协会沿革与组织定位
罗德岛月季（玫瑰）协会（Rhode Island Rose Society，简称 RIRS）成立于罗德岛州，是美国月季协会（American Rose Society，简称 ARS）的下属地方分会，也是罗德岛州唯一的 501(c)(3) 公益性月季组织。协会以”学习、推广和促进月季栽培与展示”为宗旨，专注于为新英格兰地区月季爱好者提供教育、展览和社区服务，不销售月季植物或园艺用品，亦不直接拥有商业苗圃。自 1998 年以来，协会严格按照美国国税局 501(c)(3) 条款运行（章程与附则已于 2025 年 11 月 2 日更新上传），主席团采用双会长制，由 Diane 和 Chuck Brailsford 担任现任主席（President），下设副主席 Elissa Della Piana、前主席 Lynne Harrington、财务总监 Angie Chute、执行秘书 Alice Thomas 和记录秘书 Marie Giordano，董事会成员包括 Mike Chute、Rachelle Desrochers 和 Clive Nickerson。委员会体系涵盖会员、项目、餐饮与 Zoom 协调、财务与审计、出版、规则、公共关系、图书馆、Sunshine、筹款、玫瑰展主席、网站和顾问月季栽培师（Consulting Rosarian）等十余个常设岗位，由 Linda Joslin、Mike Chute、Nancy Gaiewski、Biing Lee、Paul Raymond 等长期志愿者担任。
月度例会、会员服务与协会图书馆
月度例会于每月第二个周六上午 10:00 至 12:30 举行，最常见活动地点是罗德岛州 Hope 镇的 Shepherd of the Valley 联合卫理公会教堂（604 Seven Mile Road），部分月份会改在东普罗维登斯 Riverside 的 Hattie Ide Chafee 养老院（200 Wampanoag Trail）举办面向公众的种植与修剪示范活动，会员年费 20 美元/人或/家庭，权益包括每月例会、季度出版的获奖刊物《罗德岛月季评论》、图书馆借阅权、Society Googlegroup 邮件群组访问权、参赛日历照片评选资格，以及与四家新英格兰地区苗圃（马萨诸塞州 Acushnet 的 Roseland Nursery 25% 折扣、北阿特尔伯勒的 Brigg’s Nursery 10% 折扣、东格林威治的 Wildwood Nursery 10% 折扣、Swansea 的 Redwood Nursery 10% 折扣）的会员优惠。RIRS 图书馆由 Biing 与 Jin Lee 担任馆员，截至 2022 年 9 月已建立涵盖月季栽培、育种、修剪与展览全谱系的完整目录和近期捐赠文件。
教育项目、玫瑰研究与社会活动
协会每年举办多场公开教育讲座与示范活动，2026 年 1 月 Zoom 例会特邀 Chris VanCleave 主讲”2026 年美国花园月季选育（American Garden Rose Selections）”项目并强调区域适应性的重要，2 月例会邀请 Gretchen Warren 介绍 Walsh Ramblers——20 世纪初在科德角 Woods Hole 培育的新英格兰月季历史名品，3 月年度例会完成 2026-2027 年度官员改选并安排 Becky Martorelli 演讲月季的烹饪与药用用途，5 月 9 日”玫瑰展准备会议”指导新成员参赛标签填写、园艺作品展示、工具准备和奖项制度。协会参与的区域联合活动包括 Yankee District 月季大会（2026 年 3 月 6-8 日在马萨诸塞州 Sturbridge 的 Publick House 举行，Ping Lim 担任主旨演讲者、300+ 月季拍卖），顾问月季栽培师团队由 Paul Raymond 主席带领为会员和公众提供免费栽培咨询、品种推荐和病虫害诊断服务，Ehrenreich 夫妇授权协会发布其 Buck Roses、Mini 与 Miniflora、Kordes、Austin 等系列月季 PowerPoint 演示文稿，Elissa DellaPiana 在《罗德岛月季评论》连载的”月季花部构造”三部分插图系列（2021-2022）成为新成员学习月季分类的重要参考资料，会员教育资源还包括 Mike 与 Angie Chute 创办的 The Rose Journal 和 Rose Solutions、Ehrenreich 夫妇的 The Roseman Nursery、Patsy Cunningham 的 Patham Dirtworks 陶艺等，体现协会强大的同伴互助文化与知识传承。
年度玫瑰展、社区合作与公共服务
第 27 届年度玫瑰展”我曾许你一座玫瑰花园（I Always Promised You a Rose Garden）”于 2026 年 6 月 13 日（周六）在 Shepherd of the Valley 教堂举行，由 Laurel Curtis 担任主席，分 7:00-10:15 接收参赛、10:30-13:00 评审、13:00-15:00 公众参观、14:00-15:00 由 Master Rosarian David Cannistraro 主讲月季栽培讲座、15:45 颁奖；栽培赛区覆盖杂交茶香月季、丰花月季、藤本月季、微型月季、Miniflora、灌木月季、Dowager Queen、Victorian Award、Austin Rose、Brownell Roses 等数十奖项，花艺赛区今年 5 项（仙子花园 / 东方禅意花园 / 巴比伦空中花园 / 秘密花园 / 胜利花园）。历届主题包括 2025 年”友谊万岁”、2021 年因 COVID 改为虚拟”月季的迷幻”、2020 年因疫情取消。协会积极履行 501(c)(3) 公共服务职能，在 Hattie Ide Chafee 养老院举办公共种植与修剪示范，支持罗德岛州内多家养老院和社区花园的月季种植维护，所有月季展和示范活动对公众免费开放，是协会践行”教育与社区服务”宗旨的核心场景。
Heritage and Organizational Mission
The Rhode Island Rose Society (RIRS) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization and an affiliated local chapter of the American Rose Society, dedicated exclusively to the study, fostering, and encouragement of rose culture including the exhibition of roses. With active records extending back to 1998-1999 under founding president Joe Kolis, the Society maintains a long tradition of volunteer-driven horticultural education and community service in the State of Rhode Island. The current leadership includes co-Presidents Diane and Chuck Brailsford, Vice President Elissa Della Piana, Past President Lynne Harrington, Treasurer Angie Chute, Executive Secretary Alice Thomas, and Recording Secretary Marie Giordano. The Board of Directors comprises Mike Chute, Rachelle Desrochers, and Clive Nickerson. Standing committee chairs oversee Membership, Programs, Hospitality and Zoom, Finance & Audit and Publications, Library, Sunshine, Fundraising, Website, and the Consulting Rosarian Chair, with the full By-laws and Constitution updated and uploaded on November 2, 2025.
