CHARLESTON ROSE SOCIETY A member of the Colonial District of the American Rose Society An Affiliate of the RAMBLIN ROSE PRESIDENT S MESSAGE--Steven Grass Time flies when you are having fun. I have been busy with my roses to get ready for our upcoming District Show in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. I like to go to these shows to compete against some of our national exhibitors, and there are a lot of them in this area of the country. They are also nice people to know, as they tell how they get such great blooms and where to find the rose bushes. The Society cast its vote last month for the ARS election, and our choices won their respective offices. The new Vice President is Diane Somers; Charles Shaner was elected Region 2 Director, and Ray Shipley is the Colonial District Director. All bylaws amendments passed. Sadly, only 70 of 308 eligible District voters submitted ballots. Our public garden on Lee Street has gotten very tall, and the bushes at the Police Memorial have grown and bloomed very well. Sometimes I get a little jealous of how well the rose bushes are growing in the public gardens, but then I remember that they are not pruned for show like mine are. I am looking forward to our program this month as I am going to show you how to expand your garden without a big cost. It does take a lot of patience to let your new bushes mature since it takes a couple of years for them to become the size that you would go to a garden center to purchase. The cuttings don t always take root or the bud graft does not sprout, but you can always try again. That s why I start 2 or 3 of the same plant so I can make the odds better that at least one will take. This month we also have our ugly rose contest. Try to find the narliest rose you can in your garden and bring it to the meeting. I always find this contest interesting since the exhibitors try the hardest to win this trophy even though they try to grow the best roses possible for a show. I guess a trophy is a trophy! Hope to see you on Tuesday night. Program Spotlight Your Society President has been slipping and budding roses for a few years now, and our program this month is going to offer our membership a close-up view of how these methods of propagation are done. It s unfortunate that many of the roses that are well loved are no longer available for purchase. Slipping and budding provide a way to keep these roses in your garden. Steve will be bringing 10 pots containing multiflora rose stock for budding and bud wood from various roses, as well as a number of rose slips from his garden and some others. Donna Smoot suggests that if you have a rose or roses in bloom in your garden, bring them to the meeting so that the members can see them, and perhaps slip them as well. Regardless, come prepared for some hands-on activity! Volume 35, No. 6 UPCOMING EVENTS TUESDAY, August 28 Steven Grass will be conducting an interactive session on slipping and budding roses. Root stock and appropriate equipment will be provided to those interested in participating. See newsletter for more details. Joyce Rasmussen will provide refreshments. TUESDAY, August 28 UGLIEST ROSE CON- TEST Bring the ugliest rose from your garden to compete for the coveted Cracked Plate! Details on page 3. SEPTEMBER 7-9 Colonial District Fall Show held in Gettysburg, PA, in conjunction with the Penn-Jersey District. Inside this issue: President s Message 1 Upcoming Events 1 Program Spotlight 1 This and That 2 Ugliest Rose Contest 3 2019 Officer Candidates 4 West Virginia Flagpole Garden Colonial District Show 4 Public Garden 5 Rose of the Month 8 Consulting Rosarians 8 4
THIS AND THAT Lynda Grass We ve had over 2 of rain this past week. Our yard is squishy in some places. We ve been fortunate that the rose bushes haven t sustained any damage from the hard winds that have accompanied some of these storms. I believe it s because Steven has most of them pruned for the District rose show in early September so we don t have tall canes covered with many blooms. It s easy for those canes to snap off at the base or split away from the main bush because of the weight of water-filled blooms, or just an inability to withstand the whipping that occurs from the wind gusts. It s been a real test of stamina for the roses. Steven had gone to the Lee Street garden after a heavy storm and discovered that a cane of Dick Clark had split from the main bush. He pruned it off and brought it home so that I could see it: about 5 feet tall and covered in blooms. I didn t count, but I d say it had at least 25 blooms on it, to include one large spray. We took some photos for this newsletter of that garden, and you can see just how tall most of the bushes are. Steve is about 5 6 tall, so you can get a guess of the height of the roses from the pictures. With so much rain/dampness and humidity, blackspot is very prevalent. Donna Smoot has always said that once your garden is inhabited by blackspot, you can never be rid of it. You should do your best to practice good hygiene by removing any diseased leaves from the bushes and making sure that you keep the dropped leaves out of the beds (the fungus spores live in the soil, and if the leaves remain in the bed, you re just promoting the problem). I have always advocated removing leaves from the canes that are within 6-8 inches from the ground so that the spores don t have a bridge to jump onto when it rains or when you water the roses. It s not always possible to do that with minis/minifloras since a lot of them sit so close to the ground, so be diligent in removing any diseased leaves as they become apparent. As to a spray regimen, you can use Mancozeb to try to bring the disease under control. It s also the time of year when butterflies start to form their chrysalis by attaching to various trees and shrubs. Try to be aware of your yard and what might be going on among the plants. Butterflies are very important to all gardens, and we should be careful when spraying our roses or even pruning our landscape plants and shrubs to do as little damage as possible. I m not really sure what/when fall or winter is any