Temecula Valley Rose Society

President's Message

This month is a good time for all members to think about what you would like to be involved in for the following year. All committees need your creative input to help come up with ideas that will help us reach our goals for the coming year, and expand our appeal to the public in general. So....put on your thinking caps and I'll see you at the next meeting.

Last Rose of Summer

What a blast we had at the Last Rose of Summer event all made possible by the tremendous effort by Ann Coakes and her fundraising team. The swing band was perfectly placed to enjoy the music while Ann cooked her heart out. Beautiful baskets brought in extra bucks as Bernice Wendt held an auction. Thank you one and all who worked on bringing this event to fruition. The proceeds will be used for maintenance of our beautiful Rose Haven Garden. Pictures can be viewed on our website at http://temeculavalleyrosesociety.org/projects.shtml#lastrose.

Ann Coakes & Friends

Benign Neglect Works

My White Lady Banks Rose is in full bloom. I have grown them for years, both colors and in many plant zones, and while occasionally there will be a few blooms out of season, I have never seen anything like this. Part of the plant and the roots are under shade cloth, it does not get a lot of water or any fertilizer, I never prune it. Strange.

The Formal Garden

Member Meeting Program

The Spring 2010 gardens of members Don Nordike and Lenore Vogel were photographed by our speaker. Ken will share a slideshow of these gardens with us today. Ken will also give us pointers on how to take our own garden photos.

Ken was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, graduated from Washington State University in 1968 in Hotel Administration, raised a family in the Seattle area, worked as a food service manager for several restaurant companies before entering the contract food service business with ARAMARK Corporation at the Boeing Company. He moved to So Cal in 2006 and retired in 2008.

Like so many people he viewed photography as an exercise in just taking pictures. During the 70s and 80s he did use a Canon AE-1 film camera to capture family moments but really never took photography seriously until 2008 when he retired from the food service management. First of all, going from a project manager position to retirement was liking hitting a brick wall.he needed something to do! For what seemed like the first time in his life he had the time and resources to focus on photography as a hobby.

Ken uses a Nikon D90 as his camera body and a variety of lens. He prefers outdoor photography and enjoys planning trips with photography as at least a secondary goal. He has also made photography a part time business. Through KENZ LENZ Photography he has sold his photography work and restored old photographs for clients.

Ken is a member of Photo Artists Network, a camera group affiliated with the Riverside Art Museum. His work has been exhibited at Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Riverside, the Corona Public Library, and the Riverside Art Museum. This year his work has been entered in juried art fairs in both Carlsbad and San Clemente. Also this year he was awarded "Best of Show" and Blue Ribbon Award for Still Life in the Annual Photography Contest of the Temecula Valley Computer Users Group.

A light buffet luncheon will be served around noon. Guests are welcome.

November Birthdays & New Members

Little Rose Show Results – October Meeting

Thanks to everyone who entered the show. Transporting and prepping can be a nerve-wracking task, so we all appreciate your effort. And my sincere thanks goes out to Bonnie Bell, Phyllis Bettelheim and Roberta Costa who managed the show at the last minute, because I was not well enough to be there myself. It's great to have friends!
Virginia Boos

Rose Haven Update

What a pretty picture the fall foliage is providing at the garden. The roses are blooming, succulents are popping with color, and water-wise plants are bountiful. With the cooler weather it's the perfect time to come on out and walk about.

At our recent garden planning meeting we discussed grants, erosion control, irrigation, Hall of Fame plans, and a stable for the Ramblin' Rose Pony. Our next garden committee meeting is Saturday, November 20th. Our assignment after the meeting is to 'tag' dying roses in order to plan for replacements. Your suggestions for well-performing roses in our area would be greatly appreciated.

Our volunteers (gardening angels) are enjoying reduced work and cooler weather, and we still show up Wednesday and Saturday mornings to tidy up. In October we employed a landscape company to perform heavy work cleaning up the garden. Your contribution to the Last Rose of Summer event made this possible, as well as providing for future large maintenance needs. Thank you all so much for your support.

The address to the garden is 30500 Jedediah Smith Road, Temecula, and a map may be found on our website.

Our roses aren't quite ready to sleep yet and therefore are still hungry and thirsty. It would be good to fertilize until the middle of November with a low-nitrogen/high phosphate product; for example, fish emulsion, which provides plenty of micronutrients, too. Remember what the "NPK" numbers on fertilizer packages mean: "N" is nitrogen, "P" is Phosphorous, and "K" is Potassium. But what do those numbers really mean? Two things:

1) The numbers indicate how concentrated the product is on a per pound basis. For example, a product labeled "6-6-6" contains six times the concentration of N, P, and K per pound than does a product marked "1-1-1." This is why it's important to follow the package directions: If you applied the same amount of 6-6-6 to a garden as you did 1-1-1, you'd likely cause "fertilizer burn."

2) The numbers indicate the relative proportions of each nutrient. For example, a product marked 4-2-2 contains twice the amount of nitrogen as it does either phosphorous or potassium. When I suggest you apply a product that is "low nitrogen product," I mean the first number should be lower than the second and third.

As always, water your plants 24 hours before feeding to avoid fertilizer burn. Also, start cutting back the amount of water you apply now that the cooler temperatures have arrived. Roses like moist (but not wet) soil.

This is a great month to get garden catalogs and to order new roses to plant early next year-do it now, so you won't be disappointed later. Making plans now will make gardening easier and more fun. And because the weather is still warm and the soil slightly moist but not damp, it's also a good time to prepare the site for those new roses. Many nersuries will be preordering or will have new plants arriving soon for our best selections--visit early!

First, dig up the roses you want to get rid of. (Consider giving the old roses to friends, or bring them to the Temecula Valley Rose Society monthly meeting to be raffled off, or pot them up and save them for the Rose Haven Spring Plant Sale next May.) Next, fill the hole that's left behind with good rose potting soil and/or composted mulch; mix thoroughly. (If it's a spot that has never been planted, dig a hole about 18" deep and 18"-24" in diameter, remove about a third of the native soil, and mix what's left with rose potting soil and/or composted mulch.) Tamp down the soil. Between now and January or February, when you get ready to plant your new roses, the soil will have settled and been colonized by earthworms and other beneficial organisms.

One last thing: While the weather is relatively warm and dry, a Fall clean up will reduce the population of overwintering pests that are hiding in debris-and give you a jump on your cleanup for the spring and a healthier garden next year.

With all that done, sit back, relax, and enjoy the busy holidays ahead! For ideas visit TVRS' Rose Haven garden at 30500 Jedediah Smith Road, Temecula, as well as our web site at TemeculaValleyRosesociety.org/index.shtml.