About the Webmaster VISIT KITTY'S ROSE BLOG Master Rosarian Kitty Belendez and her husband Bob grow 350 roses of all types in Santa Clarita, California. Some of their favorites are the greenish-yellow hybrid tea named 'St. Patrick'; the velvety red shrub 'The Squire', the red hybrid tea named Veterans' Honor; a gorgeous white floribunda named 'Fabulous!'; and the pink old garden rose Yolande d'Aragon with its heavenly fragrance. Other favorites are the bright yellow miniature rose 'Behold', the red mini 'Miss Flippins'; and the lovely red polyantha named 'Verdun.' |
Kitty was a co-founder of Santa Clarita Valley Rose Society in 1992. She currently serves as President, and also served as President during 1995, 1996, 2001, 2002, and 2007. Kitty established the inaugural rose show for the SCVRS in 1993, served as Vice President/Rose Show Chairman for 1992-93-94, 2004, 2005, 2006, and other offices including VP Program Chairman, and Board of Directors. In December 2004, SCVRS honored Kitty and her husband Bob with Lifetime Membership for their many years of outstanding service and dedication to the society. Kitty is also past-president of the Los Angeles Rose Society (1993, 1994, 2000, 2001) and has been a member of LARS since 1987. She has also served on the LARS Board of Directors and has held various offices over the years. On December 15, 2002, the Board of Directors unanimously honored Kitty Belendez with the title of President-Emeritus with the further honor of Lifetime Membership in the Los Angeles Rose Society. They presented Kitty with a framed certificate that was signed by all of the board members. One of Kitty's favorite activities is the annual winter pruning demonstrations which she and Bob have provided free to the public for the past 14 years. Bob's quick method of pruning miniature roses is always an eye-opener and provides comic relief from a potentially boring topic. Kitty enjoys opening her private home garden to the public for spring tours, and welcomes rosarians from other states for visits. Probably the most challenging yet rewarding event is planning and organizing the annual fundraiser for the Santa Clarita Valley Rose Society because Kitty and Bob grow and provide 125 rose plants for the auction which earns the rose society $3,000 each year. The fundraiser is coupled with a fun-filled theme party such as a Hawaiian Luau, Mexican Fiesta, Mardi Gras, a Western BBQ, or Taste of the Orient, which the members love. Kitty and Bob love to exhibit their roses at about 12 shows each year, and have won thousands of ribbons and hundreds of trophies on the local, district, and national level. But, more importantly, they have been fortunate to meet many other rosarians from around the country who share their passion for growing roses. Kitty co-authored a 48-page booklet with Steve Jones titled How to Grow Roses in the Santa Clarita Valley. All proceeds from this book are donated to the rose society for educational purposes. Kitty and her husband Bob were awarded dual ARS Bronze Medals from both the Los Angeles Rose Society (1995) and the Santa Clarita Valley Rose Society (1997) for outstanding volunteer service to those organizations. This is the highest award that a local ARS rose society can bestow. For the Pacific Southwest District (PSWD) of the American Rose Society, Kitty serves as a Horticultural Rose Judge and Consulting Rosarian, both since 1992. In 2005 she was designated as a "Master Rosarian" by the American Rose Society in honor of her 10 years of active and continuous service as a Consulting Rosarian. She was PSWD bulletin editor of Pacific Southwest Rose and District Education Chairman (2000-2003). She has been a featured speaker at four Judging Schools, three Consulting Rosarian Schools, as well as dozens of speaking engagements at local rose societies and garden clubs throughout the district on topics ranging from "Growing Roses in Containers", "Rose Hybridizing", "Rose Propagation from Budding and Cuttings", "Planting Roses", and "How to Grow Prize-Winning Roses." For 2002 she was the Producer of the Consulting Rosarian School & Seminar held in Santa Clarita, CA. In 2004 she was the Director of the District Judging Seminar held in Santa Clarita. And in 2007 she designed and