Temecula Valley Rose Society

Jump to Frank Brines' FUN­da­men­tals
Jump to Calendar of Events
So, you want to be a writer? Read our newsletter writing guidelines here.

---

President's Message

by Virginia Boos

Dreams – we all have them. It's been my dream to see our TVRS and Rose Haven Heritage Garden be a success long into the future. Our founder, Karen Ortega, would be thrilled at our achievements to date. Joining the VisitTemeculaValley group will bring us publicity as never before, even world-wide. Our membership keeps growing, bringing so many enthusiastic individuals. Finances are improving and looking good. It's fundraising time for the 2019 tax year, letters are going out, so we hope for good results. It looks like my dream will come true!

---

Event: Gardening for Wildlife

by Linda Freeman

November 14th – Why Garden for Wildlife – Inviting Nature into Your Garden
Thursday, November 14, 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Guest Speaker: UCCE Master Gardener, Linda Powell.

How to start a habitat garden, natural garden guidelines, pollinator gardens, butterflies and host plants, thinking beyond birds and butterflies, invasive plants, and the principals of wildlife certification. There will be a free opportunity drawing, and a $5.00 fee for materials.

This event is presented by the Temecula Valley Garden Club and UCCE Riverside Master Gardeners. To attend this event you must pay in advance due to the cost of materials. Please pay at time of sign-up or mail a check. Please write November 14th in the memo section of the check. Mailed checks must be received by November 7th, 2019. Remit to: Temecula Valley Garden Club, P.O.Box 1526, Temecula CA, 92593-1526. Questions? Email janicerosner@gmail.com.

---

How Does Our Garden Grow?

by Rebecca Weersing

The Rose Haven Committee held its last meeting of 2019 on October 30th. You might ask, what are the responsibilities of this committee? From the Bylaws you will learn the following: "Volunteers work together at our public garden pruning, planting, deadheading, weeding generally every Wednesday and Saturday morning. Picnics, BBQ, and other gatherings. Development committee meets the fourth Saturday every month at the garden."

Over time the focus of the Committee has been growing in new directions from what the By‑Laws state. Maintaining the garden, both now and in the future, plus planning for garden improvements (whether renovation, replacement, or renewal) has become Priority One. We regularly bemoan weeds, despair of gophers, shake our heads at ongoing irrigation issues, carefully approach valve boxes buzzing of bees and grit our teeth at the erosion to be experienced during torrential rains. If you enjoy this type of challenge, please consider joining us. Our next meeting will be Wednesday, January 22, 2020. We start at 10 a.m., meeting in the Pavilion at Rose Haven. In case of rain we will have an alternate location.

Priority Two is garden improvements. For 2020 the Hall of Fame area and the Boos Entry Courtyard will be receiving renovations and a redesign. Look for developments beginning in January.

In 2021 Rose Haven will celebrate its 30th Anniversary of Growing.

---

Rose Haven Happenings

by Rebecca Weersing

Saturday, November 16: Families in the Garden, 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. • This is the month to plant bulbs in the garden. We will plant flower bulbs in the Quilt Garden and onions and garlic in the Tree of Life.

Saturday, December 7: Winter Garden Holiday, Hot Chocolate and Cookies, 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. • Join us for a new adventure, strolling and conversing about our winter garden while enjoying hot chocolate and cookies.

---

November Families in the Garden

by Alicia Cline

Our October event had a great turn out. We planted cabbages for March harvesting in the Tree of Life. Decorated pumpkins for Halloween and did some light harvesting of chilies, kale and tomatoes.

Our November program will focus on bulbs. We will be sowing tulip, lily and daffodil bulbs in the Quilt Garden area. Planting garlic and onions in the Tree of Life and checking progress of our other winter vegetables, and dping some light harvesting and weeding.

2019 Families

---

This Month's Program

Date: Thursday, November 21

Time: 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. See our meeting schedule here.

Place: Ronald H. Roberts Public Library, Community Room B, 30600 Pauba Rd., Temecula

Topic: Growing Poinsettias at Home

Speaker: Lois Whyde, Horticulturist, UCR Botanic Gardens

Lois has spent 28 years in the wholesale nursery business working as foreman, distribution manager, production coordinator, inventory supervisor and her most favorite position: grower. She has also worked as a reporter for a small daily newspaper in Ohio where she started a landscape/horticulture program at an adult education center retraining adults for careers in landscaping/nurseries. Lois was the coordinator and main teacher of the 13 modules that ranged from propagation, pruning, turf, irrigation, landscape maintenance, and installation.

