Learn more about the Kansas City Rose Society,
​our activities and opportunities.
Select and Click Below to Read a Central District Newsletter (PDF) ​
Volunteer To Be A Loose Park Rose Garden Groomer!
 
Groomer training will be held Thursday, May 16, 2019 from 9 a.m.-12 p.m., at the Loose Park, Garden Center (just west of the Shelter) off 52nd and Wornall, Kansas City, MO 64112, KCMO 64112.  Locate

This year, training will be by Kansas City Rose Society Garden Groomer Chair and American Rose Society Consulting Rosarian John Riley, and Loose Park Director and Rosarian Judy Penner.  
 
Garden groomers snip spent blossoms, prune, assist the Loose Park garden staff and greet visitors in the Laura Conyers Smith Municipal Rose Garden.  

After training, groomers then meet weekly in the rose garden on Thursdays through most of September.  We start snipping at 8:30 a.m. (hours are flexible), groom for a couple of hours, then meet under the shade trees for refreshments, socializing and a mini-class on roses from John.
​
Benefits
  • Opportunity to learn from and train with Rosarians
  • Community service in a beautiful setting
  • Annual Volunteer Recognition and Awards for service
 
Responsibilities
  • Work at the direction of Judy Penner and the Loose Park garden staff.
  • Wear Kansas City Rose Society apron or cap for identification.
  • Act as a Rose Garden Ambassador.
For Further Information, Contact:
Plan Ahead for our 2019 Rose Show and Rose Day

The annual Kansas City Rose Society Rose Show, will be held June 1, 2019, at the Loose Park Garden Center, 52nd Wornall, Kansas City, MO  64112.  All rose growers are invited to bring roses to the show between 8:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on June 1.   You do not have to be a member of the KCRS to enter roses in the show, and there is no entry fee.  There are classes for all varieties of roses from miniatures to shrubs.   All you need to know is the name of rose you wish to exhibit. There will be a youth class for exhibitors 17 years-old and younger, and a novice class for any exhibitor who has never won a blue ribbon in a rose show.  You can also enter photographs of roses.  The rose photography classes are growing in popularity and will be expanded for 2019 to include a class called Rose Potpourri encouraging artistic expression in rose photography.  The rose show booklet listing the show rules and classes will be available online after May 1, 2019, on this website.   The booklet also provides helpful information about preparing for the rose show and tips for show success.
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Sunday, June 2, 2019, is Rose Day in Kansas City.  The rose show will be open for public viewing between 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. In 2018, there were 351 roses and 57 rose photographs entered in the show by 18 different exhibitors.  It is one of the largest rose shows in the mid-west.  The public will be invited to vote on the “Most Fragrant Rose” entered in the show, and the winner will be announced during Rose Day Festivities.  Enjoy family-friendly activities in the Rose Garden like face painting, balloon animals and an art experience table while enjoying free juice boxes for the kids, ice cream and bottled water.  Formal events begin at 3:00 pm in the Laura Conyers Smith Municipal Rose Garden, and will include a brief awards ceremony, music by the Mighty Mo Combo Jazz Band, and performances by the Kansas City Youth Ballet and other entertainers.   
For further rose show information contact Kansas City Rose Society rose show Chair-woman Laura Dickinson,
Godfather of the English Rose, David Austin, who spent 75 years creating new breeds 
in his quest for the ultimate bloom, has died at age 92.

By Rory Tingle For Mailonline  |  Published: 11:15 Est, 19 December 2018 
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6512147/Godfather-English-Rose-David-Austin-dies-aged-92.html
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  • Farmer's son David Austin bred more than 230 roses after developing interest in them as a teenager
  • Mr Austin was determined to create specimens with more colour diversity and the ability to repeat flower
  • Won gold standard accolades at RHS Chelsea Flower Show, and an OBE for services to horticulture in 2007.

A horticulturalist known as the 'Godfather of the English Rose' after he spent 75 years creating new breeds in his quest for the ultimate bloom has died aged 92.
​
Farmer's son David Austin bred more than 230 roses during his extraordinary career after developing an interest in the flowers during his teenage years.

​​His first English Rose was Constance Spry, launched in 1961. Amongst the expansive collection, other notable varieties include Gertrude Jekyll - twice voted the nation's favourite rose - and more recently, Olivia Rose Austin.

Mr Austin was rewarded for his outstanding contribution to horticulture, receiving gold standard accolades at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, and an OBE for services to horticulture in 2007.

His son, David Austin Jr and Managing Director of the family company, said: 'My father - or Mr A as he was affectionately known within the wider Austin family - was a remarkable man.

'His love for the art of rose breeding was truly inspiring; he loved nothing more than seeing the pleasure that his roses gave to others.

'His presence will be sorely missed within the global family company that he created. But the passion he instilled will continue and we will hold true to my father's vision when he founded the company almost 60 years ago.'

