By Carol Wong, President

As the oranges, reds, and yellows begin to color liquid amber trees and sycamores begin discarding their crispy brown leaves, our thoughts turn to what we have accomplished this year and what is ahead in our rose world. The fall flush is well under way. Some roses are covered in blooms, maybe scorched in their edges if you were strict in your watering budget. Others are smaller but more vibrant than the summer blossoms. Some of us want to show our roses at fall shows, and others simply enjoy cutting them for the house or for friends. Enjoy the scents which perfume foggy mornings as the roses are peaking before winter.

For the second year, we have not succeeded in finding a chairman for a May rose show which Peninsula Rose Society held annually for about 30 years. The Board spent a lot of time discussing the problems of costs, decreased participation, declining membership, and the preparations needed, especially asking judges to set aside time for our show. The Board recommended not hosting a rose show for 2017. If we are asked again by Filoli to set up a rose display, the consensus was to participate and involve even more members. With enough enthusiasm, planning, and participation we can make plans to hold a rose show in 2018! Please help us by volunteering for a rose show planning committee in 2017.

Tomoko Lee held us spellbound as she demonstrated several techniques of oriental flower arrangements using roses, bird of paradise, needle frogs, and a newly cut birch log with a square hole for a vase. Most fascinating was Tomoko’s ability to use unusual or inexpensive bowls for arrangements and use plants and materials from her yard.

The 2017 officers will be installed at the December 20 Holiday potluck dinner by our esteemed District Consulting Rosarian chairman and past-president of ARS, Jolene Adams. Historian Barry Johnson will be providing a program of photos from the year’s activities.

We are fortunate to also have: Hospitality and name tags committee, Estelle Bertolucci

and Marian Vanden Bosch. Jill Ferguson is often helped with desserts by Linda Kowalski, Janet Bohne, and Anne Quincy. These people commit to working together to carry out “the purpose of creating interest and education in the cultivation and exhibition of the rose”.