For the last 2 years Lois has also been teaching nursery production at Mira Costa College, Oceanside. This class grows poinsettias, using her experience growing 150,000 poinsettias at an Armstrong wholesale nursery in Fallbrook.

---

Birthdays and New Members

Birthdays	New Members
Phyllis Bettelheim, Laura Bloomenstein, Wayne Blizzard, Nancy Fitness, Roger Fitness, Linda Freeman, Margaret Granlund, Dee Hydinger, Ray Jacques, Jim Moss, Edie O'Hair, Kathy Turgeon	Julie Brown-Tartaglino, Jeff Tartaglino, Juli Leonard, Sue Howell

---

Little Rose Show

by Virginia Boos

Only 8 entries this time! I thought the blooms were back after the hot weather, but they didn't show up at our display table. Mary Degange took Rose of the Day with her gorgeous 'Dick Clark' blossom. Suzy Parsons entered 'Fragrant Cloud' and 'Pope John Paul'. I entered 'New Zealand', 'Rosie O'Donnell', 'Bridal Blush', 'Peppermint Twist' and 'Good Morning America'.

A special display was arranged, showing what you might see at a formal rose show. 'Gemini' was in the English box, 'Firefighter' was in the picture frame and 'Uncle Joe' was in the clear glass bowl. A few rose hips were also on the table to show members what happens when the spent rose blossoms are not cut off.

I would love to see more participation at the November meeting. I know it's difficult to bring the roses, in water, protected from injury, but please try. Others enjoy them and want to see what you are growing.

---

Rose Haven Garden

by Bonnie Bell

November is an excellent time for a refreshing walk through the garden. We can see an increase in visitors and we are delighted to provide such a lovely place for the community to enjoy. With the Thanksgiving holidays coming up it's a great time to bring visitors and family for an outdoor activity and see the sights.

Our garden is open every day dawn to dusk and the garden is a Certified Wildlife Habitat What is a Certified Wildlife Habitat? The Backyard Wildlife Habitat Program is a program of the National Wildlife Federation that encourages homeowners in the U.S. to manage their gardens and yards as a wildlife garden, with the goal of maintaining healthy and diverse animal habitats and ecosystems. The program began in 1973. as accredited by the National Wildlife Federation. There are numerous birds that nest including quail and roadrunners, but you have to look carefully as they hide from predators. Several years ago in the very high-up owl box a pair of owls had owlets, which was extremely exciting. Perched on our beautiful entry sign is a huge hawk that "welcomes?" visitors. Editor's Note: Does the hawk know the wildlife here is protected and can't be eaten?

We will not have a Rose Haven Committee this month due to the Thanksgiving holiday. The address to the garden is 30592 Jedediah Smith Road, Temecula.

See the Rose Haven Garden web page here.  Click here to see the Google map to Rose Haven Garden.

---

Volunteers

by Virginia Boos

There are many tasks to be accomplished if our society is to continue to thrive. All the committees can use help. In addition, we now have a Support Team of volunteers, wearing their green badges, who act as hosts and hostesses at our meetings and events. They will be guiding tour groups at Rose Haven Heritage Garden. If you would like to volunteer your skills, please contact me, 695-1689, or email me here: virginiaboos@rocketmail.com.

---

Temecula Valley Garden Club

Click here for their upcoming monthly meeting news.
Their Facebook page is here.

Rose Care FUN­da­men­tals

by Frank Brines, Master Consulting Rosarian

Experiencing a summer of high temperatures, and currently fires, smoke and ash, and Santa Ana winds, we all look forward to having some relief. The weather has moderated slightly, and along with the change comes cooler nights with more moisture collecting on leaves. This moisture with the daily accumulation of ash and small dust particles provides a great environment for mildew, rust and black spot on roses. Black spot is the most common and important disease of roses found everywhere roses are grown. The disease does not kill the plant outright but, over time, the loss of leaves can weaken the plant making it more susceptible to other stresses and to winter damage. It first develops on upper leaf surfaces, later adjacent areas turn yellow and leaves drop prematurely, usually beginning at the bottom of the plant progressing upward. A potential "lookalike" disease is spot anthracnose (shot-hole disease); it is not a major problem unless temperatures are very hot (too hot for black spot). Spots caused by black spot are fuzzy around the edges, then turn yellow and brown. Spots caused by anthracnose are smooth edged and the centers turn grey and drop out. Treatment is the same, but if a fungicide is used, it must be labeled for black spot or anthracnose, whichever disease you are treating.

