Temecula Valley Rose Society

Co-President's Message

I do hope that our part of the country receives its share of liquid sunshine this coming winter. With the right amount of rain at the right time we could have a fantastic bloom next spring. But what is really amazing is that we can have a lovely bloom at Rose Haven with almost no rain. Nature is full of surprises. We should enjoy each surprise as it comes.

Volunteer Needed

Membership Committee: We are looking for someone to take over the position of Refreshments Chair. Micha needs to step down as chairperson at the end of this year, though she will continue to assist whoever takes over as head of the committee.

Please consider volunteering to fill this position. If you can take on this very important post (we all love the luncheons, don't we?) contact Bonnie, Micha, or Rebecca.

9th Temecula City Plein Air Invitational

Roses Past And Present VII

So far we have discussed roses from their beginnings as wild plants through the acceptance of them by people who used them for medicinal, religious and magical purposes and probably a few more reasons. Eventually though, the more common people became aware of these plants merely because they are pretty to look at and they frequently smell nice. So, over time these regular people started to bring roses onto their small pieces of property, and the widespread idea of "Old Garden Roses" was born.

There was no exact cut-off point when this happened and the ritualistic use of roses ended. Indeed, roses are still today used as symbols of feelings and emotions. It is more that roses were becoming more available to the masses.

This being the case, why not trade roses among other people and experiment with their reproductive properties? As a result people within certain regions began the process of becoming early "rosarians". Without these early folks indulging in our hobby, we might not be able to enjoy it as we do today.

Anyway, it was quite a few centuries before the practice of trading and cross breeding roses came about, largely due to the interest of explorers, merchants and eventually the nobility and royalty of important European nations. These folks were the ones responsible for taking the appreciation of roses to a new and higher level.

This new level of rose enjoyment is the subject of our next installment. Stay tuned!!!

Book Review

This book makes a great read - you won't want to put it down. I did some internet research too, after becoming intrigued.

My first attraction to this book was the beautiful rose photo on the front cover. Inside are many more excellent photos, 250 of them. Many of the pictured roses had German names, which was not understood until I realized that this book is German in origin and was published in 1993; then it was published in the English language in 1994. The author and photographer were both German professionals.

Instruction on rose care in detail is included, from choosing the most adaptable plant for your landscape to pruning and beyond. Propagation, over-wintering, using roses in landscape design, as well as disease control, make this book a complete rose education. Information on species, Old Garden roses, shrubs, floribundas, hybrid teas, ground covers and climbers shows the diversity of these plants.

Kordes and Tantau rose offerings are listed, with photos and descriptions, plus the ADR ratings. Since this is an older book, many of the roses shown are no longer popular. However, names like Tropicana, Fragrant Cloud, Showbiz and Polarstar were known to me. They were hybridized by the Rosen-Tantau company, established by Mathias Tantau in 1906 and still in business today.

Many of the Kordes plants are included. Wilhelm Kordes, one of the most important rose breeders in the world, started his career at the age of only 22, founding his company in 1887. Heirloom Roses in Oregon is an agent for this brand. "Kordes' Perfecta" is a well-known name among rosarians.

We think of the American Rose Society's ratings as essential to our choice of rose plants, but in Europe the ADR group has the toughest rose selection trials in the world. The use of chemical pesticides is not allowed. (ADR translates to Allegemaine Deutsche Rosenheitenprufung).

This book is available to borrow from our TVRS private library.

Edible Weeds

Well, yet another chapter is ended and another begun in our living, breathing Rose Haven.

The Patchwork Quilt box had to be moved to make way for our spectacular, long awaited all weather shelter.(YAY for the shelter) Nardo carefully lifted and placed it over in the succulent area.

Thinking of a new use for it, pretty and educational, Rebecca came up with "edible weeds". (Don't worry, she will avoid Dandelions for now.)

A trip to the nursery came up with purslane, amaranth, clover and burdock (also called Mountain Rose). We will use the patchwork motif and some written articles to introduce the uses of the plants in the box. We won't use any "weeds" that might be invasive, but if you have any concerns, just let me know. I love purslane and we ate a lot of burdock in Japan; (I think that what it was), and clover will enrich any soil it grows in.

We hope this will be a fun and enriching project. There will still be lots of new and used succulents over there, too. We need to build up our collection.

Grocery Cards Benefit TVRS

Member Meeting Program

October Birthdays & New Members

Birthdays Frances Merritt 10-13, Joycelyn Black 10-25, and JoAnn Summers 10-25.

New Members There are no new members this month.

Little Rose Show

There will be no Little Rose Show in October as we will be on our nursery field trip in Fallbrook. September's Rose of the Day winners were Virginia Boos and Lenore Vogel, who shared the honor. The heat really affected our show, so let's really gear up for the last show of the year in November. Cooler days, hopefully, will bring some lovely fall blooms. This is a good time to give your roses a fall "haircut" and a last feeding as soon as it cools down a bit.

Rose Haven Heritage Garden

Fall has arrived and we can see all the roses and succulents bursting into bloom in appreciation of the cooler weather. Take a look at how the succulents are thriving. Also, the pond iris and lilies are flourishing after suffering during the long hot summer, and everyone seems drawn to that area.

More visitors are enjoying the garden with their families besides our members and volunteers. Many of them tell us "thank you" for having such an exceptional garden open to the public and for free.

