Temecula Valley Rose Society

President's Message

We are hoping to visit Finch Frolic Gardens in Fallbrook on Thursday, November 8. Dianne Kennedy was our May 2018 speaker. Her garden is an inspiring example of permaculture gardening.

Suggestions are most welcome for September to December Society activities.

Submit your Rose story to the American Rose Society

It's been said that everyone has a rose story. Share your rose story with us briefly below, in less than 4 sentences, about the moment(s) that created your connection and love affair with roses. Selected stories will appear in our 2018 Rose Annual. We may edit your story for space purposes. Thanks in advance for your participation! https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1718009728247630&id=768603066521639

11th Annual Ralph Love Plein Air Competition

Are you a painter looking for a unique opportunity to showcase your talent and a chance to win prizes? Sign up to participate in the Plein Air Competition! Artists spend six days painting beautiful landscapes and landmarks in Temecula. For more information visit TemeculaCA.gov. RECEPTION | NOV 2 | 6pm @ THE MERC.

[Rebecca says: In years past, Rose Haven has been one of the locations selected as a Plein Air site. Attend the Nov 2nd reception to see if there are any paintings of our lovely garden. Thank the artists for their plein air efforts.]

Book Review: 100 English Roses for the American Garden

Well, our own rose gentleman Jim Moss has been writing an excellent ongoing article in our newsletter about Old Garden Roses that covers almost exactly the same material in the book I am to review. I sent an almost identical article as Jim's, but, thank heavens, our editor's computer ate my first submission. So, in order to avoid you all having to read the same material over again, I decided to teach you how to plant OGR's in pots and containers, since that is what I'd have to do to add another one to my collection.

You would want to grow one of the shorter varieties and obtain the largest container possible. The book recommends that you start with a bare root rose so you can control the ingredients in the pot. Start with the very best potting soil you can get your hands on. In the early 1990's I used GroMulch. This will insure excellent drainage. Book Review: 100 English Roses for the American Garden by a gentleman named Clair G. Martin reviewed by Karen Ortega Please note: This book review appeared in our September 2016 newsletter. Karen, our Society Founder, passed in December 2016. She was a special lady and is greatly missed by her friends.

Well, our own rose gentleman Jim Moss has been writing an excellent ongoing article in our newsletter about Old Garden Roses that covers almost exactly the same material in the book I am to review. I sent an almost identical article as Jim's, but, thank heavens, our editor's computer ate my first submission. So, in order to avoid you all having to read the same material over again, I decided to teach you how to plant OGR's in pots and containers, since that is what I'd have to do to add another one to my collection.

You would want to grow one of the shorter varieties and obtain the largest container possible. The book recommends that you start with a bare root rose so you can control the ingredients in the pot. Start with the very best potting soil you can get your hands on. In the early 1990's I used GroMulch. This will insure excellent drainage.

If that product is still available scatter a handful of water-holding crystals around the base of your volcanic-shaped cone. I always added bone meal, and blood meal, mixed in with the superior potting soil, then placed the bare roots around the cone. Then I would cover the rest with more potting soil. Nowadays, I lavishly sprinkle powdered alfalfa around all my potted plants to create a "seal" of perfect mulch. This keeps the water from evaporating out of your pot, and will eventually break down to nurture and build up the soil.

Reapply the powdered alfalfa once it starts to break down. It is amazing how it keeps the soil pot moist. Water every other day with 1 quart of water. Make sure to leave it in partial shade and move it out into full sunshine only after the roots are established and it is covered in new growth.

I highly recommend that you check this book out of the TVRS Library. It is incredibly detailed and informative. The incredible array of pictures will help you chose what you want to grow, and, like me, it may help you identify the gift rose you received years ago, sans tag.

There are so many from which to choose! I'm guessing that the rose given me by my Tai Chi students about ten years ago could have been called "Emanuel": fat buds, jagged dark green leaves, and gorgeous soft pink, quartered petals with incredible fragrance. Then again, "Constance Spry" also fits the bill. In Spring, the open flowers are so heavy that if it rains (if only it would rain like that again), they will hang all the way to the ground, and these have an almost overwhelming tea scent. Whatever my OGR is, it is a perfect rose that grows to 6 feet and deadheads itself and will let you prune it, but only to open up the center. It is also completely disease free.

When I first received this gift, I really didn't think it would live to be a year old. It had obviously been in the pot too long. I had my gardener, a REAL gardener, help me dig a hole, augment the soil, and plant the poor thing. Two years later, it rewarded me with its present ongoing bloom. Of all my roses, it is the best at being able to take the heat, re-bloom all summer long, and never need deadheading.

