Virginia, United States - ( Zone: 5/6 )

I have a devoted love for roses which I hope to pass that passion on to my youngest son - Gavin. I have a good start in that area as Gavin took all the junior exhibitor honors at last year's 2007 Richmond Rose Show which made Dad very happy and got Gavin very excitied also. Gavin is in the fourth grade and is 9 years old and has already helped me pot 9 new bare root roses to add to the 200 + list which is also in pots waiting for warmer weather to plant in the new rose garden. With 11.3 acres, I hope to expand the garden to well over 2 to 3,000 before I'm done and hope Gavin's love for roses continues to grow. If I had started out here where I'm living now and not had to move so many times I probably would be close to the 1,000 to 1,500 number by now. I have been growing and showing roses since 1997 where I started at the TN state fair in Memphis, TN and have been a member of the American Rose Society since 2000 as well as a member of the Louisville Rose Society from 2000-2002, where my love and knowledge of roses was greatly increased. Last year was Gavin's first year to start helping me in the garden and showing roses as a junior exhibitor. I wish that more rose shows would start having junior exhibitor categories as this needs to be the age group we focus on in passing on our love of roses. I am currently the Radiation Safety Officer at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD, and along with my wife and Gavin we have 4 adult children - 3 boys and 1 girl and 1 grandchild who is currently overseas in Japan as my oldest son is in the Air Force stationed there right now. My pictures of my roses and garden are from the house in Martinsburg, WV where we had been until November of 2007. If you are ever in the Purcellville, VA area please don't hesitiate to come visit during the rose blooming times.

Last visit: More than a year ago