The AARS and the AGRS?

The AARS, the group that would annually designate some of the new roses for the year as "AARS Selection", seems to be going away!AiFolks  in general seem more excited about roses in the landscape rather that roses in the vase!

Here is the AARS 2013 winner and the last! 
'Francis Meilland'

So things that kept AARS in business, namely pointing to quality roses that looked great in the vase or in arrangements, are of diminishing interest to those qualities that make for a great landscape rose.

A great Landscape Rose you ask?  Sure,lot's of color, multiple blooming cycles, low to no maintenance,  easily pruned by the landscape with their  hedge clippers.  So there you go!

We'll as you most likely know,  the Knockout Roses have fit this bill in spades.  Seems like it's the only game in town.

Well, amazingly, Knockouts are basicly a member of the class of roses called shurbs.  It's not the only shrub, infact there's a whole parcel of roses in this category that are quite exotic, and varied and would also expand the range of your collection of landscape roses.

And who do you ask, will point these out to us in the future? Great Question.

Since the AARS functioned to assist the growers, breeders and retailers, and with classical breeders and retailers going by the wayside, who is stepping in to satisfy the surging demand for landscape roses?

Rumor has it another goup to be titled something like American Garden Rose Selections (AGRS) may stand in the breech.    A new program has been created that will emphasize sustainability in new roses. It's called American Garden Rose Selections (AGRS), with the support of rose societies, what's left of the rose industry, and various other constituencies including botanical test gardens.
More information can be found in the January -February issue of the American Rose Magazine in the article entitled "2013 Nursery Guide"


 IN the meantime, you're on your own to "Google Up"  starting with  This Olde House     and work through Heirloom Roses    for a start.  Take a look at David Austin's offerings as well.  Well, why not be at the next meeting where this will be the Topic of this month's presentation! 

Good Luck!   oh yes, btw, when you begin to feel you're missing something special when you can't attend one of the ARS conventions, here's a clip from one of their arrangement seminars....

Enjoy, 2012 Arrangement Seminar fromSan Ramon.    


ed...  All of this available to you on youtube.com.     Go to the channels and search the ARS channel.  You can subscribe to get to these more easily!

New Year's Resolved? Own-Root Roses? Worth the try? Or Not

What's the hot new rose for this year?  Oh wait, we've got a better topic. What's the hot new rosarian trend for this year?  Well, here we go.  Maybe!

All this fuss about RootStock!  Fortuniana  for the South and and Dr Huey rootstock... for the rest of them.    Sometimes when your hybrid tea roses are performing poorly you like to think, well maybe it's a problem when trying to grow grafted or budded roses in our corner of the county.   Not even sure what a grafted rose is all about?  Does it make any difference with our show roses?  Well here's a link to a great and short explanation by Paul Zimmerman on the topic.

http://paulzimmermanroses.com/getting-started/part-4-own-root-vs-grafted-roses/

As you start to buy roses from mail order nurseries, and even some local ones, you are going to encounter both these terms, budded and grafted.. You’ll want to know a little about the differences so you can make an informed choice.

Up until recently most roses sold around the world were grafted. This means the variety you want was budded onto an understock – usually Dr. Huey in the United States. Many a rose grower experienced buying a beautiful white rose only to have it years later “change’ into a semi-double red one. What happened was Dr. Huey took over. We call this suckering. (It refers to the Dr. Huey taking over not to the person who bought the rose!)

Own-root roses are roses struck from cuttings. This means the roots are the same variety as the rose above the ground so it can never “change” by suckering.
 

This begs the question, if this is the case then why weren’t all roses own-root roses? Certainly would have saved a lot of work tearing out those Dr. Huey roses!

There is allegedly a simple answer. Many florist and exhibition roses aren’t vigorous enough to grow on their own roots. They stay puny and eventually die. Hardly a Garden Rose!

