Temecula Valley Rose Society

Co-President's Message

Roses Past And Present – XII

Continuing our discussion of Old Garden Roses (OGR's) it is known that during the period of their great popularity, they were pretty well confined to France and England and to a lesser degree to Holland, Belgium and a few other European nations. The United States has had only a few OGR gardens over the years, sometimes private and sometimes municipal, as in Botanical Gardens. The writer believes that this is due to the fact that the United States has never had anything resembling an upper nobility or resident royalty. Most of our wealthy leaders were working people who earned rather than inherited their wealth. So if they had gardens at all, and many did, these plots were very humble compared to the Europeans, who had the leisure and money to have large estates, castles and gardens.

Be this as it may, one of the most famous roses on the planet is in the United States, in such an unlikely place as Tombstone, Arizona!! Here you will find the very famous (and rightly so) "Tombstone Rose". She is a Lady Banks which was planted in 1885. Some of our readers may have a Lady Banks. If so, The Tombstone is a sister of your rose. What makes this plant so unusual is her size. She is supported by a structure, being a climber, and she covers an area of 8,000 square feet. That's right: FEET. Her trunk is a massive 12 feet in circumference! The US might not have the oldest or prettiest, but we will the prize for the largest.

OGR's are slowly making a comeback in the world of roses and have been on the rise for quite a few years. The Temecula Rose Society started an OGR section at Rose Haven in 2011. We currently have 13 species and a total of 32 individual plants. If you go to Rose Haven the OGR's are in the beds nearest the Porta Potty. Each species is identified by a tag which indicates the name of the rose, its variety and the date it was hybridized.

If you are interested in growing one or more OGR's please visit Rose Haven and have a look. These plants are easy to grow and can get a bit large but are well worth the effort. The roses we selected for our garden were matched to our agriculture zone, climate, and what we wanted as an end result. All of our OGR's are repeat blooming, so we have color all during the season. If you have questions on these great plants, call me at 951 285 27.

Tree of Life

Who doesn't love a fresh tomato grown in your own garden. If you are someone who loves tomatoes, you won't want to miss the March meeting. I will be bringing tomato plants that I have grown from seed and giving them to anyone who would like to take one home. This is your chance to try a new variety as I buy seeds that are unique. Here is a taste of the tomatoes that will be available:

Caiman Organic: A sweet juicy slicer that provides a continuous yields & is disease-resistant & heat tolerant. Well suited to be grown in a wide range of climates.

Tasti-Lee: This tomato holds the triple crown of great flavor, heightened nutrition (up to 50% more antioxidants than most other tomatoes) & an extended shelf life.

Quali T: A determinate variety that out-yields many of the leading tomatoes. It consistently delivers huge, picture perfect deep red fruit unparalleled in quality, uniformity & flavor.

Harmony: A 2-bite cherry tomato brimming with sweet juicy taste. Crack resistant.

Indigo Cream Berries: An ivory-colored tomato that is stunningly beautiful and extraordinarily tasty. It is also extra nutritious with naturally occurring antioxidants.

Candyland Red: These 1/2 inch round tidbits have a mouthwatering rich currant flavor that's tantalizing. The plant retains a manageable self-supporting bushy habit.

This summer the Temecula Valley Rose Society will hold our first tomato tasting at Rose Haven. Start your tomatoes now and be ready to share your experience & flavors with all of us. We would love your feedback on how these tomatoes grow in your garden or as a potted plant.

Indigo Cream Berries

Caiman Tomato

Member Profile: Don Nordike

Don Nordike: Our member Don Nordike considers himself lucky to have lived a "cornball, Walton's like" childhood. When asked how he learned to exhibit such gorgeous roses and make the beautiful arrangements we all admire, he explained he was raised on a family farm, 65 miles north of St. Louis, Mo. Don and his younger brother learned to care for almost every kind of farm animal, vegetable, flower, and fruit that did well in their part of Illinois. The family would pore over seed catalogs all winter, until the pages had thinned and it was March or April. They sent in their orders for Dahlia's and Chrysanthemums and tons of other wonderful seeds and plants after the long winter. The boys entered their animals, flowers and produce in several local fairs, where they often earned hundreds of dollars in prize money. That was serious work, as most prizes were under five dollars. Their efforts were especially important after their dad passed away when Don was just 11. He lost his mom at 23. The farm is still in their family and Don's brother still lives there.

Don learned even more about arranging and caring for flowers when he got a job with the local florists when he was just thirteen, a couple who taught him to make corsages and arrangements. Don's working life included four years in the Navy, from 1969 to 1972, then a long career as a ticket agent for TWA from 1974 until he retired in 2002. He loved traveling and saw 89 countries before he left, but a stroke in 2002, the pressure of his job (big changes after 9/11), and American Airlines purchase of TWA combined to make him listen to friends who had left the industry and found early retirement in the Inland Empire.

