Growing roses in Colorado: tips, events, and Pikes Peak Rose Society insights

Apr 27, 2026 01:15PM ● By Lisa Lowdermilk

Few flowers carry as much symbolism as the rose. With velvety petals and thorny stems, roses have long represented love, beauty and heartbreak.

They may look delicate, but local gardeners say roses are surprisingly well-suited to Colorado’s dry climate—and easier to grow than many people think.

“You just have to have the right plant in the right place,” said Anita Eckley, who grows more than 500 roses at her Colorado Springs home.

Eckley is a member of the Pikes Peak Rose Society, a group founded in 1996 that brings together gardeners of all experience levels. Her husband, Mike, is the club’s current president.

The society hosts monthly meetings from February through October focused on pruning, fertilizing, soil management and container gardening. Members also help apartment dwellers and others with limited space learn how to grow roses in pots or on patios.

Eckley’s interest in roses began in her parents’ garden and grew into a lifelong pursuit. When she and Mike moved to Colorado from Nebraska 12 years ago, she brought 200 roses with her.

“They’re so beautiful, they make my heart stop,” she said.

Eckley follows the Earth-Kind method, developed by horticulturist Dr. David Zlesak, which focuses on low-maintenance care. Roses are watered regularly in the first two years, then require little to no additional water after that.

“I wanted to grow roses that didn’t require a lot of fuss,” Eckley said.

Eckley belonged to the American Rose Society for 10 years before becoming a certified Earth-Kind specialist. In recognition of her success with the method, Zlesak named a rose after her.

Pikes Peak Rose Society offers several ways to get involved beyond its monthly meetings, including its annual rose sale on May 9. The sale begins at 10 a.m. and runs until plants sell out at the Chapel at Evergreen Cemetery, 1005 Hancock Expressway, in Colorado Springs.

The group’s biggest public event is the Pikes Peak Rose Show on June 27 at the Peel House at First Lutheran Church, 1515 N. Cascade Ave. in Colorado Springs. The show opens to the public at 2 p.m. and gives visitors a chance to see everything from specimen blooms and sprays to artistic rose displays.

Eckley and other members volunteer their time planting and maintaining roses in public spaces, including the Never Forget Garden at Evergreen Cemetery in Colorado Springs. The garden honors fallen service members through a nationwide initiative between the American Rose Society and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Membership in the Pikes Peak Rose Society costs $20 a year and includes access to experienced rosarians, seeds and gardening supplies, educational programs and a monthly newsletter, which Eckley puts together.

Members like the Eckleys are also eager to help new growers get started.

“My husband and I have a long history of community service, and we will travel to you,” said Eckley.

That support, members say, is part of what makes the group special. As late past president Robert Martin once put it, “You come for the roses and stay for the friendships.”

To learn more, visit PikesPeak RoseSociety.org or call 719-357-6736.

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