Temecula Valley Rose Society Newsletter for February, 2021

Co-Presidents' Message, by Judy Sundermann

Have you visited Rose Haven recently? I stopped by Thursday to see the garden before the installation of the Labyrinth begins. I'm in awe of the progress that the Rose Society has made over the last 30 years. Even during this past year, with all the difficulties, we have continued on our mission. Hopefully, we will be back to meeting in person in the near future, but until then we can GoToMeeting like we did for January.

Our speaker, Gerry Mahoney, gave us information about the history of using roses as medicine and in cooking. I didn't know the rose is related to the apple and was a way for Native Americans to have Vitamin C in the winter by eating rose hips. She said fresh rose hips are delicious cut into small pieces and served on vanilla ice cream. She also recommended Middle Eastern grocery stores as a good place to buy rose oil and rose water.

Following our speaker we had a Rosey Sharing. Kathy Trudeau had two different roses that she showed in wonderful vases. We all agreed we should share roses and vases at our future GoToMeetings.

Brighter Days for 2021

Dear Rose Society Members: We are writing to all of our members to wish you brighter days as we enter 2021! Needless to say, we have all become flexible and have adapted to the new normals. We are all learning new technology and social contact protocols and, lucky for us, gardening and landscape maintenance is considered an essential activity! Our flexibility will help us promote our mission of rose education and appreciation into 2021 and beyond, and also help celebrate our Rose Society's and Rose Haven's 30th anniversary in 2021.

We all missed so much last year:

• Socializing at our monthly meetings at the Library.
• Our world renowned Potluck lunches.
• Our Little Rose Shows.
• Member Garden tours.
• Our great in‑person speakers who help us improve our rose gardens.
• Families in the Garden.
• Rose Haven programs.

As restrictions are lifted, we will be returning to Rose Haven to resume garden workshops and events. We are grateful to our members for their contributions to the Temecula Valley Rose Society during 2020. Because of your monetary and hands‑on efforts at Rose Haven, our garden looks better than ever. With hundreds of American Rose Society affiliates and chapters in the United States, we stand out with our privately owned Rose Haven Heritage Garden that is open to the public.

For 2021 we have waived dues for members on our roster as of December 31, 2020 until 2022, with the hope that everyone will continue our mission to encourage the appreciation, study and culture of roses.

Thank you for being a part of this journey with us and wishing all of us a Rosey 2021.

Virginia Boos, President 2020, Linda Freeman Co‑President 2020, Brenda Jahanbani Co‑President 2020, Judy Sundermann Co‑President 2021, Rebecca Weersing Co‑President 2021.

Boos Courtyard Labyrinth & Engraved Brick Work Begins!

by Kathy Trudeau

The exciting moment we've been working toward is here. Construction of the new 24 foot labyrinth walking path surrounded by 220 bricks (196 engraved) begins February 2nd and will be completed by the end of the month.

The project also includes new rose bushes, shrubs, groundcover, and two arbors with engraved poems to complete this wonderful Rose Haven addition. The existing rose bushes are in a temporary home in the Tree of Life Garden, and will be moved to the new Peace and Friendship Garden later this year.

Thank you to our membership and the community for your support. Please visit the Garden in March to personally experience this tranquil addition.

How Does Your Garden Grow, by Rebecca Weersing

Our garden grows by people talking. Back in the fall of 2019 Nancy Fitness began talking to the Rose Haven Committee about rejuvenating the Boos Courtyard. We all thought this would be a great idea and we started talking about the project at the member meetings and in the newsletter.

Member Mary Degange talked to our Membership VP Brenda Jahanabani, wondering if we had thought of including a labyrinth in the project? Brenda talked to Rebecca who shared the idea with the Rose Haven Committee. Nancy investigated and came back with a very enthusiastic "Yes! We can do this."

Where had Mary gotten the idea for a labyrinith? She explained "I experienced my first labyrinth in Casper, WY last July and knew Temecula needed one. I contacted the Temecula Park and Rec Dept with my idea but no interest. Attached are photos of the labyrinth in Casper. I'm happy to help with that project."

More talking began, this time about "How are we going to pay for this?" Kathy Trudeau started talking about a fundraiser "ThatsMyBrick" and pretty soon many others were talking and ordering bricks. Pretty soon we had sold enough bricks to fund the project.

With all that talking this next week will begin the doing part of the project. We are not "all talk and no action": We are "all talk and then all action". That's how it has been over the life of the garden. Rose Haven is celebrating 30 years of growing this year. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who talks about the garden. Remember, every action starts with someone talking and someone listening.

February 2021 Program

Date: Thursday, February 18, 2021
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Place: GoToMeeting online
Topic: Oh, the Roses You'll Grow!
Presenter: Bob Martin

Members will receive an email invitation the first week of February with a link to the meeting. The meeting will open at 9:45AM to allow member socializing. Members can join also by telephone to hear the program. The phone number will be in the invitation.

