By Patti Spezaferro “The most noteworthy thing about gardeners is that they are always optimistic, always enterprising, and never satisfied. They always look forward to doing something better than they have ever done before.” … Vita Sackville West Last year, I was lucky enough to travel to England with a wonderful group of garden enthusiasts. […]

By Patti Spezaferro “What is one to say about June, the time of perfect young summer,  the fulfillment of the promise of the earlier months,  and with as yet no sign to remind one  that its fresh young beauty will ever fade?”  ―Gertrude Jekyll Gertrude Jekyll, born in 1843, was an extraordinary British horticulturist, garden […]

“I can be changed by what happens to me, but I refuse to be defeated by it.” Maya Angelou I will not lie, the shelter-in-place order has been a real challenge for me. I love being out and about taking classes, volunteering, exercising with friends. The first two weeks, I felt like an unanchored ship […]

By Patti Spezaferro This Too Shall Pass by Jolene Rayment when joy makes you giddy, when brightest blinds your gaze when pride holds you up above, when easiness lets you laze Stop take a breath and remember this too shall pass treasure every moment, learn from every pain gather in your memories, they are what […]

By Patti Spezaferro The brown buds thicken on the trees, Unbound, the free streams sing, As March leads forth across the leas The wild and windy spring. –Elizabeth Akers Allen (1832–1911) I finally finished deadheading my 234 roses and now I can sit back and wait to start deadheading. Except, there is rarely a time, […]

By Patti Spezaferro The Peninsula Rose Society started off on the right foot at its January 21st member’s meeting. We had a great turnout as members came to hear Stuart Dalton’s Rose Pruning presentation. February is pruning month and Stuart gave an excellent slide talk on how to prune roses. After the presentation, consulting rosarians […]

By Patti Spezaferro I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and may 2020 be filled with love, peace and good health. It’s going to be a fantastic year and I am honored to be your 2020 President. I am a passionate Master Gardener with an AA degree from Foothill College in Environmental Horticulture […]

By Stuart Dalton, President This time of year always gets a bit busy. I know it is for me.  I am hosting a baby shower for my Colorado daughter this month, and planning a trip over Christmas to Colorado with the extended family. I’ve never really had a white Christmas, but maybe this year I […]

By Stuart Dalton, President Welcome to Fall in the Bay Area – usually some nice weather and eventually the change from dry to wet. I’ve been traveling for almost a month and it is a bit hard getting back in gear. Six countries including a brief stopover for less than 24 hours in England where […]

I’m writing this a little ahead of time because when you receive it, I’ll be in Europe. I do want to bring you up-to-date on the progress on trying to reserve the Filoli Estate or other venues for a fall 2020 Northern California Nevada and Hawaii (NCNH) Rose Show and Conference. Several people are helping […]