Temecula Valley Rose Society

Co-President's Message

Member Profile: Rebecca Weersing

Rebecca was raised in Maryland, outside of Washington D.C. She and her sister lived with her maternal grandmother on a farm. Her step-grandfather was stationed at nearby Andrews Air Force Base. The area she grew up in was still very rural, and had no electricity until 1954. Life was quite primitive; even after 1954 light was candles, kerosene and oil lamps when snow storms and thunderstorms downed the electric lines. Everyone was involved in growing tobacco for cash (a resiny and filthy plant, in her remembrance of chopping and drying it) and vegetables and fruit for food. Throughout her childhood she enjoyed the many dense mounds of very old fashioned roses and other lovely ornamentals at the neighboring farms.

Elementary school field trips were to the Smithsonian Institution and the Washington Monument (where we kids all raced up those 1,000 stairs to the top–can't do that anymore!), and ate lunch on the Washington Mall with a view of both the Capitol and the Monument. As a teenager she, her best friend and sister, would spend Saturdays at the National Art Gallery. One of her fondest family outings was to the Botanical Gardens, located near the Capitol grounds.

She came from a line of politically-active women who worked to obtain an education and the right to the vote. At a time when many women didn't drive, her Grandma did. She would pick up all the women who wanted to vote and deliver them to the polls, no matter their political party. Rebecca learned early about public service and womens role in changing society through education. Her role models were always learning, working and seeking justice. She was aware of segregation during her school years: her high school was integrated in her Senior year. By the time she was in high school she and her sister were living with her Mother.

Her first year of college was at Frostburg State Teachers College in Western Maryland. The next year she was accepted to attend the University of Maryland–she was working and had her own place near the University. But when some friends decided to move to California, guess who decided to change her life and fortunes? Off she went. Can you imagine a 20 year old explaining that to her Mother?

Landing a job with Flying Tigers Freight Airline (an exciting company in the 1960s), Rebecca worked swing shift and continued her education at El Camino Community College and California State University, Dominguez Hills, graduating with a Bachelor of Science, with a major in Business and Finance. She met her former husband John at Flying Tigers; he was a computer Systems Analyst at the time and was very supportive of Rebecca's pursuit of her education. They gradually got into property management and have worked together since the early 1980's. John has always loved to travel and they have been able to travel the world, having some seriously great adventures (e.g. Antarctica, the Amazon River). John has taken wonderful photos everywhere they have gone. After Joann was born in 1988 they moved to Temecula. The Rose Society was formed in 1990. The rest is history.

Your Chance To Shine

The deconstructed rose show is a new idea for our monthly programming. This seems to be working and we are having fun, so I'd call it a success.

My daughter Kathy made the comment that it gives members a chance to enter ALL of the components of a show, one at a time, instead of using all the energy for just one.

This was my first attempt at an arrangement, something I never would have done for a regulation rose show. I gained confidence as I learned what's necessary to win.

So far, we haven't had many entries. For our April meeting we have the home tour, but in May we will be doing the Horticultural section of a show. This means separate blooms, similar to our Little Rose Show, and I would like to see lots of entries. Let's fill up the tables. The meeting in June will feature the photography section, with a teaching work­shop to be announced.

Roses Past And Present -- XIII

We have recently been discussing Old Garden Roses and have introduced you to these very important roses. Hopefully you have been inspired to think that you might be able to grow a few of them in your garden. They are not difficult to grow and in fact, being direct descendants of wild roses, are relatively trouble free. But, that aside, you should not plant any rose, old or otherwise, without some basic research. OGR's will respond well with a minimum of care and attention which should be good news to anyone contemplating an addition to their garden.

However, we have discovered in our attempt to have an OGR section at Rose Haven, that some do better than others. So, here is the result of our experiment in growing Old Garden Roses:

The most successful of ALL our OGR's are far and away the CHINA's. These that we display are Archduke Charles, Cramoisoi Superieur, Hermosa, Louise Phillipe and Old Blush. As far as climbers, the Noisettes are doing well. Those that are doing OK but not spectacular are the Bourbons, Hybrid perpetuals and Damasks. The China's always exhibit healthy foliage, abundant blossoms and general good health, and need very little care.

To see these roses up close please visit Rose Haven and venture into the OGR section, located just north of the Hall of Fame area.

