Olympia Rose Society Officers, 2009:

President, Paula Nelson
1st Vice President, Programs, Beage Kiley
2nd Vice President, Show Chair, Jack Kiley
Treasurer, Ron Backman
Secretary, Doreen Milward

Board Members:

Arlene Tellez
Sue Atwood
Pauline Feuling

ORS Online Consulting Rosarians who are available for help:

• Deborah Erickson specializes in rose design (arrangement) exhibition, small gardens, and standard (tree) roses.  (Past President, current PNW District Prizes and Awards Chair)   (NE Olympia)
• Jack Kiley specializes in exhibiting techniques and growing exhibition hybrid teas. (Past President, current PNW District Director) (SE Olympia)
• Steve McCulloch is a professional botanist and is also the area coordinator for the local Rose Hybridizer's Group.  (Past President)  (SE Olympia)
• Dr. Wayne Parpala is an accomplished exhibitor and rose judge.  (ARS Master Rosarian, Past President)  (NE Olympia)
• Jim Pressley and Helen Pressley are interested in Old Garden Roses and cultivars, and are members of the Heritage Rose Group.  (Both Past Presidents)  (Tumwater)
• Gary Ritchie  is a horticultural research scientist with a Ph.D. in woody plant physiology whose interests are in rose research, rose culture, rose diseases and OGRs. (ARS Master Rosarian, Past President)  (NE Olympia)
• Jerry Kaija is a consulting rosarian in Lewis County.

ORS Calendar of Events

ORS Meetings

ORS meetings are held on the second Friday of each month from September through June (except December and January) at 7:20 pm at the Schmidt Mansion in Tumwater, 330 Schmidt Place. It's just off Custer Way, just north of the Brewery. We have a special topic about roses each meeting and guests are always welcome. Here's a map of Tumwater to help identify the location of the Schmidt Mansion.

ORS Membership

Membership is open to anyone. Annual dues are $15.00 per household per year, or $37.50 for 3 years. Mail your check, payable to the Olympia Rose Society, to PO Box 2231, Olympia, WA 98507-2231. A booklet "How to Grow Roses In Thurston County", and a monthly newsletter, The Clippings, are two of the benefits of membership. If you'd like a preview copy of The Clippings,  send an email request with your snail mail address to Regina Johnson, Editor.

History of the Olympia Rose Society includes Charter Members, Past Presidents, Past Show Chairs, and Sweepstakes (Queen of the Show) Roses and Winners.

Annual Rose Show

The ORS Annual Rose Show is a one-day show held in late June or early July.  Check the Calendar for date.  Contact the  Show Chair for more information.

Show Results.

Thurston County Fair

The Thurston County Fair, the first full week in August every year, holds a rose show as part of the floral competition. Enter roses the Monday before the fair opens in the Floral Building. See the Thurston County Fair website.

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Centennial Rose Garden

The Centennial Rose Garden, on the grounds of the Schmidt Mansion in Tumwater, was constructed and maintained by the Olympia Rose Society in cooperation with the Olympia Tumwater Foundation. This garden was developed in conjunction with the Centennial Celebration of the State of Washington and was dedicated on June 23, 1989. The garden is open daily from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM free of charge.  We celebrated the 10th Anniversary on July 25, 1999 with an Open House and Garden Party.  Every year in March and in November, we hold a rose care demonstration in the Garden, open to the public.  In March we show you how to prune your roses, and in November we show you how to prepare them for winter.

In spring of 2008 the garden went through a major reworking.  The Old Garden Roses planted along the perimeter of the garden were removed, along with many of the older bushes that were no longer producing well.  Close to 100 new rose bushes were planted, to better reflect the current availability of new hybrids.  Most of these roses were purchased from Raft Island Roses in Gig Harbor, and performed spectacularly their first year.  We hope you can visit the garden to see the new roses!