The project in the education and special events area now has concrete footings in place for the covered structure we hope to build soon. We will discuss the development of this project and other improvements desired in the garden at the garden committee meeting Wednesday, October 26th at 9:15. Society members are welcome to attend the meeting. The address is 30592 Jedediah Smith Road, Temecula.

The pond	Succulents
Covered structure foundation

Families in the Garden

Families in the Garden met for our first program of the season to plant winter vegetables in the Tree of Life Garden, take a nature hike, and do a plant craft under our wonderful old pepper tree. Children and parents gathered and registered at 9:30 AM. A nature hike led by our volunteers, guided the group through the roses to our 'Tree of Life' garden at the top of the hill.

Once the children entered the 'Tree of Life' vegetable garden they were guided around the garden and observed, harvested and tasted what was left of our summer garden vegetables. They then helped themselves to garden gloves and tools and were ready to plant our winter crops. Radish, beet, spinach, acorn squash, kale and lettuce seeds were scatter planted. Once they were finished planting seeds they also helped plant succulents for future projects. The children enjoyed planting and they were encouraged to come by often to check on the results of their efforts. The picture of the seedlings is one week after planting so the children did a great job.

Fay Devore led our little gardeners in crafting a small container filled with succulents. Happy children left with directions for caring for the succulents.

Our next Families in the Garden Program is Saturday, October 15th from 9:30 to 10:30 at Rose Haven. Members are welcome.

Planting seedlings

Yum yum!

Grownups in the Garden

Wednesday September 21 was a very pleasant day in the garden. We started at the entrance and walked to the Special Events area to inspect the concrete pillars that have been poured to secure the new Educational Shelter that will be erected in late October.

Our discovery hike took us along the 'ABC' garden path. When it rains this path provides natural drainage but since it does not rain often the path cuts between the Miniature Rose Garden and the pond. The pond has lovely waterlillies, thanks to Ann Schryer.

Coming out of the 'ABC' pathway we enjoyed a stroll among the Hall of Fame Roses and the Old Garden Roses that have been lovingly cared for by Laurie & Jim Moss.

We continued through the garden, up the hill, around the gazebo and back to the entrance. It was a great walk and a great talk in a beautiful garden setting. The thing we missed most was that more members were not there. Hope to see you next time 9 a.m. on Wednesday, October 26.

As the dramatist Richard Sheridan said: "Won't you come into my garden? My roses would like to see you."

Rose Care FUNdamentals

Last month I gave illustrations and descriptions for mid-season pruning with a suggested timeline for pruning and restarting your feeding program. What may not have been clear is that this is a light pruning, and must be carefully calibrated with the weather conditions. Specifically, when temps remain in the 90+ range, you must take care not to remove too much foliage because this can over expose canes to the fierce sun and sunburn them, and can kill otherwise healthy canes or even the entire plant. If you plan to have blooms to mark a special occasion later this year, it could take 4 to 8 weeks from this pruning and feeding. Much depends on each individual's program of irrigation, fertilization and the weather.

After pruning, restart your feeding program. Make sure the plants are deeply watered the day before. I recommend organic types and alternating with fish emulsions. This time of year, use a fertilizer that contains greater percentage of (P) phosphate in relation to (N) nitrogen and (K) potassium-that is, the middle number in the N-P-K formula on the box or bag will be the highest. This will enhance resistance to stress by encouraging a stronger root system. If temperatures are in 90s or above, and you do not use organics, hold off fertilizing until weather cools down. If you use a fertilizer that is first dissolved in water, apply it right over the bush from top to bottom. A hybrid tea needs about two gallons of solution and that application should be watered in after a couple of days. If you use a dry granular product, be sure to scratch it into the soil surface around the base of the plant, and then water it in. Apply in the concentration recommended on label. If growing in pots, use half the recommended amount, but apply it more frequently. Repeat your applications every two weeks. Liquid feeding with balanced water-soluble fertilizer allows for nutrients to be available to plant NOW. Stop liquid feeding three weeks to one month before your typical first freeze date which may occur as early as mid-December in the Temecula Valley.

When temperatures continue to be in the 90's, 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. Because of California's restrictions of water use, I suggest that with 3 gallons of water per HT twice per week a HT rose bush can survive. 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! If a clay pot is used more water is needed as the clay will absorb moisture from the potting soil and evaporate through the porous clay material. Plastic pots are better as they will not absorb moisture from the soil. In any case, avoid staging potted roses on concrete that is exposed to direct sun, as that can heat damage their roots. Another possible problem with potted plants is the soil can pull away from the sides of the pot and water will just run through and out the drain holes in the bottom. This problem can be corrected by pressing the soil back against the inside sides of the pot when the soil is wet.

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. Also, 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. An area 10 feet X 5 feet will require 4-5 cubic yards of mulch.

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. With warm days and cooler nights of Fall weather be watchful for black spot and powdery mildew as well and treat as soon as detected. Now would be ideal time to plant roses while soil is warm and still time to settle in before colder weather. Do not heavy prune until after plant has experienced a dormant period, usually after cold nights of below freezing temperature.

A valuable bi-monthly magazine which covers rose topics is the American Rose published by the American Rose Society (ARS). Go to www.rose.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 Rose Haven Heritage Garden, 30592 Jedediah Smith Road, Temecula (cross street is Cabrillo Avenue).

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!