About

Paul Zimmerman

Common-sense gardening with roses — in person or remotely via the virtual world.

Paul is one of the original founders of the Tinseltown Rose Society, serving as Vice President under Tommy Cairns and then President for two years thereafter. He has written numerous award-winning articles for The Rose, the national magazine and annual of the American Rose Society, as well as other gardening magazines. He hosts the blog “Roses Are Plants, Too” on Fine Gardening magazine’s website, is an active Consulting Rosarian and “Cyber CR,” lectures internationally, and has served as an international juror for numerous rose trials.

While living in Los Angeles, Paul founded and ran “Hundred Acre Woods Rosescaping,” a company specializing in the care, design and installation of rose gardens — particularly Antique, Shrub and David Austin roses. It is this hands-on experience with roses in a general garden setting that he draws on for his talks, videos, articles and workshops.

A first-generation American, Paul’s family comes from the Netherlands, a country rich in nursery traditions. After a childhood in Miami, Florida, he left after high school for the University of Texas at Austin, where he majored in Aerospace Engineering.

Quickly realizing he did not want to be a rocket scientist, Paul did the next logical thing and enrolled in clown school — the Dell’Arte School of Mime & Comedy in northern California, to be precise.

After several years touring the country in a 1968 VW camper, he settled in Los Angeles and turned his career toward stand-up comedy, touring for some twelve years with appearances on many of the popular TV shows featuring stand-up comedians. Along the way he met his partner Pam Stone — also a stand-up comedian and actress, perhaps better known as “Judy Watkins” of the ABC sitcom Coach, and host of the syndicated Pam Stone Show.

After two years as head writer on an ABC television show, Paul decided to return to his first love: gardening and roses. He and Pam left Los Angeles and now reside on their horse farm in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Pam is an accomplished dressage rider who has competed at international levels and continues to ride when she isn’t hosting her radio show. They live on the farm with their horses, dogs and cats — and, of course, several hundred roses.

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Speaking history, publications, trials judged, and more.

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