Topic: An educational program on picking the right rose for your area, where to plant it and rose care. The program will highlight common mistakes in deciding where to plant roses. It features beautiful photographs of outstanding garden roses, mostly by Bob and Dona Martin

Presenter: Bob the is 56th President of the American Rose Society, the nation's largest plant society and has been growing roses for nearly 50 years. He and his wife Dona live in Escondido, California, where they maintain a rose garden of more than 600 roses of all types. He is an American Rose Society Master Rosarian, an Accredited Horticultural Judge, and an Accredited Arrangements Judge.

Bob has authored more than 700 published articles on roses. He is the National Editor of Horizon Roses, an annual review by the nation's top exhibitors of new exhibition roses and is also the author of the book "Showing Good Roses", and maintains a website covering U.S. rose shows at www.roseshow.com.

Bob is an active rose exhibitor at all levels and the 2007 recipient of the ARS 'Guy Blake Hedrick Jr. Award' for lifetime achievement in rose exhibiting. He is also a hybridizer with 15 named varieties, including the show roses 'Dona Martin', 'Butter Cream', 'Peter Cottontail', and 'Pasadena Star'. Two of his latest roses are an orange blend shrub named 'Ruth Tiffany', and the orange blend floribunda, 'Escondido Sunset'.

Bob has graciously offered a personally hybridized 5‑gallon 'Ruth Tiffany' orange blend shrub rose as a raffle prize. Only TVRS members will be eligible for the raffle. We will pick a TVRS member name from the meeting attendee list.

Last month, member Peggy Benavides, won our Local Birding guide. Congratulations, Peggy!

TVRS will have a member meeting following Bob's presentation, with Rose Haven updates, raffle, and Rose Society business. Don't forget "Show Your Vase". Last month we had a great view of Kathy Trudeau's end‑of‑season roses in some great vintage vases. Take a tour around your garden and show us what is growing, and display it in a vase! We will be doing this monthly to share what is growing in our gardens.

Members will be sent a separate GoToMeeting invitation the first week in February with a link. GoToMeeing is an online meeting program very similar to ZOOM. If you have used ZOOM recently you will be very comfortable using GoToMeeting. The program audio is also available by phone. Also, visit us on Facebook for roses from around the world, as well as Rose Haven pictures and videos. If you would like to practice using GoToMeeting, please contact Linda Freeman at 951‑204‑6141.

February Rose Haven Flora, by Bonnie Bell

This month features the interesting shrub/floribunda rose Distant Drums. Here are some facts that makes this rose a favorite at Rose Haven.

Distant Drums has a striking color, beginning with a tan bud and opening to a swirl of lovely mauve coloed petals. Dark green foliage accents the light coloration of the rose. The height and habit is medium upright, with blossoms medium/large ruffled with 35 to 40 petals, and is lightly scented. You can find this rose near the three oak trees.

Distant Drums was hybridized in 1985, and has an ARS rating of 8.0. It is naturally disease resistant and grows quite well in our area.

Rose Care FUNda­men­tals, by Frank Brines

by Frank Brines, Master Consulting Rosarian

In southern California winter is usually short and sometimes confusing. Winter for some plant life is a time of withdrawal that precedes renewal. For roses it is necessary to help them in that process. Now is the time to perform a few procedures to help reset the hormonal clock and get them ready for a great year of rose blooms. That's the main purpose for pruning.

According to all accounts and experienced rosarians, the proper time is "late winter." This has many meanings in an area like So Cal which has numerous weather zones. The important thing is you want to prune late enough to avoid risking frost damage to the tender growth that will emerge as a result of pruning.

In most of the region my column is read the last average frost date is mid March, so that means you're probably safe pruning in mid to late February. It is always a gamble and the best advice is to watch the weather. If there is winter rain during January/February pruning can be held off awhile since these rains are cold, making the ground colder and wetter than usual.

This year the weather hasn't been severe enough to actually prevent new growth. I have observed that pruned or not new growth is appearing and buds forming an very short canes. I've seen roses still blooming this year. Different parts of a yard may have other conditions effecting gardening. A south facing wall backing the plants will be warmer than a shadier area. Soil composition will have differing effects. A generous layer of remaining mulch will improve soil conditions.

If you haven't began or finished pruning, don't fear: There is still plenty of time to have blooms for rose shows or special spring events. The recent rainy periods has created a great environment for fungi diseases; please examine your roses and, if you find any rust, remove all the leaves from the plant at once and discard into green waste bin. I do this anyway on every bush before pruning because it helps me see the structure clearly.

