Newsletter

Winter newsletter contains many great articles and ideas.

Thanks Larry Davis for writing about northern ohio’s rich history in the rose business. Not mentioned was Ernest Vash’s Historical Roses, Painesville, which existed into early 90s. Perhaps some of you remember HR.

I’d love to hear more of HR. On the web all I can find is that E.J. Vash is 89 yr old, living in Painesville. Seems likely he was a charter member of Faith Lutheran Church in Mentor, along with Mrs Vash. But there’s not a single mention of the rose nursery outside an antique rose forum posting. Did he perhaps carry on one of the other nurseries? I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t be Wyant’s because that got turned to housing. Perhaps Joe Kern’s? Painesville seems to be the mailing address for some Mentor properties, it all gets a bit confusing.

He had large number of ogrs, hps, hms, hts and bucks, all grafted on multiflora.

HR was located on West Jackson st, if that’s any help.

As a new RHA member I received my very first Newsletter yesterday. Even though it is rose pruning time in Texas I managed a few minutes to look it over. WOW, what a treasure trove, thanks to all who had a hand in getting it out.

Kudos to Peter, Betsy and Michael for putting together another interesting issue. The new design really improves the organization and readability of the newsletter.

I noticed that John Moe has called again for elections, nominations, and for possibly reorganizing the RHA. I’m in favor of simplifying the organizational structure to reflect the reality of who actually does what to keep things moving along. A couple of these functions are not currently elected positions and should probably be turned into such. My suggestions for elected positions are:

Executive Officer - coordinates activities and represents the organization publically.

Finance Officer - manages the finances and maintains the checking account.

Membership Officer - manages membership functions including elections, correspondence and the membership roll.

Content Editor - manages editorial content of the newsletter, website and messageboard.

Webmaster - designs and maintains the website.

I think it would be prudent to eliminate regional positions given that the website pretty much removes geographic barriers to information and participation. I think the elected folks should just be given discretion to appoint voluntary assistants as the occasion arises.

For starters, I nominate Jim Sproul as Executive Officer.

Thanks, everybody, for your compliments on the latest issue.

May I reiterate my call for species articles? It was hard to gauge whether my previous appeal was met with an assenting nod or stony silence! Also, please consider contributing an article, paragraph, or note of some kind for one of the new symposium topics, Yellow Roses and Children of Knock Out.

Here’s what I wrote before about Featured Species articles:

If you have been working with a species for a couple of years or more, please consider writing an article for the Newsletter. The article should be about 1000-1500 words (2 or 3 pages in MS Word). You can describe the species, its appearance and geographical range, but you don’t need to be excessively technical unless you want to be. The article should describe some existing/historical cultivars, if any, and your own breeding work. What successes or failures have you had? What does this species have to offer the rose breeder today? Pictures of the species and hybrids are welcome.

We want to have a few Featured Species in the pipeline for future issues, so please let me or Peter Harris know if you are interested in contributing a Featured Species article for an upcoming Newsletter. Our overseas members are cordially included in this invitation. Many thanks.

Betsy - rhaeditoratgmaildotcom

As Peter knows, I’ve been working on a Rosa rugosa article ("Strategies For Breeding With Rosa rugosa) for several years. I think he believes it doesn’t exist but it does (smile, Peter). It includes a list of more than 80 cultivars and their shrub/flower characteristics (including staminate fertility and pollen viability), so that a breeder can easily determine which ones have the most potential to use in a breeding program. I don’t know if I’ll have it ready for the next issue (I am away from home within a couple days working up in northern Alberta and won’t be back for a month), but I should have it submitted for the following issue.

Great, Paul! I know I’m not the only one that will be eager to read more about breeding with this splendid species.

Ernest Vash had a wonderful rose list! My ONLY complaint about him and his nursery is every time I received his list, I poured over it as soon as I retrieved it from the mail and phoned him immediately. Every time, he had sold out. He did offer some wonderful roses. For a long time, he was the only source for the old, single HTs, until Muriel Humenick began producing them. Cecil was one I tried in vain for several years to obtain from him. He also had a red and white striped HT he called “Marblehead”. I never saw it nor have I ever found any documentation about what it possibly was. Kim

I’d like to do a species acount for longicuspis var sinowilsonii but haven’t had it long enough to know how it breeds… I’m only up to the hip stage :frowning:

Betsy I am in the same boat as Simon. But when I do get any results from the species I am trying I will write something. I got a few crosses right now in the seed stage. I also got some OP seeds of species I want to work with in the future so it will be a while.

Don… I second that… Jim Sproul as Executive Officer…Larry Popwell