Sharing Love of Revered Flower Is Mission of Southampton Rose Society

There is no flower that holds as much historical and cultural importance as the rose.

It has maintained an almost mythic status as a symbol of love, passion, devotion and beauty in literature, culture and lore seemingly forever.

All that power carries with it a degree of intimidation on an everyday level, for those who may want to grow and tend to them in their own gardens.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

The members of the Southampton Rose Society, which has been a fixture in Southampton Village for more than 40 years, are united not only by their fascination with roses, but by a desire to share that love with others, and create a network of education and support for people of all ages and gardening abilities to enjoy the beauty of the flowers.

Wendy Serkin has been a member of the Southampton Rose Society for eight years, and four years ago, she became a rosarian — a type of expert on roses — certified by the American Rose Society. She came to her love of roses and rose gardening somewhat by accident, after moving into a home that had an expansive rose garden. Instead of abandoning it or hiring a gardener to deal with it, she decided to educate herself, and took the advice of a friend who suggested she join the rose society. She’s learned a lot since then.

“There’s this false perception of rose gardening as being difficult and also requiring a lot of chemicals, and that roses are finicky plants,” she said. “They’re daunting as plants so people make a lot of excuses not to garden them. But the reward of having roses bloom in your garden is something close to heaven. All the butterflies and bees love them too, so you always have great flora and fauna around the garden.”

Sharing those kinds of sentiments with the greater community has been at the heart of the Southampton Rose Society’s mission forever.

The Southampton Rose Society is a nonprofit, founded in 1976 and dedicated to the cultivation and preservation of roses. It is an affiliate of the American Rose Society, and has a diverse membership of rose enthusiasts, horticulturists, professionals, amateur gardeners and anyone who loves and has an interest in roses. The society is dedicated to community service and ecological awareness and sensitivity, and provides education programs centered around rose gardening and cultivation.

Dorothy Nigro was the Southampton Rose Society’s first president, and the Southampton Rose Society had the distinction of being the first New York State Chapter of the American Rose Society. It was fitting, as the rose is not only the state flower of New York but the official flower of Southampton Village as well. Nigro also created and wrote “The Dune Rose,” the official newsletter of the Southampton Rose Society, which Serkin now runs. The society also held its first rose show exhibition during Nigro’s tenure as president. Harvey Feinstein served as president in the 1990s, and was influential as well, growing membership to more than 140, while also launching a beautification program by planting roses at historical sites and focal points in the Village of Southampton.

One of the crown jewels of the Southampton Rose Society is the Southampton Rose Garden at Rogers Memorial Library, an idea sparked by Feinstein. The society created the garden in 2003, as a gift to the people of Southampton Village. It is free and open to the public seven days a week, and is also available for private events. Helga Dawn-Frohling and Adeline Christie worked together on the planting scheme and choosing the roses. Throughout the years, people have supported the rose garden (and can continue to do so) by purchasing bricks that line the pathways of the garden, and having the bricks engraved as memorials to family or loved ones. All proceeds go to the Southampton Rose Society Rose Garden Endowment Fund for the maintenance of the garden. The library garden is one of five rose gardens throughout the village that the rose society has planted and maintains.

The Southampton Rose Society has grown to nearly 200 members, and continues in its efforts to attract new members, publicize the rose and its importance as our national flower and reaches out to rose enthusiasts everywhere, who are interested in rose culture. Educational outreach, garden tours and more are all part of what the society does.

Jim Berkot is the Southampton Rose Society’s current president. He and his partner, Michael, have owned a home in Southampton since 2002, and said what he liked most about the rose society upon joining is that “it’s an organization for everybody.”

“Membership is only $60 per year per person, and we’re inclusive of local residents, and anybody who has an interest in roses and the beauty of roses,” he said. “The Southampton Rose Society is first and foremost an educational organization, and secondarily a beautification organization.”

The society is a mix of amateur and hobbyists gardeners as well as those who have truly become experts in rose gardening by becoming certified rosarians, including Serkin, as well as longtime member and longtime rosarian Peter Bertrand. Rosarians learn all the science behind rose gardening, from the seemingly endless varieties of roses and how they are unique, to knowledge about soil, diseases, fertilization and more.

Becoming a rosarian also means making a commitment to helping advance the knowledge and education about roses and rose gardening for others. That’s an effort the rose society is committed to as an organization as well, and Berkrot said it’s an effort worth undertaking.

“Roses can be fussy but the reward rose gardener’s get when they bloom is nothing less than spectacular,” he said. “They’re emotionally and visually moving. It touches you on every sensorial level.”

The Southampton Rose Society will host several events throughout the summer. June 15 is Rose Day in Southampton Village, which will include a rose competition at the Morris Room in the Rogers Memorial Library, where anyone can come, clip a rose from their own garden and enter the competition. Set-up starts at 7:30 a.m. and runs to 9:30 a.m., and judging begins at 1 p.m., with a viewing open to the public and a trophy presentation at 3 p.m. Shops along Main Street, Hampton Road and Jobs Lane will also put out their best roses and floral arrangements, and the winner will receive free tickets to the society’s annual fundraising gala, set for Friday, August 9, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at a private Southampton estate.

For more information on the Southampton Rose Society, visit southamptonrose.org.