Temecula Valley Rose Society

President's Message

Our July "Sunset Celebration" was very nice and enjoyed by everyone. Please mark your calendar for the next one on Friday, August 19th. This is such a nice way to enjoy each other's company, get to know everyone on a more personal level and enjoy our beautiful garden.

A few of us had the pleasure of enjoying Carrin Greenfield's presentation on how to grill vegetables freshly picked from the Tree of Life. It was so good that we hope she will consider a repeat performance.

We send our deepest condolences to Simon Arnould for the loss of her husband, Jacques who passed away on July 12. The beautiful service was held at Miller-Jones Mortuary in Sun City and attended by members of the Rose Society, theGarden Club and the Art League.

As a reminder for all our new members, the Board meets every
  Thursday and our General Meeting meets every 3rd Thursday. This month's Board Meeting will be held at the home of Ron and Sochie Rumbold. Our thanks to the Rumbolds for opening their beautiful home to us.

Report from the Tree of Life garden

Veggie grilling at Rose Haven went very well Saturday. We picked some of everything that was ripe and ready. We learned two different techniques from Carrin G. Both, and began with cutting the veggies into small bite sized pieces and marinating in olive oil with lots of herbs and spices. We then folded the beets into a foil packet and threw them on the grill. Then the squash, tomatoes, peppers and whatever else went into a special pan with lots of holes in it. It wasn't long until all were cooked. Delicious. All the basil, thyme, sage, curry, and cumin are ready for people to pick. We need to get the flowers off the basil. Please enjoy.

I have tried to make sure that one of us checked on the veggie garden each day all summer, since the installation is new. We had some giant water leaks at first, then it got too dry. After July 27 I will be gone for about ten days. If anyone could check the water once in a while? Nadav and his employee John can be phoned, if needed. You all know my number.

The Tree of Life has been weeded once, but there are lots more weeds growing now. While the tomatoes are producing fine, it would be better if the trellis' were set up over them so they could climb and get off the ground. (The pounder will be in the shed. The stakes are up there on the ground.) I sincerely need help getting the rest of the dead Star Thistles into the dumpster. It is really easy to put them on the blue tarp, gather the corners, and slide them down the hill.

On a personal note, I gave in and got shots in my hip and back. They have not helped me much and it seems I will probably not get much better. Surgery is not recommended as it is a scar tissue rather than a bone-on-bone situation. While I should never pull weeds or carry anything really heavy, the light things you see me do are not likely to make things worse. Sitting down and bending really hurts, but I do what I can. I really appreciate all that you have done to help me.

P.S. We have another Yucca growing up and getting ready to bloom close to the one that has seeds on it now. (We will throw that one out after we harvest the seeds). Also, the Desert Willows are in full bloom, and they're just lovely. I will be able to get e-mails, Instant msgs and phone calls while gone. Sincerely, Kathy.

Sunset Celebration at Rose Haven Garden

Time for our next informal evening get-together to celebrate summer and enjoy our beautiful garden with the company of other rose lovers and friends. Bring your own picnic food, tableware, beverage, and a dessert to share (optional). We had such a great time last month we hope to see you all again. Take a look at the photos.

 

Member Meeting Program

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

July & Aug Birthdays & New Members

Little Rose Show Results - June 2011

Rose Haven Update

August in the garden is a wonderful time. As the roses and plants are taking a summer break, so are we. Please stop by Rose Haven at your convenience and relax in the picnic area, embrace the quietness of the pond, stroll through the garden, and enjoy the soft summer breeze. Recently a mother duck and her brood of ten ducklings walked through the garden and jumped into the pond. What a delightful sight. You just never know what you will see.

Do you remember words by the Beetles "We get by with a little help from our friends"? Well, our neighbor with the alpacas brought his tractor and moved a huge pile of mulch out of the RCWD driveway and placed it next to the ROP Student area where it will be spread. Thanks so much, neighbor. In the 'Tree of Life' garden there are vegetables galore. Please take a look at this exciting area and how it is flourishing. Before we know it, it will be time to plant a winter crop.

A Sunset Celebration in the garden is scheduled Friday evening, August 19th at 6:00 p.m. It's a fun happening you don't want to miss. Also, keep in mind the 'Last Rose of Summer' event planned for Saturday, October 8th. More details on this later.

The next garden committee meeting will be Wednesday, August 24th at 9 a.m. All those interested are invited to attend. The address is 30592 Jedediah Smith Road, Temecula.

Keep up-to-date with our garden activities and photos on www.twitter.com/TemRoseHaven.

 

Rose Care FUNdamentals

After the June flush of blooms, you should have allowed the rose hips to form. The hips are the seed pods below the petals. Only remove the petals to maintain a cleaner garden bed and prevent any diseases from hiding in the rose debris or on the ground. Continue with consistent and adequate watering and reduced feeding program. However, make some adjustment for fertilizing for this experiment: Use a fertilizer low in Nitrogen (N), high in Phosphate (P), and higher in Potassium (K) than Nitrogen. (You can use organic or inorganic products, although I prefer organic.) If the package doesn't indicate the NPK, a good nurseryman or fertilizer supplier should be able to help determine this for you.

Plan on a light to medium pruning in late August or early September. This should produce blooms in about six to eight weeks. The first time you fertilize after that pruning should have a high ratio of Nitrogen–use what you were using in the spring–but I will remind you of this in next month's column. Anyone can use this procedure. Keep records of when and what you used to fertilize, water, prune, etc. I'll ask you to email me what you did and how it worked for you in future columns. I hope to get many reports, yours included!

As a side note: A portion of my rose garden now has shade cloth installed over it. I have noticed a difference in the quality of blooms and foliage during July. There has been a reduced burning of petals from the direct intense summer heat. I plan to extend this cover over the garden each July until cooler weather arrives in the fall.

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