Outreach

One of the best things that a seasoned rose grower like myself (I've been through quite a few seasons, if you know what I mean) can do is share his knowledge of growing roses.  Such is the case in my relationship with the good folks at the Willamette Lutheran Retirement Community in Keizer, OR.  We became connected via a mutual friend (and staff member at WLRC) who we'll just call "Craig".  Several of the retirees have acquired a keen interest in growing roses from seed, and have thus far had mixed success.  So, we had what might be called a "Summit Meeting" yesterday to discuss the intricacies of this hobby and see what we could learn.  Here's a photo of the attendees, including me way in the back:

Now here's the GOOD part of mixed success.  Shown below to the left is one of the group's seedling rose bushes, a very handsome rose with blooms of softly blended colors.  To the right are Allan and Dick (my main contacts at WLRC) tending to two more of the group's rose seedlings.  Very nice !