Temecula Valley Rose Society

President's Message

• April 5 - 6: The 41st annual UC Riverside Botanic Gardens Spring Plant Sell. www.gardens.ucr.edu.

• April 5: Glendale Arizona Rose Society annual rose show, http://www.roseglenaz.com/rose%20show.htm.

• April 24: Garden Tour of Grand Traditions Estate and Gardens, Fallbrook. $5 admission or $15 for admission and your choice of box lunch; contact Jeanne Brubaker (bru_1@msn.com) with your reservation no later than Monday April 21. We will meet at Rose Haven about 10 and leave in a carpool about 10:30. We need to leave there by 2:00, as they have a wedding at that time. Anything else can be seen on their website, www.grandtraditionsgardens.com.

• April 26, TVRS Rose Show, at Temecula Assistance League-This one you CAN'T miss! Volunteer, exhibit, attend to make this a great success. 8:30am - 10:00am Open to Entries, 10am - 3pm Open to the Public. If you want to help out before or after, and/or enter specimens, Contact Linda Black at tvrsroseshow2014@yahoo.com or by phone 951-694-8968.

• May 3, Temecula Valley Garden Club Flower Show, see temeculavalleygardenclub.com for full information.

• May 8 - 12, American Rose Society National Convention and Rose Show, San Diego. For full information, see www.sdrosesociety.org.

Old Garden Roses At Rose Haven

Since we are adding a new area at Rose Haven Heritage Garden Frank asked me to write articles for the Valley Rose each month for the next year or so with the purpose of describing each of the varieties of Old Garden Roses (OGR's) we have at Rose Haven. As these roses go back thousands of years we also thought it appropriate to also include a brief history of the rose culture in each article to give everyone a background look at why OGR's are so important. So, in addition to describing each rose we will also talk about the classifications of OGR's.

The first rose we have in the OGR section, in alphabetical order is ARCHDUKE CHARLES. This rose is rated by the AARS at 8.5 due to it's many fine qualities including repeat blooming, intense banana-like fragrance and color which starts out crimson with pink centers but with summer heat turns deep red. The blooms are cupped with large "guard petals" surrounding the smaller inside petals, with a petal count of 35 to 40. He is a China rose and is suitable for our USDA zone. This rose has very few thorns and is suitable for planting in a pot, as a border or hedge, as a standard or along a fence.

Care for this rose includes occasional shaping to maintain it's upright but modest height. He likes direct sunlight and is very disease resistant. ARCHDUKE CHARLES is a product of a seedling of "Rosa chinensis" x "Parsons pink" bred by Laffay of France in 1825.

The real person Archduke Charles was the third son of the emperor of the Austrian Empire and was the military leader of that country in the 19th century in Austria's war with France. Referred to as the War of 1812 in America, these were a series of wars in Europe that the Europeans call the Napoleonic Wars. It is ironic that a French breeder would name a rose for the military commander of his country's enemy. (I wonder which side Laffay was on during the war?) Charles was also the father of Emperor Franz Joseph, the longest serving Austrian Hapsburg monarch.

As noted, ARCHDUKE CHARLES is a China rose. These plants, originating in southwestern China several thousand years ago and made their way to Europe in the 18th century. They brought a very significant change to rose breeding in that they are repeat blooming or continual blooming, a trait absent in European roses up to this time. European breeders then began crossing China's with roses of more fragrance which were popular at that time resulting in repeat blooming plants with high fragrance. China's also are noted for their red color plus a few white stripes on the blooms.

In our OGR section ARCHDUKE CHARLES may be found behind the memorial bench near the main pathway separating OGR from Hall of Fame.

Next month we will feature AUTUMN DAMASK and give a short description of Damask roses.

Field Trip on Thursday, April 24, 2014

Your Choice of Box Lunch $15.00 (includes garden tour) Admission Only is $5.00. We need paid reservations no later than Monday, April 21.

