Our National Floral Emblem Award winning newsletter! National ARS Silver Medal 2004, Honorable Mention 2005 Rose Lore Mesa-East Valley Rose Society Affiliated with the American Rose Society Bob O Brien, editor www.roses4az-mevrs.org February 2009 Next Meeting Thursday, 7:00 p.m. February 12, 2009 New Member Orientation 6:30 p.m. Eisner Library Community Room Monthly Meeting Friends and family welcome. Refreshments will be served. Bring your rose questions and concerns. See you there! Unnamed rose MEVRS test garden @ Mesa Community College What s inside this issue... Rose Garden pruners, January 2009: Dave & Donna Dibble, Kelta Marshall, Luanne Davis, Nick Thomas. Susan James February Program 1 Nursery Discounts 2 Tool Tips, Product Guide, and February Auction 3 February Program Rose of the Month 4 Musings from the Rose Garden 5 Rose Care for February 6-7 Thursday, Feb 12 @ 7:00pm The Roses in our Rose Auction Presented by Marylou Coffman with Leroy Brady and Cindy Jepsen Deadheading & Disbudding 8-9 Consulting Rosarians / Membership 11 February 2009 Rose Lore Page 1
MEMBERSHIP DISCOUNTS The following nurseries will give MEVRS members a 10% discount (unless otherwise indicated) on any rose-related purchase when you show your membership card. In some stores you must pay by cash or check only to receive the discount. Be sure to get your annual Membership Card from the Membership Chairman. REMINDER November 11 15, 2009 ARS Fall National Conference and Rose Show Palm Springs (Cathedral City), CA Sponsored by the Desert Rose Society Info: cliffofthedesert@yahoo,com, A & P Nurseries (15%) Four Valley Locations Gilbert, Mesa (2), Queen Creek Berridge Nursery 4647 E. Camelback Rd Phx Potted roses always in stock! Gardener s World 3401 E. Baseline Rd., Phx Harper s Nursery Three locations: Mesa, Scottsdale and Phx 480-964-4909 (Mesa) Potted roses still in stock Treeland Nursery 2900 S. Country Club Dr., Mesa 480-497-2525 When you patronize these businesses, please thank the manager for supporting the MEVRS! Love and Peace February 2009 Rose Lore Page 2
Tool Tips by Cindy Jepsen My two favorite tools that I would not prune roses without are the Soboten 1210 pruners and the Corona two-handed pruning shears. I love the Soboten pruners because I have small hands and they fit well in my palm. They give good control and can handle canes up to ¾ diameter. The Soboten s are an excellent choice for working with smaller bushes, mini s, and micro mini s. These pruners are available through MEVRS for $18.00. The Corona pruners look and act like mini loppers. They are small, lightweight, and work very well in tight areas. These pruners are perfect for cutting ¾ 1.5 canes. I love them because they are not awkward to carry around and work well for my small hands. Approximately $26.00 online. Product Guide for Roses By Mike Jepsen GroGanic is an organic fertilizer, 3-2-6 that contains chicken manure, alfalfa meal, kelp meal, and many other wonderful organic compounds. Organic products can be your primary fertilizer because they feed the soil and the plant. My personal preference is to use GroGanic after winter pruning. On established bushes, apply a healthy dose (2 cups/large bushes, 1 cup/ mini s, and half this rate for potted roses). I also like to use GroGanic for my summer feeding program (1/2 cup per bush on June 1, July 15, and September 1). This small amount of organic fertilizer will not create growth but it will help to sustain the bushes until the weather cools. Remember organics will not burn. No matter how well we feed our roses, a healthy living soil will always do a better job! DON T MISS THE MEVRS ANNUAL ROSE AUCTION Saturday, FEBRUARY 21st Mesa Community College Navajo Room in the Kirk Student Center (that s the clock tower bldg!) Preview starting at Noon Auction at 1:30 pm Watch for the Mystery Rose February 2009 Rose Lore Page 3
ROSE of the MONTH by Marylou Coffman, Consulting Rosarian Carefree Spirit Recognizing that consumers want roses that are easy to care for, in 2004, AARS stopped spraying fungicides on all shrub roses in its nationwide test gardens. Carefree Spirit is the first and only landscape shrub to date to endure this real-world testing and prevail as a Winner. This mounding rose produces deep cherry red blossoms with white twinkles in their eyes; the blooms finish pink as they bask in the sun. It has 5 petals. Carefree Spirit amplifies the disease resistance associated with its Carefree lineage, with more than ten years of hybridization improvement. Much like its parent rose, Carefree Delight, which was a All-America Rose Selections Winner in 1996, the petals are beautifully set amongst abundant Carefree Spirit glossy, dark green foliage. It has even better disease resistance, habit and blooming power, and will perform well in any area of the country. This rose will grow about 4 feet tall and is always in bloom. It is excellent for a corner of your garden or as a hedge along property lines. It was hybridized by Michele Meilland of France and introduced by Conard-Pyle. The seed parent is Red Max Graf X Seedling, the pollen parent is Pink Meilland X Immensee. February 2009 Rose Lore Page 4