Monthly Meetings, Member Services, and RIRS Library
Monthly meetings are held on the second Saturday of every month from 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM, with the most frequent venue being Shepherd of the Valley United Methodist Church at 604 Seven Mile Road in Hope, Rhode Island. Some meetings are hosted at the Hattie Ide Chafee Nursing Home (200 Wampanoag Trail, Riverside, East Providence) for public-facing planting and pruning demonstrations. Annual membership dues are $20 per person or household. Member benefits include: monthly meetings, the award-winning quarterly publication Rhode Island Rose Review, library borrowing privileges, access to the Googlegroup email list, entry eligibility for the calendar photo contest, and discounts at four partner nurseries in Massachusetts and Rhode Island: Roseland Nursery in Acushnet, MA (25% off roses); Brigg’s Nursery in North Attleboro, MA (10% off entire purchase); Wildwood Nursery in East Greenwich, RI (10% off roses); and Redwood Nursery in Swansea, MA (10% off entire purchase). The RIRS Library, curated by Biing and Jin Lee, maintains a complete catalog of books received before September 2022 along with new acquisition files and archived issues of the Society’s newsletter.
Educational Programs, Rose Research, and Member Resources
RIRS hosts a rich calendar of educational programs. The January 2026 Zoom meeting featured Chris VanCleave presenting the 2026 American Garden Rose Selections and emphasizing regionality. The February meeting invited Gretchen Warren to speak on Walsh Ramblers, a historically important class of New England rambler roses originally created in Woods Hole on Cape Cod in the early 20th century. The March annual meeting concluded with the installation of 2026-2027 officers and a presentation by Becky Martorelli on culinary and medicinal uses of roses. The May “Rose Show Prep” meeting trains new exhibitors on entry tag preparation, horticultural presentation, tool selection, and class-by-class walkthroughs. The Society participates in the Yankee District Rose Convention (March 6-8, 2026 at Publick House in Sturbridge, MA, with Ping Lim as keynote speaker and 300+ roses in auction) and collaborates with regional ARS chapters. The Consulting Rosarian team, led by Paul Raymond, provides free cultivation advice, variety recommendations, and pest/disease diagnostics to members and the public. The Society hosts PowerPoint presentations donated by Irwin and Cindy Ehrenreich covering Buck Roses, Mini and Miniflora varieties, Kordes roses, Austin roses, and rose classification. Elissa DellaPiana’s three-part illustrated series on rose floral parts, originally published in the Rhode Island Rose Review in 2021-2022, serves as a key reference for new members learning rose botany, and member-contributed resources include The Rose Journal and Rose Solutions by Mike and Angie Chute, The Roseman Nursery by Irwin and Cindy Ehrenreich, and Patham Dirtworks pottery by Patsy Cunningham.
Annual Rose Show, Regional Collaboration, and Public Service
The annual Rose Show is the Society’s signature event. The 27th Annual Rose Show, themed “I Always Promised You a Rose Garden,” was held Saturday, June 13, 2026 at Shepherd of the Valley Church in Hope, RI, with Show Chair Laurel Curtis, co-Chairs Diane and Chuck Brailsford, and Assistant Chair Terri Medeiros. The schedule: 7:00-10:15 AM entry intake, 10:30 AM-1:00 PM judging, 1:00-3:00 PM public viewing, 2:00-3:00 PM rose cultivation lecture by Master Rosarian David Cannistraro, 3:00-3:45 PM breakdown, and 3:45-4:30 PM awards presentation. The Horticulture Division covers Hybrid Tea, Floribunda, Large Flowered Climber, Mini, Miniflora, Modern Shrubs, Austin Rose, Brownell Roses, Dowager Queen, Victorian Award, English Box, and other classes. The Arrangement Division features five themed classes: Fairy Garden, Zen Garden (East Asian Novice), Hanging Gardens of Babylon (Modern), The Secret Garden (Anything Goes Novice), and Victory Garden (Traditional or Modern Mass). Previous show themes: 2025 “That’s What Friends are For” (26th Annual), 2021 Virtual “Enchantment of the Rose” (COVID-adapted), 2020 cancelled. As a registered 501(c)(3) organization, RIRS fulfills its public service mission by hosting free planting and pruning demonstrations at the Hattie Ide Chafee Nursing Home and supporting rose cultivation at community gardens and senior living facilities throughout Rhode Island. All rose shows and public demonstrations are open to the community free of charge, embodying the Society’s core mission of education, scientific study, and charitable service.
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