美国新英格兰月季（玫瑰）协会 – 新英格兰地区规模最大、历史最悠久的月季爱好者组织

新英格兰月季（玫瑰）协会（New England Rose Society，简称 NERS）创立于 1940 年，是 ARS 体系下 Yankee District 的地方分会，也是新英格兰地区规模最大、历史最悠久的月季爱好者组织。协会以”研究、培育与鼓励月季栽培”为使命，通过月度例会、年度月季展、专业培训与社区花园项目为会员提供全方位服务，组织运作经费 100% 来自会员年费。

协会沿革与组织定位

新英格兰月季（玫瑰）协会（New England Rose Society，简称 NERS）创立于 1940 年 3 月 15 日，是美国月季协会（American Rose Society, ARS）下属的 Yankee District 地方分会。组织成立可追溯至 1939 年 6 月 17 日纽约世界博览会期间，ARS 成员 George Sweetser、Edwin Steffek、Harriet Foote、Alexander Cummins 等几位月季爱好者在 Jackson & Perkins 花园露台举行的非正式会议；他们讨论了地区性组织如何补充 ARS 全国性活动、培育社区情谊并提供实操性栽培指导。同年 7 月曾在康涅狄格州纽黑文农业试验站尝试成立 CRS 协会但未成功，George Sweetser 将构想带回马萨诸塞州。1940 年 3 月 15 日在马萨诸塞园艺学会（MHS）春季展期间召开第二次筹备会，24 位与会者正式成为创会成员，NERS 由此诞生。

创会后协会迅速投入运作：发行首期《NERS Bulletin》通讯、启动会员花园互访、确立每年 3 月、6 月、10 月三次例会的传统。二战期间（1942-1945）会员们将花园中盛开的切花月季送往当地医院，以慰藉受伤的士兵。1949 年会员人数达 133 人，1950 年首次在 Topsfield 集市设展，1955 年通讯从活页装订升级为正式小册子，1958 年首届有据可查的 NERS 月季展汇集 45 位会员的 212 件展品。1970 年代创始人日午宴从 3 月调整至 10 月成为延续至今的传统，会刊更名为《The New England Rosarian》。组织章程 1980 年代起持续修订，目前由 11 位理事、4 位常设委员会（玫瑰展/会员/项目与奖项/款待）及多名顾问园丁（Consulting Rosarians）组成治理结构，会址位于马萨诸塞州。

月会、教育与会员服务

NERS 实行月度例会制度，每月第三个周六举行，地点在马萨诸塞州各处园艺机构、公共图书馆及会员花园之间轮换；会员通过邮件接收 Zoom 在线参会链接。例会议程包括知名客座讲师演讲与专题研讨，2026 年已确认的研讨主题涵盖：从评委视角看月季评比、土壤健康与土壤检测报告解读、月季花艺设计、月季种子繁育实操、芽接与杂交育种、灌溉技术、病虫害综合防治等深度内容。除例会外，协会还安排特别工作坊（如杂交茶香月季修剪演示、杂交麝香月季栽培）以及 Lynn Woods 保护区的 Ribbon Cutting 新园启用仪式、Cape Cod 开放花园日等户外活动。

会员服务体系分两层：个人会员年费 25 美元、家庭会员年费 35 美元、18 岁以下青少年会员免费。所有会员均可获得 NERS 月季直销活动（annual NERS Rose Sale）的特别折扣价、年度月季展的参展资格、咨询园丁的一对一品种选择与栽培指导、《The New England Rosarian》会刊（实体+电子版），以及使用新英格兰植物园（New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill）的免门票入园特权。协会与 Roseland Nursery、Griffins、Lake Street Nursery 等合作苗圃协商会员折扣，叠加 ARS 会员身份后还可享受更广泛的全美商家优惠。NERS 与马萨诸塞园艺学会（MHS）合作密切，年度月季展、Founders’ Day 庆典等核心活动均在 MHS 场地举办。

