美国休斯顿月季（玫瑰）协会 – 全美规模最大的美国月季协会地方分会

休斯顿月季（玫瑰）协会（Houston Rose Society，简称 HRS）成立于 1959 年，是美国月季协会（American Rose Society，简称 ARS）位于德克萨斯州休斯顿都会区的地方分会，也是全美规模最大的地方分会，现有会员约 1000 人。协会致力于在休斯顿炎热潮湿的气候条件下推广月季栽培、举办花展、出版会刊并向会员提供园艺咨询服务。

协会沿革与组织定位

休斯顿月季协会的成立可追溯至 1959 年 6 月 30 日。当时本地资深玫瑰种植者 J. M. Stroud 与 Bob Liken 向 75 位 ARS 会员及知名玫瑰种植者发出邀请函，定于 7 月 9 日在 Stroud 家中召开会议讨论成立地方协会事宜。1959 年 8 月 13 日，协会在德州国民银行大楼礼堂举行第一次正式会议，由 ARS 董事 Oscar Chase 颁发宪章，正式成为 ARS 地方分会。1959 年 11 月 15 日在 Fannin Bank Building 举办首次花展，共收到 257 个玫瑰标本与 14 件插花作品，首届 Queen 由 P. Hicks Daniel 培育的 Chrysler Imperial 夺得。

协会成立初期即奠定了重视月季栽培技术的传统。1960 年建立 HRS 图书馆并举办首次 Garden Tour，会员人数在年底达到 148 人；1961 年 7 月正式创办会刊《Rose-Ette》，同年将月会迁至 Hermann Park 的休斯顿花园中心；1962 年协会推动建立休斯顿市立玫瑰花园（Houston Municipal Rose Garden）；1969 年《Rose-Ette》获美国月季协会南中央区（SCD）会刊奖，1970 年获全国会刊奖。2000 年协会主办世界月季联盟（WFRS）大会。2025 年协会迎来成立第 66 年，会员人数约 1000 人，仍居全美 ARS 地方分会之首。

月会安排与会员服务

休斯顿月季协会每月第二个周四晚 7:30 在休斯顿历史悠久的 Heights 街区圣安德鲁圣公会教堂（Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church，1819 Heights Boulevard）二楼举办月会，公众免费参加。月会聚焦玫瑰栽培技术分享，每场会议由当月值班的”咨询玫瑰师”（Consulting Rosarian）做约 5 分钟专题短讲。年度会员费分两档：纸质版《Rose-Ette》邮寄 12 期 25 美元，电子版《Rose-Ette》及”会员专区”访问权限 15 美元，会员有效期均为 12 个月。

会员除获得会刊外还可享受多项附加服务：本地多家园艺商家（包括 Teas Nursery 等）凭会员卡或当期《Rose-Ette》享受玫瑰相关用品折扣；Randalls 与 Kroger 超市的”邻里回馈计划”分别将会员消费额的 1% 捐赠给 HRS 教育项目；协会年度奖学金计划（HRS Scholarship Program）每年 4 月 1 日前接受申请，资助本地学生攻读园艺相关学位。2025 年 6 月 13 日月会改以 Zoom Webinar 形式举行，由加州 Glendale 的 ARS 2023 Silver Honor Medal 得主 Suzanne Horn 主讲”Exhibiting Made Easier”。

教育推广与玫瑰研究

协会的教育推广以应对休斯顿独特气候为核心。咨询玫瑰师（Consulting Rosarian）是经 ARS 严格考试认证的高级月季专家，须满足继续教育要求方可保留资格，他们通过电话与月会现场向会员免费答疑，覆盖休斯顿各区。协会维护一个 10275 字节的 FAQ 页面，针对 Houston 高温高湿环境给出专精建议：玫瑰需每日 6 小时以上直射阳光（8-10 小时更佳）；土壤推荐 1/3 园土 + 1/3 沙土 + 1/3 堆肥混合的排水良好配方；杂交茶香月季、丰花月季与微型月季统一在情人节（2 月 14 日）修剪；攀援月季因在老枝开花不应修剪；建议新栽裸根苗在前 6 周不施肥以保护幼根。

