Temecula Valley Rose Society

Co-President's Message

Mary, Mary, quite contrary. How does your garden grow? Gardens are for sharing, so this month bring something other than a rose for our display table — daffodils, camellias, tree blossoms. Whatever strikes your fancy. With this spring-summer weather we have been having, you might already have roses so bring them as well. Let's just keep our fingers crossed that we might still have some rain.

Donations for Mulch Needed

Every few years we purchase about 40 cubic yards of mulch for spreading around the garden. It's that time again, and we need your donations to fund this necessary maintenance task. Please consider donating to fund this necessary project to help keep our garden beautiful. Any amount will be greatly appreciated.

Membership

2016 dues are now overdue, and we have quite a few members who need to get their dues to us to be included in the 2016 Roster. Please get your renewal in this week so we can get the Roster ready for the March meeting. You can get a renewal form here. Print it out and complete the relevant information. Mail it in or bring it and your check to the next meeting.

Our Volunteer of the Year competition is off and running. Remember that all time given to the Rose Society counts, including preparing food for the potluck lunch, attending committee meetings, working in Rose Haven, presenting part of a meeting program, or bringing guests. Anytime you bring a new guest who has never been to a meeting, you get a 2 hour bonus for each such guest. And if your guest joins TVRS as a member, you receive a 10 hour bonus (per individual or couple). I am guessing that the person who brings the most guests this year will probably end up as our Volunteer of the Year.

If you were not at the February meeting and did not pick up the official time keeping form, just keep your own record of your volunteer work, with the date, the activity, and the time in quarter hour increments. The forms will be available again at the March meeting.

Roses Past and Present – II

In the last article we addressed the ancient history of the rose plant, going back millions of years. Not much changed from the earliest period until people began to become interested in these plants, except that these ancient plants continued to reproduce by self-pollination. But several thousand years ago, nobody knows exactly when, people began to take an interest in roses, possibly for medicinal uses. But the plants were still "wild roses". It is believed that the ancients used rose hips for a variety of health related issues.

At some point people began to take an interest in roses for their beauty, rather than for their health benefits. A number of ancient manuscripts describe roses and their place in society in ancient Rome and other places prior to the establishment of gardens specifically for flowering plants. But soon people began to see roses, as well as other flowers, as worthwhile for their beauty alone. This introduced the world to the era of "Old Garden Roses", a period that lasted up until the beginning of the 20th century.

We know that roses became predominately important several centuries before the birth of Christ. We know this because in the tapestries, mosaics and paintings of those early years, roses began to appear and were soon the dominant theme. So we can infer that roses were an important part of their civilized way of life. It has been so ever since.

In the next article we will explore in more detail the generation of rose culture that we call Old Garden Roses. Stay tuned!

Rose Society Lending Library

The Rose Society owes a number of books and videos that may be checked out. Members are volunteering to review these materials during the upcoming year. Thank you, Jeanne Brubaker, for being our first reviewer this year.

A "Thank you" to Jim Moss for donating a wonderful book to our Society Library. The book, written by Andrea di Robilant, is entitled Chasing the Rose: An Adventure in the Venetian Countryside. This will be available for review in the coming months.

Donations of rose books and other gardening materials would be greatly appreciated. Contact me at temroses@gmail.com.

Book Review: A Year of Roses

The author has earned an international reputation as a rose scholar. A Year of Roses encompasses his advice and recommendations on how to care for roses throughout the year. It is unique because of Scanniello's expertise on the subject and his approachable style.

This book includes month-by-month recommendations to properly care for roses. We may need to adjust the schedule, as he is on the East Coast. It was written for anyone interested in learning the best practices for maintaining beautiful roses, and includes all rose categories. The American Horticultural Society named it one of the seven books of 1997 to receive the 1998 American Horticultural Society Annual Book Award. This society described the book as: "...special because of its approachability. Scanniello is one of the country's rising rosarians, thoroughly grounded, yet new enough to the game to calm the fears of beginners..."

Okay, now that we have the commercial out of the way, I can tell you how I really feel. If there is anything regarding rose cultivation missing from this book, I would not know it. He explains the methodology of rose growing from A to Z. My only criticism is that this is a lot to remember! In my humble opinion, this is more a reference book, to be consulted each month, rather than a one-time read.

This book is replete with diagrams and explanations, and clear enough for the novice to understand. I give it a definite recommendation.

Grocery Cards Benefit TVRS

Member Meeting Program

Rose & Arts Festival Committee members will discuss all aspects of participating in our annual Community Outreach Project on Saturday, April 23rd. We will learn about volunteering opportunities, how to select & show a rose in the Horticultural Section, creating artistic arrangements and displays plus more.