Along with disease resistance we feel being able to grow vigorously on its own roots is another important characteristic of a Garden Rose. Plus own-root roses make fuller, bushier plants and constantly put out new canes from the base. They make Garden Roses.

(above excerpted from Paul Zimmerman Roses)


Now, you start to conclude that some of the hybridized  teas have been so far overstretched , that the new varieties of roses are loosing their vigor like they loose their fragrance, for the sake of a few show quality blooms,   Can we have great blooms and vigorous plants too.    .Well, read on.

"My most vigorous own root hybrid teas s or grandifloras have been Paradise, Gold Medal, Helmut Schmidt, and Fragrant Plum; and more recent really promising acquisitions (purchased in the past year and a half) have been Pope John Paul II, Olympiad, Elina, and Tahitian Sunset.
The general guideline I try to observe is that the better branching and bushy a variety is, the more likely that it produces a vigorous root system. So hybrid teas that grow upright but don't branch out too well might likely not be as vigorous on their own roots. Maybe that's why most floribundas (like "Julia Childs") ed.) do just great on their own roots; they are already bushy growers"   (Posted by Mike of New Orleans)

I say,  my vigorous HT bloomers have been Tropicana (Orange) and Tropical Sunset. (Orange Striped).  Have great hopes for my own-root Julia Childs.

So what's a person to do?      It's either another year of trying to mimic what other successful Rosarians have been doing or searching for an alternative paradigm to breakout . Well isn't much of the fun with roses the learning and trying process?  Start 2013 with you own research project.   Ordering a favorite new grafted/budded hybrid tea?  The try the same rose on it's own roots, and see for yourself.     Convinced that own rooted Florinda's and OGR's will do better? A dilemma ?  Give it a try.  

Where to get started?   Here's a local  (Laurens SC.)nursery that grows their own root roses including exhibition quality teas.  Take a look at the folks from rosesunlimitedownroot.com/    or give them a call at 
(864)682-7673  Best of all you can check out their recommended program for successfully planting your new roses, and they also include a weekly rose care program on their site.   See how this compares to what you've been doing.   Any the background music is pretty peaceful too!

 Don't know much about them yet except they have quite a large selection and are taking orders now.  Like the folks from HorizonsUnlimited with their wide selection of really innovative garden tools, this is not yet an endorsement, but just a head's up on my own research project.

    Now of course, if your a real green thumb, your gardener friends may suggest planting a grafted rose with the graft union buried below ground.   Oh shock!  won't that cause the graft to disease and decay?  Maybe.  It might just also put out it's own roots so voila, If you're trying to salvage a grafted rose that,s failing anyway, what's to loose but  burying it another growing season.

See you at the January meeting and get the opinions rolling!  Do you still have one of those Arizona Sunset mini's we propagated a while back?  Own-Root of course.

Ah!  The fun of learning!  Have we backed you into a New Years Resolution.?  What's a New Year without a resolution.

btw.  for those of you ordering your new roses through the GIRS, we'll be back from Gainsville the weekend of Jan 20th.  Watch also for the annual list of sprays and fertilizers that we'll order late January for pickup in early February.   Happy New year all y'all!

btw.  The American Rose Society?  Worth Joining?   We think so!  Here's their Web Site. Take a Look!  Reasonably priced, great magazine, lots of resources .   Don't throw out your old copies, drop them off at Library. 

It;s Usually About the Rules

Winding down what's left in 2012 and looking ahead to what the new year can bring, provides some opportunity for musings.     A favorite is finding a bargain, then bending the rules just a bit.
A trip to a newly owned local  high end consignment shop, was interesting.  The price tags showed three different prices.  The first one was the current price,  below that was a discounted price to be effective three days from now,  and the last price (surely the bargain) was the price after the end of next week!

Do you dare to wait, to get the best price, and return to the shop at 7:00 AM only to find that someone else bought it yesterday?     Well, I did find some bargains.  First was an authentic Ikebana container just perfect for showing off a minture rose in the oriental style at our next rose show.  Stick a fern frond in it along with your "Best of 04". Who can beat $3.00  unless you got it as a gift. Pin frog included.


