Calgary Rose Society - Book Reviews

Here are some comments submitted by our readers. We also have a review by Arnold Pittao. The book is available on our Publications page.

I am sure that all Rose Society members and many others are totally impressed with this super-professional edition. A very proud addition to any Rosarian's Library.

Fred Bray
Calgary Rose Society Life Member

The book is awesome. You should give yourself a giant pat on the back.

Elaine Rude
Master Gardener
Calgary

This is the most amazing book. I am so excited. Walk tall and smile lots, you have done a great thing for gardening in Calgary.

Donna Kaiser
DeWinton

Hi Brian,

I was in Calgary today and was able to pick up my copy of Growing Roses in Calgary.

This evening I have been leafing through the book, just enjoying the photographs and reading bits and pieces. The complete read-through will come later.

Already I can understand your pride in this publication. I am blown away by how thorough it is -- in particular, the way it provides EVERYTHING a novice would need to know to start a hardy or tender rose garden. I must say I'm tempted. There's nothing like getting those gardening cells vibrating in the depths of winter!!

That glimpse of the Altenhof garden on the dedication page is tantalizing. As a veteran of CHS open garden tours I am sure sorry I missed that one!

Most of all though, I would like to congratulate and compliment you and all the society members who produced this incredible book. No wonder it was 5 years in the making! It is just amazing what a group of volunteers who are passionate about something can achieve.

Vanessa Weiss
High River

I can see it is going to be a great resource!

Glenna Mauldin
Calgary

Growing roses in Calgary is a challenge at the best of times. Few resources provide suitable information for our unique climatic conditions. This is what makes Growing Roses in Calgary such an invaluable resource. Finally, accurate and concise information from the people who actually grow the roses here. The initial flip through had me drooling over new roses to try. Gorgeous pictures and comments from growers will certainly influence my choices on which roses are suitable for my garden's conditions.

Elaine Rude
Master Gardener
Calgary

Hi Joan,

I wanted to let you know I received your Roses book - thanks for signing it.

Congratulations to you, Terry and your colleagues on putting together such a wonderful reference.

Diana

I have found it a book that is easy to read, well laid out and full of interest.

Robert Gregory
South Australia

Hi Brian.

Here are a few comments:

1. Great pictures, of course. It's especially great because they were all taken in Calgary.
2. The section on classification of roses can be found in any good rose book. The comments about how each of the specific classes grow in Calgary, however, would be helpful to anyone considering which types to grow, especially the comments with respect to their relative hardiness.
3. The sections on landscaping with roses and establishing a rose garden duplicate what is found in other good rose books (for example, Lois Hole), but for those without other books this would be an exellent introduction. However, the section on maintenance of roses is better than other available books, because it addresses some challenges unique to Calgary due to our clay-rich alkaline soil. In particular, the section on the roles of sulphur, iron and magnesium are very helpful to any grower.
4. The section on preparing roses for winter is similar to Lois Hole's book, but more thorough. I thought it would be an excellent introduction for anyone preparing to grow tender roses in Calgary.
5. The pictures of the rose 'friends and foes' and diseases were the best I have ever seen in a publication. The pictures and the explanations were very clear, and should give any rose-grower a good chance of dealing successfully with any disease or pest.
6. For each of the roses there are comments by people who have actually grown the rose. These were candid and very helpful. They should be a big help to people when they are trying to decide which rose to buy, and what to expect from the different cultivars once they are growing them.
7. Another thing that was helpful to me was the fact that the hardy roses listed are actually hardy in Calgary, based on people growing them here. It's not always easy to tell hardiness from books not published in western Canada, since our winters are so much more severe than most other places. This gave me a few more ideas for very nice roses to try.

Thanks for all the effort that you and others put into publishing this very interesting and helpful book.

Loren Schmidt
Calgary