News and Events

In 2026, the Fort Vancouver Rose Society is enjoying its 73rd year of growing and celebrating the rose.  All are WELCOMED to attend meetings and events as described below:

NEXT MEETING:  THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3:  The Fort Vancouver Rose Society will next meet in September as the months of July and August are enjoyed to the fullest by our members.  The September meeting will be on Thursday, September 3, and programming will be announced mid-August ... stay tuned!

     All FVRS meetings are open to the public; everyone is welcomed to attend!  See you 7 p.m. on Thursday, September 3, in the Parish Hall at St. Luke's Episcopal Church, 426 E. Fourth Plain Blvd., in Vancouver.

General Membership Meeting of June 4 -- Rose Show Recap:

     Members and first-time visitors enjoyed a fabulous meeting on June 4, listening to Consulting Rosarian Leslie Mowers present about rose diseases and preventative measures.  We also had a special, hilarious visit by "Pioneer Woman" during the recap of the 2026 Rose Show, presented by rose show co-chairs Julie Goggin and Sally Rossetto.  Those two lead the Society through the presentation of a spectacular rose show on May 30, 2026 ... exceeding attendance and exhibit count expectations.  Many thanks to Julie and Sally for their leadership, and a special shout out to Kim Erion who spearheaded our donation efforts and, for the first time, organized vendor participation in this year's show.  The nine vendors brought additional interest to the show that featured, of course, hundreds of juried rose floral and photography exhibits in addition to a FVRS membership and sales table ... and even a rose-themed photo op display.  Watch for the FVRS June/July Summer newsletter to review all the award/trophy winners and many photos of setup day on May 29 and show day on May 30.

2026 ROSE SHOW:  The 2026 Rose Show "A Rosy Affair," presented by the Fort Vancouver Rose Society, was warmly received by the public during show hours on Saturday, May 30.  Show statistics on attendance, number of exhibits, photos, etc., will be forthcoming in the June/July Summer FVRS newsletter coming soon!

     We thank the 2026 Rose Show viewing public; show judges and clerks; our generous patron level donors and award/trophy donors; all the FVRS volunteers who successfully set up, conducted and cleaned up the show; and all our vendors!

    This was our 71st annual show and the first time FVRS added vendors to enhance the excitement of garden-related shopping to the viewing of beautiful, juried rose exhibits.  The 2026 Rose Show Committee, co-chaired by Julie Goggin and Sally Rossetto, did a masterful job of organizing and conducting this year's show.

     FVRS leadership will now turn its attention toward what new and exciting offerings the Society can dream up for next year's show! 

FVRS at 2026 Camas Plant & Garden Fair:  FVRS had a booth at the annual Camas Plant & Garden Fair on Saturday, May 9.  It was our third year, promoting FVRS at this wonderful community fair.  Volunteers helped setup, "people" the booth and cleaned up at the end of the Fair.  They did a fabulous job!

LEARN TO PRUNE!

     Every year we are thrilled to have the opportunity to work with local businesses, devoted to offering the best products for us to use in our gardens.

   Consulting Rosarian Leslie Mowers, who is also our CR Member-at-Large on the 2026 FVRS Board, is spearheading this effort in 2026.  See below for the schedule of spring 2026 seminars:

Rose Care Seminars - 2026:

     DONE!  Sunday, February 22, at 12:30 p.m. at Tsugawa Nursery

          410 E. Scott Avenue, Woodland 98674

     DONE!  Saturday, February 28, at 10 a.m. at Yard 'n Garden Land

          1501 NE 102nd Street, Vancouver 98686

     DONE!  Saturday, March 7, at 11 a.m. at Dennis' 7 Dees

          10006 SE Mill Plain Blvd., Vancouver 98664

     DONE!  Saturday, April 18, from 11 a.m. to 12 noon at Tsugawa Nursery (see note)

          410 E. Scott Avenue, Woodland 98674

          *NOTE:  Seminar was part of the Tsugawa Nursery 45th Anniversary celebration

COMMUNITY ROSE GARDENS WORKDAYS

     FVRS had its first workday in the community gardens on Wednesday, March 11.  My word what a bunch of hardy souls arrived at the Esther Short Park Rose Garden to prune and weed in the rain!  A rough count of those participating added up to 13.  FVRS Board Consulting Rosarian Member-at-Large Leslie Mowers organized the event and, since it was such a soggy day in the dirt, made the executive decision that we'd not advance to the Covington House Rose Garden to complete our workday of spring pruning the community gardens.  Covington waited a few days until three FVRS members did it all on a dryer day!

     The society maintains the two rose gardens for the enjoyment of all who visit the Esther Short Park and The Covington House.  The public is always welcomed to join FVRS volunteers on workdays to help maintain the gardens throughout the growing season for the community.  Just show up with your questions and pruners.  YOU WILL LEARN ALOT about pruning and deadheading roses if you participate... don't miss this valuable learning experience!

     The most recent workday was Tuesday, May 5, at the Esther Short Park Rose Garden.  The next workday will be Friday, June 12.  Join us at 8:30 a.m. in taking care of Vancouver's lovely rose garden at Esther Short Park.  As always, we thank ALL OUR WORKDAY VOLUNTEERS as many hands make light work.

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ROSE SHOW INFORMATION: Until the next rose show date, time and location are determined, interested exhibitors will find the downloadable 2026 FVRS EXHIBITOR Rose Show General Instructions attached below. The next book will, of course, be revised with details of the 2027 show, but we have left the 2026 book on this webpage so that it can be reviewed for how the FVRS organizes its color-class show. The General Instructions are for the Horticulture, the Artistic Design (rose floral arrangements) and the Photography sections of the show.

NEXT ANNUAL ROSE SHOW

When:   Date in 2027 to be Determined

Theme:  To be Determined

Location:  To be Determined

Free and open to the public, the Fort Vancouver Rose Society rose show features competitors from throughout the Pacific northwest who grow their roses at home. New rose growers are welcomed and encouraged to participate! Members of the Fort Vancouver Rose Society are available to help new competitors.

FREE ADMISSION - OPEN TO THE PUBLIC DURING SHOW HOURS 

Show Hours: (to be announced)

EXHIBITORS: 

The FVRS EXHIBITOR Rose Show Book focuses on information of interest to just the exhibitor. On the day of the next rose show, the Society will provide a dedicated FVRS VISITOR Rose Show Book to all the visitors who arrive during our show hours (2027 show hours to be announced).

The 2027 FVRS EXHIBITOR Rose Show Book will include General Instructions for the Horticulture, the Artistic Design and the Photography sections of the show. If there are any differences between the 2027 FVRS EXHIBITOR Rose Show Book PDF website file (to be available in 2027) and the hard copy distributed at the show, the hard copy will be the official book.