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 Coming up: Summer Swelter |
Co-President's Messageby Phyllis Bettelheim T
here is great news for all our rose loving members. Rose Haven Heritage Garden is surviving the drought and in fact is thriving. Water usage is well within the Tier One limits set by The Rancho California Water District. A few weeks ago, due to water main repair work, water to the garden was shut off for two weeks, but the garden showed no ill effects. You can let your friends and neighbors know that established roses are very hardy and fit well into a low water use garden.
The garden is also becoming well known. The American Rose Society's 2015 Guide to U.S. Gardens lists it, along with Sherman Library and Gardens, Descanso Gardens, etc. We are in good company. Enjoy the rest of the summer! Rose Haven Flooding
Hi Rose Haven Friends. Rancho California Water had major water breaks under the street right at our garden, on the Jedediah Smith side. The water was off over a week while Rancho Water put in new pipes. They pulled a few all nighters and moved our on/off valves way up the street. They set the pressure regulator low (135 psi). Still, when the water came back on Tuesday afternoon, the water pressure bump blew the top off a hose bib by the pond. Got a flooding call from a nice patron. Bonnie got that capped off but when she turned the water back on another joint blew a couple of hours later. More flooding.
A terrific Rancho technician met me out there and we got the water turned off again and an understanding of what was going on. Howard and I got the split pipe capped off. The water was back on Friday and Bonnie is giving everything a good soaking. We are checking for leaks twice a day and hoping the worst is over. While there are several sad plants it seems the vast majority are just fine. The picture is of six blooming Slender Rayes Agaves in full bloom. There is also a lovely yucca blooming on the hill. No need for water in that part of the garden. Call me for a list of water wise plants: Chatty Kathy at 909-227-1553. Families in the GardenAugust 2015Old and new members welcome to 'Families in the Garden', a TVRS committee which brings the community to our Rose Garden. Our committee plans special educational garden events for children under 12 during the fall, winter, and spring. Programs are held at Rose Haven Heritage Garden on the third Saturday of the month, from 9:30-10:30 AM. Program planning for the coming season will start Wednesday, September 2nd. The meeting will be at Barb Purdy's home beginning at 10:00 AM. Please call Barb at 951-526-5599 or JoAnn at 951-699-6855 for information.
Grocery Cards Benefit TVRSDear Members: I trust that you have made a determined effort to use Stater Bros. Scrip/Gift Cards for your everyday normal purchases. Even in these financially difficult times we all must eat. Purchasing a $100 Scrip Card will let you spend $100 for groceries at Stater Bros. There is no extra expense or donation coming out of your pocket and the Rose Society will get a $6.00 donation for the upkeep of the Garden. Your support is greatly appreciated. Email Ann Coakes to order Scrip Cards, or phone 951 693-5635.  |
Member Meeting ProgramDate: Thursday, August 20Time: 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Place: To be determined (read the Notice). Moderators: Phyllis Bettelheim and Rebecca Weersing Topic: Annual Strategic Planning NOTICE regarding the Member Meeting Program for August 20, 2015: This is not a standard monthly program. Rather it is a strategic planning meeting of Society officers, directors, committee chairs, and committee members. Any interested member is also welcome to attend. This meeting will not include luncheon refreshments. The agenda for this meeting will concentrate on setting realistic attainable goals for the next 3 years based upon our mission statement and the current SWOT. This meeting will not be held at the Temecula Public Library. The location as has not been determined. Please contact either Phyllis Bettelheim or Rebecca Weersing on August 19 regarding the location and directions. The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. and last approximately 3 hours. Programs & Speakers for 2015 • Sep 17 "Herbs" Jean Weiss, Riverside Co. Master Gardener • Oct 15 "Container Gardening" Bill Reid, Riverside Co. Master Gardener • Nov 19 "Rose Propagation" Karen and Dave Brandtman, Riverside Co. Master Gardener • Dec 18 "Christmas Program & Installation of Officers" Board of Directors August Birthdays & New Members
Little Rose Showby Betty DixonThere will be no Little Rose Show in August because of our planning meeting. Hopefully, our summer heat will still leave some great blooms for our September Show. Virginia Boos won the June Show with her purple floribunda spray of Ebb Tide. Rose Haven Gardenby Bonnie BellSummer is just zipping by and, oh my, there has been a lot of activity going on in the garden. The new Tree of Life vegetable garden has been completely rebuilt and expanded. Starting with a white picket fence surrounding the area, new walkways with curbing, and seven different planting areas with raised beds, and trellises for those tall growing vegetables. We certainly look forward to resuming our community outreach programs in the beautiful revitalized area. Thank you Rebecca Weersing and McCabe's Landscaping. Walking around the garden is such a great joy. Relax on the many benches and enjoy the beauty. The surprising thunderstorms dropped plenty of rain and the roses and other plants surely needed a respite from the hot summer days. Our next garden committee meeting will be Wednesday, August 26th at 9:15. All interested are invited to attend.