longer since the weather is so out of whack. Some of the maples along the Boulevard are turning color, and the burning bushes planted around town are turning from green to light red. Leaves of redbud trees are already yellow and falling to the ground. The crickets are chirping very loudly early in the morning, and we have cicadas buzzing in the evening. Isn t it still August???? I say this because we re approaching the time of year when feeding our roses should be minimal so that they will have time to stop producing new growth and prepare for winter. Around mid-september you should stop feeding with high-nitrogen fertilizer. Green s Feed & Seed has some 0-10-10 that is good for fall feeding, which you should do about two more times before winter. I want to share a story about a brave praying mantis that was in our yard a few weeks ago. We have a rock wall with stone caps around our front yard, and one morning when I was getting into the truck to go to work I noticed something at the corner capstone. I thought it was a dying leaf or something similar, but when I took a closer look, it was a praying mantis, about 5 tall, with its lower wings in full spread. It was standing tall in a defense posture, up against a wren who was determined to make it her breakfast. I had never seen a mantis in that type of defense mode it was spectacular. The wren hopped around and forward, and the mantis turned and struck out with its upper leg. At one point the wren flew into the dogwood tree just above it, National Geographic but the mantis held its ground. The wren came back to make another effort, and the mantis raised both of its upper legs in fight mode. I think Steven and I could have sat and watched the action all morning, but we had to leave (and frankly, I would have been miserable had I seen the wren achieve its goal!). When we pulled out of our parking spot, the wren flew upwards toward the electric lines. Steven said when he got home he looked for any casualties, but didn t see anything. Hopefully the mantis was able to get away to fight another day! P A G E 2 --continued on page 3
This and that c o n t i n u e d f r o m p a g e 2 The American Rose Society sent out a survey to local society presidents wanting information about whether or not the Society supported or maintained a public garden. Apparently they want to publish this information in the ARS Annual so that if folks want to participate, they will have contact information. We submitted information about both of our gardens, with Steven being the contact person. It will be interesting to see what, if anything, comes of this offering. We ll be talking about fall pruning of the two rose gardens in a couple of months. It will most likely take place in November, which is after our last meeting of the year in October. Please try to make time to come out and help prune the gardens, as well as doing winter protection. The more people who participate, the quicker it will be done. We will most likely send out some emails about dates/times, so be on the lookout for that. Rain/poor weather dates will also be chosen. September is a time to think about what s been good or bad in your rose garden so that you can decide if you need to replace a plant that is doing poorly, or purchase a new bush just because you ve seen it in someone s garden and simply have to have it in yours. I think we ve found a good local resource in Gritt s Farm in Putnam County, and the roses that Steven and I saw at Green s Feed & Seed early this spring were also in excellent condition. If you do want to update or add, take time to look over the offerings from various companies. Just take the photos and descriptions with a HUGE grain of salt: if you believe everything you read and see, all of the roses are outstanding, stupendous, gorgeous (you get the overflowing adjective usage, right?). If you can, talk to local gardeners to see how the roses in their gardens are growing, and make an educated decision based on those comments. Sometimes you ll go with your want to and just buy the rose despite knowing nothing about it, and you may get lucky in your choice. Roses are a investment of time and energy, so you re better off doing some research before a purchase. I ll also say that despite all of this, you may plant a rose that doesn t like your yard s growing conditions. In that case, try to find it a new home and look for another bush to grow. Our program this month is one that Steve is really looking forward to. He s hoping to get some of you interested in slipping roses and/or budding them onto root stock. Bring a cutting (a stem at least 6 or 7 inches long that has a number of eyes that will produce new shoots) to the meeting from your yard (or someone else s) of a rose that you d like to propagate. Steve will have all the equipment needed to prepare the cutting either for insertion into a pot of soil, or to remove the bud eye and put it onto multiflora root stock (which he ll also bring). It will be fun to participate in the process, with the ultimate goal of producing a great rose bush to plant next spring! Joyce Rasmussen will wow us with something wonderful to eat so mark your calendar and come out Tuesday night. UGLIEST ROSE CONTEST One of my favorite roses, single hybrid tea Dainty Bess, after a brief rain shower. Who will wrestle the coveted Cracked Plate award from Mr. and Mrs. Fleek??? Go out into your garden and find the ugliest rose you have: blooms riddled with botrytis (the slimier the better!), powdery mildew-covered buds, blooms coming out of blooms, and put it into an appropriate container (plastic cup, jelly jar, pop bottle, etc.) to be judged by the membership after you ve had the opportunity to tell us all of its faults. The most votes will give you the honor of writing your name on the Cracked Plate and displaying it in your home for one year! Who wouldn t want that distinction? Let s see how much fun we can have with this competition. P A G E 3
