Desert Rose Society
What's on in the desert,
at the Desert Rose Society
May 13, 2025, 4:30 pm
Annual Members Potluck
We gather each year at an estate in Palm Springs for a potluck and social event.
An invitation is sent to all members.
February 11, 2025, 4:30 pm
Susan Horn, ARS Southwest Vice District Director
"David Austin and the Romance of English Roses"
Suzanne Horn is a Silver Honor Medal recipient from the Pacific Southwest District Rose Society. She lives in Glendale and is noted for growing all of her Roses in Pots! She also regularly writes Articles American Rose Society Magazine.
March 11, 2025, 4:30 pm
Beth Van Boxtel, Certified Consulting Rosarian, and a UCCE Master Gardener
"My top 20 Fragrance Roses and their basic care"
Beth teaches and inspires home gardeners to grow the best roses in their yards. She currently maintains a large rose garden of 200 roses. She volunteers with the San Diego Rose Society and she has won the Rising Star Award from the American Rose Society. She is also a rose exhibitor at the San Diego County Fair, and won over 125 ribbons in 2024.
April 8, 2025, 4:30 pm
Desert Rose Society's Little Rose Show
Local rose growers and DRS members are invited to show their roses and rose arrangements in a casual and educational setting. The public is invited to view the rose show.
Check out the Rose Show page for results.
Past Meetings
Saturday, January 4, 2025 8am
Plan to help with the pruning of
the Palm Desert Rose Garden
This is a big undertaking, the 100 bushes all need to be pruned, the cuttings gathered and the concrete swept. We need many hands. The few of us who do consistently show up are older, have health issues and just cannot sit or squat for 3 or more hours to complete the pruning. As a society that promotes roses and education it is our responsibility to maintain this event as a public service.
Two to four of us cannot do this alone. A public demonstration of rose pruning techniques will be presented.
Please join us there and support the Desert Rose Society!
January 14, 2025, 4:30 pm
Kreg Hill, ARS Southwest Regional Director
"Traditional Rose Arrangements"
What are Traditional Arrangements? Line, Line-Mass and Mass floral designs. Demonstration as to how to design, the mechanics and to create traditional arrangements.
Kreg is the current American Rose Society Southwest Regional Director and has been growing rose for over fifty years. He has been an avid arranger and instructor for as how to create floral designs plus is a long-term Horticulture and Arrangement Judge for the American Rose Society and the National Garden Clubs
November 12, 2024, 4:30 pm
Ruth Tiffany, Rosarian
"Striped Roses"
Ruth Tiffany is a master rosarian and is an award-winning rose exhibitor. She exhibits her roses in many rose shows each year and at the San Diego County Fair.
Ruth moved to her current home in the San Carlos area in 2002 and she has planted and maintained a stunning rose garden filled with over 500 roses on a 7000 square foot lot. Ruth has also developed a very precise fertilizer schedule and is in charge of our annual fertilizer sale for the San Diego Rose Society.
Ruth often has buckets of roses outside of her garden, during the spring and summer, for her neighbors to take home.
October 8, 2024, 4:30 pm
Ping Lim, Hybridizer
"Breed and Select a Rose for Modern Life"
Ping began his rose breeding career in 1992, he joined Bailey Nurseries to direct rose breeding research where developed the line of Easy Elegance M roses.
Ping has been served as international rose review committees (AARS & AGRS)In 2008 Ping started his own research firm, Roses By Ping. In 2012, Ping was approached by Altman Plants to direct their ornamental plant research up to date.Ping has earned AARS(All-America Rose Selection) plus few ARTS award (the American Rose Trial for Sustainability), Portland BEST awards, Bilmore International Trials awards, Rose Hills International Rose Trials, AGRS awards(American Garden Rose Selection) and ARC awards(American Rose Center) plus few offshore awards such as: Japan, Ireland and France. By far 42 patented varieties from the United States, Japan, Europe and Taiwan.
Ping has been knighted by the Portland Royal Rosarians, and received an Outstanding Alumni Award from the National Taiwan University. In May 2022, Ping was recognized by the American Rose Society as one of the first 21st century inductees to its Rose Breeders Hall of Fame.
Ping lifelong mission is to design stunning roses and other ornamentals that can be grown by anyone, anywhere, without any harmful chemicals.
September 10, 2024, 4:30 pm
Peggy Bakke, Master Gardener, past-president
"Visual Tour of Local Rose Gardens"
Peggy will present a visual tour of the Balboa Rose Garden in San Diego and the rose garden of our annual member's potluck hosts Jim and Matilde Jones in Palm Springs.
Saturday, September 21, 2024, 8am
Plan to help with the pruning of the Palm Desert Rose Garden
This is a big undertaking, the 100 bushes all need to have a fall "haircut", the cuttings gathered and the concrete swept. We need many hands. The few of us who do consistently show up are older, have health issues and just cannot sit or squat for 3 or more hours to complete the pruning. As a society that promotes roses and education it is our responsibility to maintain this event as a public service. Two to four of us cannot do this alone. A public demonstration of rose pruning techniques will be presented.
Please join us there and support the Desert Rose Society!