Fall brings warm days, cool nights, moisture and air dust particles. These conditions will ensure large colorful blossoms and possibility of powdery mildew. One of the earliest signs will be slight purple splotches on the underside of leaves and white powdery spots on top and white powder on the peduncle (neck) of the rose. A good fungicide will be needed and applied at the first sight of white appearing substance on the leaves.

Fall is a good time to check the pH of the soil. It should be between 6.0 and 6.5. Any reading below or above these levels will inhibit roses ability to use the you are giving them. Treating the pH problem now will give ample time for adjustments prior to spring pruning. The most likely result will be a low pH due to the acidifying effect of fertilizers.

Roses benefit from a good rinsing to remove accumulated dust: Be sure to keep moisture off the blossoms to prevent yet another fungal disease, Botrytis, which will appear as rot of blossoms and will usually prevent them from opening. Last month I included an article about Chilli Thrips and pictures for identifying the problem they cause. Continue treatments for these micro pests. They attack new growth, buds and blooms. Left untreated plants are stressed greatly, often shriveling the end buds or preventing bud formation. The life cycle of Chilli Thrips includes falling to ground and becoming a grub and reappearing when temperatures warm up next year.

If you completed the light mid-season pruning in September/October as suggested in an earlier article, you pruned out dead, crossing canes, and thinned the middle of the plant. This will improve air circulation through the bush and reduce possible fungal diseases. This mid-season pruning and fertilizing encourages a new blooming cycle. Feel free to cut some of early blooms now and take them inside for bouquets.

You may make a final application of fertilizer for the year before mid-November. Unless you plan to exhibit, I do not recommend fertilizing after mid-October. If you do this, use a fertilizer lower in Nitrogen (N) and higher in Phosphate (P) and Potassium (K); that is, if your fertilizer has an N-P-K number on it, the first digit will be lower than the other two. If it lacks an N-P-K, read the ingredients and/or ask your professional nursery person for guidance. To explain: Nitrogen encourages foliage growth-something we want to discourage as the plants go into their winter dormancy; Phosphate helps build root structure and resistance to stressful conditions (e.g., cold at this time of year); Potassium is a helper of Phosphate and aids in bloom quality. If you use an organic fertilizer it will be readily available when the soil warms, adding to the nutrients needed for that Spring growth spurt. A liquid fertilizer as the last application will be readily available

Remember to check your garden daily for any changes. Be sure to keep them hydrated for best results. The cooler temperatures can be misleading. Roses still need to be watered, but perhaps not as often.

Some people think Southern California lacks distinct seasons, but we do have seasons: They are only discerned by those with a more sophisticated palette! So get out of the house and enjoy the subtle delights of the air, sun, and the rich aroma of our magically misty Fall. When you have a moment to spare, or feel the need to get away, or when the day cools down, take your favorite healthy beverage, a picnic basket, and visit Rose Haven Heritage Garden. The early morning and late afternoon sunlight across the pass is magical this time of year – it even makes the freeway seem a little bit romantic! For other venues this time of year available for your interest check out the website ARS Pacific Southwest District calendar of events.

Oh, one last thing: Something to do when it gets just a bit too nippy out there. Start perusing rose catalogs (printed and online) for that next "gotta have" rose variety. (Come on-you deserve it! You work hard to have lovely roses, so let yourself go!) The September/October America's Rose Garden issue has a good section on some new or recent roses and other suggestions as where to look for more. And we expect to see you enter that perfect bloom in the next rose show in April 2020!) Also, this time of year, many nurseries and garden stores are liquidating their remaining inventory of potted roses – and you're in luck because November is an ideal time to purchase and plant! Make your list of new roses and go shopping, if you plan to replace an old tired plant, prepare the area now for easier planting later.

---

For more ideas, visit TVRS' Rose Haven Heritage Garden. Click here to see the map to Rose Haven Garden in Temecula, as well as our Society web site at Temecula Valley Rose Society. Spread the joy of roses!