Grocery Cards Benefit TVRS

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

From 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm we will have a Rose Learning Workshop focusing on hands-on opportunities related to our favorite flower!

September Birthdays & New Members

Birthdays   Bridget Wyncott, Sep 1; Louis Noell, Sep 1; Marian Mauch, Sep 2; Emma Agajanian, Sep 2; Nardo Felipe, Sep 11; Margaret Penn, Sep 20; Kathy Katz, Sep 28; Betty Dixon, Sep 29; Ron Rumbold, Sep 30

New Members There are no new members this month.

Little Rose Show

Our first show of the coming rose season will take place at the September meeting. The weather should be cooler, allowing us some beautiful new blooms. Six entries may be made, in any of the six categories. Be sure to bring your own containers.

We'll set up our special tables, points will be determined, and Rose of the Day will be decided. Lenore Vogel will be assisting me, so help is available, if needed, from either of us. The annual awards, for the three top winners, will be presented at our December meeting.

Rose Haven Garden

After the strong heat of the summer our beloved roses are recovering and will start bearing some lovely blooms later this month. In the meantime, check out the gorgeous plants in the Succulent Garden while strolling through the garden.

The Pond

Suculent Garden

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

Friendship Tea, August 16th Meeting

And a great time was had by all. The community room was filled with many guests to entertain, which we did with much success. A hat parade, fancy tea cups, a "rose" film, delicious goodies, and the raffle table, made it a party to be enjoyed. There were smiles and laughter.

Hat parade

Thanks to our members who contributed food and worked on the program. We've made lots of new friends with this special event.

Rose Care FUNdamentals

If you are participating in my prescribed practice of allowing a summer of rest for your roses, you still have several weeks to take it easy before a mid-season pruning. As a wise man once said, "Predicting things is difficult, especially in the future," but one can only assume it will look a little like the past, especially with the weather. So I'll give it a try: This year I'm starting to do my mid-season pruning first of September in hopes of having blossoms for the American Rose Society (ARS) National Convention to be hosted by the San Diego Rose Society October 25 - 29. If you have a special event for which you would like to have fresh rose blooms, count back 6-8 weeks from that planned event to determine when you should do your end-of-summer pruning. You can possibly have two more bloom cycles this year. Remember, a mid-season pruning is light, removing any point along a cane where many stems of blooms came out. For quicker repeat blooming, prune each cane back to just above the outward facing bud at the base of the first leaf with five leaflets.

During periods of sustained high temperatures 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 succumb. Assess conditions every morning. Look for wilted or dry crisping foliage. Sometimes if you discover it soon enough, dousing the stems and leaves with plenty of water in addition to applying plenty of water to the ground, 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!

Plants in pots require more frequent watering than those in the ground. As the soil dries it pulls away from the sides of the pots allowing water to run through the soil with out penetrating the soil. Sun shining on the pot (whether black plastic or clay) can steam the roots of the plant which also requires more water to maintain a cooler temperature of the soil. This being said, plastic is still preferred over clay as clay loses moisture through its many pore. Double potting can moderate drying. This practice would at least have a curtain of cooling air between the pots, an insulation of some type would be more efficient. One more thing: The longer the soil is in a pot, the less porous space is available in the root zone-so repot every two years or so.

This time of year with hot temps also attracts 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. If you see signs of yellowing foliage you may have an infestation. Check the underside of the lower leaves for grainy feeling substance or tap onto a paper to see these very small critters. The easiest way to treat is to use strong spray of water from below to give the plant a shower and rinse the mites to the ground. If you see fine webbing you may need a stronger method.

I've noticed another problem as result of the weather this year: High temps and humidity have increased instances of Black Spot (indicated by yellow leaves with usually round shaped black spots). With the humidity comes dewy nights which then tends to incubate powdery mildew.

After the pruning has be accomplished and at least one thorough application of water, apply a good fertilizer. Read the directions on the container to discern type of application and what to do. I use granules, powder or liquid and water it in for the quickest effect.

Now would be another good time to order composted mulch. Here is a formula you can use to determine the quantity you will need. An area 10' x 50' needs 4-5 cubic yards to cover the garden 3"-4" which is the depth I recommend. This is the best product you can apply to protect your roses roots from heat and cold.

A valuable bi-monthly magazine which covers rose topics is the "American Rose" published by the American Rose Society (ARS). Go to www.ARS.org for more information on obtaining it.

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!