The roses were produced by taking the DNA from existing plants and crossing them together to replicate certain favourable characteristics.
He described the long and arduous process in a 2016 interview, in which he revealed most of the roses bred at his company's headquarters in Shropshire would never get onto the market.

‘Most of these won’t ever be released,’ he said, pointing to the rows and rows of colourful roses in the field. What happens to them? ‘They get dug up and composted,’ he said. ‘There’s no point being sentimental!’

Mr Austin said he did not like to choose favourites, but he had a weakness for ‘Claire Austin.' ‘It’s named after my daughter and is an outstanding white rose,' he said. 'But if I had to choose just one, I think pink ‘Olivia Rose Austin’, named after my granddaughter, has to be one of the best I’ve ever bred.’ 

Asked if he was planning to retire after so many years, he said: ‘No, I’m just as excited about breeding roses now as I was when I started doing it as a hobby as a 15-year-old.

‘I think my latest roses are some of the best I’ve ever produced, but they’re not perfect.

'I want to breed a really good crimson rose, and continue improving the disease resistance of our roses. That’s what drives me on – my love of roses, and knowing there are still better ones to come.’  
​

​2018 Kansas City Rose Society
Annual Luncheon & Meeting,  Nov 7, 2018

 ...a statement from our President, Cyndy Price​

Welcome to all our Members and Guests as we hold our 88th Annual Meeting and Luncheon.   We have SO MUCH to celebrate, having worked in close partnership with the Parks & Recreation Department these past decades, helping improve and maintain the world class Laura Conyers Smith Municipal Rose Garden!
 
Our BIGGEST NEWS this year is being selected for an Award of Garden Excellence by the World Federation of Rose Societies on July 4, in Copenhagen, Denmark.   The application process began over six years ago when Joanne Stultz and the Board set out to gain recognition for the Rose Garden upon the completion of our Pillars & Pergola’s projet.  Please remember we raised and spent over $2 million for the purchase of a new Fountain, restoration of several stone pillars, the north portal, stone step replacement, and the complete replacement of all the cedar support beams and pergolas.  This was a project that spanned a decade, and I propose we celebrate these improvements and the AWARDS bestowed on The Rose Garden during this next 10 years at least! 
 
I want to recognize our many successful events held this past year, from our New Member Tea hosted by Randy and Beth Nay,  our wonderful Rose Show, chaired by Laura Dickinson and Glenn Hodges, the delightful Rose Day, chaired by Sarah Hughes and our new Rosebuds Committee,  Jazz in the Roses free concert, chaired by Amy Hiles,  our Children’s contests and programs developed by Julia Spaeth, the many adult programs like Reading in The Roses, and the Megan Wyeth Photography Workshop organized by Gina Pulliam. 
 
Abundant praises also go to our Garden Groomers, programs and events, led by our very organized and knowledgeable Garden Chair, John Riley.  Likewise, praises also go out to our spring and fall Rose Demos presented by The Loose Park Director and our guiding Rosarian, Judy Penner.  Please know ALL of these events are funded by YOUR MEMBERSHIP DUES (thank you Mary Barickman for being our Membership Chair, and Sarah Hughes for maintaining our Membership List!)
 
Extra funds are raised through our fun and fabulous Wine & Roses Event, chaired this year by Rob Gray. An Evening in Versailles will be a challenge to top next year!!  We thank Rob and his Committee, again, made up of several of the Rosebud Committee members, for giving the KCRS a bountiful budget for our many 2019 events and programs.
 
 I also want to thank our design diva and Annual Luncheon Chair, Devan Hartnett, and Martha Comment for creating the lovely Annual Meeting and Luncheon at Indian Hills Country Club.   I want to give huge thanks and praise to our Treasurer for the past few years, Betsy Beasley, who has kept us square with our suppliers, and kept our finances in great order.   
 
I want to mention our newest board member who stepped in early to fill the role of Public Relations and Communications Chair, Linda Rostenberg.  We have had so much to celebrate and publicize with our Award of Garden Excellence, our recent Commendation from the Westport Garden Club, and our successes from Wine & Roses.  Linda has stepped in with her excellent professional skills and knowledge to gain publicity and photo spreads in many KC and gardening publications. 

I wish I could mention every member who has actively created our many events.  Please know you are greatly appreciated.  We are a working Board, and these 15 people have donated over 1,000 volunteer hours this year to keep KCRS humming.  This is in addition to the 1,000 hours the Garden Groomers volunteer in the Rose Garden during the growing season. 
 
We do a great deal to keep this organization in strong partnership with the Parks Department.  We love working with Judy, Nate, Terra, Jim and Christi.  Visit our website calendar so you can attend and support the events this organization provides.  
 
Thank you all for support with your dues, through donations to the Love Is A Rose program, and with your attendance at events.  We hope you enjoy this organization, as we “encourage an interest in roses, serve as stewards of the Laura Conyers Smith Municipal Rose Garden, promote the Garden as a regional attraction, and provide information about roses and their care.”       
 
