 ARS Trial Membership Form |
Vol. 22, No. 03President's Messageby May Olson T
his month I am deviating a bit to tell you about a story that started with a phone call from a bride-to-be looking for a rose called "Talisman." She's getting married in August and was looking for someone who grows Talisman roses and willing to make 3 bouquets for her wedding. The problem was that florists do not carry that rose because it is very rare/antique. She spoke with someone at Vintage Gardens and they suggested that she contact the American Rose Society's website and that is where she found my name.Apparently a distant relative had created this particular rose and said that it would mean so much to her mother to have bouquets made with Talisman roses. Well, being a romantic at heart, I set out to find this rose starting with the usual Help Me Find, Rogue Valley Roses, etc. etc. with no luck. Then I went to my "Combined Rose List" by Peter Schneider, who also happens to be the author of the latest rose book "Right Rose, Right Place" and bingo...there it was: "Talisman, HT, yb, Montgomery 1929 ARS". I e-mailed her and asked if it was a yellow rose and if the name Montgomery meant anything to her. It turned out that Montgomery was her mother's maiden name so it was her maternal grandfather who hybridized Talisman and yes, it was yellow rose and Angel Gardens in Alachua, FL does have it. I called Angel Gardens and was informed that they had a climber that was bought as a shrub and probably was a "sport," but the size of the rose would be the same and they would have plenty of roses in about six to eight weeks. I gave the info to the delighted bride-to-be, who was so very appreciative. So, the purpose of this story is that perseverance does pay and, with a little patience, you can almost always find the rose that you are looking for. Last I heard Angel Gardens was planting a couple more bushes to hopefully have enough blooms. There will be one happy bride and mother of the bride come August. I love happy endings. Adding to the usual list of Rose Haven Angels who work endlessly at pruning are Jim and Laurie Moss. We all love the fence next to the Hall of Fame made by Jim Moss. A big "thank you" for the great addition to Rose Haven. Our condolences to Peggy Whitney on the loss of her beloved husband, Vic. The packed "Celebration of Life" held at the Four Seasons Lodge was proof of his character and dedication as a husband, father and grandfather, as well as to his work. All who attended received his book titled "The Art of Trusteeship." Victor Whitney was a retired trust executive. On a happier note, Spring is right around the corner and it won't be long before Rose Haven and our own gardens surprise us once again with the exhilarating aroma and vibrant colors of roses. After all, roses are the jewels of our gardens. New Member OrientationNew members of the Temecula Valley Rose Society are invited to an orientation at Rose Haven Heritage Garden on Saturday, March 26th at 10:00 am. Many of our committee heads will be on hand to share with you our vision, goals and history. And members who have joined in January and February will be receiving a bare root rose bush of their choice. Rose Have Heritage Garden is located at 30592 Jedediah Smith Road in Temecula. Please RSVP to Kathy at (951)677-0028 before March 15th.Rose Haven Twitter PostsTo read the Twitter posts about Rose Haven Garden click here. You don't need a Twitter account to read these posts. Once there, just bookmark the page for future accesses. If you're using Internet Explorer (look for this symbol in the upper left-hand corner of your screen: Mini Day Trip To Pechanga's Great Oak Treeby Xochitl RumboldDate: March 18 Time: 12:30 PM Meet: Pechanga Gas Station Address: 45000 Pechanga Parkway The tour is free. This will be a short local trip. The Pechanga bus will pick us up at the Pechanga gas station and take us onto the reservation to see this magnificent tree. The Great Oak Tree has a lot of historical and cultural value for the Pechanga Tribe. A sign-up sheet will be available at our March 17 membership meeting. I hope that you will take advantage of this trip. April 15 Day Trip to
Xochitl Rumbold
|
