And the winners are ...

Jim Seiwald of North Bend won both king and queen of the hybrid tea roses at the Southwestern Oregon Rose Society annual rose show held in June at the Pony Village Mall.

Mary Anne and Ed Kreutzer of Myrtle Point took home the princess of show trophy with their Tahitian Sunset entry.



Outgoing society president Jay Dow and the judges who traveled from smoky California all commented that this was one of the best rose quality shows in the last several years. Considering the colder-than-average weather and lack of sunshine, they said, that was quite an achievement. The tables at Pony Village Mall were filled with entries and the public was asked to vote on the most fragrant rose. Gina Swenson of Bandon earned the award with  her Fragrant Cloud.

Seiwald also won trophies for the mass display of six matched hybrid tea roses and the John Guenther Memorial trophy with entries of six matched red roses, Olympiad, and the Linda Owen Memorial trophy with a Hot Princess entry. The Guenther trophy is in honor of one of the founders of the local rose society and is one of the more difficult trophies to win. Seiwald’s name can be found on its brass plate more times than anyone else’s.

As has been the trend for the last few years, the Kreutzers won more trophies than any other member. Two of the newer members, Pam and Jerry Warner, also took home five trophies as did Mike and Jan Kelly of Coquille.

The Kreutzers won one spray, hybrid tea/grandiflora rose, with Cherry Parfait; one spray, floribunda, with Matangi; shrub roses, with Autumn Sunset; mass display, floribunda, with Lavaglut and Iceberg; English box with six matched Elina roses (another very difficult entry); three sprays, miniature or miniflora roses, with Buttons On‚ Bows; and miniature or miniflora bloom progression with Olympic Gold.

Swenson won one bloom, floribunda rose, naturally grown or disbudded, no side buds, with Pleasure; one spray, miniature or miniflora rose, with Spring Palace; and the arrangements awards for the large rose arrangement, basket arrangement and nosegays.

The Warners won the velvet touch picture frame challenges for both the hybrid tea and miniature roses with Brigadoon and Iced Raspberry; John Menegat Memorial trophy with New Zealand, Olympiad and Commonwealth Glory; and hybrid tea/grandiflora bloom progression with Cherry Parfait; and three shrub roses with Flower Girl.

The Kellys won Dowager Queen with the Holy Rose of Abyssinia; king and princess of miniatures with Little Vegas and Irresistible; mass display of miniature or miniflora roses with Irresistible, Minnie Pearl and Pacesetter; and English box for miniature roses with Little Vegas.

Lou and Sharon Kolkhorst won trophies for polyantha roses with Mother’s Day; climbing roses with Candy Land; and three floribunda rose sprays with Livin‚ Easy. Judy Burge of Milwaukie, who grew up in Coos Bay-North Bend, won two trophies including one for hybrid tea/grandiflora fully open with Commonwealth Glory, and queen of miniatures with Child’s Play.

Other trophy winners were Billy Walters with Frau Dagmar Hartopp; Victorian Award for Rose de Rescht, Cindy Edson of Bandon; vase of three Old Garden Roses, Ray Duskin with R. alba suaveolens, Konigin von Danemark and Leda; Jay Dow of North Bend with Reine Victoria; Alice Dexter of North Bend, three hybrid teas, different varieties, with Lynn Anderson, New Day and World Peace; and rose in a bowl, hybrid tea, Mary Gravelle with New Year, miniature rose, Connie Gorsch with Absolutely.

(Corinne Clifton lives near Bandon and grows more than 200 kinds of roses.)