Not to be denied, the search for more of the same continued.    And in the far corner, under a brass lamp with a stained glass shade sat these to glossy black round containers.  Perfect I thought.  Looked at the price. $2.50.  Each.   A pair for $5.    Flipped them over to discover these were really candle holders. Both made in Vietnam, with four tiny felt pads under them. Each weighed about a pound.  Nothing to tip over or scratch here.  Wondered if the candle holder hole was glazed and water sealed or would this be a leaker.  Looked like a really small pin frog could be held in place with some of that sticky class.    Hummm.    Grabbed them both and off to the cashier.

On the way home, was thinking about my first arrangement.    Less is better, simplicity, I"n the oriental manner", the rules just kept running between both ears.   Then I thought back to our program when Edwards of St Simons did our program on creative arranging.   What rules was he following.  Surely nothing that resembles our ARS arrangement class critera.  It was all about space, proportion, color, mass,and more. But they were georgous, put together in minutes, and every one who took one home, also carried out great big smiles.

Grabbed a twig off my some unamed and unidentified cactus like plant, snipped the last bloom of the year off my Gemini,  thought about lazing out in the sun under a palm tree on Molakae Beach, looking fowrard to the evening's luau, stuck the pin frog in the candle holder and here we are.  

In the oriental style sort of.  I know, nothing's supposed to touch the container, and it should be suitably quarentined in it's own niche,  but OK, just tell me you like it!

After the Summer we've had with rain, heat, spider mites and more, whereblooms were dear and often sparse, Ikebana, using almost nothing, could well become your favarite style of arrangments.

Sure, you can imagine Santa left this one under your Christmas tree, but just go have some fun seeing what you can find and imagine.

Here's "On Molakai Beach!



So Merry Christmas to all of you, and a most joyous, prosperous, seredipity New Year of 2013.

Christmas Rose, Really?

 Yes, Virginia, there really is a Christmas Rose.

I’d wondered if there was such a thing as a Christmas rose. And yes, there seems to be one. I would expect a bright red one; however, this one appears as a five petal white. It’s called a Hellebore!
Well, that’s a name for you. And despite being called “Christmas Rose”, and often called “Lenten Rose”, surpris-ingly, it’s not really a rose at all.

As you can see from the second photo, it really looks like its part of the Ranunculi family of flowers. I’ll let you go research that from one of your garden club friends.
Now please don’t feel like you’ve been given a lump of coal in your Christmas sock. In fact, Christmas roses are remarkably easy to grow, seem to prefer a shady spot, (and we have plenty of those), and since you’d agree every garden needs a surprise, here’s a good candidate. It flowers from fall through the spring. And it even comes with its own legend.

According to legend, a young shepherdess named Madelon was tending her sheep one cold and wintry night. As she watched over them, a group of wise men and other shepherds passed by, bearing gifts for the newly born Jesus. Madelon wept, because she had no gifts to bring the Newborn King, not even a sim-ple flower....
An angel, upon hearing her weeping, appeared and brushed away the snow to reveal a most beautiful white flower tipped with pink - the Christmas Rose.

So ask the Ace Gardener to get you a Helleborus niger and remember during each Christmas ahead, the idea was in your Christmas sock from the Golden Isles Rose Society

Rose Chat Radio....

Going Forward while going Backwards.  The following has been excerpted form the South Metro Rose Society Bulletin.    How interesting if you comfortable around your computer, tablet and smart phone.    Thanks SMRS.

---

Back to Radio... forward to Internet Radio.

 

About Rose Chat Radio

Rose Chat began on Twitter as a method to communicate positive information on roses to a growing segment of people who have an interest in gardening. The popularity of this monthly Twitter chat was the springboard to our BlogTalkRadio presence. People simply wanted to know more.

