Celebrating our 50th anniversary

The Moriches Bay Garden Club met on Thursday, June 20, the day of the summer solstice.  We gathered in the gazebo at the Rose Garden behind the Southampton Library.  This beautiful garden is maintained by the Rose Society of Southampton.  We were surrounded by spectacular roses in a variety of colors and sizes.  It was a fitting way to spend the first day of summer.

President Debbie spoke to us about the rose, which is the New York State flower.  The rose is 35 million years old according to fossil evidence, and there are 150 species throughout the Northern Hemisphere, Alaska to Mexico, including North Africa.  Garden cultivation began 5,000 years ago in China.  Roses are symbols of love, beauty, war, and politics. 

You’ve heard of the War of the Roses?  In the 15th century, the rose was used as a symbol of fighting to control England.  White was York and Red was Lancaster, and the conflict was to become the War of the Roses.

Napoleon’s wife, Josephine, had an extensive rose collection and a botanical illustrator, Pierre-Joseph Redoute, painted some of the finest rose watercolors in 1894.

Roses have become more disease and insect resistant than in the past and are more and more popular for gardens today.

In addition to observing the beautiful roses and hearing about the history of the flowers, we are preparing for two important events coming up in our garden club.  Our flower show will be held at the Center Moriches Library on Saturday, Aug. 17 from 12 p.m. until 4 p.m.  Admission is free and we hope you will take this opportunity to come and see the beautiful exhibits displayed by our members.

We are also very excited to celebrate our 50th anniversary this year!  We will be hosting a tea on Sept. 19 at 1 p.m. at Camp PaQuaTuck, in Center Moriches.  In addition to enjoying tea, sandwiches, and dessert, we will have a gift basket raffle. And for our entertainment, Elvis will be in the building! Tickets are $35. Come and join us as we celebrate 50 years of the Moriches Bay Garden Club.  Who said a tea is boring?

If you are interested in becoming a member, would like more information about the flower show, or would like to purchase tickets for our tea, please contact our president, Debbie Cannarelli, at debgcan@gmail.com  or (631) 258-2657, or 105 Ocean Ave., Center Moriches, NY 11934.