Category: Auction items

My husband and I were living in Mexico City in 1989 and each Saturday we shopped at the local fruit and vegetable market near our apartment. On one of those visits, I purchased a wide-brimmed palm hat that I thought would be great for gardening in the hot sun back home in Texas.

My family has a history of skin cancer, so the strong sun protection was important – and I knew other gardeners would also love this sun protection. After consulting with the commercial hat factories in Mexico, we were eventually introduced to the village in Mexico where Tula hats continue to be produced. The residents have been producing palm hats for over four centuries. We have been honored to work with such a wonderful group of people and have developed a special friendship and trust with the hat makers.

Hats are needed for everyday sun protection, so I strive to design hats that make the wearer feel good and look their best. My customers can be wearing anything from jeans to cute summer dresses and have the health benefits of wearing a UPF 50+ sun protective hat that is also fashionable.

The Tula hat line is available in many wonderful garden centers, boutiques and shops across the United States and Canada. Please visit our store locator for more information about where to buy Tula.

My mission is to continue to provide straw hats that are affordable and easy to wear as well as protect the skin and look good on!

See Silent Auction items #45 and #46.

---

We are thrilled to share this exquisite rose bracelet and matching lapel pin, donated by Lynda Fleming — Trustee of the ARS Rose Research Trust, Past President of the Gateway Rose Society, and member of the Greater Milwaukee Rose Society.

The inspiration behind this beautiful set comes from Lynda’s own interpretation of the work of Cary Bruner, “Clover Fields,” and Sandy Bachand, “Rose Petal Posy.” The result is a truly unique piece created especially with rose enthusiasts in mind.

The bracelet and pin feature approximately 88 Swarovski crystals, including bicones, round crystals, and margarita crystals. The petals, brick beads, seed beads, and crystal pearls are from Czechoslovakia, while the box clasp is crafted from sterling silver.

The presentation is just as lovely! Lynda has included a decorative jewelry box with an anti-tarnish tab beneath the black square paper. Under the lid, you’ll also find an anti-tarnish zip-top bag, which the buyer can use for additional storage if preferred.

This is more than jewelry — it is a handcrafted celebration of roses, artistry, and the creativity of a fellow rose lover.

Be sure to keep an eye out for this special treasure in the Medley of Roses Silent Auction – Item #40!

---

We have many exciting items up for grabs in the Silent Auction during the Medley of Roses – 2026 ARS National Convention & Rose Show!

The Silent Auction will be open Friday, October 2, through Saturday, October 3, 2026. Bidding will close promptly at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, with checkout beginning at 4:00 p.m. Payment may be made with credit card, check or cash (exact change, please).

Start Shopping!

Click here for the list of auction items and make a note of the item numbers for anything that catches your eye. You’ll be ready to bid when the auction opens!

We are incredibly grateful to all of our generous donors who have provided an exciting selection of rose- and garden-related items for you to enjoy.

Happy bidding—and may the best rose lover win!

---

Taylor Wiedemann is a Nashville-based still life painter whose floral paintings have been exhibited nationally. Taylor is donating a framed, original still life painting featuring roses grown right here in Nashville. The finished painting will be unveiled at the auction, but below are some examples of Taylor’s floral work to offer a glimpse of her distinctive style.

Taylor has exhibited at Dacia Gallery, the Salmagundi Club, the Loveland Museum of Art and Culture, The Custom House Museum, and Arts Center East, and many other art venues across the country. She is a Signature Member of American Women Artists, a Full Juried Member of the Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club, and a member of the International Guild of Realism.

Visit www.taylorwiedemann.com to see more of Taylor’s work.

---

Plan to do some shopping at the Medley of Roses – 2026 ARS National Convention and Rose Show. There will be plenty of items in the Silent Auction (Friday evening and Saturday morning) to pique your interest. One of our favorite is a rose picture hand painted by Nashville Rose Society member, Laudi McDonald – the finished size is 16 by 19 with frame. Lodi is her artistic name.

After emigrating to the United States from Lebanon in 1990 to escape the civil war, Laudi put herself through physical therapy school and enjoyed a successful career as a physical therapist.

In 2000, while newly married and living in a townhouse, she began growing roses in containers. Although she stepped away from rose gardening for a time due to rose disease problems, joining the Nashville Rose Society gave her the knowledge and confidence to successfully grow roses again.

Upon retiring from physical therapy in 2018, Laudi discovered a passion for painting. After experimenting with a variety of subjects, she found her greatest inspiration in animals and flowers—especially roses. Her love of roses has deep family roots, as both her grandmother and mother grew them in Lebanon’s mild climate. Growing roses in Tennessee presented new challenges, but with the support and education of fellow rosarians, she has continued that family tradition.

Laudi has generously donated this beautiful original rose painting to support the 2026 American Rose Society National Convention. We are grateful for her talent, generosity, and enduring love of roses. Laudi’s painting is Item #5 at the Silent Auction.

---

A highlight of the Medley of Roses – 2026 ARS National Convention & Rose Show will once again be the live auction of a stunning handmade queen-size quilt created by the talented team of Kathy Wyckoff and Jo Pederson.

Kathy expertly machine-pieced the quilt top, while Jo custom quilted it using a hand-guided machine in an elegant rose pattern. Measuring 90” × 100”, this beautiful quilt is both machine washable and dryer safe, making it as practical as it is beautiful.

Ever wonder how many hours go into creating a quilt like this? Excluding the time spent selecting fabrics and cutting hundreds of pieces, Kathy estimates that more than 20 hours were devoted to piecing the quilt top alone. Jo then invested another 20-plus hours professionally quilting the finished piece. The result is a one-of-a-kind work of art that reflects exceptional skill, patience, and craftsmanship.

Be sure to attend the live auction for your chance to take home this extraordinary heirloom-quality quilt!

---

The theme for Medley of Roses – 2026 ARS National Convention & Rose Show Friday reception is “(I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden”, the title of Lynn Anderson’s legendary hit song from 1970. Lynn won a Grammy for Best Country Vocal Performance in 1971 and received gold certification. Lisa Sutton, daughter of Lynn Anderson, has generously donated her mother’s cowgirl hat with roses.

The hat will be featured as one of the items in our live auction at the Saturday banquet.

The ‘Lynn Anderson’ rose, featured on the hat, was hybridized by Joseph F. Winchel in 1995 and introduced by Weeks. The rose is a beautiful creamy pink hybrid tea with exhibition form and long stems. The rose has won Queen of the show many times in the past. It is lightly fragrant, disease resistant, and blooms continually.

The ‘Lynn Anderson’ rose gradually fell out of commerce as more new roses were introduced. Lisa worked diligently to reintroduce the rose. She created a living legacy to her mother with the Lynn Anderson Rose Memorial Garden in Woodlawn Memorial Park in Nashville. Jeff Duffer from Dignity Memorial, helped design the garden which has over 100 Lynn Anderson roses. The garden was dedicated in memory of her mom.

---