produced a unique Consulting Rosarian Seminar that was combined with a bus tour to rose gardens in Santa Barbara. She has attended every district convention since 1988, and most judging schools and CR seminars held in Southern California since 1992. In 2001, Kitty was honored as the Outstanding Consulting Rosarian of the Year for the PSWD. On the national level, Kitty has been a member of the American Rose Society (ARS) since 1985. She served on the ARS Year of the Rose 2002 Committee and the ARS Garden Evaluation Committee (2000-2005). Kitty served on the ARS Publications Committee and the ARS Editorial Advisory Committee (1997-2000). For 2003-2006 she serves on the ARS Program Services Committee as well as the Product Evaluation Committee. She has been a featured speaker at two ARS national conventions (1995, 1997). Of note was her well-attended lecture on "How to Produce a Newsletter That Your Members Will Love" at the ARS National Convention held at Denver in 1995. Since 1998, Kitty has served as an ARS online "Cyber Consulting Rosarian" where she answers many e-mail requests for rose care information. During 2004 and 2005 Kitty produced four PowerPoint programs for the ARS for use by its members: "The Rose, Our National Floral Emblem"; "Miniature Roses"; "Fabulous Floribundas"; and "Judging Challenge Classes and Collections." During 2006, Kitty wrote the monthly "Beginner's Column" for the American Rose magazine. For 9/2006 through 9/2009 Kitty is the Chairman of the ARS Editorial Advisory Committee, and is the Editor of the 2007 ARS Annual. In June 2008, Kitty was awarded an ARS Presidential Commendation for her work on the 2007 ARS Annual. Well known for her editing and writing skills, Kitty was editor of the quarterly ARS publication Rose Exhibitors' Forum from 1994 through 1997 and was awarded the ARS Presidential Commendtion (from Pete Haring) for her exceptional performance. She has also served 15 years as editor of the Santa Clarita Valley Rose Society's gold medal award-winning bulletin Rose Ecstasy, winning awards for every eligible year of its publication, including 2 golds, 4 silvers, and 3 bronzes. Kitty has authored over 300 published articles on rose horticulture, which were published in Rose Ecstasy, the American Rose magazine, ARS Annuals (1997, 1999, 2000), the Rose Exhibitors' Forum, The Rose Parade, San Diego Rose Ramblings, and Pacific Southwest Rose. Her articles have been reprinted hundreds of times in newspapers, rose society newsletters and web pages throughout the United States. ARS has presented Kitty with Awards of Merit for 30 of her articles since 1993. She was a contributing writer/editor of the ARS book project The Ultimate Rose. Kitty has become an accomplished rose photographer. Hundreds of her rose photos have been published in books, magazines, newspapers, rose society newsletters, as well as many web pages. In March 2001, Kitty designed, produced and launched web sites for the Santa Clarita Valley Rose Society, as well as the Los Angeles Rose Society. Kitty Belendez attended the UCLA Graduate School of Management where she studied advertising, marketing and business, and received a Certificate in Business Management. Kitty is currently Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent of an elementary school district. In the past, she worked in graphic arts, marketing communications, advertising, and enjoyed a 17-year career as National Advertising Manager for a German manufacturer of drafting and art supplies, where she traveled to many exciting locations during her career. © Copyright 2001-2008 Kitty Belendez |
Santa Clarita Valley Rose Society |
This page was last updated on: July 24, 2008
About the Webmaster VISIT KITTY'S ROSE BLOG Master Rosarian Kitty Belendez and her husband Bob grow 350 roses of all types in Santa Clarita, California. Some of their favorites are the greenish-yellow hybrid tea named 'St. Patrick'; the velvety red shrub 'The Squire', the red hybrid tea named Veterans' Honor; a gorgeous white floribunda named 'Fabulous!'; and the pink old garden rose Yolande d'Aragon with its heavenly fragrance. Other favorites are the bright yellow miniature rose 'Behold', the red mini 'Miss Flippins'; and the lovely red polyantha named 'Verdun.' |