MUSINGS from the MCC ROSE GARDEN 1833 W. Southern Ave, just east of Dobson Rd Dear Pruners and Deadheaders, We meet this Saturday, January 31 st at 9am for a pruning demo and then each Saturday in February as we continue to prune the Rose Garden. To benefit the Garden, for the next few Saturdays, we will be selling some of our excellent compost at $4.00 a bag. We provide the black bags and when you pull up your car or truck we will load it in for you as it weighs about 40 pounds. FLASH The MCC Rose Garden now has it s own web site. Yes, this is a work in progress. Check it out at: www.rosegardenatmcc.org If you use this compost in your planting holes, you will need to mix it about half and half with garden soil. (In planting the Rose Garden, we add a couple of cups of Milorganite in each planting hole.) On established roses, spread the compost about 2 deep around your roses as a mulch. Come join in on the fun and earn a free raffle ticket for each hour you spend pruning. Prizes include pairs of pruners and loppers. Enjoy a cup of coffee and a Krispy Kreme donut with us too. Andy Gertz, MCC Staff, picks up the rose debris for us. Sign up on Saturday mornings with our registrar, Sabina Elliott, to receive emails about the latest garden activities. See you in the Garden on Saturday, Carol Poe, Volunteer Coordinator Sabina Elliott & Phyllis Burgess February 2009 Rose Lore Page 5
Rose Care for February Dona Martin, ARS Consulting Rosarian (reprinted with permission) Spring Pruning There s still time to prune, but try to finish by the middle of the month. Prune back your roses to about 1/2-2/3 of their current height. If plants are five feet tall, cut them back to 2½ - 3 feet. Cut out all spindly, crossing and dead wood, which will help open up the center of the plant to let the sun get down to the bud union. Dead canes should be removed at the bud union to open up room for new basal breaks. (Don t leave stubs!) Strip off all leaves and throw them away. Do not leave cuttings as part of the mulch, as the old leaves may contain disease spores and over wintering insects. You should end up with from three to eight upright canes for hybrid teas, more for floribundas, old garden roses (OGRs) and shrubs. You will have more canes if you are growing roses on Fortuniana rootstock. OGRs can be shaped to keep them in bounds at least the first two to three years, then thinned as necessary, removing old, unproductive canes from the ground. For climbers, do NOT take any more than 1/3 off the length of main canes or they will pout and not bloom as well. It is more like a deadheading job, cutting back lateral stems, growth from the sides of the canes. CUT sturdy laterals back, leaving 2-3 bud eyes. If too thin, cut flush to the cane, which will stimulate more growth where you have cut. Canes that are old and unproductive should Be removed from the bud union. Another thought on late pruning: go through your garden and at least prune perhaps half of each bush, preferably on the west side of the bush. This is better than not getting to them at all. Then go back through and prune the other side of the bush. This also serves to extend and stagger your bloom time. (This is the reverse of what we sometimes do in the fall.) It will be especially more noticeable if we have an unusually warm spring. After Pruning Spray the soil with Orthene, Diazinon or Merit to kill insects, especially thrips that are over wintering below the soil surface. Spray the canes with a good fungicide, such as Funginex, which is a mildew preventative. These are preventative measures that will save much work later on. If mildew does get established, the best new irradicant on the market by far is Compass, available on Rosemania.com. (Yes, it s pricey, but worth it! So find a buddy or two to share it with ) Fertilizer If you use good organic fertilizers like alfalfa pellets or meal and Berridge s Rose Food or Groganic, available from Mike Jepsen, they may be applied after pruning on established bushes. In our gardens, we apply 2 cups Groganic plus 1 cup alfalfa pellets per large rose bush, grown in the ground, half this amount for miniatures in the ground. For roses grown in pots, use ½ the above rate for standard roses or miniatures. When fertilizing, water thoroughly before application and again afterwards to prevent root burn. Epsom salts can be applied this month or early March, at a rate of ½ cup per large bush. The magnesium will promote basal breaks. A second application comes in early April or about six weeks after the first. February 2009 Rose Lore Page 6
