Temecula Valley Rose Society

Co-President's Message

We need to stand up and applaud Frank Brines. Frank is one of three Consulting Rosarians in our Pacific Southwest District who has been named an ARS Master Rosarian. Frank has earned the title many times over. We are very pleased and proud to have him in our Society.

The Board of Directors will be having a Strategic Planning session at the next board meeting on Thursday, September 11th. This is the time of year we begin planning next year's programs, activities and budgets for 2016 and beyond. Please email either Phyllis or Rebecca, particularly concerning your interests for programs during the upcoming year. We strive to have our programs lined up by November when the budgets are due.

Also at this time of year the Nominating Committee meets to draw up a slate of directors to propose to the membership for election at the November annual meeting. A director needs to commit to attending Board meetings which are held on the second Thursday of each month, except July. The board meetings generally last two hours. Additionally, each member of the Board of Directors serves on a committee or chairs a committee. Those Directors new to the Board generally serve as a member at large for the first year. If you are interested in being considered for a board position please email the Nominating Committee Chair Rebecca Weersing or Membership Vice President Ann Schryer.

Happy Labor Day weekend, and we look forward to seeing each and everyone of you at our September meeting.

Rose Haven Update

Beautiful days at the garden are awaiting everyone this month. With some cooler nights the roses should be showing some new buds just waiting to burst into bloom. We invite you to come out for a visit anytime and take a walk about or have a picnic lunch. The water wise area is glowing with Blue Agave and cacti as pictured. The Southwest area photo shows larger drought tolerant plants with an owl box nearby.

Our Society has been fortunate to receive grant money for Rose Haven from Riverside County – 3rd District Supervisor's Office to help renovate the two pathways leading up to the upper levels of the garden which have become eroded and treacherous to walk on. The paths will be regraded, smoothed, and rocks mounded along the inside for controlling running rainwater. Watch for photos next month.

Our next garden committee meeting is Wednesday, September 23th at 9:15. We are discussing projects for 2016. There are several items on the long term plan. Any interested members are always welcome to attend. The garden address is 30592 Jedediah Smith Road, Temecula, at the corner of Cabrillo Ave.

Blue Agave

The Southwest Area

Grocery Cards Benefit TVRS

Dear 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 Program

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

September Birthdays & New Members

Little Rose Show

The Little Rose Show resumes at our September member meeting. Hopefully, the heat will still leave us some nice blooms. Remember to keep the foliage on your roses. No cutting it off, please. The condition of the foliage is an important part of your presentation so check the leaves and stem for any damage. Also, make sure your container is appropriate for the length of your stem. We welcome novice exhibitors to learn more about showing roses in competition.

Member Profile: Ann Schryer

I hope everyone has had a chance to meet Ann in at least one of the many jobs she has volunteered for in our Society. I came to know her in the kitchen, my favorite job, where she often helps out in emergencies. She is always kind, efficient and fun to work with.

Ann lived near Saginaw Bay, Michigan until she was eleven. Her older brother had moved to Orange County, and after their third visit the family decided to move to Southern California. Oceanside was lovely then and still has many charms. Ann grew up with good schools and a beach flavored lifestyle. While her father passed away while relatively young, Ann was fortunate enough to have a mentor at Oceanside High who noticed her ability with words and encouraged her to compete in debate and speech. She married her high school sweetheart, got her B.A. from San Diego State, and went to law school at University of San Diego. Ann moved to Temecula and was here when we became a city in 1989. She served with the Superior Court, beginning in 1992.

Ann met her present husband, Richard, in Temecula, and they have lived in the same house here for 27 years. She loves the children and grandchildren of his previous marriage. She lives across the street from JoAnn Summers, who was instrumental in getting her to join us, and knew Micha Grayson from work. Ann is an avid quilter, weaver, photographer, and likes to paint. She has mentored young people in Mock Trial as a judge, a Judicial Mentor, and in speech training for teams. She feels one of the most useful things young people can learn is public speaking and debate, a skill women and girls can excel in.