Next month we will talk about the end of the Old Garden Rose era and how that came to be with the introduction of the next generation of rose history, the period of Modern Roses, which is what we now enjoy.

All About Cane Borers

The larvae of certain kinds of wasps, cane borers are roughly an inch long, with large heads. Once they mature into full-grown wasps, they don't harm roses, but they can do significant damage when young. After hatching from eggs laid on rose canes, borers make their way inside the canes and survive on aphids brought to them by the mother wasp. After a couple of weeks, the larvae enter a dormancy period and then emerge as fully grown wasps.

Signs of Borers Though borers are a menace for roses, their presence is easy to identify. Inspect rose canes for damage in the form of blotchy, eaten-away patches, sores and winding pathways created by tunneling borers. Parts of the damaged cane may also be swollen with eggs and the leaves on borer-ravaged canes typically turn brown and die. Also, as borers weaken canes, they are more likely to break off in the event of wind, so always check weather-damaged roses for infestation.

Prevention and Treatment Keep rose bushes free of cane borers with a few precautions. The small holes and cuts left in rose bushes after pruning provide a place for wasp eggs, which eventually hatch into borers, so use a dab of glue to seal off the canes. The glue won't harm the plant, but make the canes unusable to female wasps. Prune borer-ravaged canes below the point of damage and keep cutting until the inside of the cane is healthy and white.

Aphids Aphids are the preferred snack of mother wasps looking to feed their young, so preventing aphid infestation is also a strike against borers. For a small number of aphids, spray them off of rose bushes daily using a hose. Alternately, put on a pair of gloves, pluck them from the bushes and squish them. Applying insecticidal soap can to rose bushes to repel aphids and introduce lady bugs, which feed on the small green insects.

March Deconstructed Rose Show Arrangements

Don Nordike gave an informative talk on creating three very different arrangements from a bouquet of long stem roses. Greenery is important and you can often find just what you need in your own garden or your neighbor's garden! As Don explained, he did not know exactly what the arrangements would look like but he came with all the necessary tools he would need for his creations.

For our Deconstructed Rose Show Arrangements we had 4 classes. Our 4 winners were Laurie Moss, Betty Dixon and JoAnn Summers (she won in 2 classes!). Thank you to all of our participants!

Laurie Moss

Betty Dixon

JoAnn Summers

JoAnn Summers

Don Nordike

Grocery Cards Benefit TVRS

Cane borer adult wasp

Member Meeting Program

Thank you to our members who will be sharing their gardens with us. We will meet at Rose Haven at 9:30 am. Plan on a walkabout to see all of the changes and enjoy the many blooms. Maps will be distributed at Rose Haven. About 10:00 a.m. we will head to our first garden. At our third garden we will enjoy lunch as well as their garden. For those carpooling we should return to Rose Haven between 1 and 1:30 pm.

April Birthdays & New Members

Birthdays   Dan Wyncott, Ann Schryer, Howard Katz, Val Fujihara, Ann Coakes, Pat Torres, Virginia Boos, Bob Crain, Simone Arnould, Anna-Mae Ackerman, Rebecca Weersing

New Members   There are no new members this month.

Little Rose Show

Little Rose Shows will begin in June this year. This month is our member garden tour. In May our "Deconstructed Rose Show" will continue our rose exhibitions with members voting for their favorites. Information will be available during the garden tour and in the May newsletter.

Rose Haven Garden

Our group of dedicated hard working garden angels are still at it. There is always one more plant, or a dozen, that could use some attention just when we thought we were done. And the weeds, yikes – Nardo has repeatedly removed them so the garden will be neat and tidy but they are very tenacious this year.

The Helping Hands group will be spreading an enormous amount of compost, filling eroded areas, and weeding the Iris garden on April 22nd. We so much appreciate their generous volunteering of labor.

Our next garden committee meeting is Wednesday, April 26th at 9:30. We will discuss projects to improve the garden and the soon to be completed Education Shelter. Members interested are always welcome to attend the meeting. Rose Haven garden is at 30592 Jedediah Smith Rd. in Temecula.

