Temecula Valley Rose Society

President's Message

The next thing to remember is that July is a "dark month", and that means there is no Rose Society program meeting at the library until August. It also gives the Board of Directors a month off. However, it still means that it is deadheading month at Rose Haven, so anyone who has any free time to volunteer some hours participating in the deadheading process please come out and donate some work.

At the June program meeting I announced that we have tickets for sale for the Last Rose of Summer Fund Raising event on September 26th. I also reminded everyone that we only have a few ways to acquire revenue to maintain Rose Haven, and that is through membership dues, fund raisers and donations. None of these sources alone can fully fund the Society's activities. Grants cannot be used to fund maintenance activities. Therefore, if we are to continue to have Rose Haven provide the community with a beautiful garden that we all can take pride in, we should contribute to that cause by either purchasing a ticket to the event and enjoying the festivities at the garden, or donating an in-kind amount of labor to garden maintenance. Pride of ownership also comes with commitments. Please order your tickets by sending your request and check directly to our treasurer, Bonnie Bell, PO Box 890367, Temecula, 92589.

Ann Coakes, our event chairperson, has a great program planned for the event beginning with Bob Coakes Swing Band, who will provide two hours of great music from the 1930s and 40s. There will be a variety of food and beverages to select from. Ann is working hard on having the local wineries donate wine for the occasion. There will also be bountiful raffle baskets to bid on, donated by the Board of Directors. The event will be at Rose Haven, and starts at 5 p.m. and ends at 7 p.m. I hope to see you all there to partake in the comradery as well as the fun.

I also announced that a second fund raising event would be held at Rose Haven on the 19th of September, which is the first annual Plant Sale. Everyone should take cuttings of their favorite plant or plants and try propagating some new plants for the sale. We have about 10 weeks to generate some plants, and if everyone does their part we will have a nice selection for sale on the 19th. Ann Coakes has hand painted some clay pots for your use if you need them to put the plants in for the sale. Don't forget to identify your plant with at least the Common Name and a suggested price. Lets make our first attempt at a plant sale a success by propagating some plants so we can generate some additional revenue for Rose Haven.

The August program will be devoted to Strategic Planning for the Society in the future years. Plan to attend and be prepared to address the issues and plans you think the organization should pursue in 2010 and the future.

Have a good and cool summer.

Did You Know?

Did you know that CR&R has been donating trash pick-up service at the Rose Haven Heritage Garden for the past eighteen years?

Ever since the garden was first established in the early 1990's CR&R has provided a large covered bin and weekly pick-up service. Furthermore, during pruning time two pick-ups a week are made. In addition to this greatly appreciated service, Ed Campos, an executive with CR&R, has obtained several hundred yards of mulch for the garden and has arranged for its delivery. CR&R is a valued friend and sponsor of TVRS and Rose Haven and we express our sincere thanks to the company and to its people.

Member Meeting Program

Rose Haven Update

The sizzling summer has arrived and the roses are still in full bloom. Check out the photo of the Iris, Roses and Companions area.

There have been a number of visitors recently walking the entire garden and enjoying the shade in the picnic area. Many have questions regarding roses and other plants, especially succulents and water-wise plants. In order to educate ourselves and answer questions appropriately, procedures are being prepared to include plant listings for each area with photos for easy identification. Information on drip irrigation will also be included.

Within Rose Haven there are about 12 defined gardens, and at our regular monthly meeting several of us selected a specific area to focus our attention on, for which we will present recommendations at the August meeting. Please refer to the map of Rose Haven on our website.

Unfortunately, none of the grants we applied for have come through, so affordable improvements to the Entry area will be limited for now to the planting of trees and several shrubs - no beautiful walkway or other enhancements yet.

Also, implementation of Education/Special Events area is on hold. If you have ideas for cost-wise developments or would like to participate, you are welcome to attend our next meeting Wednesday, August 5th at 9 am.

And don't forget our "Wish List" for Rose Haven which also can be viewed on our website. The address for the garden is 30500 Jedediah Smith Road, Temecula.

Iris and Roses

Who Wants to be an Angel?

If you've been diligently feeding, watering, and mulching, it's time for you and your roses to take a rest. For your roses, that means a mini-dormancy period. As each plant completes its bloom cycle (and most that were pruned in February have gone through a couple of cycles by now), remove the petals but leave the rest of each flower on the plant. If you were to prune the spent flower from the plant, it would cause the plant to send out new shoots from the buds below, and that new growth would be clobbered by the dry heat of summer. By leaving the immature hips on the plant–for that's what you're doing when you remove only the petals–it tells that plant that it's time to go dormant.

To further encourage summer dormancy, stop feeding by mid-July, but don't reduce watering or soil amendment. It's never too late to add composted mulch, but it's exhausting work in the hot summer months. If you're watching your budget, you can mulch with grass clippings (although those may introduce grass and weed seeds), coffee grounds (Starbucks usually puts bags of it at the end of the counter or near the door for customers to use in their gardens), or leaves. One of my favorite mulches is pine needles because they provide so much airy insulation and, as they decompose, they add acidity to the soil, something roses love and our local soils lack.

A lot of people like to use shredded wood chips that are sometimes available for free or at low cost from local governments and arborists. I shy away from them because in years past they've given me problems with weeds and with a soil-surface fungus that becomes impenetrable to water.

Although fresh mulch does provide some nutrition (and thus may encourage some new growth), that's better than incinerating your roots! Besides, the mulch brings down the soil temperature, evens out the distribution of moisture, and discourages those very special summer weeds that actually enjoy the hottest weather. All that will save you time, money, and effort. (You're taking a rest, remember?)

Okay, it's not all rest: I want you to stroll around your garden on summer evenings and look for plants that are "water stressed." Sadly, even with a drip irrigation system, you can't "set it and forget it" because our weather conditions can change quickly from hot to hotter! All systems need adjustment during the year. Give immediate relief by hand watering plants that are stressed, then turn on your irrigation system and see if you've got a problem like a clogged emitter. Fix that as soon as you can. If the whole bed seems stressed, increase the run time. (It's better to irrigate less often but for a longer period in order to encourage deep watering and deep rooting. Of course, if you notice runoff or flooding, you're watering too long.)

It's best to run your irrigation systems before sunrise so your roses can tank up before the heat of the day. That's also in keeping with new requirements from many local water districts.