The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens
Manhattan Rose Society
Sponsoring Organizations
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens
Supporting Organizations
2009 Great Rosarians of the World IX
Our Great Rosarians of the World IX honorees are, Marilyn Wellan and Stephen Scanniello.
After much discussion and deliberation the GROW steering committee is happy to announce our honorees for 2009. Dates for GROW IX are: Sunday, February 8 at The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens, San Marino, California; and Saturday and Sunday, June 5 & 6 to be hosted by the Manhattan Rose Society at Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. Complete schedules will be posted as soon as the events have been finalized.
We decided this year was the opportune time to jointly honor two outstanding Rosarians for their work promoting the love of roses and helping bridge the gap between two major factions in the hobby, Modern Roses and Old Garden Roses. Our two honorees have worked tirelessly both to promote their love of roses and bridge the differences between these two branches of the hobby. Both have been actively involved in local, national, and international rose societies giving freely of their time and energy to further the love of all roses.
Stephen Scanniello
Stephen Scanniello is best known as a hands on gardener who transformed the Cranford Rose Garden of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden into one of the world’s most acclaimed rose gardens.
After leaving the Cranford in 1998, Stephen is devoting his full attention to maintaining and designing private gardens throughout the United States. He continues to lecture, write, and serve as a judge for the international rose trials in Europe, and the United States.
Stephen has co-authored two rose books - Roses of America (1990, Holt) and Climbing Roses (1994, Prentice Hall/Horticulture, now Macmillan). Rose Companions (2005, Cool Springs Press) is about selecting the perfect companion plants for your roses. The American Horticultural Society selected his third book, A Year of Roses (1997, Holt) as one of the best 10 books in horticulture for 1997. An updated edition of this award-winning classic was released in May 2006 (Cool Springs Press). His next book, co-authored with Douglas Brenner, A Rose By Any Name, will tell stories related to rose names. This book, published by Algonquin Press, will be released in February 2009.
Stephen is the recipient of a Horticulture Commendation, awarded to him by the Garden Club of America, Zone 4, in 2008 for his efforts in the preservation of old garden roses. Stephen, along with past ARS president Marilyn Wellan, will be the recipient of the GROW (Great Rosarian of the World) Award for 2009. He is currently the president of the Heritage Rose Foundation and a member of the American Rose Society, Manhattan Rose Society, Dallas Area Historic Rose Society, Heritage Roses Northwest, and Central Florida Heritage Rose Society. He lives and gardens in Jersey City and Barnegat, New Jersey.
Marilyn WellanMarilyn Wellan is the immediate Past President of the American Rose Society. She is only the second woman to serve in that position in the 116-year history of the organization - the first was over 40 years ago. She served on the ARS Board of Directors for 15 years: nine years representing Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, three years as VP, and three years as President. She has chaired committees on Bylaws, Membership, Marketing, Local Society Relations, National Nominating, and Finance. She is currently leading the Society’s fund raising activities, and continues to serve as a member of the American Rose Center Committee. She chaired the ARS 1997 Fall National Convention at Shreveport, and the Spring 2003 Convention at New Orleans.
During her tenure as President, Wellan helped to bring the ARS and the Heritage Rose Foundation and the Heritage Roses Group together through proclamations which encourage the three organizations to share knowledge, expertise and resources where mutual interests exist; and to jointly embrace the mission of the protection, preservation and promotion of heritage roses. Wellan was recently elected to the Board of Trustees of the Heritage Rose Foundation.
She was the guest editor of the 1997 American Rose Annual, and was editor of A Year in the Rose Garden, the Wit and Wisdom of Pop Warner, a sold-out collection of the writings of a well-known Gulf coast rosarian. She edited her local society bulletin for 8 years, and the award-winning Gulf District bulletin for 9 years. She created the ARS Guidelines for Rose Society Leaders.
She is most proud of having created the Year of the Rose –2002, a year-long, world-wide, grassroots campaign designed to increase recognition for the rose as the nation’s floral emblem and the world’s favorite flower. She also introduced the annual “Members’ Choice Award” which recognizes outstanding new roses as selected by ARS members.
Wellan has been a member of the American Rose Society since 1983. She grows approximately 250 rose bushes of all classes and types in her garden at Alexandria, La. and is especially interested in old roses and the emerging groups of shrub roses designed for landscaping. She is a Consulting Rosarian with the designation of Master Rosarian, and a Judge for Rose Horticulture and Arrangements. She has been awarded her local society’s Bronze Honor Medal, the Gulf District Silver Honor Medal, the district’s Outstanding CR Award, the Outstanding Judges Award, and has received nine Presidential Citations for service.
Please help us get the word out!
We need your help in spreading the word about this fantastic program. Please forward this web site and blog to your gardening friends and let them know what an opportunity it is to meet and hear our GROW IX honorees in person. Pass along this information to you local rose society newsletter editor, they are always looking for upcoming rose events. And think about getting a group of your rosarian friends to attend one of the GROW programs. You could even car pool and save on gas!
Welcome to the Great Rosarians of the World
This site is dedicated to the Great Rosarians of the World Annual Lecture Series. This lecture series was founded with the purpose of honoring the men and women who have shaped our love and appreciation of the rose. Starting in 2001, The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California, initiated this series for local rose growers and gardeners to have the opportunity to hear and meet the authors, nurserymen, and educators who have through their dedication and efforts shaped the rose into our national flower and promoted it to become one of the world's favorite flowers.
In 2007 The Huntington and the New York Metropolitan Rose Council agreed to jointly host the lecture first on the West Coast at The Huntington and then move to the East Coast where the program was repeated this year at Brooklyn Botanic Garden. This bicoastal arrangement will be continued in 2008 with the East Coast venue, The New York Botanical Garden.
Great Rosarians WeblogClick here to access our new Great Rosarians Weblog
This new addition to our site is designed to provide our site readers with more up to date information and hopefully create an online community of rosarians. The exchange of information is what the Internet is all about and a blog provides readers with a convenient place to check back on a regular schedule. If you like the blog and want to receive email informing you of updates, then click on the icon on the upper right corner of the blog page and you can select the way the software will notify you when new blogs are posted.
The Great Rosarians Award was designed by fellow rosarian, author, and artist Helene Pizzi. Helene has lived in Rome since she moved there to study art. She is a native of Milwaukee, where she still maintains the family home.
Click here to go to the New York Times article from March 29. 2007 by Ann Raver on the East Coast GROW program.
Click here to go to Pat Shanley's article in the American Rose Magazine on the 2007 GROW program the March 2007 issue.
©Copyright 2007 Great Rosarians of the World. All Rights Reserved.
