“It’s a celebration of the rose,” says Darlene Sanders, co-chair of next year’s World Rose Convention, http://www.worldrose-vancouver2009.com/ to be held June 18-24, in Vancouver at the Westin Bayshore Hotel.
It looks set to be a spectacular event.
For one thing, it’s the first time that the public can buy tickets to attend part of the show: the 3-day World Rose Festival http://www.worldrosefestival.com/ on June 19-21 at the Vancouver Convention & Exhibition Centre.
I recently spoke with Darlene to get more details about the show.
Q How did the show evolve?
A It evolved after the 1999 World Orchid Show when Dr. Wally Thomas, one of our suppliers, suggested we [Darlene and co-chair Brenda Viney] try the same thing with roses.
So in 2003, at the World Rose Convention in Glasgow we presented a successful bid for the 2009 show. [The convention takes places every three years; the 2006 show was in Osaka, Japan. There are 40 countries that belong to the World Rose Federation.]
Brenda and I both have our own businesses so we’ve hired an event planner to help us. And, primarily it’s a grass-roots thing, run by volunteers, through the Vancouver Rose Society, which is part of the Canadian Rose Society, an umbrella organization in Toronto.
What’s new for 2009 is that it will be open to the public as well as the usual delegates.
Q How many people do you expect?
A So far, about 300 delegates and as for the public, it will be a minimum of 15,000 people.
Q Wow. What can the public expect from the show?
A The public will have a very different idea of rose growing and what it is. And they’ll be floored by the sights, smells and beauty of it. Even the venue – with the setting over the ocean, it will be a very sensual setting.
We’re hoping to transfer our love of roses to the public. It is the world’s favorite flower and this has never been done before in North America.
Q What kinds of things can they look forward to?
A There will be lectures (including international speakers), demos, several major garden displays, an artisan's corner, a judged rose show, a marketplace selling all things roses and gardens. So it’s about entertainment, education and enjoyment.
We’re also promoting Earth-friendly gardening and exploring roses in various contexts and different ways they are used within a landscape – cottage gardens, patio gardens or container gardens as well as mixed displays where roses are growing amongst perennials.
Roses are the star of the show, but there is a supporting cast.
Q Why do you think the rose holds such universal appeal?
A It’s a combination of beauty and fragrance. And they’ve appealed to us for thousands of years – the Romans were bonkers about roses. They have such a long and romantic history. I especially love French roses, with their wonderful, flowing names, many of them named after counts and countesses, in beautiful pinks, mauves and whites. They’re extremely fragrant and very romantic.
