A Celebration of Old Roses

Time to stop and smell the roses! Are the roses in your garden blooming?

All our dear friends: Graham Thomas, Sally Holmes, Mr. Lincoln, as well as Ispahan, Electron, Sombreuil, Double Delight and more are blooming like crazy in ours. George says it’s his secret fertilizer: chicken poop; I credit his green thumbs.

Whatever the reason, we’re really excited to show ours off, and see all of yours, at next Sunday’s Celebration of Old Roses, our absolute favorite event in El Cerrito. Always the Sunday after Mother’s Day, this year it’s on May 17th, 2015, from 11:00 to 3:30 pm. Sponsored by the Heritage Rose Group Bay Area, the show is held at the El Cerrito Community Center, a few blocks east of San Pablo Ave (the main drag in El Cerrito), at 7007 Moeser Lane (cross is Ashbury Ave). The event and parking are free, and it’s wheelchair-accessible.

The heart of the Celebration is an overflowing 100-foot display of all kinds of roses. Everyone from expert cultivators to casual gardeners bring cut roses to share and show off. The roses are arranged by type, so just by cruising the collection you’ll get a great education! Need a rose identified? Bring it along for an expert’s opinion. This year for the first time children can get a free rose plant courtesy of Tom Liggett and the Heritage Rose Group Bay Area, while supplies last!

Along with the roses there’s a great collection of arts and crafts and flower-related products for you to enjoy -your chance to stock up on gifts for rose and nature-lovers in your life. I’ve had a table with my artwork and crafts at the Celebration for the past ten years, and I’ll be there with the things I make from my original photos, rose and flower-related, including jewelry, scarves, decorated boxes, purses, cards, prints, and much more!

We’ll have our sublime local honey and all-natural beeswax candles. If you can’t wait until the Celebration, you can always buy our honey at Biofuel Oasis in Berkeley.

Put Sunday May 17th on your calendar -- go to smell the intoxicating roses and then stop by our table to say hello. If you have any questions about the show, please email me at HeidiRand@gmail.com