Years ago on this forum, many posters were either exaggerating their abilities or the number of roses they were growing. Spike was always getting rid of trolls or just plain troublemakers.As you know, people's Internet personality can be totally different than their real one. This rose forum has calmed down considerably since those days, and has become very normal.

The fake poster's username was Devon. He charmed some among us and caused quarrels between those who liked him and those who thought he was phony. His purpose, other than just amusing himself, was to break up friendships and get people banned. We've had several of these over the years who devoted months to the project of establishing a fictional identity. One famous troll actually became a rose gardener after boning up on what her fictional character needed to know about roses.

Devon I remember (I thought he was a phony), but I do not remember the "her" who actually became a rose gardener. Devon was too saccharine sweet and loved to indulge in vague, misty romantic flights of fancy. And post pics of his swimming pool on his Pacific Ocean estate. Never posted any rose pics, however. Don't know what he was after, but I'd bet he didn't own more than 1 rose at most. But there were posters on this forum who were actually swooning over him as, in post after post, he rhapsodized over the ethereal beauty of roses.

Kate

Rather than start another thread....This has bugged me for at LEAST 2-3 years....

Who was the poster from Georgia with the Scentimental roses and lilies planted around a lovely brick house? Former President of the Rose Society? It is not important, but one of those (many) holes in my head that could use filling!!

Thanks!

I liked Devon. It's the internet, who cares if people are real or not.

spring, do you remember which Georgia Rose Society it was?

No, sorry. I just remember lots of pictures of pink and white roses with pink and white lillies. There was a link to some from the rose society website. It has been 12 years or so....maybe Atlanta.

Spring----I know who you are talking about, I just can't remember his name. He is from Atlanta. He was on a special committee with the American Rose Society and got all upset that they wouldn't change things to his likings. He was a pretty good dude. I don't know if he is still growing roses or not. I'll remember his name sometime today.

That's "rosebud," one of the founding members of this community.

Steve F and his wife Wendy live in Alpharetta.

There are backstories as to his attempts to make rose growing more attractive. There was resistance to his ideas as he hadn't been part of the in-crowd locally long enough. He (IIRC) even got a paperback book published with lots of rose pictures.

Remember when everyone was trying Miracid as the miracle cure for black spot? Those were the days...

How about Pete from FL? I wonder how he's doing?

Devon was quite a character; he went to such great lengths to build up his persona. As I remember quite a few male members didn't like him from the beginning, smelled a rat. Some of the ladies were enraptured, but I wasn't one of them. When you write often enough a personality emerges and his was so "off" that it was difficult to believe anyone would buy into it. in a way it was pitiful too, because he didn't seem to like himself enough to be genuine.

Does anyone here know what has become of Peter Flowers, the Belgian expert on Hybrid Perpetuals?

I always enjoyed his posts. I think his name is Pierre something I don't remember, but maybe the 'Pete Flowers' was a pun.

Then there were the crazy (in a good way) Texas ladies.

Oh, yes, there was Cindi from Texas with the wonderful rose gardens - her husband was always building something for her like a gazebo or such...she had black swans, I remember. I know everything was destroyed in a hurricane and we heard a little bit about how all the family survived although their home (and the gardens) were destroyed - and then nothing ever again. I do miss her unique charming way of writing and her enthusiasm for roses.

I liked Cindi a lot. I believe her garden was a business, and she would use it for weddings.

I never thought that Pete or Devon grew roses. They seemed to want to get a rise out of posters, and Pete especially made rather insulting remarks to posters who then left.

I also remember Rosebud. I do not remember the specifics, but he also posted on another forum that I used to go to. I just remember that the ARS did not want to do things that he wanted.

Through the years we have had many interesting people who have come and gone. I miss the old, and love the new. I wonder how many of them are still reading, but just do not have anything to say. Sometimes when I have the most to say about my garden, I am too busy to say it.

Sammy

Yes, rosebud....thank you!!! Wonder what happened to his pictures?

Sammy, I sometimes wonder how some of us spend so much time online, and still have beautiful gardens, lol!! I do ALL the work myself, and feel like a slacker when I take a few minutes to look at other's gardens.