I have a field trip planned for April 24, 2014. It's to Grand Traditions in Fallbrook. I have made arrangements to have box lunches prepared for us as there are several picnic sites there. The charge for the box lunch is $12.50, so the entire charge would be $15.00, which includes the entrance fee of $2.50. I am looking forward to this! Anyone interested can call me to make reservations, or see me at the April meeting. If you have other questions please feel free to call me at 951-375-8174, or email Jeanne Brubaker at bru_1@msn.com.

Tree of Life in April 2014

It's that time of year again to plant tomatoes. Our speaker at the last meeting talked about choosing tomato seeds that are interesting, and that's what I have done. I sat down with my seed catalog in January and chose 12 varieties. The students planted the seeds in February. In March we prepared the tomato bed and got ready for planting in April. The tomatoes are strong and healthy (see picture) and ready to go in the ground. We have started "hilling" our potatoes so we have a good crop started (see picture). Our garlic continues to grow and our onion crop is looking strong. The winter vegetables have made a little bit of a comeback. We didn't have very many survive the "critter damage" but those that did will give us a taste before the spring/summer heat hits. Please stop by the garden and watch our garden grow.

Potatoes	Tomatoes-12 Varieties

Planning meeting for Families in the Garden

April 2, 2014, 10:00 AM-12:00 noon, 44065 Highlander Dr., Temecula, CA, 92592, Tel 951-699-6855

April 19, 2014, Families in the Garden Program, 9:30 AM-12:00 noon at Rose Haven Heritage Garden, 30592 Jedediah Smith Rd. Temecula, CA.

Celebration of Earth Day in partnership with the Sierra Club. Enjoy worms, butterflies, and birds along with a hike. Bring your own lunch. A birthday cake for John Muir is being served.

Rose Show Update

Well, this is it! April 26th is less than a month away! The 2014 Rose Show "Rainbow of Roses" is ready to go. All it needs is YOU!

Make sure to give a little extra attention to your rose bushes so they will give you those beautiful blooms when you need them. We have all those specimen classes to fill up. Even if you have roses with short stems, consider floating them in a teacup or using them in a picture frame. There is something for everybody at this show. Even if you don't have roses, you can buy them and enter an arrangement class or enter a "Blooming Art" class. There is nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Artistic entries will be judged by the public and awards will be given. So let's have some fun! Rose show schedules are available on the Rose Society's website temeculavalleyrosesociety.org or you can pick one up at the April 17th meeting at the library. If you want to enter an artistic exhibit, please talk to me at the April member meeting or notify me at tvrsroseshow2014@yahoo.com or call (951) 694-8968 because some classes are limited. If you call me, please make it no later than 8:00 pm, April 25th. If you email me, please make it no later than 6:00 am April 26th.

Remember, we also need helping hands. If you would like to help or bring food for the workers, we will have sign-ups again at the April member meeting or contact me using the above information.

Remember, you can't have rainbows without the sun, so let's shine in our community and see where our rainbows will lead.

Grocery Cards Benefit TVRS

Member Meeting Program

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

April Birthdays & New Members

April blooms, if they are your first ones, are the best ones all year. Bring your favorites to our Little Rose Show at the next member meeting on Thursday April 17th. You will need to bring them in your own vase for these practice shows. Don't remove any of the leaves, mount them as high in the vase as possible, up to 1 1/2 times the height of the vase, use styrofoam support material to stabilize the rose in the vase. Be sure this material does not protrude above the rim of the vase. This way you will show your rose at it's best. Aim for that mid-open triangle shape with pointed centers.

Families in the Garden Update

Our third Saturday Families in the Garden program for March featured Marion Stacy, The Hummingbird Lady. Marion came all the way from Chula Vista to teach our families and other guests about hummingbirds. She works for Hummingbird Rescue in San Diego and brought several hummers who were being cared for before release. One of her important messages was for gardeners to be aware of cutting back shrubs in the spring which mightcontain hummingbird nests, (this is how she gets a lot of her rescued birds) and that it is acceptable to replace a downed hummingbird back in its nest. We had a great turnout from the community for this program.

