A Workout for Serious Rosarians
As the 2018 growing season is coming to an end in Western New York, you might be thinking of buying a few rose bushes on sale at a local garden center, or you might already be considering what to order for next spring. In addition, if you’ve been inspired by the recent rose shows in our area, you might want to plant some varieties that have particularly attractive qualities. If you’re serious about choosing your roses, Modern Roses 12 is the book for you. At something like ten pounds, this volume will provide a workout not only for your brain, but also for your upper body, which is always good for anyone who enjoys working in the garden. Encyclopedic in nature, Modern Roses is owned by a few home gardeners, only rose societies that sponsor shows, and only a few public libraries for that matter. It’s a database that identifies and describes every rose in cultivation as of the time of publication, of course. Unfortunately, each volume, like this latest one from 2007, becomes more and more outdated each year as new roses are introduced. However, it’s still a valuable resource for learning more about our old favorites. Modern Roses is the definitive source for the correct approved exhibition name (AEN) for roses entered in rose shows held under the auspices of the American Rose Society (ARS). That means the volume is primarily used by judges at rose shows when they are determining whether or not a rose is correctly identified. Rose show aficionados know that blooms that are improperly identified are disqualified. Those of us who “inherited” rose bushes when we bought our homes know that figuring out what we’ve got blooming in our yards can be a real challenge. Accordingly, it would be helpful if all rose societies, garden clubs, and Master Gardener programs invested in the latest edition of Modern Roses since the public turns to these kinds of organizations for answers to their gardening questions. In addition, this comprehensive volume is meant for serious rose growers, hybridizers, and bibliophiles with large rose-gardening libraries. Reading it will increase your knowledge, while carrying it from room to room will increase your strength. While our Rose Society owns a copy of the 11th edition of this book, and it’s available for members’ use, Modern Roses 12 isn’t among the holdings of any of the branches of the Monroe County Library System. However, it can be borrowed through interlibrary loan for a fee of $5. Much of this month’s book review comes courtesy of the president of The Greater Rochester Rose Society.
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Patti Dee, Archives
December 2018
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