Nancy

"I also remember Rosebud. I do not remember the specifics, but he also posted on another forum that I used to go to. I just remember that the ARS did not want to do things that he wanted. "

What I remembered was that Steve brought a lot of really good ideas to the ARS executive and they treated him badly and basically said "We've been doing things this way for 70 years, and we're not going to change what isn't broken". I believe he saw ways in which old ARS practices was doomed to lead the organization into dinosaur territory (extinction) and he had ideas how to avoid that. They made it clear they weren't interested.

Given that I knew people who had been fighting that battle since the 1960's without much luck, it always struck me that his tactics were painfully naive. He was not going to waltz in and be greeted by 'Oh, Wow! How did we ever survive without you!', yet he honestly seemed to expect that.

The ARS has been a subject here and on the Antique Rose Forum for years and years. American Rose Society. One would think that it would include all those who enjoy growing roses, but its focus is not as inclusive as the name would indicate.

At the time when Rosebud was posting, and was a leader, there were others that I recall who also had plans for the ARS. It involved rose growers from Texas who wanted the ARS to include the pleasures of growing older roses. The subject had to do with a new garden in Shreveport, and antique roses. The bottom line is that in the end those who wanted to contribute antique roses were rejected.

I, for one, wish the ARS would broaden its focus, and include a wider variety of rose growers. Many of us have our own ideas of what the ARS should include, but in the end they remain constant, and those who work for change either comply or leave.

Their purpose is defined, and I guess it is not their responsibility to expand and include what many of us want.

Sammy

The arrogance, politics and out-dated attitudes of the national rose societies are what is slowly signalling their decline and death knell.

It is the same with the hopeless CRS here in Canada and the RNRS in the UK. However, at least the RNRS has made some attempts to modernize itself in recent years and expand its appeal beyond rose shows.

If you refuse to change and grow stagnant with complacency, the world keeps spinning and evolving anyway and will only keep changing around you until you are nothing more than a redundant memory. It works much the same in the business world.

I remember Devon. Who could forget that house.

Do you remember the young woman who became so angry at those advising restraint in the use of chemicals that she posted a picture of herself displaying her mammary glands as a challenge to those less endowed? Was she a troll? She disappeared from the forum, or maybe she changed her name.

I wonder why so many people have stopped posting. I know that I have little to say when my roses are dormant, and now they are not really thriving, so I will not have much to say for quite awhile. Yet, I am still interested in others who have had more success than I.

Sammy

sammy, that is probably why the Heritage Rose Foundation was started.

But the ARS is what it is. I don't find that they exclude OGRs, they are in the shows and most of my society members grow them.

Sometimes I take a break from GW, I get tired of some of the troll like posters or I just don't have anything to say. But usually I come back because this is a great site for rose lovers.

Not that any of you remember me or care why I quit posting, but I still read here. I got busy at work and last year my roses SUCKED due to way too much rain and no sunshine....LOL But I still have the "bug" and all of my plants except my hedges, are doing great....and its because of what I learned here on this group I believe.

And then there was the exciting time when Veldfire was holding court. Anybody 'memba' him? Or rather how could anyone forget who has been here awhile? He started a nursery for roses grown on fortuniana roots, but the watering system went off while he was out of town and that was the end of that, much to my regret since roses on fortuniana grew well for me. Then I heard he got into tropical fish and disappeared from the rose scene. Those were the days, and they were fun ...

Oh yes -- and there was Cindi! I dearly loved her and got to meet her at one of the Antique Rose Emporium shindigs. She was a sweetheart in person as well as online!

This post was edited by roselee on Mon, Jun 23, 14 at 10:33

"Sometimes when I have the most to say about my garden, I am too busy to say it." - Sammy

Think you answered your own question! Gardens in full swing, schools out, lots of warm weather activities & pools open, long days & lots to do can make it quieter here. Checking in when it rains, at breakfast, after supper, on several gardening forums besides Roses.

Sorry to hear your roses aren't thriving - aftermath of this past Winter? With all the rain & up-down hot-cool, the weeds are growing faster than the garden here!

A lot of forums are losing posters because of places like facebook and twitter and such. While I am on facebook some I don't care for it because no one really discusses a topic there. It's just hit and run posts with no real substantive information like you get on a forum. But I know many of my forum friends are on there exclusively now.

