Oh no! I knew he had been ill, Cass, but I had no idea he was that ill. Da Kernel was one of a kind, very knowledgeable, always helpful and with a wonderful sense of humour. He will be sorely missed! My sympathies and prayers to his family. I feel so saddened by this news.

Carol

Cass, thank you. Like Carol, I knew he was ill but was blithely expecting his recovery. It is hard for me to realize all that vitality and enthusiasm is no more. I remember a day he took me around the San Jose Heritage Rose Garden, proudly showing me first the nursery, then the Rosa gigantea climbing a nearby tree, and blooming for the first time! He was so excited he glowed.

The rose world has lost a warrior.

Rosefolly

OMG, I had no idea he was ill. I only knew him from the forums, but he was always willing to share his knowledge and enthusiasm. My prayers go out to his friends and family. I am so sorry to hear this!
Kathy W.

Some of us DID know how ill Mel was, and gee, I thought I was braced for this, but clearly I was not.
Roses have suffered a severe loss.
We have lost a good friend.

Jeri

I too only knew him through the Forum----I'm sad about his passing. He was a great help to everyone.
Florence

Knowing this day was coming has done nothing to stench the tears.

Mel was such a fine gentleman. He will be deeply missed.

Bill

I'm so sorry to hear this sad news, my condolences go out to his family.

Mel was always kind and courteous to his foreign acquaintances and contacts.

Coincidently, Cass, I was just this morning reading the little biography you contributed to 'Rosa Mundi' and thinking what a worthwhile 'retirement' he had made , helping the garden and so many rose lovers.

Our garden had made some contributions to Tom and Ed when the Heritage garden was being populated, so we have always had a keen interest in its operation, and I had become aware that Mel really had *been* that operation for a long time.

My condolences to you, his friends and family.

Jon

Cass,

Thanks you for informing us and how hard to do.

He will be missed, a kind and gracious gentleman and lover of roses.

Carol

Cass, I am so happy you posted this. I knew Mel was gravely ill, and we all were praying for him here. Requiescat in pace!

Jerome

What a guy. I had the privilege of knowing him for the past four years, learning a tremendous amount from him about roses, their propagation, and how to manage a public garden. His energy, generosity and sheer joie de vivre made him a pleasure to be around. One of my great regrets is that I didn't know him earlier, and another is that we have lost him while he still had so much to give. However, one of my great joys is how many of us had the chance to learn from this master, on-line and in person.

Here is Mel in Dec 07, proudly showing off Manchester Guardian Angel on the Santa Clara University fence. We think there was never a bad photo of Mel, a truly handsome man, in addition to all of his other attributes!
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May he rest in peace, but live on in our hearts, in our memories, and through our roses.
Anita

Anita, what a wonderful tribute to Mel Hulse. I regret not knowing him but have heard of him. I did not know he was such an important part of the San Jose Heritage Rose Garden. May he rest in peace in rose heaven!

Well said, all.
When I saw Cass' thread head, I had a bad feeling. He's one of the cyber heroes of rosedom as well as the real helping rose hero of San Jose.
What a wonderful rose garden he left behind and what great thought he put into its continuation.
Ann

I had the honor and privilege of meeting Mel in person. He found out that my mother and sisters and I were coming to HIS garden and insisted on meeting us at the garden and giving us a private tour and then personally taking us back to the train. He was truly a fine gentleman. Heaven is enriched and we are poorer for his loss.

I, too, had the pleasure of knowing Mel for a number of years and am very sad to hear that he has gone. His work with the San Jose Heritage Rose Garden was truly a monumental effort, but he did other things, as well. He was a contributor to Help Me Find, he was a reference for Modern Roses, and he was instrumental in supporting the first efforts to get some of the Fineschi cultivars into the U.S.

One of my fondest memories is of playing Joséphine opposite his Napoléon in a rose skit. He was, truly, an emporer in the rose world.

Marily

Oh I'm so sorry to hear this. I very much enjoyed my few email exchanges with him. One of OGR's "royalty" that I felt privileged to meet. And one of the many reasons I'm so jealous of you West Coast rosarians.

This makes me so sad. He was such a sweetheart, so honest and straightforward and a lover of roses to the heartbeat.What a contribution he made to all of us. Enormous really.
la

Mel was one of those people that I could never have enough of, a man who always had something of substance to offer to the conversation. When I visited the garden last spring, it was a joy to walk the paths with him as he spoke about his concerns for its future. He made me fall in love with William Allan Richardson and long for Lupe's Buttons. He said they'd find me a house if I'd just leave Washington and come down to help out in the garden - and I believed him!

I wish I'd taken a good shot of Mel waiting for us at his little red car, but here's a picture of Carol Dakan from HRNW, Mel, and me among the roses.

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Colonel, just thinking of you brings a smile. I wish I'd known you longer, I wish I'd known you better, but dang it all, I sure am glad I got to know you at all!

Sue

Oh!

One of the great rosarians has passed on.
I remember him fondly. He gave me written permission to take cuttings from the San Jose Heritage Rose garden some years ago.
Now, I can imagine him planting an Old Rose garden in Heaven.

Luxrosa

Sue, that's a wonderful photo. I have the one in the little red sportscar, but I love yours, and would like very much to use it in the HRG Rose Letter.

Here's Mel, last May, in the Red Rocket.

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This was taken 2 days after CoOR -- on the FIFTH day of rose expedition. Mel confessed that he was tired! TIRED? I was EXHAUSTED. Love of roses gave that man staying power most of us only dream of.

