February 10, 2002
February Meeting Announcement
The next meeting of the Raleigh Rose Society will be held on
Tuesday, February 26,2002, at 7:00 PM at Fairview Greenhouses & Garden
Center on Holly Springs Road in Raleigh.
Meeting Agenda includes:
Update on junior Rosarians
Update on 2002 Rose Show
20 Minute Q & A - Ask your Consulting Rosarians February Program –
Rose Swap Meeting & Pruning clinic. Attention all
members. Now is the time to shovel prune (dig up) tlie roses you will be
replacing in the spring with those new varieties you just can't live without.
Don't prune them. just put them in containers and bring them to the meeting. We
will practice our pruning on these specimens and send them home with a new
owner.
Please join us as we share with each other and learn more
about the Queen of Flowers.
Letter from the President
By Richard Radic
President, Raleigh Rose Society
Don't miss our February meeting where we will be having what has become
known as our Annual pruning Clinic and Rose Swap. So if you have a rose you are
thinking about replacing, but really don't have the heart to throw it away, dig
it up and bring it to this meeting. We will be sure it is given to a good home.
So what is your favorite rose? I've been asked this question many times and
I always seemed to have the answer. I think?
Every year as I start looking through the Rose catalogs, I see a lot of new
varieties and by just looking at the pictures I'll think I have a new favorite.
It's not long after I see some of the first blooms that I have a new favorite.
As each day moves along, I'll see more blooms and I'll have more new favorites.
One of the guidelines for ARS judges indicates that they should refrain from
specifically answering this question. After all, how can someone judge roses
fairly when their favorite rose is on the table to be judged for Queen of show?
So if anyone should ask you what is your favorite rose, can you give him or
her a definite answer? Maybe the answer should be, "the one that's in
bloom".
As previously noted, we will be offering a promotional program to recruit
new members, All members in the Raleigh Rose Society, except Officers and
Consulting Rosarians are eligible. Any member recruiting at least two new
members will have their membership paid for the year 2003. This offers does not
include working at the membership booth at Rome Depot, Fairview, or the Rose
show, this offer will expire June 1, 2002.
I hope to see you all at the next meeting,
Rich
From the Rose Dictionary
Dieback - The progressive dying back of a shoot from the tip.
Pruning - The removal of parts of the plant in order to improve its performance.
Heeling In - The temporary planting of a new rose pending suitable weather conditions for permanent planting.
Bare Root - A rose dug up at the nursery and sold with no soil around its roots.
Shovel pruning - Digging up a rose bush, roots and all, and removing it from the garden.
Request for Rose Show Award Sponsors
It's that time of year again. As you know we are busily planning our annual Rose show and will be contacting our members to sponsor the various awards.
Our awards are changing this year as a result of discussions at the Winter District meeting in Winston-Salem. There has been a lot of concern about the awards being inconsistent from year to year, society to society, and within the show classes. The District decided to let each society determine how to deal with this issue.
This year we begin a new tradition by awarding specially designed trophies and rosettes as prizes to the winners at our show. If you wish to sponsor an award, please give a donation to the Raleigh Rose Society. You may drop off a check, in the amount of your choosing, made payable to the Raleigh Rose Society, at the next meeting or mail your check to Terry Ellis, 6404 Dry Fork Lane, Raleigh, N.C. 27617.
Many folks will sponsor an award in memory of a loved one who has passed away or in honor of a special person in their lives. This makes the award more meaningful to the sponsor. If you would like to have your award listed in memory or in honor of someone, please be sure to let us know to ensure that it's printed in the Rose Show program.
Sponsorship donation deadline is April 1st in order to get your information printed in the show schedule.
Please contact Terry Ellis at 676-0561 if you are interested in sponsoring an award.
Rose Swap &
Pruning Clinic
If you have any roses that you will be shovel-pruning from your garden this year, bring them, in pots or buckets, to the February meeting. If you haven't pruned these bushes, DON'T. We will use them as our specimens for a quick pruning clinic at the meeting.
They will then be made available for adoption by our members who would be happy to add them to their garden.
Pruning Roses in the Spring
The upper portion of rose bushes, such as hybrid teas, floribundas, and
grandifloras, often winterkill due to exposure to low winter temperatures and
extreme temperature changes. When the winter protection is removed from the roses
in early to mid-April, gardeners should prune out the dead wood.
Hand shears and long-handled topping shears are needed to prune roses
properly. The hand shears are used on canes up to 3/4 inch in diameter, while
the lopping shears are used on larger canes and difficult-to-reach places. Use
sharp tools. Dull tools tend to crush or bruise the canes. These damaged areas
may become entry points for pathogenic fungi and bacteria. Sharp tools also
make the job easier. A pair of heavy-duty leather gloves will help protect your
hands while pruning.
While pruning roses are relatively easy, sometimes it is difficult to
distinguish live from dead wood. Live wood is green and has plump, healthy
buds. When pruned, the center of the stem (pith) should be white. Dead wood is
brown, has no live buds and has a brown or gray pith. When pruning roses, make
the cuts at least I inch below the dead, brown-colored areas. Make slanting
cuts about 1/4 inch above healthy, plump, outward facing buds; the slant being
in the same direction as the bud, Remove the entire cane if there are no signs
of life. Also, remove any diseased wood,
In our area, we typically prune anytime from mid-February to late March. Because the last frost for our area can be up to April 15"', mulching becomes extremely important for newly pruned bushes. A hard freeze will kill the tender new shoots and possibly the newly pruned cane. Be sure that you mulch 18 - 24 inches up the canes of each bush to prevent losing it. Mulch can be pulled back anytime after April 15'.
Gardening Tips for February - March
February
- If you haven't already sprayed with Lime/Sulfur spray to eradicate insects and diseases from the past season, do it now, and then wait a couple of weeks before pruning!
- Prune roses between February 15 and March 15 and clean up the rose beds.
- Plant new rose bushes when they arrive.
- Watch the weather carefully and protect bushes if a freeze is imminent.
March
- As leaves appear, start your fertilizer program.
- Start your spraying schedule for disease and insect control.
- Apply organic fertilizers.
Fairview will give all Raleigh Rose Society members a 10%
discount on all roses purchased with proof of membership. Your membership card
should be attached to this newsletter. Please call Rich Radic if you did not
receive yours at 552-0440,
How to make Rose Oil
Sometime
this summer, when you have an abundance of roses, you may want to try making
your own rose oil. One strategy may be to gather your roses just as the
Japanese beetles hit the area. This way you get the benefit from the roses
instead of the beetles.
You
will not be able to obtain concentrated rose essence from your roses (it takes
about 5 tons of fragrant petals to produce just one pound of attar of roses),
but you can make a simple rose oil if you have an abundance of petals, and
time.
Place
a pint of olive oil in a large bowl and add as many fragrant petals as the
container will hold. Leave them to soak in the oil for two days and then
squeeze through a fine strainer. Press the petals against the inside of the
sieve to ensure that all the oils are squeezed out.
Repeat the process about ten times with fresh petals.