The first thing Ann did when she got her own home was plant roses. In August! She has a lifelong love of gardening and just wanted those roses now, not later when the season would be forgiving. Of course, she spent the next two weeks hand misting those bushes, trying to nurse them through a heat wave and transplant shock. They survived and so did she.

Families in the Garden

Come and join us at Rose Haven Heritage Garden on September 19th starting at 9:30 am to explore the captivating world of bats! Featuring Cindy Myers, or her more famous identity "The Bat Lady", from Project Wildlife in San Diego. Ms. Myers is bringing along a special companion, a Mexican Free-tailed bat, as part of her presentation about the riveting and mysterious world of these most helpful creatures. She'll be giving insider information about bats in our area, their significance, and why they should be preserved.

Project Wildlife is an organization in San Diego, California that rescues and cares for wild animals. We encourage, and would appreciate, any of the following items as donations: boxes of cotton swabs, rolls of paper towels, bags of any kind of dry dog food, or clean soft large towels to cover cages. The volunteers and animals will thank you dearly.

Again, we invite you and your families to our no-charge child-friendly program, hosted every third Saturday of the month. Bat related crafts will be available after the presentation. For additional information please contact Alicia Cline at 951-234-2218.

Mexican Free Tail Bat

Rose Care FUNdamentals

I've included two photos to illustrate a little of what is involved in this mid-season pruning. On the left are several stems branching out from a point near the bottom of the photo. I've circled the points where you would prune to, leaving outward-facing buds. In the right hand photo you see the result - and the point lower down where you could prune more severely to produce a single new branch, which is likely to increase flower size compared with the lighter pruning.

Unpruned

Pruned

After pruning restart your feeding program. I recommend organic types and alternating with fish emulsions. Use a fertilizer that contains greater percentage of (P) phosphate in relation to (N) nitrogen and (K) potassium. This will assist resistance to any stress and encourage stronger root systems.

When temperatures continue to be in the 90s, it is necessary to ensure plants receive adequate water to stay hydrated. It takes only a few days in these temperatures without sufficient water for a bush to become seriously stressed and even damaged. I suggest that with water use restrictions that California is experiencing, HT rose bush can survive with 3 gallons of water twice per week. A layer of 4 inches of mulch will greatly reduce evaporation of soil moisture. This year the soil dries out more quickly than in previous years due to less water being applied as in previous years and, in general, the dryer soil environment. With potted roses this is even more critical. Assess conditions every morning. Look for wilted or dry, crispy foliage. If you discover it soon enough dousing with plenty of water may save the plant. If you wait to inspect until the afternoon or evening it may be too late or you might not get a good assessment of the plant's condition: After a hot day, most plants can appear wilted while still receiving sufficient hydration. Also inspect your irrigation system to make sure it is delivering enough water, isn't clogged, and isn't over watering—all problems that come with age in drip irrigation systems. If an emitter is delivering much more or much less water than others on the line, it can change the system pressure and affect the other emitters. The simple solution: Replace it!

It's not too early to start thinking about which roses you will remove and what you'll replace them with. Go ahead and request catalogs from rose suppliers—they're always available. If you haven't mulched recently, estimate the amount of composted mulch you'll need in order to cover your garden beds 4" deep and plan to buy it for this coming winter or spring.

A common problem when hot, dry, dusty conditions prevail is spider mites. This topic was covered in a previous care column which you can find on TemeculaValleyRoseSociety.org newsletter; look for Care for September 2013.

A valuable bi-monthly magazine which covers rose topics is the American Rose published by the American Rose Society (ARS). Go to www.ARS.org for more information on obtaining it.

When you have a moment to spare, or feel the need to get away, or when the day cools down, take your favorite beverage, a picnic basket, and visit our local one-of-a-kind Rose Haven Heritage Garden, 30592 Jedediah Smith Road, Temecula (the cross street is Cabrillo Avenue). Also, visit our web site, www.TemeculaValleyRoseSociety.org. "Like" us on Facebook. Visit our Facebook page at Temecula Valley Rose Society. Spread the joy of roses!

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. Spread the joy of roses!