Planting Bare root roses may still be planted into February, however few are now available locally. Be sure to hydrate them well, fully immersing them in water for at least 24 hrs, even up to a week or two if out of the sun. Add some Superthrive to the water to strengthen them prior to planting. If we have unusual heat, it is more important than ever to keep the canes moist when trying to get them to bud out. Try covering them with wet mulch or peat moss, held around the canes by a bottomless brown grocery sack. Continue to keep the mulch wet until growth has started, then gradually wash it away! This really works and makes a big difference in how well the buds begin to grow! This is also a good time to transplant. Roses transplant well when care is given to keeping the root ball intact and to not letting the roots dry out. Plants can be placed in a kitchen or grocery garbage bag to keep the moisture in for a short time or in a pot for longer holding. Continue to water! The tops should be pruned back in proportion to the root system. Potted roses may still be planted through March and very early April. Berridge Nursery in Phoenix will start selling its new stock of potted roses in early March, but has some of last years pots out now. Harpers, Bakers and A & P Nurseries have potted roses. When planting any roses, be sure to check for good drainage by filling the hole and making sure the water soaks down within half a day. Mix up to 50% perlite into your planting mix to keep it loose and aerated. Spread a cup of DisperSul in the bottom of the hole to help neutralize the ph of the soil and to break down tight clay structure. When adding nutrients to the hole, remember NOT to mix Triple Super Phosphate in with the soil mix. Place it in clumps around the perimeter of the hole (on the sides of the mound for bare root), where the roots will reach it. Mixing it in the soil allows it to bond with the soil and so becomes much less available to the plant. Placing it in its own layer in this way is known as banding. As roses start to leaf out, irrigation should average twice a week, especially with the rapid rise of February temperatures. By the mid-70s, move to three times per week. If you drip irrigate, set the flow at three to four gallons of water per bush. If you flood irrigate, water deeply once a week throughout the month. Always have a wide basin around the base of the bush to keep the water from running off. If you are adding new or extended watering systems, we recommend using pressure compensating inline drip hose. Talk with LeRoy Brady or me about this system, such as Netafim brand, which is used on Arizona highway landscaping. Finally, don t forget to apply a 3-4 layer of forest mulch or pine needles around the roses and throughout your beds. It will help hold the moisture in, prevent weeds and keep beds cooler as it warms up. February 2009 Rose Lore Page 7
Deadheading and Disbudding by Sharon Moore: V.P. Programming, Desert Rose Society and Member, American Rose Society: and Hal Reynolds: President, Desert Rose Society Deadheading and disbudding are terms that sound alike, but are very different. Deadheading is an integral part of regular grooming and maintenance, while disbudding is an optional choice to create a desired result. Deadheading: To deadhead refers to removing dead or spent blossoms. This practice promotes repeat blooming by directing the plant s energy into flower production instead of reproduction (seed). Deadheading also removes hiding places for insects, discourages disease, improves air circulation and makes way for more sun to reach more deeply into the plant. Regular deadheading throughout the growing season will stimulate faster rebloom, often grow stronger stems, and definitely keep your roses looking more attractive. To deadhead, cut at an angle below the spent blossom, approximately 1 above an outward facing five-leaflet leaf and