Member Meeting ProgramDate: Thursday, March 17Time: 10:15 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Place: Temecula Library, Community Room (30592 Pauba Road) Speaker: Tom Shea Topic: Citrus trees The program for March should be of great interest since nearly every one in the Temecula Valley owns at least one citrus tree. The presentation is entitled "Everything you ever wanted to know about Citrus but were afraid to ask!" The presentation includes some history of citrus varieties with emphasis on some of the new exciting ones available, care of trees, plus a discussion concerning the Asian Citrus Psyllid (ACP) and HLB disease that potentially can affect every citrus tree in California. We are fortunate to have an authority on the cultivation of citrus such as Tom Shea as our speaker. Tom is a Staff Research Associate with the University of California Cooperative Extension serving Riverside County. He works in the Subtropical Horticulture Program where his primary focus is on citrus, avocado, dates and other subtropical fruits. He has also collaborated with UC Farm Advisors on lychee, longan and blueberry production. He has been involved in citrus leafminer research since 2002 in Riverside and San Diego Counties. He has been conducting ACP/HLB informational meetings to numerous garden clubs, Master Gardeners (trainees and veterans), rare fruit growers and other interested civic groups since 2008. A light buffet luncheon will be served around noon. Guests are welcome. March Birthdays & New Members
The Youth Gardening Committeehas a need for a few more pop-ups to be used in our third Saturday youth program at Rose Haven. Our program is growing and we are offering more opportunities to for the children to learn each month. As we expand we have more need for shaded areas to protect the children from the sun and make it more enjoyable for them. The pop-ups work well for us, but we need a few more. If anyone has a pop-up that you would like to donate to youth gardening or one that we could borrow, please contact me at the meeting or by phone or e-mail. Thank you. Barb Purdy Phone: (951) 526-5599 E-mail: barbpurdy@verizon.netYouth Gardening NewsHi there everyone. Here's a short summary of News.1. Our garden grows Root Vegetables very well. We have been successful with beets, turnips, radishes and potatoes. It is often difficult to have healthy root vegetables, and the success of healthy plants indicates good mineral content of our soil, especially, I think, Calcium. The carrots were doing just fine but were pulled up. In winter all things slow way down with short, cool days and cold nights. Carrots are especially valued in cold climates because they get sweeter if they freeze, and resume growing when the winter is over. They are only fast growing in summer, even then notoriously slow to sprout. Look them up on the web for more info., as they are becoming more valuable harvested when still very small, roasted with other baby veggies and served as a main course. I have been getting small carrots from local farmers and they charge quite a lot for them. They are delicious and extremely nutritious. 2. We must learn to tell new people, and remind everybody, to be very careful of the hoses and the faucets. Don't pull on them, they are not that strong. If you accidentally break something please tell someone immediately so it can be repaired. An unattended water leak can do a lot of erosion damage on our slopes, in no time at all. 3. We hope everyone is having fun and learning. Please e-mail or phone any of us with questions or to suggest new projects. So far there is enough to do for everyone, but I (Ms. Kathy) still have lots of cutting and pruning and planting in the native and dry stream areas for anyone who needs more hours. I was too sick to come out recently but I hope to be available soon. Just call if you have problems. 4. Seeds and plants are growing so slowly now that in the future we may decide not to plant at all after late October. Lettuce grows well in winter, but our site is very windy and unprotected for little babies. In just a few weeks we can plant all of the warm season crops we all love. We have been raided by something eating our seedlings. Th usual suspects are mice, squirrels, and rabbits. One theory is birds. I have seen the footprints of many crows in our beds. I know they are very hungry this time of year and fences are of no import to them: they just fly in. They are also very smart. Let's try making little cages of chicken wire around our plants with wire tops on them and see if it works. We will get wire cutters in the shed and we can use the chicken wire that is getting squashed and going to waste up there. Everyone doing this will need to bring gloves. If you have wire cutters you could bring them (please put your name on them). 5. The timer was leaking again. Mr. Howard got a much simpler hose end timer, fixed the faucet and installed it. Let's hope for the best. IF IT IS RAINING OR VERY WET ON SATURDAY, PLEASE STAY HOME. It is easy to compact the soil by trying to work in the beds when they are wet; most people will stay home if it is nasty anyway. Very Sincerely Yours, Kathy Katz. Rose Haven Updateby Bonnie BellWith the onset of March and some warmer weather the roses and other shrubs at Rose Haven are leafing-out. This is always a welcome sight and signals that spring is just around the corner. The garden is looking quite tidy after the pruning and general clean up. We greatly appreciate all the effort our volunteers have accomplished. Lyse McGonigle, in the photo below, is cheerfully pruning away in the original rose garden. 