A light buffet luncheon will be served at 11:30. Guests are welcome.

March Birthdays & New Members

Birthdays   Suzanne Howell, 3-15; Michael Momeni, 3-22

New Members Stephen Brubaker, Jeanne's hubby

Rose Haven Garden

Our pond provides such a relaxing setting one can certainly see why the pair of ducks enjoy it. Also, we have new additions of water irises donated by Ann Schryer. Thank you Ann, we cannot wait to see the blooms. Unfortunately two benches in that area are severely damaged and must be removed. Can anyone suggest a good supplier? They must be very sturdy wood or concrete, as recommended by the committee. Monetary donations are welcome and are tax deductible.

Our next garden committee meeting is Wednesday, March 23 at 10:00. The meeting location is at Rebecca's office off Temecula Parkway. We will discuss projects to improve areas in the garden. Members interested are always welcome to attend the meeting. Please call Rebecca or Phyllis for directions.

Roses Leafing Out

Ducks in Pond

Families in the Garden

Last month's children of Families in Garden had a hoot learning about various types of birds, going on a nature hike, making bird nest kits, and construction bird feeders. Recycled toilet paper rolls and sticks were used to make crafty bird feeders, for bird to rest their wings and enjoy a nice meal. Bags filled with alpaca fur, sticks, leaves, and string served purpose as a sort of a pre-bird nest kit.

This month children will be taught to identify different types of bugs and their function in the outdoor ecosystem. Since bugs serve such a large part in a garden, children will be searching for bugs throughout the garden, insects will be on display under a magnifying glass, and a short presentation will be given on the subject. For more information please contact Alicia Cline at aliciacline1313@yahoo.com or 951-234-2218.

How to Maintain a Promised Rose Garden

The next installment, #3, of Karen Ortega's history of the Rose Society can be read here.

Rose Care FUNdamentals

With daytime temperatures in February ranging 70s to 80s, and what little rain we've had the roses have burst with growth — some even have buds. I've had to begin irrigating my bushes, and I was late in getting mine pruned. If you prune on schedule, I'm sure you are seeing a good flush of new leaves.

Be sure the ground around, under, and between bushes is clear of debris. Also, remove all old leaves that may be left on the bush. This cleanliness with help keep down disease.

If you didn't use a lime-sulphur dormant spray earlier, you can still do so. Read the label and use the recommended dilution for "growing season instructions." Be sure to saturate all canes and the soil surface of the entire bed.

Take time now to inspect and make any necessary repairs to your irrigation system. Drip systems are the most efficient and they avoid problems created by above-ground sprayers and sprinklers, which waste water (very important during our serious drought) and can foster molds (e.g., mildew and rust). For best results and efficiency, be sure to time the irrigation so it is complete before it gets hot (preferably by mid-morning, that is, 8am to 9am). If possible, avoid any over spray or misting of water being applied elsewhere in your garden that may hit your roses. Avoid daytime watering or when there is any wind.

Now would be the time to sprinkle ½ cup to 1 cup of Epson salts widely around each rose bush (use half as much for minis and mini-floras). There is some indication that this helps stimulate new cane growths known as "basal breaks" at the bud union (the big part next to the ground where grafting was done).

When the new growth is 2" to 3" long, you can begin fertilizing. I suggest an initial feeding each year be higher in nitrogen to encourage new stem and leaf growth. In about two weeks, apply fertilizer that is higher in phosphate to give roots a boost at start of season.

I highly recommend organic type fertilizers as vs. inorganic or "chemical" ones. Organics foster better soil development, a richer, livelier, more viable community of soil organisms, that break the elements into easily absorbed form and release them slowly. They will "build" soil structure into a healthy component and when used regularly will develop a soil rich in reserve energy, allowing you to use less product with the same results.

Apply minimum of 2" to 4" of organic composted mulch over the entire garden surface to insulate the upper 8" to 12" where most rose roots feed and to reduce evaporation and conserve water, while still providing sufficient moisture. It will also supply nutrients to build the soil and your roses.

Be sure to visit the Rose Haven Heritage Garden, a 3.4-acre rose garden owned and maintained by the Temecula Valley Rose Society, a (501C3) organization, supported with donations from kind people like you. (Look for the donation box when you visit!) THANK YOU SO MUCH! (NO CASH, PLEASE) Also, visit our web site at www.TemeculaValleyRoseSociety.org regularly for great information and schedule of events! 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!