The San Diego Rose Society is marking its 100th anniversary by bringing the world's rose growers to Mission Bay. The group plans a five-day World Rose Symposium in spring 2027 at the Bahia Resort Hotel, bringing several major rose events together under one roof.
According to the San Diego Rose Society, the five-day gathering will double as both the 2027 World Federation of Rose Societies Regional Convention and the 2027 American Rose Society Convention, and it will also include America's 2027 National Rose Show. The society describes itself as one of the oldest and largest rose societies in the country, having been founded in 1927, and it is affiliated with the American Rose Society. The symposium's host venue, the Bahia Resort Hotel, which the society calls world-renowned, sits on a sandy Mission Bay beach.
Registration for the symposium and its companion tours is already open, the society says. The event is expected to draw professionals and hobbyists alike for talks, competitions and garden walks, all while the society celebrates a century of rose-growing in San Diego.
A Centennial Celebration Built Around Roses
The symposium's centerpiece will be a Gala Dinner-Dance celebrating the San Diego Rose Society's 100th anniversary, according to the society. The program also calls for a 1927-themed evening pairing the society's centennial celebration with the American Rose Society's awards dinner, tying the historic founding year directly into the festivities.
As reported by the San Diego Union-Tribune, symposium co-chair Ruth Tiffany said the event gives both professionals and hobbyists access to renowned rose-breeding and cultivation experts. Fellow co-chair Natalie Stout, per the same report, said the Bahia Resort Hotel offers a tropical beachside setting and lush gardens that fit the occasion. The Union-Tribune also reports that this marks the first time in 25 years that a World Federation of Rose Societies convention has been held in the United States.
Garden Tours, a Rare Rose Auction and Expert Talks
A symposium garden tour is set for Monday, May 3, under the banner “A Symposium Garden Tour Day with Sunset at the Bay,” the rose society's site notes. Attendees can also add one, two or all three optional single-day pre-tours scheduled for April 27, 28 and 29. The symposium itself will include a rare rose auction, which the Union-Tribune describes as offering heirloom and hard-to-find rose plants unavailable elsewhere in the world.
Expert speakers confirmed for the symposium include Baldo Villegas, Mike Shoup and Satish Prabhu, the society states. The Union-Tribune's account adds that breeders Tom Carruth and Ping Lim are also expected to take part; Carruth has created more than 100 rose varieties, including 11 All-America Rose Selections, while Lim is known as a prominent breeder of eco-friendly, stress-resistant roses. Scheduled talks will cover chemical-free rose growing, integrated pest management, climate-adaptive rose selection, heritage roses and new cultivars, according to the Union-Tribune.
An Eight-Day Tour Through California's Gardens
Those who want more than five days of roses can sign up for an optional eight-day post-symposium tour running from Wednesday, May 5, through Wednesday, May 12, the society says. The trip will be led by rose expert and tour planner Paul Zimmerman, who will guide participants through some of Southern and Central California's gardens, nurseries and other destinations, per the society's description. The Union-Tribune reports the tour will also stop at estates and tourist attractions across San Diego County, the Los Angeles area and the Central Coast.
Closer to home, the National Rose Show embedded in the symposium will let attendees enter or view competitions in roses, arrangements and photography, the Union-Tribune reports. The Bahia Resort Hotel sits roughly five miles from San Diego International Airport, according to the rose society, making it a relatively easy trip for out-of-town visitors flying in for the centennial festivities.
San Diego's rose scene extends well beyond the symposium's Mission Bay venue. The Union-Tribune notes that the Inez Grant Parker Memorial Rose Garden in Balboa Park features 1,600 roses across 130 varieties, while the San Diego Botanic Garden in Encinitas spans 37 acres with more than 5,000 plant species and four miles of trails — a reminder of the deep horticultural roots the society's centennial gathering aims to honor.