swollen bud eye (where the next flower stem will grow) and where the stem is about pencil size or larger for hybrid teas and smaller for smaller flowers. Often the leaf where you have made the cut will turn yellow and fall off this is normal. When you are removing a spray, cluster, or cluster of blooms, cut below the entire mass. During the intensely hot summer months in the desert, it is imperative that you leave as much foliage on the bush as possible to avoid sunburn of the canes, and some advocate finger pruning or removing only the spent flower bloom and no more for this reason. However, during the spring and fall growing season your cuts can be deeper down the stems. While deadheading you can adjust the height of various canes by how far down you cut them. You do not necessarily have to cut to the first five leaflet leaf; it can be the second, third etc. five leaflet leaf, depending upon desired shape and balance. (continued on next page) February 2009 Rose Lore Page 8
Deadheading and Disbudding (continued from previous page) Disbudding: The practice of disbudding applied to roses can produce some impressive results in the size and quality of the bloom. This is how you get those big lovely long-stemmed roses. When disbudding for one bloom to a stem roses, such as hybrid teas, you remove the side buds that develop at the leaf axels below the main bloom. This is done by rubbing out the tiny buds from the angle created between the leaf and stem. I find my thumb works best for getting right in there. The earlier you do this in the development of the side buds the better, for you will leave no less of a disbudding scar or black stub. How many buds do I remove? Enough that you will have the desired stem length with no side buds. In a rose show, a single bloom on a stem will be disqualified if it has side buds, with the exception of old garden roses and shrub roses. When disbudding roses that bloom in clusters like the floribundas, it is a little different process. You have to look at the stem and see how many buds there are. If there is a central bud and only one or two side buds, remove the side buds and go for a one bloom stem. When presented with many buds and a central bud, remove the central bud and make this stem into a spray (or cluster) of blooms. The central bud would normally bloom first and be faded when the rest of the buds open. A spray, for show purposes, must contain two or more blossoms and three or more blossoms are best. If trying for a spray for show be sure that the multiple buds have at least three buds of about the same size so they will be open at the same time to give the desired blossom count. Disbudding of minis and minifloras follows the directions for disbudding hybrid teas for one bloom to a stem. If you are going for a spray of blossoms, be it on hybrid tea, grandiflora, floribunda, mini or miniflora, follow the directions for cluster blooming roses. Polyantha and small flowered cluster blooming roses are usually not disbudded. Disbudding old garden roses varies depending on the type of rose and your preference. February 2009 Rose Lore Page 9
Rosy Events Coming Up Rosy Events Coming Up Growing Great Roses In The Desert Southwest This excellent reference and resource booklet is currently being revised and updated by the Rosarian members of MEVRS. Look for the new publication in late summer 2009. MCC Campus, Kirk Student Center Feb Feb 21st 21: Annual Annual Rose Rose Auction Auction MCC Campus, Kirk Student Center Nove 11-15: ARS Fall National Volunteer with the MCC Deadheaders The Rose Garden Conference at Mesa Community & Rose Show College is cared for by our Palm wonderful Springs, volunteers, CA The Deadheaders, who meet regularly. To care for over 7500 roses we need all the help we can Saturdays: get. Come Volunteer and help a with little the or MCC a lot. Deadheaders The Rose Garden at Mesa Community College is cared for by our wonderful Do volunteers, you love roses The Deadheaders, but don't have who a place meet of your regularly own? The on Saturday Garden needs mornings. you! To care for E-mail over 7500 Carol roses Poe or we phone need 480-895-7793 all the help we can get. Come and help a little or a lot. Do you love roses but don't have a place of your own? The Garden needs you! E-mail Carol Poe or phone 480-895-7793 Still Available: Growing Great Roses In The Desert Southwest DVD Same great 1 hour 7 min program that has sold many hundreds of copies in VHS and DVD. Watch as professional agricultural consultant Mike Jepsen demonstrates pruning all types of roses, planting bare root and potted roses, watering, spraying and fertilizing. See the before and after garden, filmed from January through April. Annual Membership Dues are due for the year of June 1, 2008 thru May 31, 2009 Please turn in your dues at the next meeting or mail them to the treasurer, Phyllis Burgess, payable to MEVRS: P.O. Box 40394 Mesa, AZ 85274-0394 February 2009 Rose Lore Page 10