The need to communicate solid information on growing roses to the next generation is essential and Rose Chat Radio fills that need by providing solid rose advice, interesting guests and the latest news from the world of roses!

We advocate good growing practices and fully support the American Rose Society not only by our individual memberships to the national organization, but also at the local level by promoting roses in our own backyards and serving in our own communities and in our local chapter rose societies.

 

Who We Are

Chris VanCleave (aka “The Redneck Rosarian”) currently serves as President of the Birmingham Rose Society in Birmingham, Alabama; speaks on growing roses, is the founder and host of RoseChat Radio and is a tireless advocate of our National Floral Emblem, The Rose. He and his wife Tina enjoy a garden filled with over 100 roses!

Teresa Byington is a Master Gardener, Rosarian. Her blog TheGardenDiary promotes roses as an integral part of the landscape. She is a co-host of the RoseChat Radio broadcasts and brings a wealth of knowledge and garden inspiration to the Rose Chat family. She and her husband Greg enjoy a garden of over 100 roses!

Susan Fox is an acclaimed rosarian holding national awards for her beautiful roses. Her popular blog, GagasGarden.com is dedicated to a world where everything grows!

what exactly is Rose Chat Radio? Simply put it is the only show dedi-cated to growing roses with interesting guests and the latest news from the world of rose gardening. Accord-ing to their website, "Whether you have one rose, a thousand or simply an interest in roses you’ll love RoseChat Radio on BlogTalkRadio."

So how does one get connected to listen in on these broadcasts? Simply go to RoseChatRa-dio.com and click on one of many broadcasts to pick from. You can listen on your computer, smart phone or download as a podcast to an MP3 player, like iTunes, and listen at your leisure. And if you are inter-ested you can listen live every Saturday at 9:30 AM CST where you can even call in and be part of the show


http://rosechatradio.weebly.com/

I like Gadgets... a testimonial

I like gadgets, garden gadgets too, and the more innovative , the better.   So this is not really an ad, as much as a heads up, to a source for some great and reliable garden gadgets.

First of all, I have  a Ratchet pruner, and also a Telescoping Ratchet Lopper   These are my two all-time favorites.

The source of these items is Horizons Home and Garden.  These folks have a catalog containing a whole raft of garden tools and accessories.     Now as things are known to proceed, my telescoping ratchet pruner, quit doing it's ususal great job at snipping branches up to 2" and more in diameter, easily.

 I remembered that we bought these tools a few years back when the Garden Club did their Tour of Gardens and included their Village Market.  Horizons had a booth there, and remember this business about a guarantee.

I found their 800 number and called.  Quite pleasantly, a fellow on the other end, walked me through inspecting my lopper and we discovered a spring was missing.  OK he says, we'll have one with the instructions on how to install it, in the mail to you.    Well, today it was in the mail.  The spring installation took all of about 15 seconds, and I was off lopping to my hearts delight.

A perusal of the catalog will reveal some other interesting pruners, along with rakes, snips, shears, fruit pickers, folding saws knee pads, container caddies, and some unusually great gloves. These bypass pruners have an option for variable blade opening to handle either branches or twigs.  Very cool! 

So as fall approaches and quite possible you're compiling your Santa Claus list early, here are some folks that have some great stuff and are fine to do business with.  I will admit, things are a bit pricy and I know we had some Tour Days deals at the Garden Market, but I'm not sure if they'll be back for next year's tour of gardens but in any case, click on the links for their web site and catalog.

Horizons 

Oh, by the way, as if you don't have enough yet to deal with, here's a link to the recent NY Times article, where some environmentalists are trying to phase out the use of peat moss .   Greens vs the Green Thumbs...

Enjoy.

the New Rose Season coming soon.

the following was provided by our newletter editor........

Announcing the beginning of a new rose season! 

The Golden Isles Rose Society begins a new season with a kick-off BBQ at the Hampton Point home of Jan Lemasters on Saturday, September 29th.