Cyndy Price,
KCRS President                      
Support Kansas City Announces
2016 Excellence in Nonprofit Leadership Award Winners

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Mission, KS (April 4, 2016) - Support Kansas City (SKC), a local nonprofit providing business and development support services to other nonprofits, announces the winners of the 2016 Excellence in Nonprofit Leadership Award. Mattie Rhodes Center has won the award for an agency with a budget greater than $1 million, and HappyBottoms has been granted the award for an agency with a budget of $1 million or less. The Kansas City Rose Society has been granted the award for an agency comprised of all volunteers, a new category introduced this year. The awards ceremony will be on April 25 from 4-6p.m. at the Kauffman Foundation Conference Center at 4801 Rockhill Road, Kansas City, MO.  The event will begin with a panel discussion: Building Community Through Storytelling: Nonprofits and the Evolving Media Landscape, moderated by Beth Radtke, Vice President & Foundation Office Director, Commerce Bank, with panelists Chris Hernandez, City of Kansas City, Mo.; Cheptoo Kositany-Buckner, American Jazz Museum; Ciara O'Brien Murray, American Heart Association, Midwest Affiliate; Mary Sanchez, Tribune and The Kansas City Star, and Casey Waugh, Wayside Waifs.  The panel discussion will be followed by the awards presentation and a cocktail reception. More information on this free event can be found at www.2016ENLA.eventbrite.com.
 
Mattie Rhodes Center is the only fully bilingual/bicultural, nationally accredited, and state-certified behavioral health care provider in the Greater Kansas City region; and is state-certified in intensive outpatient substance abuse therapy. Operating from five locations in the Greater Kansas City area, Mattie Rhodes Center annually reaches over 11,000 individuals through behavioral health resources, youth development programming and cultural arts. "Mattie Rhodes Center is thrilled to be selected by Support KC for this year's Excellence in Nonprofit Leadership Award, it is a tremendous honor," said John Fierro, President/CEO. "We strive to build positive, engaging relationships within the organization, with our Board, committees, volunteers and neighbors, and by holding the agency and its leadership to the highest standards, we are able to come together to provide top quality services to our participants and fulfill our mission in the community. There can be no more meaningful recognition than when your peers acknowledge what you have been trying to accomplish."
 
As the only diaper bank in Kansas City, HappyBottoms works with 35 social service agency partners at 47 locations to distribute over 1.6 million diapers per year to 7,800 babies. "HappyBottoms began in 2010 as a very small, grassroots organization, storing diapers in our founder's garage," said John Teasdale, Executive Director. "Our board focused on building us up into the sustainable and responsible organization we are today, and now we are a national model for other diaper banks. HappyBottoms is honored to be recognized by Support KC for the Excellence in Nonprofit Leadership Award. Our mission is singular - providing diapers to KC's babies and toddlers while raising awareness of diaper need in our community. The HappyBottoms family - our Board, staff, donors, volunteers, and the parents and babies we serve - are thrilled to be selected by Support KC as demonstrating Excellence in Nonprofit Leadership. It is very humbling to be held in regard with such amazing agencies as the past recipients."
 
As stewards of the Rose Garden the Rose Society has sought to preserve and promote this historic civic treasure. The Rose Garden, an integral part of Loose Park, plays an important role in impacting not only the neighborhood, but the public at large. "The Kansas City Rose Society is honored to be recognized with an Excellence in Nonprofit Leadership Award," said Cyndy Price, Vice President, and Sandy Campuzano, Past President. "Our 100% volunteer Board and Membership have worked diligently to raise over a million dollars for our recent Pillars & Pergolas campaign, just completed last summer. We partnered with the Parks & Recreation Department to hire top landscape architects and excellent stone and wood craftsmen to research, repair and restore the Laura Conyers Smith Municipal Rose Garden in Loose Park to original splendor. We credit guidance from Support KC in being certain we have a stable financial and operational foundation for our organization."
 
"It is part of our mission at SKC to increase awareness of the great work that's being done in our sector," said Debra Box, Executive Director of Support Kansas City.  "By spotlighting the successes of these three wonderful organizations, our hope is that we create a better understanding of how nonprofits strengthen our community. It's tremendous validation for both the board and staff of these organizations to recognize their excellence in accountability, transparency and leadership. Equally important is recognition of the need to support nonprofit work both financially and by volunteering. Kansas City should be proud to have these organizations and so many others providing services to make our community a better place to live."
 
Support Kansas City is based in Mission, Kansas, and provides nonprofit organizations in Kansas and Missouri with business and development expertise, empowering them to focus on their missions.
Do You Have A Question About Roses?
The Kansas City Rose Society is a not-for-profit organization.
Site Updated 04-01-20
Our Vision -- A World Class public rose garden where the community can enjoy and learn about roses.