A story of love and roses
Candy Puterbaugh
50plus Magazine
Romance came first, then roses — 65 in all. George and Molly Spencer’s story took root when they sat together in first grade, grew to holding hands in high school and fully bloomed walking down the aisle the day after college graduation.
Today, their life together continues to flourish, as do the roses they came to love over the years.
“In about 1980, George had an awful vegetable garden, lawn, and big cherry tree,” says Molly. “The only thing that grew in that garden was beets! I wanted some roses as a hobby. We went to a garden center, and I could tell when we left that this was going to be George’s hobby — I saw the look on his face.”
Their steeply curved, terraced backyard was a challenge when they planted their first roses. Digging deep for knowhow, their expertise grew, as did their love for roses. The cherry tree and lawn were removed, the tiered backyard modified.
Soon they joined the Portland Rose Society, and George took six roses to a show. “I found out from the experts the roses were too short and not open enough. They worked with me, but I didn’t take home any ribbons,” George recalls. “We got better over the years and learned what they were after. It takes a while to understand what a good show rose looks like. The spiral in the center is very important.”
Molly soon followed suit, entering what she thought was the perfect rose in a Rose Festival show. “I entered the novice class — as I’d never won an award — vying for the top ‘Queen of Show,’” Molly remembers. When she failed to place, she tracked down a Rosarian and asked if hers didn’t look just like the other entries. “He handed me an honorable mention ribbon to soothe my feelings,” she chuckles. “George told me later, ‘We don’t want to win that way!’”
True wins would come. Later entering a beautiful Sheer Bliss rose in the novice exhibition class, Molly says, “I saw the judges pull ours out as the best in a color group! They put the eight best roses in a circle, walked around them, then picked ours as the novice winner!”
Their highest award was second in show, called the “King,” at a Vancouver Rose Show.
“Those wins inoculated us for future shows,” George says. “We usually entered two of the four main local shows a year. Rose shows are a lot of work. It takes time to decide which roses to enter and when to cut them.
“You show up at 5am, pick out your workstation, get the needed vases, groom the roses with Q-tips to open them, and use serrated scissors to shape the leaves. It takes a couple of hours
to make them look better.”
The work starts long before, with the growing. George does the planting, pruning, fertilizing, spraying and deadheading.
“Once, five days before a show, it rained a lot and we tried everything to protect the roses, putting bags over them and finally large umbrellas,” Molly says.
Their biggest challenge these days is rabbits, pests and disease. The couple seeks guidance from the Portland Rose Society and garden centers. But their own expertise runs deep. Their preferred varieties include Hybrid teas, climbers, shrubs and David Austin English roses — but not a miniature rose, which George describes as an ornery little fellow.
“Many people are hesitant to grow roses because they require too much care,” Molly says. “Well, they do, but roses are tough. They love sun, lots of water — not on the leaves — and don’t like to share space. But they get along beautifully with our 12 large peony plants, boxwood, camellias and hydrangea. Peonies are little work and so beautiful!”
Molly didn’t grow up gardening but enjoyed it so much she joined the Portland Garden Club in 2000. George’s interest grew as a child when he was the one of six brothers who mowed the lawn.
Their careers had nothing to do with roses. He retired from business law and now enjoys stocks and bonds. She was a French and history teacher and an active volunteer. In addition to tending their beloved gardens, they enjoy time with their three children and nine grandchildren, traveling and playing tennis and golf.
Molly photographs the roses and designs arrangements for their home, special events, and friends and family. Once, for their son’s Cape Cod wedding, she carried blooms in a can of water on the plane.
“I still love growing roses,” George says. “They’re a fascinating phenomenon of nature. At the start there’s nothing there, then to see what comes out of that — the beauty of roses. I never get tired of it.”