月季展、评比与社区活动

NERS 年度核心展事为每年 6 月在新英格兰植物园 Tower Hill 举办的 NERS June Rose Show，以及 9 月在马萨诸塞园艺学会场地举行的 New England Fall Rose Show。评比采用 ARS Horticultural Judges 体系，由 30 余位持证评委（含 6 位 NERS 现任顾问园丁和 1 位 Master Rosarian）执行；展品分杂交茶香、丰花、藤本、微型、老花园玫瑰、新手组等大类，优胜者授予 ARS 奖章及本地赞助商奖杯。2026 年展事赞助商主题为 “Once Upon a Bloom”，个人赞助门槛 20 美元。展事同期举办的”从花园到桌面”花艺展示、新品种讲座、栽培答疑等环节吸引周边社区广泛参与。

协会的社区延伸工作由”展示园”（Display Gardens）项目承载：NERS 集体维护马萨诸塞州 Topsfield 的 Rest Stop Ranch 玫瑰花园（日常维护），与 Malden 的 Forest Dale Arboretum 合作设计新玫瑰园（2025 年中启用），与 Lynn Woods 保护区合作修复历史玫瑰园，参与 Methuen 老年中心玫瑰花园维护。会员个人也独立服务 Brookline 圣三一修道院（Holy Transfiguration Monastery）、New Bedford 的 Rotch-Jones-Duff House & Garden Museum 等公共玫瑰园。Side Buds 系列活动则纳入 Yankee District 联合活动（如 Pompositticut 社区中心 High Country Rose 展销会、Sturbridge 跨州会议），并与 Mahoney’s Garden Center 共同举办 Mahoney Days 春季促销，搭建”机构-苗圃-社区”三方协作网络。

Yankee District 协同与跨机构合作

作为 ARS Yankee District 成员分会，NERS 与同区其它地方协会（如 Connecticut Rose Society、Rhode Island Rose Society 等）保持密切协作。NERS 现任理事 Lauren Gisel 同时担任 Yankee District Director，主持新英格兰地区月季协会的联席事务，统筹地区性年度大会（Yankee District Convention 2026 在 Sturbridge 举办）、联合月季评比、跨州花园旅行（如 Fuller Gardens 玫瑰园参观、Cape Cod 开放花园日等）。NERS 还参与 ARS 全国性评选和品种注册体系，及时将本地栽培表现反馈给位于路易斯安那州 Shreveport 的 ARS 总部；NERS 顾问园丁均为 ARS 认证 CR（Consulting Rosarian），需完成 2 年 ARS 会员资格、5 年栽培经验、CR 学校培训与考试及持续教育，全美目前仅有 1288 位 CR。

学术与社区层面，NERS 强调”老品种传承与现代品种创新并重”：协会与马萨诸塞州立大学、加州大学戴维斯分校、康奈尔大学等合作，引入抗病、耐寒、低维护月季品种（”Earth-Kind”、”Easy Elegance”系列），并在月会上展示本地栽培试验数据。NERS 的”Just Roses”志愿者项目（由理事 David Cannistraro 发起）目前维护 35 处社区玫瑰园，传播栽培技术。协会在 Instagram (@newenglandrosesociety) 与 Facebook 群组（939+ 成员）运营活跃的线上社区，并向新英格兰地区 6 个州的月季爱好者提供包容性园艺教育；章程与年度财务报告通过官网公开，会费收支 100% 用于会员服务、教育项目与月季展事运营。

官网：https://www.newenglandrosesociety.org/

Heritage and Organizational Mission

The New England Rose Society (NERS) was officially founded on March 15, 1940, as a regional chapter of the American Rose Society (ARS), administered under the ARS Yankee District. The idea emerged on June 17, 1939, at an informal gathering on the Jackson & Perkins Garden Terrace during the New York World’s Fair, where ARS members George Sweetser, Edwin Steffek, Harriet Foote, Alexander Cummins, and others discussed how regional groups could complement ARS national activities, foster camaraderie, and provide hands-on rose-growing support. A July 1939 attempt to form a Connecticut Rose Society at the New Haven Agricultural Experimental Station did not take hold, but Sweetser carried the vision to Massachusetts. On March 15, 1940, during the Massachusetts Horticultural Society (MHS) Spring Show, 24 attendees formally established NERS and became charter members.

The society quickly launched core programs: the first NERS Bulletin newsletter, member garden visits, and three annual meetings (March, June, October). During World War II (1942-1945), members delivered cut roses from their gardens to hospitalized soldiers. Membership reached 133 in 1949, and the society exhibited for the first time at the Topsfield Fair in 1950. The NERS Bulletin transitioned to a bound booklet format in 1955, and the first documented NERS Rose Show in 1958 attracted 212 entries from 45 members. The Founders’ Day luncheon moved from March to October in the 1970s, a tradition that continues today, and the bulletin was renamed The New England Rosarian. Today the organization is governed by an 11-member Board, four standing committees (Rose Show, Membership, Programs and Awards, Hospitality), and ARS Certified Consulting Rosarians, with its mailing address in Massachusetts.