In the undeveloped far upper corner of the garden, three arches have been installed by the Chaparral High students. Rebecca has plans for benches and old garden roses. The view from this area, looking down upon the gazebo and the entire lower garden, is spectacular. You can drive on the dirt access MWD road to check it out if you're not willing to hike up the hill. In early March a lavender bed will be planted. The project was recommended by May Olson and will be located in the vacant area between the Hall of Fame and the dry stream bed. This will be a lovely complement to the garden. Come on out and help May plant on Wednesday, March 2nd. Also, Jim Moss has completed a fence to support the beautiful climbing rose New Dawn in the Hall of Fame area which will add definition and character. Several projects were presented at the February garden committee meeting besides the lavender bed. One was from the firm Growing Organic with a completed design for the student vegetable garden in the form of a "tree of life" with paths forming the branches and trunk and plantings forming the leaves. It's an nteresting concept and we'll hear more on this later. Our next meeting will be Wednesday, March 30 at 9 a.m. Those interested are welcome to attend. The address is 30500 Jedediah Smith Road, Temecula. Member Profile: Barb Purdyby Kathy KatzBarb Purdy, our Youth Gardening Chair, was glad to finally get some space of her own after many years of living in the crowded Orient. Her husband, John, took early retirement and they bought a large property here. They chose Temecula for the excellent schools for daughter Kelly, and the great weather. Barb joined the Rose Society to learn about growing plants here in California and to find some like-minded friends. When she saw that the students from Chaparral High were able to interact with and experience the outdoors at Rose Haven, she agreed to be our Youth Gardening Chair. The space and beauty for everyone are important to her. Barb is from Montana. Winters were long and cold, summer gardens were short and sweet. She attended Montana State, earning a teaching degree in Biology. She was especially interested in human and animal physiology . Her interest in plants developed later. When a friend in Seattle needed a roommate, Barb was off on the first leg of a long travel. Seattle was warm and verdant after Montana. She worked first in a bank, then found a job she loved, substitute teaching. She met husband John, a Michigan State graduate, and when he was offered a transfer to California they relocated. The Purdy's lived in Orange County for five years. During this time Barb found a great match for her interests in Biology by selling pharmaceuticals. They added two lively beagles to the family, keeping them busy when not at work. Just when they thought they were settled in California an opportunity came along for John to lead Herbalife's operations in Japan. The Purdy's volunteered. Barb had no idea at the time that she was pregnant with Kelly. Talk about adventure: She decided to have her child there, so John could attend, a rather courageous decision. She hunted out just he right doctor, who went on vacation a couple of days before she needed an emergency c-section. No English, no explanations, the replacement doctor made do at a tiny hospital. Luckily, all went well and they find themselves the parents of a gifted daughter. They were in Japan 5-1/2 years, 2 years back here and then in Hong Kong for 3-1/2 years. Imagine. They traveled just about everywhere in the East; Kuala Lumpur, Indonesia, Thailand, Korea, New Zealand, Australia and more. They had live in help, so could come and go as needed for work and pleasure. Hong Kong is an incredible place of indescribable diversity. They found a great school there for Kelly, on the island where they lived, Discovery Bay. Kelly learned to play the flute and act in school plays. Barb worked and volunteered in the school and stayed very busy and happy that way. John was looking for new challenges; he found a company in Los Angeles that needed his services. Barb does some substitute teaching and volunteers with us and The T.V. Womens Club. She also does most of the work with a challenging new beagle pup, Oliver. Kelly plans to attend T.V. High next year. Barb is a joy to work with and we are so lucky and happy to have her in our Society. |
) you can bookmark the page by right-clicking on the page then selecting Add to favorites. The bookmark will show up as "Rambling Rose (TemRoseHaven) on Twitter". You only need a Twitter account if you want to "Follow" our posts within Twitter. If you do then you can post replies (Tweets, they're called) to our Twitter page for others to follow.