在病虫害研究方面，协会专门设立 Chilli Thrips（点击此处）与 Rose Rosette Disease（点击此处）两个专题页面，记录本地区最新害虫动态与防治经验。2012 年 11 月 10 日协会在南德州法学院 Garrett Townes Auditorium 主办了 ARS 高级月季园艺大会与咨询玫瑰师培训（Advanced Rose Horticulture Conference and Consulting Rosarian School），提供继续教育学分，演讲者阵容涵盖全美顶级月季专家。协会还于 2025 年 4 月 26 日在 Memorial City Mall 主办 HRS Spring Fling 玫瑰展示与示范活动，免费向公众开放。

学术荣誉与国际合作

休斯顿月季协会的内部学术荣誉以 Bronze Medal 为主，该奖每年由董事会评选，表彰对 HRS 与 ARS 做出杰出贡献的活跃会员，每位会员一生仅可获奖一次。历届获奖者自 1975 年首届 Walter E. Forry 起至 2019 年 Maggie Zamora 共 50+ 人获奖，跨度 44 年，期间如 1985 年 Robert Flint、2002 年 Gaye Hammond、2004 年/2008 年/2009 年 Donald Burger、2010 年/2011 年 Robin Hough 等获奖者均为休斯顿玫瑰社群的关键推动者。President’s Award 自 2008 年起颁发，2019 年由 Susan Kelly 获得。协会还设有”Grand Prix”小型花展积分制，会员可在月会上以轻松方式学习花展技巧。

在国际合作方面，协会是美国月季协会南中央区（South Central District，覆盖 Oklahoma、Texas 及 Arkansas 大部）核心成员，自 1959 年起承办多届 SCD 大会（1961 年首届、2003 年 Holiday Inn-Intercontinental Airport、2016 年、2023 年 10 月 27-28 日）。协会花展历史可追溯至 1959 年首届（257 个标本），每年春季（4 月）与秋季（10-11 月）各举办一次，常规场地为 Memorial City Mall、Willowbrook Mall、Deerbrook Mall 等。2008 年因 Hurricane Ike 破坏会员花园导致 Fall Show 取消，2020 年因 COVID-19 改办”虚拟花展”（提交照片评选），2025 年恢复现场 Spring Fling 形式。

官网：http://www.houstonrose.org

The Houston Rose Society (HRS) is the largest local chapter of the American Rose Society (ARS), with approximately one thousand members. Founded in 1959 in Houston, Texas, HRS is dedicated to growing roses in Houston’s challenging heat and humidity. The society meets on the second Thursday of each month at 7:30 p.m. at Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 1819 Heights Boulevard, in the historic Heights neighborhood of Houston.

Heritage and Organizational Mission

HRS was founded on July 9, 1959, at the home of J. M. Stroud, following an invitation letter dated June 30, 1959, sent to 75 ARS members and known rose growers in the Houston area. The first regular meeting was held on August 13, 1959, in the auditorium of the Texas National Bank Building, when ARS Director-at-Large Oscar Chase presented the Charter ARS affiliation. The founding officers were Robert Liken (President), J. M. Stroud (First Vice President), Tom Griffin (Second Vice President), G. R. Tomlinson (Third Vice President), Faye Liken (Secretary), Ruby Halliburton (Corresponding Secretary), G. V. Rhein (Treasurer), and L. R. VanBurgh (Parliamentarian). The first rose show on November 15, 1959, at the Fannin Bank Building drew 257 specimen blooms and 14 arrangements despite freezing weather the week before.

Key milestones include the establishment of the HRS Library in 1960, the first Garden Tour in May 1960, the launch of the official newsletter Rose-Ette in July 1961, the move of monthly meetings to the Houston Garden Center in Hermann Park in 1961, and the society’s instrumental role in establishing the Houston Municipal Rose Garden in 1962 under Mayor Lewis Cutrer. The Rose-Ette won the South Central District Bulletin Award in 1969 and the ARS national bulletin award in 1970. HRS hosted the World Federation of Roses Convention in 2000. Today, the society continues as the largest local ARS chapter in the United States.

