Temecula Valley Rose Society

President's Message

Take the opportunity to attend a Rose Show this spring: In fact, you might also consider exhibiting!

Remember to invite your fellow Society Members to your garden if you have an interesting bloom happening. It does not have to be roses. Send Bonnie an email with the date and time for your Open Garden and she will send out an e-blast.

A Rose By Any Other Name ... Five

After talking about names of people, communities and other references to roses, it is time to get serious. So, for serious, how about religion, government, history and politics. Quite a bit of the time these subjects overlap or are one in the same.

Let's start with religion, and leave the other topics for later! The rose has for centuries been the symbol of Christianity and Islam. After Constantine established Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire, the rose became the symbol of the Virgin Mary and thence to the introduction of the Rosary. (I have been led to believe that the beads of Rosaries were originally made of Rosewood).

Regarding Islam: Geometric gardens were very popular in ancient Iran and surrounding areas. The center section of these gardens contained a large rose garden. This central place in the culture of the region gave way to a substantial part of their literature, music and religion. So both faiths have a great deal of history regarding our rose.

In the old King James version of the Bible there are references to the "Rose of Sharon" in the book of Solomon. However, this "Rose" is not a rose at all, but probably a lily, or a crocus, jonquil or something completely different. (Readers of John Steinbeck's novel "The Grapes of Wrath" will recall the young Joad girl who was called, in Oakie, "Rosasharn". Same name... same plant).

More seriously, persons of the Lutheran faith will know the "Luther Rose". This was the symbol adopted by Martin Luther, designed by him in 1530 and became not only his personal emblem, but was soon adopted as the symbol of all Lutheranism. Like all medieval rose symbols, it is a five petal white species with a red heart in the center, inside of which is a black cross. There are many variations of the Luther Rose, depending on which part of Northern Germany you look into, but the basic design remains the center piece.

In the next article how about looking at the Rose in Heraldry, (a BIG deal), and possibly get into the English "Wars of the Roses", a fantastic story, at least in my opinion.

Book Review: Chasing the Rose

It was a unique experience for the panel participants and something new for our meeting topic. If you missed the February meeting, you didn't enjoy the discussion of the book "Chasing the Rose".

The member panel had read the book, each person assigned 2 chapters. The setting is in northeastern Italy. We followed the story that developed about the young man's search for the history of his great-great-great-great Grandma's heritage rose bush.

I know I learned many details of early rose hybridization using the Chinese species roses that were being brought into Europe. Our current red roses came about from the Chinese Crimson. Yellow roses came from there too. Previously all had been pink or white.

During my reading of the book, I became fascinated and decided to add some of the OGRs to my own garden.

Grocery Cards Benefit TVRS

Member Meeting Program

Our March speaker is Glenn Wenzel, local historian and Journal Editor for the Riverside Historical Society.

White Park, located at the edge of downtown Riverside, was originally swamp land. Drained and developed, the city built a wonderful park with a unique cactus garden and other plants that became world renowned. One of the premier landscape architects of the this period was Franz Hosp, propagator of Rose 'Cecile Brunner' 1894. His rose is still available today. Hosp also master planned Victoria Avenue in Riverside and the Ragged Robin Roses line the entire median of this scenic road.

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

March Birthdays & New Members

Birthdays   Suzanne Howell, March 15, and Michael Momeni March 22

New Members   There are no new members this month.

Little Rose Show

The next chance we have for a Little Rose Show will be at the May meeting, since we have our home tour in April.

Please help to fill up our tables on May 17th with your special blooms. They don't have to be perfect, bring them anyway, to share with other members. Everyone loves to see all the different varieties, shapes and colors. We do have judging, and 3 awards will be made next December.

Families in the Garden

We've been gone for January and February, but have an excellent program planned for March! Our next event will be March 17th: Bugs and Worms!

The program will begin at 9:30 a.m. at Rose Haven Heritage Garden, 30592 Jedediah Smith Road in Temecula. Bug talk, crafts, a hike through the garden, and a look at what's growing and moving in the Tree of Life Garden will be featured. We'll be planting potatoes in the upper garden and light harvesting of what's ready.

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.

Rose Haven Garden

There is something new at the garden everyone, especially children, will enjoy seeing. It's very small, so you will have to look for it. Laurie Moss and her friend Carol created a "Fairy Garden" in the Hall of Fame under a white Iceberg rose. Laurie shared the story at our recent meeting but we want all our members to know about this delightful project. Check out the photos below.

With the warm weather in January and February the roses that were pruned have leafed out nicely so we plan to fertilize on Wednesday, March 14. There are many roses that we are pruning right now, so we're working double speed to get them finished by the end of the month. Wednesday and Saturday are still our work days. Nardo has been working non-stop to keep the garden looking wonderful. Thank you so much Nardo.

Our next garden committee meeting is Wednesday, March 28th at 10:00. We will discuss garden improvements, projects, signage, and special events. All members are invite to attend. The address to the garden is 30592 Jedediah Smith Road, Temecula.

The Fairy Garden

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

Rose Care FUNdamentals

If your roses experienced fungal diseases last year you might think of applying a lime sulfur dormant spray soon. Be sure to read the label completely to ensure the proper strength of the mixture for "growing season instructions." Be sure to saturate all canes and the soil surface of the entire bed. It is a good time to make sure the garden is free of left-over debris and to dispose it in the green garden waste bin-do NOT compost rose debris in your yard. Also, remove all old leaves that may be left on the bush. This cleanliness will help keep down disease. Maintain 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. This will also supply nutrients to build the soil for your roses over the season. Beware that water rates will be increasing and there is the possibility of future rationing again.

If you have space available and haven't yet purchased new roses, you can still do so and might find some great offers. Over the past several years, there has been a drop in the number of new varieties introduced into the market and commercial rose production has dropped, so there is less of a selection at fewer outlets. Some nurseries are still shipping to this area. Plants already in pots are 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.

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). If possible, avoid any overspray or misting of water being applied elsewhere in your garden that may hit your roses; but if you do 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 fugal diseases.

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 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 suggests 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. Look for fertilizers rated as 8-10-8 that include micro elements for greater results.

I highly recommend organic type fertilizers 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. The San Diego Rose Society rose show April 14. Plan to attend and experience seeing the blooms of your favorite roses or to research possible new additions to your garden. Entry applications for garden show at the San Diego 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!