Ah, the Celebration...... (Wednesday, May 19, 1999)

what a pleasure it is! This is one rose event that I always look forward to. It is informal, very unlike a "regular" rose exhibit. The tables were laden with interesting specimens and the room reeled with the collective aromas. The number of specimens for viewing exceeded last year's El Nino-affected turnout, even though this year's spring has been a very cold, relatively sunless affair. I took roses to sell this year, something I haven't done for a while. It was frustrating to have to leave many nice plants at home because the buds were just too tight to open in time for the event. Some of the people who shop there know what they want and are happy to find it, whether it's in bloom or not. But many folks buy spontaneously -- if they see something with a gorgeous bloom, they want it. The pace is very frenzied for several hours as people grab at the roses and jostle to get information about the right rose for their gardens. That is one reason I avoided sales for some time. I preferred to spend the day arranging the specimens and schmoozing with all of the top rosarians who show up on that day. This year I hated to lose all the time for rose talk but pragmatic concerns kept me in my booth. I was helped considerably by the presence of my son, Blue Jay, and his lovely lady, Julie. They enabled me to sneak away for a while. On one of my sneaks I indulged in another rose passion -- digging through old rose books that were being sold by Marian McKinsey. She had some great stuff! I wish that I had picked up the McFarland with the colored plates -- I passed it up in the morning and by the time I made it back in the afternoon it was gone. I also regret not getting the Harry Wheatcroft book that could have matched the one I already have. Sigh. At least I did procure Francis E. Lester's beautifully written treatise, "My Friend the Rose." I've been enjoying it since I got home. Lester is as opinionated as most modern rosarians, both about tastes in roses and their culture. He, like myself, favors the single roses, rhapsodizing about their simple elegance and style. It was also nice to see Miriam Wilkins walking around on her new hip, bullhorn at the ready to make endless announcements. Miriam is over 80 now and going strong. I hope to see her presiding over many more of these Celebrations. They are really the result of her years of devotion to the old roses and have become an important annual event for the rose world. Another highlight was introducing our new White Rabbit t-shirt. I will be posting pictures of us in our shirts in a few days. I'm really happy with the way the shirt turned out. We will be selling them from the web page soon. All in all, it was a very enjoyable day. We ended up exhausted but happy, relaxing over some good Thai food with Mel Hulse from the San Jose Heritage Rose Garden. I look forward to next year already!

Previous Rose Wraps Many Changes (Monday, April 17, 2000) Where's Alice??? (Monday, August 16, 1999) Ah, the Celebration...... (Wednesday, May 19, 1999) Long Time, No Wrap.... (Tuesday, April 6, 1999) Is It Spring Yet??? (Wednesday, March 10, 1999) Mothers Day in Mendocino... (Friday, February 26, 1999) Old Blush (Tuesday, February 9, 1999) Plum Blossoms (Wednesday, January 27, 1999) The Dead of Winter (Friday, January 15, 1999) The Old Year Passeth.... (Monday, January 4, 1999) Alba Madness! (Thursday, December 10, 1998) The Weather Again (Thursday, November 19, 1998) El Nino/La Nina (Monday, November 9, 1998)

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White Rabbit Roses
P.O. Box 191, Elk, CA 95432
Proprietor: Alice Flores
Colophon