March 16th Meeting. Petite Rose Show April 20th meeting. Refreshments. Festival des Fleurs. Calendar of Events. March 2017

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1 Thorny Issues A Publication of the Acadiana Rose Society in South Louisiana An affiliate of the American Rose Society March 2017 March 16th Meeting Our topic will be chemicals and safety in the garden, and answering any questions you have regarding your roses and problems you may be experiencing. We will also be discussing upcoming events such as Festival des Fleurs and our Petite Rose Show in April. Hope to see you there. Petite Rose Show April 20th meeting Join the fun and bring your roses to enter in our Petite show. Inside the newsletter you will find the show schedule and what classes you can enter. Refreshments Carolyn Brupbacher and Lou Savoy have volunteered to bring food to share this month. Thanks ladies! If you would like to bring something to a future meeting ask about the refreshment sign-up sheet at the next meeting. Volume 27 B.J. Abshire-Editor INSIDE THIS ISSUE President s Message This-n-That March in the Rose Garden Petite Show Schedule Festival des Fleurs Festival de Fleurs will be happening at Blackham Coliseum on Sat., April 1, Acadiana RS will have an information booth again this year. We need volunteers to man our information table Saturday 8-4. We will discuss it at the March meeting. Calendar of Events March 16, 2017 March 17-19, 2017 March 25, 2017 April 1, 2017 April 20, 2017 May 7, 2017 June 4, 2017 Acadiana Rose Society meeting Forest Hill Nursery Festival - Forest Hill, LA Garden Expo - Burton Coliseum - Lake Charles Festival des Fleurs - Blackham Coliseum - Laf. Petite Rose Show at Acadiana RS meeting Herb Fest - Sunset, LA. Daylily Festival - Abbeville, LA Thorny Issues March Acadiana Rose Society, Lafayette, LA

2 President s Corner Greetings Rose Friends, Well, everything seems to be blooming a few weeks earlier than normal, but who s complaining, as long as we keep the nice weather. Some of the English rose climbers are full of blooms now. I am glad I did all my pruning on them a month earlier than I did them last year. Some of my floribundas will also be blooming in about a week. Have not put down my fertilizer yet, however I will start with the English roses and the Floribundas as soon as the rains move out. If you ever want to see the garden just give me a call and we can set up a time when I can be there to answer any questions you might have. We will be working to complete the pond as soon as weather permits. At this month s meeting we will just sit and discuss basic safety precautions we can take as our spraying season begins soon. We also will discuss some of this year s events and anything else you would like to talk about. As always if I can assist you in any way just me or text me at (337) Stay safe and see you at the meeting. Your Friend, Juan Nieto Mid Winter Workshop - Feb 10-11, Gonzales, La This - n - That Many thanks to our members who represented Acadiana RS very well at the workshop Back row - Penny Jones, BJ Abshire, Virginia Bowen & Diane Rountree Seated - Lou Savoy, Juan Nieto, Karen Molbert, Carolyn Brupbacher, Pia Albuquerque & Letha Briggs. Not present -Linda Aguzin (she was sick) Thanks Lou Savoy, Letha Briggs, BJ Abshire, Diane Rountree, Jeri Seal and Juan Nieto for donating the wonderful items to the workshop silent auction. Congratulations!! BJ Abshire was awarded the Gulf District s Outstanding Judge Award at the Mid Winter Workshop held in Gonzales, La. On February 10-11, Member Penny Jones visits with her long time friend Sally LaSalle from Metairie, La Thorny Issues March Acadiana Rose Society, Lafayette, LA

