Temecula Valley Rose Society

Co-President's Message

In May we will have the Temecula 'Mormon Helping Hands' volunteer group providing community outreach to Rose Haven. On Saturday, May 21, about 30 volunteers will show up with shovels and wheelbarrows to spread mulch among the roses in the lower garden. The mulch will help cool the soil under the roses during our summer heat. For several years we have been fortunate enough to be selected for this community outreach project by Helping Hands.

Summer arrives in June. The City of Temecula will be sponsoring the third "Night of the Luminaries" at Rose Haven on Saturday, June 25. The event starts before twilight (8 to 8:30 PM) and ends with luminaries magically lighting the garden. Music and light refreshments round out the evening festivities.

Remember May is the month we will be visiting member gardens. We will meet at Rose Haven on Thursday, May 19 - NOT the library. Thank you to Simonne Arnould, May Olson, Frank Brines, Laurie & Jim Moss and Virginia & Roy Boos for opening their gardens to us.

Tree of Life in May

May is the month we will be planting most of our summer crops. The tomatoes have been grown from seed and are now ready to be planted in the raised beds. We have a Daisy Troop who has volunteered to help us with this project to earn their gardening badge. We also have a variety of vegetable seeds that will soon be sown in the beds. The onions that we planted in January are now ready for harvest. We have three varieties of onions: Yellow Granex, Texas Super Sweet and Southern Bell Red. Onions have always grown well in the Tree of Life and this year is no exception.

In April the young children in our Families in the Garden program planted sprouted potatoes and watermelon plants. They also had a chance to use their small shovels again (their favorite activity) and helped plant 12 apple trees in the ground. This activity tied in with our Earth Day program. The holes were started for them and, as the apple tree saplings were only 14 inches tall, it was a task that even the very young could accomplish. The apple trees have now started to sprout leaves and we will be watching to see which variety is the first to produce fruit. There may not be any the first year, but by year two we could all be enjoying apples that have a taste that only a fresh picked apple can offer.

Please stop by the Tree of Life and see the progress we have made in growing fruit and vegetables. If you would like to help in the vegetable garden, please contact Barb Purdy at: barbpurdy@verizon.net or stop by on Saturday mornings from 9:00 to noon. I hope to see you in the garden.

Harvesting onions

Planting apple saplings

Roses Past and Present IV

Early civilizations, especially in China and the Middle East became interested in Roses for their medicinal value and their beauty so these flowers became more popular as time went on. However, these people were initially growing the old, or species roses and had not yet discovered the concept of breeding roses. That came much later.

The roses that the first people worked with were the same Old Garden Roses we know today, namely Alba's, Gallica's, Damask's, Centifolia's, China's, Moss', Tea's, Portland's, Bourbon's, Hybrid Perpetual's, Scot's, Sweet Briar's, Ayrshire's, Laevigate's, Semperviren's, Boursalt's and Noisette's.

Each of these varieties of rose has unique characteristics, some favorable and some not. Traits such as repeat flowering, color, fragrance and climate adaptability allowed some of these varieties to become popular while others faded into near obscurity. Almost all are still available today but some will be easier to find than others.

The areas of origin of many of the above named roses can be found by the name of the rose itself, for example China, Damask, Scots, Ayrshire and Gallica (obvious); Others are a little more difficult, such as Bourbon, (not from Kentucky!), actually named for an island in the Indian Ocean renamed Reunion after England won it from France in the Napoleonic Wars. Some are named for the habit or appearance of the rose, such as Centifolia or hundred petals, Hybrid Perpetual or ever-blooming, Alba, which present white blooms (think "albino") Others derive their names from people such as Phillipe Noisette, a rose breeder from South Carolina; the Duchess of Portland; a French breeder by the name of Boursault.

Next month we will look at the rapid growth of the Old Garden Roses and their influence in the rose hobby which still exists in the 21st century, along with Modern Roses.

Rose Society Lending Library

Member Meeting Program

We will start at Rose Haven, which is currently in nice bloom, at 9:30. This is an opportunity to visit the garden, discovering what is new and different since the last time we were all there together. At 10:00 a.m. maps and information will be passed out and we will form car pools. Our first garden stop will be at the home of Simonne Arnould, then we will venture north to visit the gardens of May Olson, Frank Brines and Jim and Laurie Moss. We will conclude our tour at the garden of Virginia and Roy Boos. Lunch will be enjoyed at the Boos home. If you have any questions please call Rebecca at (951) 595-7046 or email her at temroses@gmail.com.