Catering will be by Shane's with the following menu:

Barbeque, Chicken Fingers, Potato Salad, Baked Beans, Coleslaw, Bread/Buns, Peach Cobbler, Brownies, Iced and Peach Teas.     There's no guarantee that the cake is in fact edible! 

Cost per person is $12.50, everyone is welcome.

Your check is your reservation. Please send to June Brown, 1818 Demere Road, SSI, GA 31522. June needs your response by Monday, September 24th.

Further details will be in the September GIRS Bulletin which you will be receiving during the week of September 16th.


See you there,

Jean

Using the Blog!

Here's a quick reminder on how to get the most out of our on-line site.

Across the top are listed a couple of quick "Go To's" that are of common interest.  Wether your interest is in the Member's Top Ten Roses, or Getting to the ARS site, just click on one of the tabs across the top.

Down the left side, you can scroll down through the various articles of recent interest.  They are sequenced by date with the most recent posts listed first.  At the bottom of the last post, may be a block laled "Old Posts". Click there to get to all of the previous posts.

Finally, the really most useful side is down the right hand side to do some quick finds on topics ranging from Knockout Roses, Getting Started advices, through an indepth list of scources for roses and supplies.  It wraps up with a long list of How To stuff, ranging from interesting to eclectic.

Wether your interest is in growing, selecting showing, or just plain enjoying, search the blog to point you into the areas your interested in.

Also on the top right is a place for you to sign up to be automatically notified of the new postings.

Discussion on Spider Mites.

After a challenging season dealing with Spider Mites, here's a short Video from Rosemania on the topic.   Rosemia's Take on Spider Mites! 

Summertime and the livin is easy does it! but beware of DHMO!

First you say you will, and then you don't
and then you say do and then  you don't
your undecided now,
so what's a rosarian to do?

Well hopefully, summer will not be too boring for us avid rosarians.  To keep you smiling, and in a good mood during this, our really dormant season for roses, read on.

Give me Water!

cool, clear water...

classic water

One for the Money, Gimme Some Water!


Guess you've got the hint, huh!

Oh yes, but what about the problem of dihydro monoxide, (DHMO) the the water supply?
Not sure if the County has tested the water supply yett; Might be because it can be pretty hard to detect, in the water supply, but I'm sure there's  more there than most people woud expect.  Not sure,  if it's harmful to people and plants.   It's been studied by the National Institure for Hydrolosis in 2011, but the findings are inconclusive.  as to what are acceptable levels.

 Research conducted by award-winning U.S. scientist Nathan Zohner concluded that roughly 86 percent of the population supports a ban on dihydrogen monoxide.

Guess you could query the local  Sewer and Water Commission, buy they have been mum, todate.  Maybe ask the extention agent when you get a chance.

Before you flood your roses with water, suggest you might enjoy the following fact sheet:

FAQ on Dihydro Monoxide

In any case the risk of DHMO might be  worth it.  It's summer time, and your poor roses are nearly baking, the heat stress will do them in as quicky as you might guess.  So rest easy and just take the chance.  Don't bother with fertilizer. and insecticides, let them rest.  If you insist on doing the fungicide, wait until the evening when it cools down, and will dry before the heat cooks everything.

However are you  sensing  the onset of  delerium before I get to finish this article? Me to!!! Let me go find some shade and get myself  a glass of ice and water! (lol)

For a more indepth review of summer do's and don'ts check the next Summer Season GIRS Newsletter.

Annual Rose Banquet June 25th

More details coming, but be sure to plan on another great banquet.  Delaney's on St Simon.  Great meal options, price includes tax and tip, and a pleasant way to end the society season.

Invite friends and family of course. 

This is our last meeting of the season. Good time to catch up with the folks who went to the June 1-3 Nashville Show and Arranger's Seminars.   Lots to learn and share.   Awards for those winning ribbons and prizes at our annual rose show.

So mark your calandars, June 25th, starts at 6:00 PM with Dinner at 7:00 PM

Get your checks to Jim by  June 21st.