Monthly Meetings, Education and Member Services

NERS holds monthly meetings on the third Saturday of each month, rotating among Massachusetts venues such as the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, public libraries, and member gardens; members receive a Zoom link by email. Meetings feature guest speakers and in-depth workshops on topics scheduled for 2026: From a Judge’s Perspective, soil health and soil test interpretation, garden design, growing roses from seed, budding and hybridizing, irrigation, and integrated pest management. The society also organizes ribbon-cutting ceremonies at new display gardens (e.g., Lynn Woods Reservation), open garden days, and seasonal pot-luck events.

Membership tiers are Individual ($25/year), Family ($35/year), and free Youth membership for those under 18. All members receive discounted pricing at the annual NERS Rose Sale, eligibility to enter the NERS June and Fall Rose Shows, one-on-one guidance from ARS Certified Consulting Rosarians, the print and digital edition of The New England Rosarian, and free admission to the New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill. NERS negotiates member discounts with partner nurseries such as Roseland Nursery, Griffins, and Lake Street Nursery; combined with ARS membership, members access a wider national discount network. The society maintains a close working relationship with MHS, hosting its core events including the June Rose Show and Founders’ Day luncheon at MHS venues.

Rose Shows, Judging and Community Engagement

The flagship event is the NERS June Rose Show held annually at the New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill, complemented by the New England Fall Rose Show at MHS in September. Judging follows ARS Horticultural Judges protocols, executed by 30+ certified judges, including six current NERS Consulting Rosarians and one Master Rosarian. Classes cover Hybrid Tea, Floribunda, Climber, Miniature, Old Garden Rose, and Novice sections; winners receive ARS medals and trophies from local sponsors. The 2026 show carries the sponsor theme “Once Upon a Bloom,” with individual class sponsorship at $20.

The society’s community reach extends through its Display Gardens program: NERS collectively maintains the rose garden at Rest Stop Ranch in Topsfield, MA; collaborates with Forest Dale Arboretum in Malden on a new rose garden (planned for mid-2025); partners with Lynn Woods Reservation on a historic rose garden restoration; and tends the rose garden at the Methuen Senior Center. Members also serve the gardens at Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Brookline and the Rotch-Jones-Duff House and Garden Museum in New Bedford. The Side Buds event series integrates Yankee District joint activities (such as the High Country Rose Show and Sale at Pompositticut Community Center, the Yankee District Convention in Sturbridge) and Mahoney Days promotions at Mahoney’s Garden Centers, building a three-way institution–nursery–community collaboration network.

Yankee District Coordination and Cross-Institutional Collaboration

As a member chapter of ARS Yankee District, NERS collaborates closely with sister regional societies including the Connecticut Rose Society and Rhode Island Rose Society. Lauren Gisel, NERS Immediate Past President, also serves as Yankee District Director, coordinating regional conventions (the 2026 Yankee District Convention at Sturbridge), joint rose shows, and cross-state garden tours (Fuller Gardens tour, Cape Cod Open Gardens). NERS feeds regional growing data into the ARS national evaluation and registration framework based in Shreveport, Louisiana, and its Consulting Rosarians are ARS-certified, requiring 2 years of ARS membership, 5 years of growing experience, completion of CR school with examination, and ongoing continuing education; only 1,288 such CRs exist nationwide.

On the academic and community front, NERS emphasizes the parallel development of heritage and modern cultivars: the society partners with University of Massachusetts, UC Davis, and Cornell University to introduce disease-resistant, cold-hardy, low-maintenance cultivars (Earth-Kind, Easy Elegance series) and shares local trial data at monthly meetings. The “Just Roses” volunteer initiative, founded by Director David Cannistraro, currently maintains 35 community rose gardens. NERS maintains an active online community via Instagram (@newenglandrosesociety) and a Facebook group of 939+ members, offering inclusive horticultural education across all six New England states. Bylaws and annual financial reports are published online, with all dues directly supporting member services, education programs, and rose show operations.