Anyone expecting a rosy atmosphere at St. Albert Botanic Park last Saturday would have been in for a surprise. Instead of perfume, the planting room was full of the pungent odour of fresh, slightly damp soil. Instead of petals, the big garage-like John Beedle Centre was filled with laughter and eager enthusiasm as the 27 participants envisioned spring blooms.
The roses themselves had no leaves and were dumped rather unceremoniously on the table so that their bare roots could be snipped and the stems trimmed down to a classic shape.
Then down the table they went, passed by gloved hands to the potting crew, who stood them upright and then poured the soil on top.
Next a few more avid volunteers put the roses, six at a time, into little wagons, for the journey to the park’s two greenhouses, where they were sorted according to their hardiness and by colours.
It’s a hugely labour intensive endeavour for a fundraiser that’s expected to bring $10,000 into the botanic park coffers.
“We’ve set it up like an old fashioned barn-raising event. It is our biggest fundraiser of the year,” said botanic park president Brian McLennan.
The roses will be ready and blooming by mid-May for the Mother’s Day rose sale, which has been a park tradition since 1996.
“We pour through catalogues and order the roses in July from two companies in British Columbia,” said Joan Parker.
Parker, who was in charge of the planting procedure, will check the roses twice each day until they are sold. She monitors the temperature and moisture in and around the roses, which she treats as if they were her own flesh and blood. Still, like most mothers, she has her favourites.
“This year one hardy rose called Party Hardy, which is a new, nicely-petalled pinkish red rose that looks like an old-fashioned rose. It will bloom all summer,” she said.
In the tender rose category, Parker can hardly wait to see the Sun Sprite tea rose, which is a floribunda variety, meaning it will have several blooms on one stem.
“Sun Sprite is a floribunda and it will be deep yellow. It’s got a strong liquorice scent,” Parker said.
After two and a half months of careful nurturing, the selling price on the roses will vary according to the variety. They go on sale May 11.
