito Community Center, a few blocks east of San Pablo Avenue: 7007 Moeser Lane (the cross street is Ashbury). Parking – also free – can be a bit hard to come by.

I’ve wanted to go for YEARS. Went for the first time last year in 2008, though our SpringMoon Fine Art Prints were sold the prior year in 2007 by my friend Shannon Montoya of Mendocino Heirloom Roses. Shannon encouraged me to attend as an art vendor, so event visitors, other vendors, and show folks could enjoy our rose & floral portfolio more fully.

Cornelia Hybrid Musk Rose & Buds

The ‘jewel in the crown’ of this informal, but well attended, gathering is an enormous display of glass jars overflowing with roses gathered in the central hall. All the roses are labeled in their major group classifications: Bourbons, Chinas, Gallicas, Floribundas, Musks, Portlands, species, Teas, and “others”. All sort of folks from professional horticultural experts, gardenistas to hobbyists bring cut roses to show in a heady, intoxicating display of color, form, and fragrance.

In addition to the roses, there are artists, book vendors, arts and crafts, wonderful gift items, and assorted rose-theme products to enjoy including rose flavored jellies and jams, honey, and to purchase IF you come prepared…

'New Bud' Cl. Hybrid Tea Devoniensis

Plan on spending a delightful few hours getting your fill of beauty & fragrance! And do come by our SpringMoon Fine Art Prints table to take a bit of beauty home with you.

Historical Background:
The event was the brainchild of Miriam Wilkins, who also founded a breakaway sect of rosarians in 1975, The Heritage Roses Group. Not finding particularly interested company in the national American Rose Society, Miriam felt a new society was needed that would focus on the preservation, history, re-introduction and identification of roses which were rarely grown commercially and are now lost to the memory of most modern gardeners.

Miriam was honored in 2003 as a Great Rosarian of the World (GROW) for her championing of forgotten heritage roses at the annual lecture series hosted by the Manhattan Rose Society. Other honorees of GROW include names any rose enthusiast would recognize – like Peter Harkness of the British rose growing house (Just Joey, Ballerina, Buff Beauty). Ann Raver, columnist for the New York Times, wrote about attending the illustrious event which honored William Kordes III, of the famous German rose breeding family (Alchemist, Dortmund, Erfurt) in 2007.

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All D’Gravure Etchings may be purchased by emailing the artist: Cynthe@SpringMoonFineArtPrints.com.  Check these links for information on sizes & pricing or art print care.

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