Lone Arranger Edward Shines

Bring your containers, bring some roses and challenge our guest speaker to send you home with an arrangement.

Looking forward to our May meeting we're planning to settle back and are fortunate to have a guest speaker, from "Edward on St Simons" .

Our local florist, quite notable for creative and spectacular floral arrangements hopefully can provide some insights on how these displays take shape. This meeting is not one to be missed, and some of your gardening friends would surely appreciate your invite to this one.

Maybe we'll be learning about "Features", "Fillers" and "Foliage" as a scheme support your arrangement creativity and flush out your old ideas about "Line Materials" or whatever.

Post Script:    Program was just great.    Although in creating arrangements for judged competion, was are bound to follow the rules for the individual classes, we so often tend to imitate those arrangements that we see have done well with the judges.    Alternatively, an evening with Edward, brings out the intuitive and creative aspects of assembling an arrangement.    

Well, yeah, he's a professional,  but that just means he creates a lot of arrangements compared to our few, and he of course has studied and discovered things that work well with design and color.

Watching him work quickly in assembling bouquets, all the will you realize he's implementing design principles of proportion, color, highlights,  impact,filler and form and presentation as he goes.   It's like, just create the arrangement to look appealing and have some impact, then worry about what class it may go into.Letting the whimsy loose, should help a lot of us push the envelope in creating arrangements we really like and enjoy for the home and show.   Thanks, Edward of St Simons.....

April 21st, our 33rd Annual Rose Show was another sucess.  What a way to wade into Spring, with a chance to display and see many of the finest roses grown right here on the Georgia Coast. Featured were individual classed displays of various types of roses, as well as an always popular group of nearly forty unique rose arrangements.

Pink blends seemed most popular roses with the Judges this year with roses like Moonstone and Marlon's Day sharing the winners table.

Show goers and participants came to learn by seeing and doing. Door prizes were awarded, rose bouquets were available for purchase, and advice and answers, like the admission cost, was free.

Thanks to the St Simons First Presbyterian Church on Kings Way for a great venue for our show and the community/

Remember, invite someone to our May meeting and bring a container and some blooms. 


'More Later..

"perfect prescription for anyone wanting to grow care-free roses."

As you go around the different neighborhoods in our area, you'll see so many roses , everywhere.   Masses of bushes, in front home landscapes, at neighborhood entrances, on decks and patios, probably the most popular garden planting ever.   "KNOCKOUTS", They have taken over just like a garden fad.  Reds, pinks, yellows and more to come.    You on the other hand .......   Plant yourself a "Mutabalis" ie. Pamala Temple's Rose of the Month!



 Growing and exhibiting roses is still popular but the numbers of those willing to put in the time required for even the smallest of rose gardens is declining. Exhibiting is still a big deal and you can learn a lot more at American Rose Exhibitor's Society And of course you can exhibit and arrange with the shrub class of roses.

Time is important, space even more so, and the perception is growing that rose gardening is a long labor of love, and in this  area, one that requires chemical spraying, something that is slowly becoming a taboo.

The following has been abstracted from the

Rose Works Web Site...

 If you are rushed of your feet, overwhelmed with life generally, do not have the time to "work" with your roses, but still would like a good rose garden with variety, then there's another place to look to.  Roses for the especially  living  in the hotter, bright sunlight, climate areas we have here. and still eligible for exhibiting in our rose show?

"Can you recommend a rose that is easy to grow?" So, in the 1990's, Dr George asked Texas A&M University this question and found that no scientific studies had ever been done.
In 1996 he started the EarthKind Rose Program (EarthKind is a registered Trademark!) and the first results were released in 2002. Houston Rose Society funded the expansion of this program to include the identification of 30 cultivars which would grow equally well from Canada to the Gulf Coast and from the Atlantic to the Pacific states.


