By Sara Gregory
Salisbury Post
The queen rules here.
Long-necked with stately features, she blushes slightly.
Here’s Girt took the queen’s title Saturday at the Rowan
Rose Society’s annual Rose Show.
Her king, princess, court and other roses will be on display again today at the Civic Center.
Doris Morgan, an avid rose gardener who has been growing them with her husband, Baxter, since 1960, says the flowers are a lot like people.
“Your rose is almost like your child,” says Morgan, adding that a rose’s personality ó whether it prefers sunlight or shade, extra water or fertilizer ó comes out as it is cared for.
And don’t think about having a favorite rose.
“You can’t have a favorite rose,” Morgan says. “That’s like having a favorite child.
“I really like them all.”
Morgan is a member of the rose society, which started in Rowan County in 1956. Members meet most months to learn about rose care, and the society maintains the Triangle Rose Garden on West Innes Street.At the annual rose show are large, long-stemmed roses of all varieties, in addition to miniature roses, floral arrangements and roses with “their clothes off” ó how Morgan describes the flowers displayed floating in glass vases without their stems.
Many of the floating roses had stems that were damaged by black spots or mildew, two basic fungi that can hurt roses.
It takes a lot of work to care for roses, says Wesley Seamon, whose yard on Majolica Road is “the one with all the roses.”
Seamon has grown roses for about 10 years and picked up the hobby from his grandparents. He now has about 150 roses.
He does have a favorite ó the Queen Elizabeth. His grandfather rooted 40 bushes of Queen Elizabeths that Seamon now takes care of.
“It’s my favorite because he liked them,” he says.
Growing roses requires spraying them regularly to protect against fungi and other pests. Watering, fertilizing and pruning are required as well.
For those who just want to stop and smell the roses, the Civic Center is open from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. this afternoon. The following seven rose varieties honored with a spot on the queen’s court will be displayed, along with hundreds of other roses:
n Here’s Girt, hybrid tea queen, submitted by Jack and Nancy Wright of Mooresville;
n Signature, hybrid tea king, submitted by Fred and Barbara Wright of Shelby;
n Gemini, hybrid tea princess, also submitted by Jack and Nancy Wright;
n The Moonstone, Lynn Anderson, Crystelline and Hot Princess roses, the hybrid tea queen’s court, submitted by J. Dunn, Judy and Bob Arthofer, and Jack and Nancy Wright, respectively.
Contact Sara Gregory at 704-797-4257 or sgregory @salisburypost.com.