Jeri

Great shot, Jeri! That's just how I remember him. Of course you can use the picture. Give Gregg photo credit - he was kind enough to take the picture, though I don't know why he didn't make me look as skinny as Carol does! lol

Sue

I am so sorry to hear this! I only knew Mel through the forums
but appreciated his information and spirit so much over the years - I will really miss him. How wonderful that he lived such a full life and gave so many so much.
Julie

I am very sad at the news. I'd known Mel Hulse for years as a knowledgeable rosarian on rec.gardens.roses and other forums and it was like meeting an old friend when I finally met him in 2001. He showed my husband and me around the SJHRG. I have pictures of him, too, but can't post them.

Marianne in Sweden

I am so sorry to hear this! I only knew Mel through the forums, but always could feel his enthusiasm and willingness to help others. He lived a full life and gave so much to others. My deep condolences to his friends and family.
Olga

Cass thank you for letting everyone know about Mel's passing. A bright star in the rose world has gone out and we will miss him.

As a member of the volunteer group that works at the Heritage, I can say that Mel guidence will be missed. His expertice in every thing roses was truly unique.

There are three pictures posted on here. As plans are made for Mels memorial there might be a call for pic's. Can each of you send me a short note giving permission to use the picture?

Thanks
David Giroux,

I never had the pleasure of meeting Mel in person. But the love of roses makes us all dear friends sharing the same passion. What a truly wonderful, lovely man...our loss...heavens gain.

May we all only have blessings and never losses.

Deb

David -
I have several other good pix of Mel, and of course you are welcome to any of them for the memorial service. I plan to print them out and send them to his wife, as well. If you would like, I could email larger files of them to you. You can send me an email at anitac@surewest.net.
Anita

David, you're welcome to use the image unless Jeri needs sole use of it for HRG. Jeri? BTW, I wasn't able to email you privately via GW.

Sue

Permission on the way to you. And, like Anita, I have others you might like to have.
Just email, and let me know if you want them.

Jeri

My very heartfelt condolences to his family and dear friends.

Mel was a great rosarian, and also - just a nice, decent, all-around friendly human being. My nicest memory of him is the time after the Huntington's Great Rosarians presentation with Peter Harkness - Mel had everyone to his hotel room - it was like a 'Hospitality' suite. I didn't know the majority of the people there, but he just insisted I 'mingle' and made me feel so welcome. Warm, friendly and kind, & one of a kind. Godspeed, Mel.

Thanks for letting us know, Berndoodle.
a

Mel was one of the finest men I've ever met, rosarian or otherwise. A true gentleman and true friend of the rose.

He will be greatly missed.

So sad to hear this. From his posts and a few emails, he seemed such a gentleman, in addition to his rose knowledge. I know he will be missed.

No, I don't need sole use. I'm happy to share.

David, like Anita, I have a few other shots of the Kernel that I really love, and I will send you one or two.

Jeri

So nice to see this memorial for Mel. Thanks David for the phone message. We feel a deep loss and know that the Heritage has some impossible shoes to fill. I've been thinking about Mel while I'm finishing up my pruning.

I am especially grateful to him for teaching me much about what I know about roses while volunteering at the Heritage, and for a few brief exchanges like when we gave him a Clotilde Soupert as a Veteran's Day gift. He nearly blushed and said he'd never received a gift for vet's day before. Then another time I was helping out at the Santa Clara fence site and he said something about none of his trainees in the military ever making general and I said that it was probably because he was too nice. He thought a minute and said, "You're probably right!". Mel was so approachable because he wasn't a professional rosarian - he became one late in life like many of us.

So true that he's got the photogenic gene every girl would want. He visited us at our new nursery six hours away some six years ago and did a Heritage talk at our local rose society. That was our last time in person. I regret we did not know he was ill.

Now Loan can do what she's been playfully threatening to do with all those stray roses he'd bring home! :-) Our hearts, prayers and hugs go out to all of you who were closest to him.

Tracy & Janet Sclar

Sorry to hear of this loss to our coumunity!

Cass,
Thanks for letting us know about this. 'Only the actions of the just/Smell sweet and blossom in the dust.' Truest of all of the world's rosarians and good men.
Melissa

This is very sad news indeed. It was a privilege to meet & talk with him- such a fine gentleman. I like the idea of Mel now planting an OGR garden in heaven...

This is such a beautiful tribute for a beautiful man. I have had a very difficult week trying to accept that we have lost this very special rosarian.

I guess I just though he would always be there. Even though I knew this was coming, it always comes too soon. The garden won't be the same without him.

I was supposed to drive Mel down to visit Sequoia Nursery before it closes. I was so looking forward to that drive so I could chat with him. I always learned something from our conversations.

He was so cute last weekend when a bunch of us went to visit with him. He wanted us to have some "Rosegrowers", a drink he made up when he would have his "hospitality suite" at special rose events.

I don't know what I'm going to do without my friend. He was one of a kind and a wonderful human being.

My love, prayers and sympathy go out to all his family and friends.

Love you Mel and God Bless

I am very sad to hear this, and quite a bit shocked. I've only talked to Mr. Hulse twice before, but he seemed rather vibrant and healthy. I volunteered once for pruning, and that's where I first saw him in 2000. And the second time I saw him in, perhaps, 2003, this time to donate a Tigris persica rose to the collection. He grew Tigris for a few years at his home, if I recall, to make it bigger before he sent it out to the gardens.

Lo siento--

My condolences to all his family and friends.

May God rest his soul. I am once again reminded of our brief time on this lovely Earth.

A great loss, rest in peace Mel.

Carla

Oh, this is sad. What a loss to the rose community. I cant imagine the loss his family must be feeling.

patricia