The research test included:

Growing in highly alkaline soil (PH 8.0 plus)
Never being fertilized
Never being sprayed
Never getting supplemental watering after the first year.
And never being pruned except for dead wood.

In other words, the meanest rose abuse anyone could apply, and remember, this was in the Texas heat!(They did actually get a 4 inch layer of mulch to help with the heat!)

Exhibit outstanding disease and insect tolerance.
Produce spectacular blooms.
Be the best variety for organic management.
Reduce the need for pesticide/fungicide application by 95%.
Reduce the need for supplemental watering by 70%.

Some other observations of these winning cultivars are worth mentioning. They survived a 67 day drought in 100 degree temperatures, they are highly resistant to blackspot, none showed any insect problems at all, and all were grown on their own roots. Yes, own root varieties fared the best!


The eleven cultivars that survived to produce outstanding results in southern garden and thus get the Earthkind stamp of approval were as follows:
Sea Foam
3 foot tall shrub rose with creamy white double blooms.

Marie Daly
Almost thornless polyantha with pink, semi dwarf blooms. 3 foot tall and therefore perfect for container growth in arid areas.

The Fairy
Another polyantha dwarf shrub but with light pink double blooms.3 feet tall and said to survive at temperatures reaching 200 below 0!!!

Caldwell Pink
A carnation style with lilac pink bloom. Small shrub rose to about 4 feet. Loves the heat, particularly higher than 80 degrees. Has red and orange foliage in the fall!

Knock-Out
A 4 feet tall shrub rose with cherry red semi-double blooms. This was rose of the year in 2004 and is a candidate for the national EarthKind trials.

Perle dÓr
Another polyantha but with peach colored blooms. PomPom shaped blooms. This one seemed to thrive on the harsh testing!

Belinda's Dream
A 5 foot shrub rose with fragrant pink blooms. Resembles a hybrid tea. Has been nicknamed "the Rose of the 20th Century".

Else Poulson
A pink, semi-double floribunda that grows to 5 feet.

Carefree Beauty
Also known as "Katy Road Pink".5 foot tall bushes with fragrant pink, double blooms. This is also being considered for the national trials.

Mutabilis
Known as the "Butterfly Rose", 6 foot china rose with single blooms. Changes color during it's life cycle from yellow to pink to crimson!

Climbing Pinkie
A 5 foot shrub or a 10 foot climber. This is a fragrant, pink, semi-double polyanyha rose. It is said to display about 800 blooms each day on a mature bush!

The EarthKind Roses program is undoubtedly the most searching research ever done with roses and it's continued progress will help all of us who are looking for the most appropriate, care-free roses

Lots of work being done at Texas A&M.   Give them a look too.

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/earthkind/roses/

Any if you're asking, Why has America Fallen in Love with Knockouts?    then start here.

Just Start Cutting and Make Some Friends

Time to start cutting and Making Friends.

Two months ago, we did the hands on field trip, learning the how's and why's of rose Bush pruning and trimming

Last month, we learned how to evaluate or rose plans and some really good tips for how to disbud, finger prune, and clearing out of superfluous growth, to help your roses be all that they can be. Now, they're blooming out like bonkers. And as expected, most are just gorgeous,

You probably have most of your home containers filled, and are looking to dry wrap or cut and hold some of your best blooms for the show. However, remember to entertain your neighbors and passersby with anywhere from one to a handful of roses. Most of these folks wouldn't recognize a blue ribbon winner, however, they get bowled over with their beauty, the color and fragrances.

Be ready, keep a snipper close at hand, a few paper towels or plastic bags are all you need, to compose a quick bouquet to present to your neighbors and friends. I like to keep a couple of zip ties and some line material close at hand. That way you can quickly whip up a simple arrangement all ready to drop in to a container.

Opening up a Rose Bud



While you're thinking of it too, invite your smiling recipient to our next meeting in May, where we hope to have a guest speaker/floral arranger to give us some tips and techniques for great floral presentations. Enjoy your roses now!

Now What?

After Pruning, What Now?