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Rose Care FUNdamentalsby Frank Brines, Consulting Rosarian O
nce again I'm reminded of unusual weather. The first six months of 2015 were the hottest on record in California and the world! June brought exceptional heat to Spain, parts of Asia and South America. Cattle pastures in the highlands of Switzerland needed water air-dropped to create watering holes for the cattle there due to drought. Locally and in Central California the wine grapes are maturing more then two weeks earlier than normal. This past year Temecula Valley temperatures also set record highs–and lows–in 100 years. But maybe I shouldn't have been surprised: As I looked at last year's article for August, I discovered that the weather was similarly unusual. The fact is that there's a "new normal" but we don't have a clear idea of what that is going to be! The best guess is greater extremes with less predictability.
This year too we've had an odd summer: shorter periods of high temperatures and an usual amount of good steady rain over several days. All told, this summer hasn't been too harsh on my roses, and I've gotten reports that some local gardens had a nice show of blooms into July due to short HOT periods-but other has reported a lot of sunburned blossoms and stems. This is the result of the plant being unable to hydrate at the same rate as it's evaporation. Take a daily tour of your garden to look for any changes. It doesn't take long for a rose to suffer if it's irrigation supply fails. Examine the lower leaves. If they appear yellow or brown, have fine webbing and/or look dirty, there may be an infestation of spider mites. They thrive in hot weather. They're generally found on the undersides of those leaves. A strong spray of water from below followed by an overhead shower should take care of the problem or, at least, hold it in check. Give the shower early in the day so the plant has time to dry before the sun becomes hot. Do this every 3 days for 10-14 days, inspecting regularly. It may be necessary to repeat after a few days if the infestation is heavy. |
That's why I still advocate planning for higher temperatures and less-than-ideal conditions for roses. Let your roses continue their summer dormancy until about mid-September. Why make them produce blooms when staying hydrated is such a struggle? Let your roses 'do whatever they do', that is, just remove and discard the withered petals and let the hips develop, keep the bed clean of debris, and DON'T fertilize. Twice a week give you HTs (Hybrid teas) a deep, slow watering of 3 gallons of water. The world is dangerous enough for plants, but we gardeners are also faced with risks. One recently came to my attention through a Dr. Gott. It's a dangerous fungus with the scientific name Sporothrix schenckii. This fungus is the source of the fungus infection sporotrichosis. It is often referred to as the Rose Thorn (or Rose Gardener's) Disease. The fungus resides on hay, sphagnum moss, the tips of rose thorns and in soil. It can cause infection, redness, swelling and open ulcers at the puncture site. The fungus can also spread to the lymphatic system and move on to the joints and bones where it ends up attacking the central nervous system and lungs when the thorn or thorns are deeply imbedded. A relatively uncommon condition, diagnosis can be complicated. Physicians often mistake it as Staph or Strep infection. If you suspect this condition, be sure to inform your physician that you are a gardener so appropriate diagnosis and treatment are rendered. We all enjoy the fragrance and beauty of roses, and have often had our skin pierced by thorns ("prickles" is the correct anatomical name). Good protective measures include wearing appropriate clothing (gloves, long sleeves, or gauntlets) when working among roses and thoroughly cleansing even minor scratches and punctures with an anti-bacterial soap. Rubbing alcohol—which you should already have handy to clean your pruners—can be applied as an immediate wash until you can use anti-bacterial soap. Anything more than a minor puncture should be watched carefully for signs of infection; seek medical attention as soon as possible if you show any of the signs described above. Even the simple things in life have risks—take precautions so you can stop and smell the roses. For more ideas, visit TVRS' Rose Haven garden at 30592 Jedediah Smith Rd., |
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