3 Chilli Thrips Alert!! Did you lose any roses to chilli thrips last year? We ve had another mild winter in South Louisiana and chilli thrips are probably still in our gardens waiting for warm weather. Don t allow chilli thrips to get a foothold in your garden. Now is the time to be vigilant and keep an eye out for any damage and take action right away. You could spray an all season horticulture oil and smother any lingering eggs/larva etc. or use a product with spinosad as the main ingredient. Conserve is expensive but Fertilome makes a product with a lower concentration of spinosad and cheaper. You can also use products that contain imidicloprid. Bayer offers a few of these products at reasonable prices. Not sure what to do? Call a Consulting Rosarian listed on the last page of the newsletter. Diane Rountree - March 1 Pat Miers - March 4 Rose Arrangement School and Workshop - March 25, 2017 Farmers Branch (Dallas) Texas Ask BJ for all the details Do your rose bushes have labels? Everlastlabel.com or everlastplantmarkers.com for a variety of garden labels Also check out Gardeners.com for inexpensive markers A very sturdy, long lasting marker and more expensive plant marker (but worth it can be found at kincaidplantmarkers.com Check out the ARS Gulf District Facebook page to get information on roses and events in LA & MS. GulfDistrictAmericanRoseSociety Check out the rose care links, read about the rose trial gardens for easy care hybrid teas, learn about up-coming events, add your comments to the Gulf District Facebook page. You will be seeing these little buggers soon. Cucumber Beetles ruin rose petals. Be on the lookout for them and apply the squish method. Be quick because they fly away quickly. The Gulf District of the American Rose Society Visit the new Gulf District webpage for information about local societies and upcoming events. Forest Hill Nursery Festival March Forest Hill, LA. I-49 at the Forest Hill exit Sunset Herb Fest May 6, 2017 Sunset, LA 9:00-4:00 $5 adm. Day Lily Festival June 3, 2017 Magdalen Square Abbeville, LA 8:30-3:00, Free Admission Master Gardeners Spring Plant Sale Sat. April 8, 8-1 Demo Garden Avec Souci Garden Tour - Lafayette Sunday, April 23, 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.. Master Gardeners Plant Swap - April 15, Horse Farm Gulf District American Rose Society 2017 Spring Tour Thursday April 27 - Sunday April 30 Texas Bound and Down Chamblee s Rose Nursery - Tyler, Tx. Rose Gardens - Farmers Branch, Tx. Earth-Kind Rose Trials - McKinney, Tx. FlowerDango - Chambersville Tree Farm Contact Allen Owings for more info or aowings@agcenter.lsu.edu Thorny Issues March Acadiana Rose Society, Lafayette, LA

4 March Garden in the Rose Garden We ve had another warmer than normal winter like last year. The weather has been good enough that our roses started blooming in February. I hope you pruned in February in order to keep your bushes well shaped and not too tall. All the nurseries have potted roses for sale. Check them out for a variety you don t have. Go out and take a second look at your bushes. You ll probably find that you missed a few branches that are dead or too small to leave. You may even want to cut a little more off on those hybrid tea canes. By now you should have lots of new growth and even some buds and blooms. Take time to do some selective finger pruning on your hybrid teas. You simply rub off these very delicate unwanted buds with forefinger or thumb. Nature provides the possibility of 2 or 3 buds at every node (see pictures below). Try rubbing off 2 of the buds and you will have a stronger, more productive cane that produces a larger flower. The bud you leave should face away from the center of the bush making the center open for air circulation. This is the way to attain that desired vase shape in hybrid teas. Watch and be careful with tender basal breaks. These will emerge from the bud union and are usually a reddish color. Stake or tie them to a strong cane until they harden off. Also look for blind shoots up and down the canes. These are clusters of leaves on short stems that taper to a point. Blind shoots will not bloom. Experienced rosarians advise removing the blind shoots. But they also believe the more leaves on a bush the better the plant s ability to produce food and energy. A compromise would be to remove the blind shoots in the middle of the bush but leave the ones on the outside and allow them to be exposed to the sun. If you spray your roses, start now if you didn t in February. PREVENTION IS EASIER THAN CURING! Also, remember how important it is to wear protective clothing, mask and goggles to protect yourself. Even if there is no breeze you can still breathe the chemical and get it on you. As new leaves appear on your bushes aphids will be the first to appear. Pick them off with your fingers, blast them off with a spray of water on the underside of leaves or spot treat with an insecticide if you have a big infestation. There are a number of good ready to spray insecticides at the Mega Marts. Give the buds a couple of spritzes to help combat thrips. I ve already seen lady beetles on some bushes. Let them work their magic and help you take care of the aphids. Try to spray insecticides only when you have a problem, otherwise you kill the good bugs that help keep the bad bugs in check. Fertilize established bushes with water soluble (if you like) but wait until after the first flush of blooms. Don t fertilize newly planted bushes as their root systems needs to develop good before the top growth does. For a good start on new bushes add ½ -3/4 cup of worm castings in the bottom of the hole if you have them before you plant your new bush. For new or established bushes apply some organics such as alfalfa pellets, fish meal, cottonseed meal, Epsom salts etc or a ready-to-use product such as MicroLife or Mills Magic around the drip line and scratch in lightly and water afterwards. It can be windy in March and that dries out your beds, so water those bushes every week, unless of course we ve had a good rain. Also, water well the day before spraying fungicide. And, don t forget a thick layer of mulch. I prefer pine needles but oak leaves are ok and other leaves are beneficial as well. Chop them (lawn mower or weed eater in the trash can method) before applying and they break down much faster. A thick layer of mulch keeps the soil cooler and from drying out on top. Multiple Bud Eyes Thorny Issues March Acadiana Rose Society, Lafayette, LA

