Temecula Valley Rose Society

President's Message

With rising costs in almost everything our dues still remain the same: Single membership $25.00, Family membership $30.00, Lifetime membership $250.00, new member badges $10.00. Please think about becoming a lifetime member so that you won't have to worry about paying dues every year. Also, make sure to include any changes for our next roster when you fill out your membership form (i.e. address, home phone, cell phone and what committee you would like to join, if any). We are still in need of volunteers for our Blooming Angels, which is part of our Outreach Committee.

On December 16 we will replace our normal membership meeting with our Holiday Luncheon and Installation of Officers. We hope to see you all there.

A very special and grateful thank you to our wonderful Newsletter Editor, John Weersing, for an over-and-above job well done. Happy Holidays to each and everyone of you.

New Society Sponsor

Grow Organic at Home will give a discount to all Rose Society members. GOAH's goal is "to bring amazing farming technologies that work in Israel to everyone who wants to grow their own fresh organic food right in their own backyard!" In addition to their online store they have a location at 24837 Jefferson Avenue, Ste. 205, Murrieta (near the corner of Juniper).

We're Using Twitter!

Membership Renewal Data

This is a little reminder that it is time for your Membership renewal to the Rose Society. Single membership is $25.00, and the family membership is $30.00. Please mail your completed renewal form with your payment to:

An Appeal from Frank Brines

2011 January Happenings

Saturday, January 15: 3rd Saturday 'Kids in the Garden'

Thursday, January 20: 'Miniature Roses' will be the program topic for our member meeting. Do you grow minis in your garden? Do you grow them in the ground or in pots? Please contact me at temroses@gmail.com if you would like to share your experiences with your fellow Society members.

Thursday, January 20: After refreshments, we begin our Rose Haven Docent Training with our Society Consulting Rosarians serving as instructors. Please contact me at temroses@gmail.com to register for the training. The training consists of three 45 minute classroom sessions (January 20, February 17, and March 17) and three 1 hour Rose Haven garden sessions (January 22, February 19, and March 19). Those participating in the Docent Training should plan on volunteering for the Public Pruning Demonstration on Saturday, January 29.

Saturday, January 29: Public Pruning Demonstration, 9 a.m. to noon. Member volunteers welcome.

News from the Upper Gardens

Chaparral High School students have been working diligently at Rose Haven since last spring. A small core group worked almost daily through the summer digging beds in which to plant vegetables. As soon as beds were dug they began planting Swiss Chard, tomatoes, potatoes, and beets and have had generally good success with their harvests. As with all gardening, there has also been opportunities to learn from failure.

When school started in August the students found a science teacher willing to be their advisor and they have formed a garden club "Green Thumbs." Recently the group was interviewed for an article in the Press-Enterprise. Any member who enjoys growing fruits / vegetables and would like to volunteer please contact Barb Purdy (email barbpurdy@verizon.net).

All the plants in the Upper Gardens had frozen to the ground. We ripped out all the dead stuff and put it to compost. We got only two pumpkins, one still green, but pretty. Next year we will plant earlier.

We dug up the potatoes and took them home. It was the first time most of us had seen how potatoes grow. If there are any potatoes green when sliced open, do not eat them. They either got too much sun or froze. Either way they are not good to eat. (Green potato FAQs here).

We broke a glass table top and need to figure out a good way to replace it with something less breakable. Maybe plastic or wood. If anyone has any good ideas, let us know.

More terrace beds have been formed. The first winter crop in these beds will be wheat. Should we also try terraces of oats and/or barley? Grains look beautiful growing and this is the time of year to plant them here. In the past this area, and a lot of Baja California, was planted with grains for beer, hay, and bread. They were raised as dryland crops with no irrigation, only winter rain. No rain, no food.

Sunflower planting dates: The back of the package says to plant at the end of March. Look up average last frost dates and figure from there. Just know, if the babies get frosted, forget it. Maybe we could start them in pots, but they do not really grow fast until there are long days and warm temps. Remember, their faces follow the sun. Today was even colder than Friday: 28 degrees at my house. We will be lucky if the cold didn't nip our little orange tree. We will have to examine it for damage.

Member Meeting Program

Our annual Holiday Feast Extravaganza will follow the installation of our 2011 Board of Directors and Officers. Sochie Rumbold will be our Mistress of Ceremonies for the installation.