The Daisy Scouts came on March 24th to help weed in the garden and make a bouquet to take home. They learned to use our red kid-sized shovels, pick up worms and roly poly bugs, and choose some beautiful roses for simple bouquets. It was a wonderful energetic afternoon and a great way to serve our community.

Hummingbird Lady	Daisy Scouts

Rose Haven Update

Once again the garden has burst into bloom just like clockwork. The rose blossoms are quite stunning even with so little rain this year. The succulents and southwest areas are looking their finest with brilliant yellow and orange colors. The new "Old Garden Rose" area also has many beautiful blooms. The plants are new and will take time to reach their full potential so we look forward to spring next year.

The next area to be rejuvenated is under the three oak trees. The committee has discussed turning the space into another picnic area with tables and benches for all to enjoy.

A special event will be held at the garden June 21st from 7 to 10 PM. This will be coordinated by the City and buses will transport people from Old Town Temecula to Rose Haven. The City will provide a tent, light refreshments, and music. Our Society plans to add lighting in various places to accentuate those areas. We hope many of our members will visit the garden that evening. It should be an enjoyable event.

Our next garden committee meeting is Wednesday, April 23rd at 9:30 AM in the garden. Interested members are welcome to attend. The address is 30592 Jedediah Smith Road.

Spring garden blooms	Hybrid yucca rose. Blooms Only On April 1

ARS Bronze Medal Winners

Congratulations Ron Rumbold and Jim Moss for receiving Bronze Medals for Outstanding Service from the American Rose Society. TVRS was delighted to present the awards to both men who have contributed extensive volunteer time and dedication to our Society over the past several years and we greatly appreciate their support.

In order to be considered for a medal, each person must belong to the ARS and a local society for a minimum of three consecutive years and show exceptional commitment. The executive officers of our Society must submit nominations and recommendations to be approved by the American Rose Society before a Bonze Medal can be awarded. Hooray, they both were winners.

Ron Rumbold	Jim Moss

Rose Care FUNdamentals

Continue fertilizing—hopefully ready for the third application—organic I trust. As I always say, organics are much better for your soil and ultimately for your garden and the environment. The soil microbiology is complex and multi-tiered. A healthy garden soil system is teeming with beneficial microbes that inhibit, compete with, and consume disease-causing organisms. This creates a sustainable soil "immune system." In fact, plants grown with organic fertilizers are themselves more resistant to pests and diseases. In addition, when you feed those beneficial organisms, they feed your roses. That's because they are busy breaking down organic matter and releasing mineral nutrients slowly and reliably.

Many gardeners become discouraged when they first experiment with organic treatments while still using chemical fertilizers. It is difficult in fact, almost impossible to have it both ways. Chemical fertilizers negatively impact the soil food web by killing off entire portions of it. The fact is, chemical fertilizers are salts! What gardener hasn't seen what table salt does to a slug or snail? Salts absorb water and dehydrate the soil microbes which are the foundation of the soil nutrient system. Once you've used chemical fertilizers regularly you must keep adding more because the soil microbiology is weakened and unable to do its job of releasing naturally available nutrients to your plants.

Chemical fertilizers are artificial growth stimulants and, in the long run, harm your soil and pollute local waterways. This is because, as dissolved salts, they quickly leach through the soil (becoming unavailable to your plants) and enter the ground water. On the other hand, organic amendments (such as manure, compost, or mulch) stay where you put them, break down slowly, and don't contribute to ground water pollution (as long as you prevent run off into drains). In addition, they improve the soil food web, so in the long run you end up using less product.

How about swearing off chemical fertilizers for the rest of the year and starting to use organics? Give it a year. See if your roses don't reward you!

For more ideas, visit TVRS' Rose Haven garden at 30592 Jedediah Smith Rd.,
Temecula, as well as our web site at TemeculaValleyRoseSociety.org/index.shtml. You might also want to visit our section at Meetup.com to find events of interest to you. Spread the joy of roses!