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140 The Observer 4 Sceanfric/MARCH 7, 1996 At H
r -
50-year rosarian
gathered honors
BY maitt ncLsv
stm i vi wimi
There aren't loo many people who
can claim a 50-year membership in an
organization, but Elbe! Rogalski of
Redford can 1996 marked her golden
anniversary year as a member of the
Detroit ROM Society, and what an active
member the has been'
Ethel ami her late husband attended
their first roae sh«»w in 1945 al the
Goodwill Industries tn Detroit, and ad
mired the 50 or so large roaes on di»
pla>
"We thought we had superior bloom
m our garden, she said
At that time the> had 50 roae hushes
of different varieties in their yard
Many were "old timers" such ss hybrid
tea*, gradi flora* and shruba, with
names such as "Chrysler Imperial.
"Mardi Graa." "Confidence." "First
Love" and "Showgirl "
"I Now i people have these in their
bock gardens "
Joining the society wasn't just a mat
ter of filling out an application and pay
ing the dues. Their garden was inspect
ed to see if they qualified- They did.
and their membership card reads June
1946
"We became dedicated members and
roses took over our live* "
Starting oat
Then first rose garden waa in Dear
born Later they moved to Dearborn
Heights and transplanted all the roaea
to the new yard, without losing aay of
them When I asked bow they had
achieved thia. she said they kept their
fingers crossed, and the property had
been a horse ranch — "best for roses '
When Ethel first joined lha DRS.
they did everything by the book and al
though they woo several ribbons (they
began displaying in rose shows right
away*, they Mt that "nothing worked."
They soon started experimenting on
their own and became quite successful
For instance, instead of buying one
bush, they bought three, planted them
in different sites in the yard lo find out
where that rose grew beat and then
transplanted the other two with the one
that excelled.
They alao watered the seven 50 foot
beds (each contained 50 roaesl with
soaker hoses, connecting them with a
pipe ao they could water the beds al the
tsme time The srater was turned on at
night and off in the morning
In the fall the roses were hilled and
covered with bean baskets. No leaves
were used. Soon other members of the
DRS did the same.
They also tired of using chemicals
snd experimented with organic practices
In November they bought cow
manure from a farmer and covered all
the beds Other than needing to use
specific chemicals for specific problems
such as black spot and mildew, they followed
organic procedures.
"Most roses now are almost disease
resistant "
Soon they added another bed of miniature
roses, which they first saw around
1966 at a garden show in Chicago They
bought three plants snd shared one
with another rosarian. They all thrived
and two years later the Rogalskis introduced
them to the DRS membership
Now these roses are very popular
"When we first joined DRS all the
members took three or four pails of
roses and often thousands of blooms
were shown at a show. There wasn't a
rose show we didn't mtas.
"After we had been members for five
or six years, we ale. drank and slept
The couple continued to show roses
snd win ribbons and traveled to many
cities in the United Sis tea where they
displayed their planU at the National
Roae Society
Keeping busy
Ethel has kept busy through all these
years. She said that as the flowers in
their gardens started to bloom ia the
season she began on one bad of roses,
removing the spent blooms, and continued
through the garden each day of the
week. By the next Monday she had to
start all over again and continue thia
necessary chore into Isle foil.
She also was the newsletter editor
snd the historian of the DRS and haa
received many at their swsrds, including
the Ernest Scboensee Memorial
Award, the highest honor given by
them. She ia alao a life member in that
society.
As the "roae career" waned, members
of the society helped prune the 660
roses growing in the garden to get it
ready for summer. Three years ago aa
she planned ber move into a condominium
she offered bar rosea to DRS
members, who ia a couple of assks took
all but 50 bushes, climbers and miniatures.
The father of the new house
owner was "thrilled to death" to find a
rose garden already established.
Ethel shared her roses dunng all
those years by placing two bouquet*
each Sunday on the altar of St James
United Church of Christ in Dearborn.
Once a rosarian, always a rosarian.
Ethel still grows roaea. She hangs two
miniature roses on the lamppost near
her condominium door and trains them
to cascade over the pots.
"This spring they will be 2 years old
and will be more full and pluah. more of
a grown plant."
Seasonal work
The roaea grow in plastic pots in a
sunny spot where they are watered and
fed with a complete fertiliser the first of
May. June. July and August. She fol
lows the organic principles as in the
past.
For winter care, around Nov. 15 she
digs boles for the two roaea in a protected
area against a building and sinks
each pot to its rim. then cuts off some
stems and ties the rest together She
then mounds the soil over the pots, covers
all with a rose easts and puts a brick
on the cones to bold them ia place.
Ethel watchea tha weather and in the
spring when it is warm enough she digs
the roses up. deans tha soil and adds
if necessary, and
Usually there is enough moisture in
the pot from its winter rest, ao she lata
Ethel Rogalski
of Redford
has been
a member of
the Detroit
Rone Society
for 50 years.
\I«N M I k I » \
the soil dry out before watering and
waits to begin fertilizing in May
"Before planting, always soak new
bushes for at least s week in a pail of
water to which fertilizer has been added
"It lakes a roae bush two years before
you know what it will do. so don't five
up."
Activities
DRS members who live in Birmingham,
Westland. Clariuton, Taylor,
Centerline, Warren and other nearby
cities now number around 250
Rose shows take place twice a year, in
the spring and fall. The 1996 Spring
Show will be June 15-16 at Universal
Mall. Warren; the Fall Show Sept. 14-
15 at Laurel Park Place. Livonia. Mark
your calendars now!
In June 1996 the DRS, organized in
1930, will celebrate its 66th year. The
society is the oldest in Michigan and
first met at the Naval Armory on Belle
Isle. Eleven members comprised its
roster The first roae show was at the
Naval Armory in 1931.
For many years the DRS maintained
the rose garden at Fairiane in Dearborn,
and the Wayne County Extension Service
rose garden. Now the society's efforts
are concentrated on the runs gar
dens at Presbyterian Villaga, Redford
General meetings take place at the
Pleasant Ridge Community Center.
Pleasant Ridgt. For information, call
Diane at (810) 6494161 or Bruce at
(313)563 5691.
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