Monthly Meetings and Member Services

HRS holds monthly meetings on the second Thursday of each month at 7:30 p.m. at Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 1819 Heights Boulevard, Houston, Texas 77008, in the second floor of the building. The free parking lot is accessible from 19th Street between Yale Street and Heights Boulevard, with ample street parking also available. Admission is free and the public is invited. Each meeting features a short (five-minute) talk by the Consulting Rosarian of the month on current topics of interest, with Consulting Rosarians identified at each meeting so members can ask questions in person.

Annual membership costs 25 dollars for twelve monthly mailed paper issues of the Rose-Ette, or 15 dollars for an electronic version with access to the Members Only section of the website. Member benefits include merchant discounts at several area nurseries (including Teas Nursery) on rose-related purchases when showing a membership card or the latest Rose-Ette, plus participation in the Randalls Good Neighbor Program (account number 5928) and the Kroger Neighbor-to-Neighbor Plan, both of which donate 1 percent of qualifying member purchases to HRS educational programs. The HRS Scholarship Program accepts applications by April 1st each year for the following school year’s scholarship. The June 2025 meeting was held via Zoom Webinar, featuring speaker Suzanne Horn on “Exhibiting Made Easier.”

Education, Research, and Consulting Rosarians

HRS Consulting Rosarians are ARS-certified experts who have passed a rigorous test demonstrating advanced rose knowledge and a love of sharing that knowledge. They stand ready to answer member questions at no cost beyond a phone call, attend monthly meetings, and deliver short monthly talks on timely topics. They also fulfill ARS continuing education requirements, with events like the November 10, 2012 Advanced Rose Horticulture Conference and Consulting Rosarian School at the South Texas College of Law Garrett Townes Auditorium qualifying for credit (registration 60 dollars, including lunch and materials).

The society maintains an extensive FAQ resource tailored to Houston’s hot and humid climate, recommending a minimum of six hours of full sun daily (eight to ten preferred), a raised bed soil mix of one-third garden soil, one-third sand, and one-third compost for good drainage, Valentine’s Day (February 14) pruning for hybrid teas, floribundas and miniatures, no pruning of climbers (which bloom on old growth), light grooming only for antique and old garden roses, and no fertilization of newly planted roses for the first six weeks to protect tender feeder roots. Two dedicated pest pages address Chilli Thrips and Rose Rosette Disease, with regular updates as new findings emerge. The society hosted the 2025 HRS Rose Demonstration and Spring Fling at Memorial City Mall on April 26, 2025, and the 2003 South Central District Fall Convention at the Holiday Inn-Intercontinental Airport from October 24-26.

Community Programs, Awards, and South Central District Cooperation

The HRS Bronze Medal, awarded annually since 1975 by the Board of Directors to active members who contribute dedicated efforts to both HRS and ARS (with current Presidents ineligible during their terms), recognizes outstanding service. Notable recipients include Walter E. Forry (1975), Robert Flint (1985), Gaye Hammond (2002), Donald Burger (2004, 2008, 2009), Robin Hough (2010, 2011), and Maggie Zamora (2019). The President’s Award, established 2008, recognized Susan Kelly in 2019. The society also maintains the Grand Prix year-long small show points competition, with winners announced at the December Christmas Party, providing members a relaxed way to learn exhibiting skills.

As an active member of the ARS South Central District (covering Oklahoma, Texas, and most of Arkansas), HRS has hosted multiple District conventions, including 1961 (setting a national precedent for judge training outside national conventions), 2003, 2009, 2011 (in Dallas), 2016, and 2023 (October 27-28). The society’s rose show history dates back to November 15, 1959, with biannual spring and fall shows held at venues including Memorial City Mall, Willowbrook Mall, Deerbrook Mall, the Faith Lutheran Church gymnasium, the George R. Brown Convention Center, and the Reliant Center. The 2008 Fall Show was cancelled due to damage from Hurricane Ike, the 2020 Spring Show was cancelled due to COVID-19 (replaced by virtual photo-judged shows in fall 2020, spring 2021, fall 2021, spring 2022, and fall 2022), and live in-person shows resumed with the 2023 South Central District Fall Convention. Today’s Houston Rose Society remains the nation’s largest local ARS chapter with approximately one thousand members and 66 years of continuous service.