A thank you to Stater Brothers for donating a roasted turkey to our Society. In addition, the Society will provide a ham. (Thanks to Ron Rumbold who does the honors as Master Carver.) Members, please bring your favorite salad, side dish, or dessert to share. Oh, and you will need to bring a hearty appetite as we always have plenty of food! Guests are welcome.

December Birthdays & New Members

Little Rose Show Results - November

There were more entries this time, an indication that the weather is changing, becoming cooler with more moisture. Many blue ribbons (first place) were awarded. Thanks to all of you who participated. It's a great learning experience.

Rose Haven Update

The Holiday's are here. Are you looking for a quiet respite from all your activities? Come on out and visit our garden. Some of our December days can be mild enough for a picnic, or a walk up and down the pathways for some much needed exercise. The view from the gazebo is quite spectacular. There are plenty of roses and various plants to enjoy, and the pond is a serene delight.

Our garden committee meeting was rained out in November, so the replacement date is Wednesday, December 8th at 9:00 a.m. We will identify which roses need to be removed and plan for their replacement. Also to be discussed would be our participation in the Earth-Kind rose project. You know, those roses that need less care – like Knock-Out. An area at Rose Haven would be set aside as a demonstration garden for especially low maintenance roses.

There's not much work to do in the garden for December, but come January the pruning begins. Hope to see you all then.

Rose Haven is at 30500 Jedediah Smith Road, Temecula. Please go to our website for additional information and photos.

Roses & Companion Plants

Member Profile: Simonne Arnould

Simonne was born and raised on the Caribbean island of Martinique; her youth included swimming in the warm sea, boating, and horseback riding with her brother and two sisters.

When she was eighteen and graduated, finshed with school, she sailed to France to continue her education. She studied Optometry, returned to Martinique and worked with her father in his optical store. She visited her brother, also in optometry, in Montreal and decided to stay. She earned her Optical Diploma, then worked in the optical department at T. Eaton Co. where she met her husband Jacques, also an optician. They married and had a daughter, Nicole, who many of us know from Rose Society meetings.

Eight years in Canada was awfully cold for our tropical lady and her French man; the winters were physically hard on them. When an opportunuty to work in a Beverly Hills optometrist's office was presented, with daughter Nicole, they reclaimed the sun. They had some glamorous years there, with movie stars and celebrities for clients.

In 1968 Jacques opened his own Optical Shop in Glendora. Later, Simone opened a store in Escondido, which she ran for 25 years. She travelled back and forth from Escondido during the week to their home in Hacienda Heights on week-ends. She maintains strong ties with friends and business associates from Escondido and remains in Soroptomist International and the National Organization of Female Executives.

She and Jacques bought their home in Murrieta and retired after Nicole and her family moved there. They have travelled extensively, enjoyed retirement, enjoy being near their daughter and grandchildren. Simonne has served as President of the Art League and is very active with that group, and paints beautifully.

At present, Jacques is not well, leaving Simonne with her hands full. We all think of her and appreciate her gracious presence and leadership whenever she can join us.

You still have time to follow last month's suggestions. Those included preparing the planting sites for new roses that you'll put into the ground in January or February. That advance preparation gives the soil a chance to settle down and become colonized by the good soil critters. You should also take some time to clear away debris on the soil surface; that will save you a lot of time and anguish later because it eliminates or reduces the presence of many diseases, harmful fungi, and other critters spending their winter vacations in your garden. A new layer of composted mulch is recommended any time before Spring -it can prevent all of the pests mentioned above, some spreading by splashing rain. We've already had a very welcome rain, but still a little bit below average. As predicted, the unstable La Nina forming out in the Pacific hasn't decided if it will bring us more moisture or present us with a drier winter.

I do encourage you to take a stroll through your garden every day or two just to keep appraised of its condition or need of any attention, and to imagine the great blooms you're going to have in the spring! Hopefully, you did a major ground clean-up from under and around the plants last month, including fallen petals, leaves and weeds.

Oh!! And let me make a last-minute plea: Rose Haven Heritage Garden needs more composted mulch. This year you can be one of Santa's little helpers by pledging a cash donation to buy a cubic yard or more of mulch. Every little bit will help replenish the dressing for our magnificent public gaden and at the same time help us use water more efficiently. Contact me at the next meeting or send me an e-mail at roseguy@aol.com. All donations from anywhere will be accepted. Until next month, I wish you all the best holiday wishes!

For more ideas, visit TVRS' Rose Haven garden at 30500 Jedediah Smith Road, Temecula, as well as our web site: TemeculaValleyRosesociety.org/index.shtml.