5 Classes for Petite Show - April 20, 2017 There will 2 Divisions for Entries Veterans and Novices You Must Know the Name of Your Roses Veterans - Classes 1, 2, & 3 ONLY Class 1 Hybrid Tea/Grandiflora 1 bloom per stem - Exhibition stage - no side buds or stem on stem Provide your own vase /You may enter as many as you want but only 1 of each variety Class 2 - Floribunda Spray A spray is 2 or more blooms on a stem (the more the better) Provide your own vase (1 bloom flanked by 1 or more immature buds is not a spray) Class 3 - Rose in a Bowl 1 rose - any variety - Exhibition Stage - No stamens showing Bowls will be provided Novice - May enter all classes Class 4 - Hybrid Tea/Grandiflora 1 bloom per stem - Exhibition stage - no side buds or stem on stem Provide your own vase /You may enter as many as you want but only 1 of each variety Class 5 - Old Garden Roses - any date 1 bloom or spray / provide your own vase Class 6 - Decorative Hybrid Tea 1 bloom w/o side buds. The Decorative HT does not normally present high centered exhibition form, instead has a symmetrical spiral of petals and somewhat informal Class 7 - Rose in a Bowl 1 rose - any variety - Exhibition Stage - No stamens showing Bowls will be provided Classes 8 & 9 are open to Novice & Veterans Class 8 - Mixed Bouquet (Anyone can easily do this) Provide your own vase with a collection of favorites from your garden / filler allowed. You do not need to know the rose names Members will choose the winner Class 9 - Most Fragrant Provide your own vase / Members will choose the winner...exhibitors Must Provide Their Own Vases/Containers (except for classes 3 & 7)...Containers will be provided for classes 3 & 8 only (Rose in a Bowl)...Entry tags will be available at the meeting...you may bring as many roses as you want in each class but no duplicate varieties...you must know the name of your roses (except for Class 8 - Mixed Bouquet) NOTE: Novice Exhibitors may enter classes 1, 2, & 3 Thorny Issues March Acadiana Rose Society, Lafayette, LA

6 The Acadiana Rose Society Officers: President: Juan Nieto 1st Vice Pres.: Lou Savoy Treasurer: B.J. Abshire Secretary: Lois Manuel Meeting Place: Ira Nelson Horticulture Center 2206 Johnston St., Lafayette, Louisiana 3rd Thursday of each month 7pm (except Dec. 2nd Thursday) No meeting in July Membership: $20 - individual or $25 -couple Make check payable to Acadiana Rose Society c/o B.J. Abshire 156 Antigua Dr. Lafayette, LA Consulting Rosarians: B.J. Abshire abshirebj@gmail.com Linda Aguzin malbaguzin@yahoo.com John & Carol Benoit johnbost561@yahoo.com Letha Briggs (Emeritus) lethab@lusfiber.net Mike Hamner (Emeritus) michaelhamner@cox.net Juan Nieto jfnieto1@netzero.net Diane Rountree ddrountree@aol.com Lou Savoy A Publication of the Acadiana Rose Society An Affiliate of the American Rose Society Thorny Issues B.J. Abshire Editor 156 Antigua Dr. Lafayette, LA Thorny Issues March Acadiana Rose Society, Lafayette, LA