Temecula Valley Rose Society Newsletter for September, 2021

Co‑President's Message, by Judy Sundermann

A wonderful description of Rose Haven Heritage Garden was made by Rebecca Weersing at a recent Rose Haven Committee meeting. It fosters Quiet Enjoyment, Active Learning and Healthy Living. Rose Haven has always been a place of quiet enjoyment and has been a refuge for many this past year.

In May we were able to celebrate our 30th Anniversary with educational programs about composting, butterflies, rose propagating, worm farms, floral design and photography of flowers. And that was just May!

We will be continuing our Families in the Garden in September. Healthy living comes from walks through our garden, learning how to grow healthy organic vegetables, healthy soil and enjoying the peace and quiet away from our busy lives. Personally, I love the serenity, the blossoms, birds and butterflies. I'm looking forward to seeing you at Rose Haven!

Peace & Friendship Garden Coming to Rose Haven

A serene, beautiful addition to Rose Haven is in the planning stage for completion in 2022. The Peace and Friendship garden will be located between the Tree of Life and the Gazebo/Romantic gardens and will feature a variety of white (peace) and yellow (friendship) roses and companion plants along winding pathways.

This garden will feature Peace Poles with the message 'May Peace Prevail on Earth', as well as other peace messages in many languages. The 8 foot poles are four sided and allow for 8 languages per pole.

A fundraiser will include a variety of ways to support this exciting project. Stay tuned for more details this fall.

Little Rose Show

Let's grow our Little Rose Show! In past years our members have enjoyed showing their roses in an informal setting, but following the rules of a formal show. We can start this again when we return to our library meetings.

For now, the plan is to have a demonstration and practice session at our Rose Haven meeting on October 21st. Our newer members can benefit from seeing how this is done. The October newsletter will have the rules and details to study. It's not difficult, just a fun project and a learning situation.

Roses should be coming back into bloom by mid‑October. Please plan on bringing some of yours so we will have lots of participation.

Upcoming Rose Shows & Plant Sales

Saturday, October 23, 2021
Orange County Rose Society Rose Show
Richard Nixon Library & Museum
18001 Yorba Linda Blvd., Yorba Linda CA
Entries accepted: 7:00 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.
Info: Tom Cooney, Tom's email.

Saturday, November 13, 2021
Desert Rose Society Show
Palm Desert Community Center
43-900 San Pablo, Palm Desert CA
Show hours: 12:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Entries accepted: 6:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
Info: Hal Reynolds, Hal's email.
Barbara Steffensmeier, Barbara's email.

Tuesday, October 5, 2021
California Native Plant Sale
Riverside – San Bernardino Chapter
Sale begins October 5. Details here.

Saturday, October 9, 2021
California Native Plant Festival
9:00 a.m. 3:00 p.m.
Balboa Park1600 Village PlaceSan Diego, CA, 92101United States (map)
Details here.

Rose Care FUNda­men­tals, by Frank Brines

Master Consulting Rosarian

I checked the weather projections and learned that temperatures for the next 7-10 days for SoCal are for mid-90s. Add to that, higher than normal humidity due to warmer ocean water temperatures. All in all temperatures are trending higher in the last five years. I advise you to thoroughly hydrate your roses over the next few days to prepare them for the high temps coming and continue to do so until cooler weather. If you're using drip irrigation, run your system in the early morning or evening to give your roses the opportunity to thoroughly hydrate. If you're using a hose or other non-surface method, do it in the early morning—it's best to avoid getting water on vegetation during these high temp days.

If you are following my prescribed practice of allowing your roses to rest during the summer, 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 had planned to do my mid-season pruning first week of September. Since there will be no fall rose shows and I have a slight infestation of Chilli Thrips and due to projected high temps, I will remove all infected growths and then prune as I have time. If you're experiencing thrips plan to spray immediately. Be careful of removing too much vegetation that would expose canes to the hot sun and sunburn which could kill the cane.

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 calendar 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 five leaflets leaf.

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 be severely damaged or killed. 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 pores. 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 hot temps also attract spider mites. 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. Spider mites have been big problem this year. They have been seen on many plants causing some to die.

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). I have not seen any sign of black spot in my garden yet. With the humidity comes dewy nights which then tends to incubate powdery mildew. I have been troubled by this mildew throughout this year in my garden. I have discovered damage from Chili Thrips, however that is difficult to recognize until it becomes obvious. At the first signs of any of these it is best to start treating with fungicide or a pesticide (preferably one containing Spinosad).

After the pruning has been 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. My colleagues are recommending the use of fish emulsion and seaweed fertilizers at the rate of 1Tbs each per gallon of water applied now. REMEMBER: Never fertilize a dry or stressed plant—always water the day before. Now would be 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.

Now is a great time to clear the debris in, around and under your rose garden. Due to the heat you may have a lot of leaf drop and old petals build up.

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