At this point in the Calendar, all the roses should be pruned for their Spring Bloom.    But it’s not over yet!  Yes I know, you’re faithfully watering and have been fertilizing and also started your regular spraying.   With some luck you may soon be seeing your new buds popping up through foliage as they change from their new maroonish cast to bright green.

It’s time now for the “Spring Haircut!”.   Left to it’s own devices, each bush will produce roses of various sizes, numbers, stem lengths, sprays and more.   However, this is the time to examine your bush and ruthlessly cullout the weaker buds, disbud the multiple buds on a single stem, and let the bush put it’s energy into several great rose blooms rather than a bunch of so-so blooms.

This meeting we’ll have some candidate bushes on hand for our rosarian to analyse and give us some hints and tips and hopefully demonstrate how to haircut the bush in the hopes of getting some great horticultural specimans.       Even in the arrangements, the quality of the roses counts significantly, so learning how to help the bush produce the very best roses that it can,  will be a lesson worth learning.

The second part of the program will focus on, “Now that your roses are almost ready, what now?”

Our rosarian will lead us through the strategy and some tactics for selecting which roses to cut, when to cut them, alternative ways or organizing and storing, those roses that you may want to exhibit.

Remember also, the Rose Doctor will be on hand, so bring in your examples of problem roses, and any questions about and surprises your seeing in your garden. 

What a great winter and coming Spring.  How does your garden grow?

Spring Pruning Field Trip...Mark your Calendars.

This year, we're planning a pruning techniques field trip to a mystery garden, for a Rose Garden makeover.

This landscape  has a patch of Hybrid Teas, some Floribunda's, two Fortuniana's  some in the ground, some in pots, a mailbox planting with a HT and Mini Flora.,and a dozen Knockouts,  all in assorted stages of age, neglect, thriving and whatever. Might possible have a guest appearance by one of the newer double pink knockouts.

Our  guest Consulting Rosarians, will lead you through an assessment  of the stock, recommending  what to keep, try and save or shovel prune.     Bring your cameras, notebooks, etc.

As we proceed through the landscape, they will conduct a pruning demonstration for those bushes we decide to keep/salvage.     Under the watchful eye of one of our CR's you will get a chance to prune a bush yourself. Bring your gloves if you're going to participate. Maybe a new planting of one of the new roses ordered this year may be in order.

In our last garden area,  we'll get to evaluate of collection of mini's and mini floras.  We'll give you the chance to make your own assessment of keep, save, shovel prune,   and with time permitting. under the watchful guidance of our Consulting Rosarians, go ahead and prune the mini's and mini floras.

Mark your Calendars.  Saturday Jan 28th.  @ 1:30.

This is planned as a hands on field trip, More details at the Jan 24th meeting.

If you can't make the meeting, rsvp/call me at 269 1537 or email for details.


Oh, while you're waiting, and thinking about making a run to Starbucks for the free bags of coffee grounds for your garden, here's some research to mull over..... Coffee Grounds?

Time for some Soil Sampling?

When's the last time you've had your soil sampled?  Wondering about what PH your soil may have?  Does it have a useful level of phosphorous, potassium or mangenese?  Are you just blindly adding you chemical and time release fertilizers blindly hoping everything is in balance?  There is an easy wasy to deasl with this.
Hurry down to youir local Extension Service Office  with your $14 fee and get your soil sample The report you get back will look like this:

Looking at the report you can see the PH is 6.0   Maybe a bit on the acidic side.    Your member book I believe suggests a PH of 6.7 or so.  Even though the recommendation says add lime, that seems like heresy in our soils.  Knowing you garden, the culprit could be a heavy dose of Sul-Po-Mag .   Given that may be the case, then the question becomes how to add the Potassium without further acidifying the PH level.    Hummmm...      We'll have copies of the report at our meeting.  Also, we'll have some soil sample bags for you.

Hopefully one of our Consulting Rosarians can shed some light.