He moved to Sun City in 2004. Don feels this is the happiest time of his life. He had never owned a home before, always renting. It was shocking and difficult for a "farm boy" to adjust to the pace and differences of all the people in the service and his job. When he bought his home there were 5 rose bushes in the front yard. Now he is looking after 175. People come from all over to see his garden. His neighbors stop to smell the roses. He was President of the Sun City Garden Club. He loves our group for the diversity, so many kinds of generous people and he loves to share knowledge and plants. Despite a recent bout of prostate cancer, Don he remains one of our staunchest members, a good friend, and much admired for his kindness and knowledge.

Grocery Cards Benefit TVRS

Member Meeting Program

Don Nordike has exhibited masterful arrangements over many years of Rose Shows. He will share his love of arrangements and tips of how he goes about creating his very special entries.

As part of our "deconstructed" Rose Show, we will have Society Members displaying their Rose Arrangements. Between 10:30 and 10:45 a.m. we will vote for our favorite arrangements.

Click Artistic Exhibits Arrangements to view details of the rules and the classes. Click ARS Traditionsl Arrangements and List of Articles on Arranging Roses for additional information and resources available through the ARS website.

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

March Birthdays & New Members

Birthdays  Agnes Felipe and Michael Momeni

New Members  Margaret Penn

Rose Haven Garden

This month we are ready to celebrate spring. Some warmer weather is on the horizon so all are invited to visit the garden, enjoy the outdoors, or just relax in the lovely environment. Our garden is a member of the American Public Garden Association and also is a Certified Wildlife Habitat – which includes basic elements needed for wildlife: food, water, shelter, and places to raise young.

Our next garden committee meeting is Wednesday, March 22nd at 10:00. We will review plans to remove and replace roses and shrubs as needed, a shaded bench area in the Tree of Life, and progress on the large shade structure in the Education area. Interested members are invited to attend.

Rose Haven garden is at 30592 Jedediah Smith Rd. in Temecula.

Families in the Garden

"Rain, rain go away, come again another day." This is the song our committee has been singing about our two rained out programs in January and February. Never fear, we are planning on a sunny day for our March 18th program: Bugs and Worms!

The program will begin at 9:30 a.m. at Rose Haven Heritage Garden, 30592 Jedediah Smith Road in Temecula. Bug crafts, a hike through the garden, and a look at what's growing and moving in the Tree of Life Garden will be featured. This is a free, hands-on program for kids under 12 and their families. Members are encouraged to join us for our special fun third Saturday morning event.

Searching For Bugs

Identifying Bugs

February Deconstructed Rose Show Tables & Trays

A warm thank you to all of those who participated in our Trays & Tables Artistic Exhibits! Just like a "real" Rose Show we experienced all of the morning chaos – all of the "does anyone know what we are doing???" moments.  Soon we all settled into our spots and had our exhibits set up by 10:30 a.m.  Our meeting started with the everyone voting for their favorites in each category. After the voting each Exhibitor shared their inspiration for their entry. With a drum roll we announced those receiving the most votes in each of the categories: Class 1 - Tray Setting for One  a. Organic - Bonnie Bell  b. Inorganic - Phyllis Bettelheim Class 2 - Table Setting for Two  a. Organic - Laurie Moss  b. Inorganic - Betty Dixon Best of Show - Rebecca Weersing  Want to know more about Table Settings & Trays? Click ARS Let's Do Tables to read an American Rose Society article by Lois Wier.	Phyllis Bettelheim
Betty Dixon	Bonnie Bell
Rebecca Weersing	Laurie Moss

Rose Care FUNdamentals

Daytime temperatures in February ranged in the 60s to 70s, and the amount of rain we've had the roses have burst with growth – some even have buds. If you finished pruning in mid-February, I'm sure you're seeing a good flush of new leaves. If you haven't bought new roses yet, you can still do so and might even find some great offers. Some online nurseries are still shipping to this area. Plants already in pots would be the best to buy as they will be far easier to transplant and will establish themselves quicker. Look for those with 3-5 major canes.

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 will 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," especially if there is new growth. Be sure to saturate all canes and the soil surface of the entire bed. Apply a 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 and build the soil for your roses for the season.

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 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 the day 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 to avoid creating excess ground moisture into night time. Too wet soil can lead to unhappy roots and/or fungal diseases. If you use overhead watering systems avoid doing so when there is any wind to avoid moisture collecting on leaves which could result is sun burn or add to conditions favorable for fungal diseases.

Now would be the time to sprinkle 1/2 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 (N) to encourage new stem and leaf growth. In about two weeks, apply fertilizer that is higher in phosphate (P) and potassium (K) to give roots a boost at start of season. New information suggest that continued use of fertilizer higher in P and K will foster greater root development and lead to better growth and resistance for healthier plants.

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.

There are rose events coming up which you may find of interest. Pacific Southwest District mini-rose show convention April 19-23 at the Los Angeles Arboretum. The San Diego Rose Society rose show is on April 29. Plan to attend one or both and experience seeing the blooms of your favorite roses or research possible new addition to your garden. Entry applications for garden show at the San Diego County Fair are now being accepted. Inquire at www.sdfair.com.

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!