For 50 years GARS has held its spring show on Mother’s Day weekend. But the executive board has voted to break with that tradition. Meeting virtually on google.com on July 20, the board unanimously approved a motion by President Barry McCasland to move the spring show to the first weekend of May. McCasland gave three reasons for his proposal: Climate change is causing roses to bloom earlier than before, significantly reducing the number of entries in this year’s show; a Mother’s Day attendance conflict, because while the number of garden visitors significantly increases on Mother’s Day many of the visitors are not serious about growing roses; GARS needs to secure the first weekend in May quickly because the South Metro Rose Society has strongly indicated it will move its show to that date but is effectively granting GARS the first option to secure a new show date. The two shows can’t be held on the same date because there aren’t enough judges to judge two shows so geographically close together. The South Metro Rose Society holds its show the weekend after Mother’s Day at the Fayetteville First United Methodist Church.

The executive board wanted to make the change from Mother’s Day beginning with next year’s show and voted unanimously to do so. However, that weekend at ABG has already been reserved. Hence, the new GARS show date will become effective in 2026. As expected, the South Metro Rose Society is moving its show to Mother’s Day weekend beginning 2026. It will remain the weekend after the GARS show for 2025. GARS has not reserved the show at ABG beyond 2026.

Parking challenges also prompted the GARS executive board to move its show from Mother’s Day. The garden is a popular destination for Mother’s Day, and the parking decks are extremely crowded that day. As exhibitors noticed at this year’s show, the exhibit hall was very warm. Plans are already being formulated to work with the garden to maintain the temperature at a level that will keep the roses as fresh as possible for the duration of the show.

Climate change is a statewide and even regional problem. Winter temperatures (December-February) in Georgia have been rising since 1895, with a more rapid increasing trend since 1985, according to Bill Murphey, Georgia’s state climatologist. La Nina, El Nino have been contributing factors, he said. “Most likely this trend will continue for the next several decades,” he added.

The trend is causing roses to bloom earlier beyond Georgia. Exhibitors at the Birmingham show, which was also on Mother’s Day, reported their show was beautiful but small because of fewer climate-related entries. In fact, in a casual conversation at this year’s South Metro Rose Society show several growers from Atlanta and Birmingham casually discussed whether there was merit in combining the GARS and Birmingham shows and having a combined show in Atlanta and Birmingham on alternating years. Other shows in the region also hold their spring show on Mother’s Day weekend. These include societies in the low country of South Carolina and Tampa.

The history of when GARS first held its rose show on Mother’s Day apparently has been lost to time, though President McCasland said he thought it had been held Mother’s Day weekend for at least 50 years. Bobbie Reed, a long time GARS member, American Rose Society Consulting Rosarian and Accredited Horticulture Judge, said she suspected an earlier generation of GARS leaders chose Mother’s Day weekend for their rose show because of the symbolism of the day and many years ago roses bloomed later than they do now.

“When I first became involved with the rose society, and I have been a member since 1993, the roses were blooming significantly later (in the spring),” she said. “Mother’s Day was frequently the peak. Over time, my roses (are blooming) earlier and earlier. Now, admittedly, I am growing a different assortment of roses. But, there are types of roses, like some of the old garden roses, the gallicas, albas and things like that I can’t even grow anymore. They don’t take the climate. they simply will not grow and will not bloom at all. Therefore, we have very few entries in those classes. So, we just keep struggling on.”