Mesa East Valley Rose Society You or your recipient will receive our monthly 8-12 page newsletter by email, local nursery discounts and more. Membership is $25, due June 1 of each year. This is for a single or family unit living at the same address. New members joining after September pay $5 per quarter, from quarter joining through the following May, payable in full at month of joining. Please bring your completed application and payment (please make check payable to MEVRS) to a meeting or mail to: MEVRS/Membership, P.O. Box 40394, Mesa, AZ 85274-0394 Date New *Gift* Renewal Amount Paid Cash Check# Names: Address City State Zip Phone ( ) E-mail address Yes! I would also like to join the national organization with which we are affiliated, the American Rose Society, for which I will receive the bi-monthly American Rose magazine, the December American Rose Annual, the Handbook For Selecting Roses and more! I am including in my check an additional amount of $49.00 (Seniors $46.00) for a one year membership. As a new member of the American Rose Society, you will also receive a FREE miniature rose from Nor East Miniatures! Standing Committees Auction Chairman...Cheryl Doan... 480-838-4062 Audit... Judy Tolbert Historian.. Evelyn Gannon... 480-857-3090 Hospitality...Sally Crofford... 480-838-9497 Librarian...Linda Ahlborn... 480-695-5891 Membership...Donna Dibble... 480-380-4592 New Member Orientation Lynn Twitchell... 480-503-4508 Mickey Kundrat... 602-359-8528 Newsletter, Editor...Bob O Brien... 480-831-5198 Member Emails...Linda Ahlborn... 480-695-5891 MCC Test Garden...LeRoy Brady... 480-962-9603...Marylou Coffman... 480-926-3064...Lynn Twitchell... 480-503-4508 Pioneer Park Rose Garden Coordinators...Jean & Peter Pegler... 480-969-9391 Publicity...Lynn Twitchell... 480-503-4508 Rose Garden Volunteers..Carol Poe... 480-895-7793 Rose Show Chairman...Lynn Twitchell... 480-503-4508 Ways & Means...Mike Jepsen... 602-312-1813 Bruce Gannon... 480-857-3090 Web site...corinne Geertsen... 480-649-9822 Consulting Rosarians Larry Bell* (Ahwatukee Foothills)..480-706-9667 Helen Baird*(NPhx, Sctsdle)..602-953-9133 LeRoy Brady* (Mesa)..480-962-9603 Jeannie Cochell (NE Valley)jcochell@cox.net...602-363-6444 Marylou Coffman* (Gilbert)...480-926-3064 Donna Dibble (East Mesa)...480-380-4592 Phyllis Henslin (Mesa, Apache Jct.)...480-807-3592 Millie Hisey* (Apache Jct-winter)...480-474-9139 Michael & Cindy Jepsen (Tempe)...602-312-1813 Ken & Peggy Jones (West Phoenix)...623-931-5004 Arveda Larson* (Scottsdale)...602-953-3832 Terry* & Heidi* Leavitt (Phoenix)...602-971-0179 Dave* & Gerry* Mahoney (Glndl/Peoria)...623-581-3756 Nelson Mitchell* (Peoria)...623-412-1586 Steve Sheard (Tempe, Chandler)...480-831-2609 John F. Green (Tucson)...520-795-2964 Cathy Rose (Tucson).520-722-0010 Terry Schick (Flagstaff).928-853-0653 Liz Strong (Tucson)Lizzie441@comcast.net. 520-797-7890 Terry Swartz* (Tucson) 520-623-8285 *ARS Judge February 2009 Rose Lore Page 11
Meetings are held at 7:00 pm on the 2nd Thursday of each month at Mesa Community College: Elsner Library Community Room, 1st floor 1833 W. Southern Ave., Mesa, AZ New Member Orientation at 6:30 pm Calendar of Events February 12, 2009 Thursday, 7:00 p.m. Monthly Meeting The Roses in our Rose Auction February 21, 2009 Mesa-East Valley 2pm: Annual Rose Raffle Mesa Community College Navajo Room Kirk Center The Rose: Our National Floral Emblem All articles for the newsletter must be submitted to the Editor by the 20th of each month. Mesa-East Valley Rose Society Executive Officers President LeRoy Brady 1st Vice President Cheryl Doan 2nd Vice-President Lynn Twitchell Recording Secretary Shanna Cardita Corresponding Secretary Marylou Coffman Treasurer Phyllis Burgess Past-President Dona Martin Rose Lore Bob O Brien, Editor Mesa-East Valley Rose Society Inc. PO Box 40394 Mesa, AZ 85274-0394 Board of Directors Mickey Kundrat Bob O Brien Alta Russell (vacancy) Check out our ARS Award Winning website: www.roses4az-mevrs.org Developers of The Rose Garden at Mesa Community College, the largest public rose garden in the Desert Southwest! February 2009 Rose Lore Page 12