Tree of Life in April

Tomatoes in the Garden: A big thank you to everyone who took a tomato plant at our March meeting. I would appreciate any feedback that you have as these tomatoes start to grow in your garden and produce fruit. I am especially interested in how well they have adapted to your garden and what problems you may have had with them. Of course, I would also like your opinion about the quality and taste of the tomatoes. We have our first tomato tasting planned for August at Rose Haven. Please try and make this event and bring us samples of your tomatoes. Happy Growing!

I will be planting the tomatoes I grew for the Tree of Life sometime in April. I selected these from the many varieties that I offered you. Stop by the garden during the late spring and summer and taste the tomatoes we will be growing. I am at the garden most Saturday mornings.

TVHS student volunteer watering the young tree

Tomatoes for the TOL.

March Families In The Garden

Families in the Garden met for our first program of the year; on March 18 children learned about bugs and birds! With an outstanding turnout kids started at the Pepper tree with a bug talk given by Ms. Victoria, Caitlyn and Alicia.

A small nature hike to the Tree of Life Garden revealed lots of fascinating birds and wildlife. Once at the TOL Mrs. Barb and Miae taught the children how to plant potatoes, and they then harvested lots of wonderful vegetables including carrots, beets, green onions, garlic, kale, and lettuce. The children enjoyed planting, and they were encouraged to come by often to check on the results of their efforts.

Once finished, children made their way back to the beloved pepper tree where they made bird feeders from recycled tissue holders, kyro syrup and birdseed. Fay Devore led our little gardeners in admiring under microscopes the bugs that sustain our wonderful plant ecosystem. Our next Families in the Garden Program is on Saturday, April 15th from 9:30 to 10:30 at Rose Haven in celebration of Earth Day. Check out our new Instagram page: @families.in.the.garden.

A LARGE turnout!

Planting frenzy

What a Beautiful Sight!

In addition to our roses, we have a lovely collection of California Natives. Standing at the entrance arch and gazing up the first path, you will spy a haze of blue perched on the brow of the path about three quarters of the way up the hill. This bold plant is Ceanothus bush, also called California Lilac. It is fragrant, evergreen and very drought tolerant. It looks best when left unpruned. Below are two photos, one taken from a distance and the other a close-up of the blooms.

Ceanothus

Killing from Within

We have often heard the dire warnings about the cane borer. In all of my years I had never seen one. Last week that changed. Ben Jahanbani was busy pruning when, lo and behold!, he discovered a perfect example of this dreaded beast. Below are 2 photos, one of the cane borer in situ and then a close-up on Ben's gloved hand. Below is more information from website http://homeguides.sfgate.com/cane-borers-roses-24472.html

Cane borer damage

Cane borer grub

Rose Care FUNdamentals

Roses love food. Preferably good quality food. Regularly provided food. Continue fertilizing. Hopefully you are scheduled for the third application—organic. As I always say, organics are much better for your soil and ultimately for your garden and the environment. The soil does need a supply of organic material such as humus incorporated into the depths. For established gardens that isn't easily accomplished, however adding a 3 - 4 inches of a good composted mulch over the entire garden, leaving a 12" circle open around base of each bush. Earthworms are able to transport this mulch down into the soil where the microbiology is complex and multi-tiered. A healthy garden soil system is teeming with beneficial microbes that inhibit, compete with, and consume disease-causing organisms. This creates a sustainable soil "immune system." In fact, plants grown with organic fertilizers are themselves more resistant to pests and diseases. In addition, when you feed those beneficial organisms, they feed your roses. That's because they are busy breaking down organic matter and releasing mineral nutrients slowly and reliably. I've recently learned that extra phosphate in the fertilizer that you use is most important in assisting in creating a soil environment that aids immensely in helping plants to be resistant to pest and diseases. Also helping plants to develop hardier root systems and larger blooms.

Chemical fertilizers are artificial growth stimulants and, in the long run, harm your soil and pollute local waterways because as dissolved salts 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) break down slowly, generally staying where you put them, 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 starting to use organics? Give it a year. See if your roses don't reward you! Fish emulsion is also a good amendment to apply either foliarly or onto the soil around each bush.

There are many opportunities in the next month or two to attend local rose shows and see, learn, smell different varieties. April 22-23 is a Rose Show and Convention at the Los Angeles Arboretum in Arcadia, California. April 29-30 San Diego Rose Society will hold their annual Rose Show Liberty Station NTC Promenade. Watch for news of these shows and plan to attend at least one.

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!