Rose Care FUNdamentalsby Frank Brines, Consulting Rosarian H aving pruned your roses last month (you did prune your roses, right?), you should see new coppery-red foliage that is about two to three inches long. The weather of late has been very cool to cold nights which will have influence on how quickly the new foliage will grow. I hope the new growth was not frost damaged on your roses--it's a risk one takes every year when deciding when to prune. The cold rain continues to keep ground temperatures low thus discouraging plant recovery into new growth. Truthfully, i think they are as confused as we are. Whether or not your roses have sprouted, you might want to apply lime sulfur dormant spray in order to prevent disease fungi on surface debris from spreading to new growth. Follow the directions on the label. In a new rose garden, or with newly pruned roses that haven't sprouted, you will thoroughly wet all canes and the surrounding soil. For roses that have sprouted, you have to be more careful in your application, so be sure to follow the "growing season instructions" on the label.
Now's the time to begin a feeding regimen. To give roots a boost at the start of the season, sprinkle superphosphate (available at home stores and nurseries) on the soil surface at a rate of 1 lb for every 10 square feet. Lightly water it into the soil. Also sprinkle 1/2 cup to 1 cup of Epson Salts around the base of each plant. (Use half as much for minis and mini-floras.) Given that your roses are about as bare as they're going to be for the rest of the year, you might take time to inspect and repair your irrigation system. Drip systems are the most thrifty, and they avoid the problems of above-ground sprayers and sprinklers which waste water and can foster molds (mildew and rust). Make sure your irrigation system is in good working order; for example, make sure all the emitters are delivering the expected amount of water and that there are no leaks. Top your rose bed off with a 2" to 4" layer of organic composted mulch. If you've read this column for more than a month or so, you know that I'm a big believer in composted mulch! It's best covering the entire rose bed. It will help supply nutrients for beneficial soil organism that transport these nutrients deeper into the soil and even into the plant. |
While naturally adding nutrients through leaching it will also insulate the upper 8" to 12" where most rose roots feed, keeping it cooler in summer and warmer in winter. Mulch also helps prevent water loss and evens out the soil moisture.
For your regular feeding program, I recommend that you avoid products that describe themselves as "systemic." These contain insecticide and/or fungicide (mold killer) that enter the plant through the leaves and roots, and circulate within it. I avoid such products for two reasons. First, because much of the product ends up washing into the soil, you are laying waste to a wide range of soil organisms, including beneficial ones, thus making your soil less diverse and dynamic—this can only be bad in the long run for your plants. Secondly, because these poisons circulate within the plant, there's a chance that the bad bugs will feed on the poison and be eaten by beneficial insects, such as the praying mantis and lady bug; because these predators are further up the food chain, they concentrate the poisons and can be killed by them too. Also, I recommend organic fertilizers, as vs. inorganic or "chemical" ones, because organics are less concentrated (thus less likely to burn), and their nutrients are released more slowly. This fosters better soil development, making for a richer, livelier, and more viable soil that is able to break the elements into an easily absorbed form and releases them slowly to the plants. As your soil develops, you'll be able to use less and less product and save money in the process. Our area has had good rains, so fertilizing now is opportune. If you can't feed now, while the soil is moist and the plants are well hydrated, be sure to water them the day before you do begin fertilizing. (Never feed a dry plant!) A typical feeding program involves applying products every two to four weeks. You can decide what works best for you, your soil, and your roses. Alternate using dry and liquid foods. For example, for the first application, use any good non-systemic organic brand of fertilizer; for the next application (two to four weeks later), apply diluted fish emulsion to help boost the micro-nutrients necessary for good plant health and disease resistance. For more ideas, visit TVRS' Rose Haven garden at 30500 Jedediah Smith Road, Temecula, as well as our web site: TemeculaValleyRosesociety.org/index.shtml. |
Jump to page top.