Heritage 2011 - 12th International Heritage Rose Conference

The World Federation of Rose Societies is a federation of the national rose societies of 40 countries around the world, representing more than 100,000 rose lovers. Our goal is to expand contact among them and increase the flow of knowledge about the rose.

History and Objectives
The World Federation of Rose Societies (WFRS) was founded in 1968 in London, England by representatives from the rose societies of Australia, Belgium, Israel, New Zealand, Romania, South Africa, Great Britain and the United States of America. Its stated purpose was to hold international rose conferences and act as a clearing house for rose research.
At its first conference in New Zealand in 1971, Canada, India, Japan and Switzerland were also present. The objectives set out in the constitution adopted then still hold sway today. They are:

To encourage and facilitate the interchange of information about and knowledge of the rose between national rose societies
To coordinate the holding of international conventions and exhibitions
To encourage, and where appropriate, sponsor research into problems concerning the rose
To establish common standards for judging rose seedlings
To assist in coordinating the registration of rose names
To establish a uniform system of rose classification
To grant international honors and awards
To encourage and advance international cooperation on all matters concerning the rose
Ambitious and lofty goals! Some have been met and others have been more illusive to achieve, especially when dealing with 41 very independent rose societies.
What We Do
To date there have been 15 World Rose Conferences, usually held at three year intervals. The next conference will be in Sandton, South Africa in October, 2012. In the intervening years regional conferences are held.
The WFRS gives awards to outstanding roses and to stars of the rose world. We also honor outstanding rose gardens and rose books.

We are working to encourage common standards for judging new seedling roses, and we show the current international trials winners on our website.

Various databases on roses are in the process of being created in different countries. The United States has created a massive database to produce Modern Roses 12. France is cataloging all the roses growing in France and Sangerhausen Rosarium in Germany is doing the same for all its roses. Various other private and public rose gardens are doing the same, and the WFRS Conservation Committee has established a database so that this vast storehouse of rose information will be available globally.

The WFRS facilitates the exchange of information about the rose. Every national rose society knows about roses in their own country. They know the history, where and when roses bloom, the most favored varieties, rose shows, trials, conventions, great rose gardens, nurseries and hybridizers. To make all this information readily available around the world, the WFRS publishes the Rose Directory annually and World Rose News twice a year.