Not many seniors spend from two to five hours each day on their hobby, but Ron Savage said the time he spends tending to his roses flies by. “It’s something I enjoy, and I love to give away roses,” Ron said.
He started with five rose bushes in 1992, and his rose garden has grown to more than 150 rose bushes, including varieties with fun names like Betty Boop, Dolly Parton, Ring of Fire, and Strawberry Swirl.
“You have hybrid teas, that’s the most common. Then miniatures, Grandifloras, Floribunda, climbing, and shrub roses, and I’ve got them all,” Ron explained, adding, “I buy a lot of my rose bushes at Wal-Mart, then spend time pruning, spraying for insects, and fertilizing, and with care, they bloom throughout the summer.”
Ron’s green thumb extends to growing cucumbers, tomatoes, strawberries, and other flowers, such as hibiscus. Each year, Ron looks forward to selecting just the right roses to enter in the Fulton County Fair.
His hard work has paid off, as he has won “Best of Show” seven times since he started showing roses in 1993. He is hoping to bring home another award this year.
When the rose bushes are laden with blooms, Ron collects them in vases, and adds roses to each dining table in our Senior Center. He also enjoys telling others about growing roses, and sharing tips and hints with other growers.
“Being retired now, I have all the time in the world,” he said. Ron, a 1972 graduate of Delta High School, and a former truck driver, jokes that this hobby prevents him from developing other bad habits.
Ron and his wife Joan live in Wauseon with their collie, Jet. They have a daughter and a son.