As I said before, the major late-winter pruning reset the plants' hormonal clock. A wake up call to begin a new life cycle, like restarting a factory. After this pruning, you can usually expect a flush of blooms 8 to 12 weeks later, depending on the temperatures during that period: the warmer it is, the shorter the time to blooms. But all things being equal, if you prune in the latter half of February you will likely have blooms in mid‑ to late‑April. If you would like blooms for a specific date, count backwards approximately 10 weeks from that date. Pruning should be complete on this date.

The following procedures mostly apply to hybrid teas and floribundas, but are reasonably serviceable for minis. They are not really applicable to climbers, ground cover roses, trailers, or shrub roses: all those types have their own pruning methods.

Before you prune, be sure you have good pruning tools and gloves with arm protectors, long handle loppers, and sharp clean "bypass" hand pruners. What does "bypass" mean? Take a look at your pruners: Bypass pruners have a sharp cutting blade (which slices through the cane) and a dull curved non-cutting blade (which holds the cane in place during the cut). The sharp blade "by passes" or over shoots the dull curved blade.

It's a good idea to have a range of pruner sizes handy. Each size has a limit to the diameter thickness for which it is most efficiently used; using too small a pruner on too large a cane can damage both. At minimum, have a pair of loppers and a standard-sized pair of hand pruners that fit comfortably in your hand. A saw can be handy if you have some older plants with large canes that may need to be removed. The standard hand pruner is good for ½ inch diameter cane.

All tools should be kept clean, sharp, and in good repair. Rubbing alcohol is ideal for cleaning cutting blades, before and during the job. It also helps prevent transmitting diseases from plant to plant, and you can use it as first aid for punctures and scratches to your skin. A good pair of leather gloves are necessary with long sleeves or separate pair of sleeves to protect our arms.

Before starting the job, lubricate the moving parts with a little light oil (such as 3-in-1 oil), and make sure they operate without resistance. Sharpen each blade with a small diamond file (available at garden centers), trying as much as possible to match the original bevel of the blade. Every 100 cuts or so, swipe the file over the blade a few times to keep it sharp.

If you notice that the pruners are crushing the stems and/or leaving a tail, it's past time to sharpen! To minimize damage to the cane keep this rule in mind: The sharp blade should always face the part that will be left. This will minimize the crushing of the cane or stem as it will be the part that is discarded. This rule also works for preparing stems for arranging or putting into a vase.

Now, decide what style of pruning you feel comfortable with (Figure 1). I find this works well with the way buds are distributed along the cane. Buds are found in the "axil" where a leaf meets the cane; leaves spiral around the cane at about 1.5" intervals. This places outward-facing buds about 4" apart. If you prune lightly to moderately, and if frost damages the tender young growth, then you can still re-prune to the next bud down.

In Southern California our rose bushes can grow quite large, so start with some gross pruning to bring the project down to size. I use loppers to cut every bush down to about 3 - 4 feet high. This lets you examine the structure of the bush, and to use your hand pruners to more easily remove canes that are twiggy, dead, crossing other canes, or passing through the center of the plant. Also remove old leaves as you go along so you can easily see the structure of the plant. After removing all that stuff from the interior of the bush you can do the final pruning. Attempt to leave a domed top to the degree possible so the plant will bush out in a pleasing, balanced manner.

You will make two kinds of cuts. Some cuts remove an entire branch; make these flush with the surface of the parent cane. Other cuts simply shorten a cane. It is important to position your pruners so you minimize damage to the plant. Position your pruners so the non-cutting blade is in contact with the portion of the cane that will be removed, and the cutting blade is on the side of the cut that will remain on the plant. (See Figure 2.) This will make more sense when you are actually holding the pruners and getting ready to cut! Also, always prune above an outward facing bud with an angled cut. (See Figure 3).

For shrub roses, cut them back to conform to the space you want them to fill, inspect and clean out dead and diseased material from the center, shorten canes and remove about one third of the growth.

A word of caution when pruning: Look for the small nests of hummingbirds, as this is the nesting period for two varieties in our area. Also, if you discover praying mantis egg cases on any branches you remove, find a place to put them where they will be undisturbed and hatch out so you can benefit from the offspring!

Clean the ground thoroughly of all rose debris and dispose of all cuttings and other materials in your green waste bin and put it on the street: Do not compost it! Apply a dormant spray to the plants and the soil surface to ward off diseases. Then apply 2"-4" of composted mulch to cover the entire garden area.

The first fertilizing will be when new growth is about 2 inches long. I recommend lower values of the three elements (Nitrogen [3], Phosphate [4],K Potassium [3]) with slightly higher value for Phosphate. In two weeks begin with heavier feeding every 2 weeks for great blooms or at least monthly. Now would be the best time to asses the irrigation system for any needed repairs while there is no new growth and mulch has not been spread.