May Birthdays & New Members

Birthdays Pierre Turgeon, May 2; Carol Hudson, May 8; Jerri Palmer, May 15; Linda Black, May 31

New Members There are no new members this month.

Little Rose Show

There will be no Little Rose Show at our May meeting since the program is our member garden tour. The April Rose of the Day award went to Don Nordike for his hybrid tea, Love and Peace. We had many lovely roses, so we will look forward to your entries at our June meeting.

Rose Haven Heritage Garden

Everyone who has visited the garden recently has commented how beautiful it is this spring. The rose is an amazing plant blooming year after year, after year. The iris, succulents, native plants and grasses are showing off their genus too. We invite you to come out and see for yourself. Enjoy a casual walk around and see all the garden has to offer.

Keep in mind that we still need two concrete benches overlooking the pond. It's a wonderful place to sit and relax but our wooden ones were broken beyond repair and had to be removed. Your donation will surely be appreciated and is tax deductible.

Our next garden committee meeting is Wednesday, May 25th at 9:30. The meeting location is at the garden, 30592 Jedediah Smith Rd., Temecula. We will discuss projects to improve areas in the garden. Interested members are always welcome to attend the meeting.

The Iris Garden

Picnic area roses

Grocery Cards Benefit TVRS

Rose Care FUNdamentals

This month's column is still what to do in your garden to help bring your roses back into bloom production, no matter what condition your roses are in. When blooms fade it is best to remove them ("dead head") and to dispose of them completely--don't leave them in your garden or put them in you compost pile--make sure to put them into your green waste barrel. It's unlikely that all blooms are at the same stage of development. If there are multiple blooms just remove those that are faded. Continue shaping the bush for best production by pruning the cane to an outward facing bud. Each leaf axis has a bud. Knowing this makes it easy to discern an outward facing bud. If possible select a bud on a cane no smaller than the diameter size of a wooden pencil.

Continue fertilizing-hopefully you are ready for the fourth 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 which create a sustainable soil "immune system." In fact, plants grown with organic fertilizers are themselves more resistant to pests and diseases. If organic fertilizers are used continually you will use less over time and save money as well as building a more viable sustaining healthy soil.

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. Chemical fertilizers are salts! Salts absorb water and dehydrate the soil microbes which are the foundation of the soil nutrient system. The fact that the areas water already has high levels of salt only increases the problem salt causes to plants environment. 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 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 start using organics? Give it a year. See if your roses don't reward you!

For this month's application of fertilizer I recommend using one with higher percentage of phosphate. If the product has the NPK numbers on the packaging the middle number reflects phosphate. Phosphate helps to strengthen root systems and aids the plant to withstand stress from warmer temperatures and also assists in bloom production. CAUTION: Never fertilize a plant while it is water stressed. Always water the day before applying any fertilizer and then water it in.

I've noticed that powdery mildew is present this year in most gardens. While not too obvious, keep an eye for worsening condition. Treating is dependent on your level of acceptance. There are some organic formulas using neem oil, insecticidal soaps, baking soda, etc. Do not use a formula that treats everything. Use only a product specifically for the problem. Read the labels and use accordingly and use safety equipment to avoid exposure to contaminates if you choose chemical. One must cover up bare body parts when applying chemical treatments for disease or pests. Use approved goggles for eye protection, respirator mask, long sleeve shirt, water/chemical resistant boots and gloves. Remove clothing used immediately when treatment is completed and wash. Take a good shower to remove any possible contamination to your being.

Our gardens are showing increased prevalence of Black Spot and a new pest called Chilli Thrip much smaller than the Western Thrip currently in our gardens and more devastating as they eat all vegetation. Control is quite difficult and treatments are being studied. There are a few products being used which I'll need to cover next month. It is never too late to apply a thick layer of mulch. I prefer composted mulch, not course wood forest products, applied to a depth of 4" inches.

And when you've got a moment to spare, go visit Rose Haven, located at 30592 Jedediah Smith Road (the cross street is Cabrillo Avenue) in Temecula. Also, visit our web site, www.TemeculaValleyRoseSociety.org. You might also want to visit Facebook.com and search on 'Temecula Valley Rose Society' to find events of interest to 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. Spread the joy of roses!