About Us
Our group was established in 2001 as a Chapter of the nation-wide Heritage Rose Groups.
In keeping with the goals of our parent group, it is our purpose to preserve, enjoy, and share knowledge about Old, or Endangered Roses.
If you are familiar with the structure of local American Rose Society affiliates, Heritage Rose Groups may seem "different" to you.HRG founder, Miriam Wilkins, tells us to:
"Set out with a light heart, for you need meet only when it is convenient."
A few HRG chapters meet monthly, some twice-yearly, and some 3 to 4 times a year. For the present, we meet "in the flesh" quarterly. Between meetings, many Gold Coast members keep in touch through an Internet Listserver Group established for that purpose. Our Newsletter, "Gold Coast Roses," is mailed quarterly. See a sample of the newsletter.
HRG groups elect no officers. We have no constitution. Our yearly dues will be used for production and mailing of our quarterly Newsletter. Clay Jennings presently oversees these funds, and will report on them periodically.
The majority of our membership is located in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties, but we welcome participation by members from other areas.
Areas Of Interest
We believe that it would be self-defeating to delineate our rose-focus with overly-tight boundaries. "Old Garden Roses," and Species Roses are the chief interest of this group, but we are inclusive of Polyanthas, "Classic" Hybrid Teas, and Shrub Roses. We are, in fact, interested in the preservation of any rose or rose type which might be termed "endangered," and in programs or events which help us to distribute information about them.
The Gold Coast Roses Listserver
The List is administered principally by Jeri Jennings (heritageroses@gmail.com) with the assistance of Penni Tyler. It may at times generate fairly high traffic, but members may choose between regular delivery of individual E-Mail messages, a Daily Digest, or reading the List messages on-line at the Gold Coast Roses Yahoo Web Site.
Gold Coast Listserver discussions, for the most part, follow Gold Coast Group's scope of interest. As we are all friends in roses, however, it's expected that our discussions may at times stray from the topic. Send queries to either List Administrator.
The National Heritage Roses Group
The National Heritage Roses Group is a non-profit organization, dedicated to the celebration of the beauty of the Old Roses, particularly those introduced to commerce prior to the year 1867.
HRG Founder, Miriam Wilkins, publishes a biannual South West Regional Newsletter, "The Old Roser's Digest," offering information on regional events, suggestions for plant care, and articles on topics of interest to regional members.
The National membership is divided by geographical regions, with a different member handling dues and correspondence for each region. We are in the Southwest Region.
If your interest extends beyond our own group you can join the National Heritage Roses Group.
National HRG Events
Across the U.S., there are many yearly HRG events. Most notable in our region are the Celebration of Old Roses, in El Cerrito, The Huntington Rose Festival, in San Marino, and The Festival of Old Roses in San Jose. An International HRG Conference is held biennially. The most recent of these took place in Charleston, S.C., in October, 2001.
Are you curious about other HRG Chapters? We're happy to say that there are many in California. Chapters in our state include: San Diego, Huntington Gardens, South Bay (Northern Calif/San Jose), Central Coast (Santa Cruz area), San Francisco Bay Area, Yolo & Beyond (Sacramento area), Sierra (Grass Valley), Mendocino, and Humboldt (Arcata). And still more across the United States. Gold Coast Heritage Roses Group is the "new kid on the block," having been formed in the Fall of 2001 by Brenda Freeman (Thousand Oaks) and Jeri and Clay Jennings (Camarillo).