Rosebud (Steve) was definitely not one of the founding members of this forum. He arrived after I started reading and posting here in ~1998, and this forum had been going long before that. But I remember those old times here in the early 2000s well. Rosebud, Cindi, Veldfire, etc. Remember Sunsprite Sam? Steve was fired up about fixing the ARS. I met Rosebud and Cindi for the first time at a dinner we had at Paula's house (can't remember her rose handle, but I still have the Peter Mayle she dug up and gave me) in the Bay Area when the PSWD Convention was in San Jose in 2001 or 02. I met up with the two of them at other various rose meetings, conventions, and dinners over the next few years. I used to go on a lot of rose road trips in the early 2000s. I'll never forget one later get-together we had at Pamela's house (Mendocino Rose), at which Cindi drove down the wrong dirt road on the way to Pamela's house, and was greeted with folks with shotguns protecting their pot farm. If you remember Cindi, you can imagine her telling of the story. The last time I saw Cindi was in 2005 at Vintage's open garden. I heard a scream of my name from across the garden, and there she was. That was my last rose road trip.

2008 thread

Here is a link that might be useful: Is anyone in touch with Devon ??

Ohhhh, thanks for the post and the memories. I remember The Devon Debacle. I figured him for a fake....but his pics were fun to dream about.

I was hanging around Hot Topics some at that time too. I can't handle them too long. They give me heartburn. :)

I usually read now on the Antique Rose Forum, but I remember everyone of the folks you are talking about. I loved reading Cindi's rose adventures and do ya'll remember Karl Bapsist? What a sweet man Karl was. I started coming to the rose forums way back in 1998 and I sure do miss a lot of the people that aren't here anymore.

I have been looking all over for this post. I thought possibly it had been removed by the Garden Web. I am reading it now in Conversations. I began looking again once Deb's post came to my email.

Sammy

Do you remember Jean from Nashville, and were there two Deborahs? One was an attorney from Southern California, and we had a poster from the east coast who was a frequent poster.

Pete tore into both of them, and they vanished in time. I wish those of you who lurk would check in again.

Jean did so much gardening, and contributed to this and the Discussions site. However, her work as an attorney ended up hurting her in her personal life. I would really like to know how she is.

Sammy

I remember Jean from Nashville. I just adored her, the dogs and all her lovely roses. I haven't heard from her in ages but think of her when I water a couple roses she had sent to me. Ole Pete....wonder what he is up to these days! He was a character for sure.

Hello,
I used to post all the time. In my opinion this is an amazing place to share my love of roses. I started having trouble typing due to health issues but I still love this forum. Social media is ok, but I prefer the camaraderie here.
I recommend GW to many newbies with gardening questions.
I guess there really is no place like home....
Carlota

Carlota, I am glad you have posted. I remember you, and I remember when your health began to give you problems. I would love to read your posts even if you do not garden much anymore.

Sammy

I got sent to Disneyland once, probably for a good reason, I am sure.
It is true that one forms --pues--digo - er - relationships, respect, ire, friends , even with an occasional rooster, I say!
As one gets older,as we all do, at least I treasure some of the post and posters from the good old days, or am I just getting senile.
Foghorn Leghorn
International Anti Grass League

Hello Sammy,
So good to see you again!!
My husband, Markku has picked up my Rose torch for me! : ^ ) Now, he buys me roses as gifts, plants the roses,, waters them and even will feed, dead-head and prune when needed. I am so lucky I have him!!!
My health hasn't improved but I do love gardening especially my roses!!
I have become very fond of my fruit trees, who wouldn't love a delicious tangerine?? : ^ ) But at this new house the plant that amazes me is the Wisteria growing out front,its just Wow!! What a nice addition to my life and garden.
Old friends stick around, new friends I look forward to calling you old friends one day!
Carlota

I'm on Facebook, but I don't have any family or friends who are into growing roses, or gardening for that matter. Folks are always posting selfies, food selfies, pet selfies, but not pics of their gardens. They just aren't into it. I LOVE gardening. It's my passion. I come over to the Rose Forum and a bunch of other garden forums because I can get advice, give advice, discover new roses varieties that work for my Zone 5 garden and learn about new rose nurseries to check out. It would be great to have my folks on the forum, but FB, Twitter and all of the other social media outlets are luring them away. That's ok. I'll stay on. P.S. I love to see pics of everyone's roses and gardens, especially during Winter. It's cold and cloudy here in Chicago. Could use some pics today. :-)