2019 SLATE OF OFFICERS It s time to present the slate of officers for 2019. Our President appointed a Nominating Committee of Linda Boggess, Joyce Rasmussen, and DeWitt Bowman to solicit the membership for four officer and one Director position. Linda is happy to report that the following members have offered their services to the Society if they are elected. President... Lynda Grass Vice President... Donna Smoot Secretary... Linda Boggess Treasurer... Joyce Rasmussen Director (two-year term)... Ray Boggs This slate of officers will be announced at the August meeting, and published again in the newsletter in September. Votes will be cast by the membership at the October meeting, and those elected will begin their terms in January 2019. SUPPORT OF THE WEST VIRGINIA FLAGPOLE GARDEN At the July meeting the membership voted to contribute $100 to the American Rose Society to provide maintenance support for the West Virginia Flagpole Garden, which is located on the grounds of the American Rose Center in Shreveport, Louisiana. The grounds are undergoing an enormous renovation, and it was not certain that the Flagpole Garden was still there. I contacted Carol Spiers at ARS and was assured that the garden remains. We are providing this contribution in lieu of a Patron donation, and it is being made in memory of Wheeler McFadden, a staunch supporter of the rose, the Charleston Rose Society, and the Colonial District. DISTRICT ROSE SHOW IN GETTYSBURG Last year s winning spray of Moonstone (Lynda & Steven Grass) Once again this year, the Colonial District is joining the Penn-Jersey District in Gettysburg, PA, for a fall rose show/meeting. This is strictly a District show, unlike last year when the National show was also being held in Gettysburg. It is our understanding that four Colonial District classes are going to be offered: J. Horace McFarland, Ralph Moore, J. Ben Williams, and Griffith Buck. It was the hope of most of our exhibitors that more of our District classes would be offered since the national show was not going to be held, but it s not to be. A show schedule is on the Penn-Jersey website (www.pennjerseydistrict.org). I don t see the Colonial District classes in this online version, but if you visit the Colonial District website (www.colonialdistrictroses.org) and click on District Seminars, Meetings, and Shows, you ll see the four classes mentioned above and their composition. One interesting note for exhibitors: wedging material is to be transparent (i.e., plastic wrap), not the green foam that has been used by most exhibitors in this area for many years now. I think Steven will have to do some practice rounds on this one he says he doesn t really remember using plastic wrap it s been so long! They are also going to offer some rose photography classes. This section has quickly become a very popular aspect of a rose show. In fact, participation in this class sometimes is larger than in the horticulture and/or arrangement portions of a show. Right now, I know that Steve and Gary and Monica Rankin plan to exhibit, and Donna Smoot will be judging. There will be a follow-up report in next month s newsletter. Wish the exhibitors good luck! P A G E 4
LEE STREET PUBLIC ROSE GARDEN Steven beside Mister Lincoln Shrub Bed A thorn among the roses! Playboy Sally Holmes, Miracle on the Hudson, and Carding Mill Dick Clark Double Delight Secret PAGE 5 Miracle on the Hudson
Rose of the month Donna Smoot I decided to give you one more miniature to consider for your garden and that's the beautiful and hardy Edisto. I bought this mini back when it was registered as a miniflora, but it was changed in June of 2013 to a mini. I have moved it several times and it still continues to thrive. It even survived a couple of winters in a pot. Edisto is a beautiful red blend bred by Michael C Williams and first introduced by Bridges Roses in 2007. It has good exhibition form and an upright growth habit; most of the blooms are one bloom on one stem. It is a reverse red and then yellow on the outside of the petal--so pretty. It does not have fragrance (sorry) but the medium to dark green foliage makes for a beautiful bush. One of Edisto's parents is Chelsea Belle and the other is Unknown. It has won the ARS Award of Excellence and carries a 7.6 garden rating with the ARS. Not the best photo of Edisto: you can t really see the yellow reverse. This was our blueribbon winner at the 2015 Charleston Rose Society show Lynda Grass Edisto can be purchased from Roses Unlimited for $17.00 and is a great rose for your garden. The Ramblin Rose is published monthly from March to June and August to October. Lynda Grass, Editor/Publisher Contributing Writers: John Fleek Steven Grass Donna Smoot The Charleston Rose Society, a member of the American Rose Society and part of the Colonial District, was founded in 1923. Its membership is dedicated to the growth of roses, the education of the public in rose culture, and fellowship with rose growers locally and across the country. Meetings are held on the fourth Tuesday of each month from March to June and August to October at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Charleston and begin at 7:00 p.m. If you are interested in learning more about roses and their culture, we would like to invite you to join us at any of our meetings. If you are interested in joining the Charleston Rose Society, please contact: Joyce Rasmussen, Treasurer 2519 Winter Street St. Albans, WV 25177 Membership dues for the Rose Society are $8 for an individual and $12 for a family. This includes the newsletter, which is transmitted electronically. E-mail addresses are not shared. The information contained in this newsletter is, to the best of the ability of the editor and authors, accurate and true. Neither the Society, editor, nor the authors imply or guarantee the accuracy of the information, nor do they make any recommendations or endorsements of products or actions that may be mentioned herein. CHARLESTON ROSE SOCIETY CONSULTING ROSARIANS The Charleston Rose Society has a number of individuals who have taken an ARS-sponsored course and passed a test to become Consulting Rosarians. This means that they are well qualified to answer your questions about roses and the accompanying difficulties you may be experiencing in your garden. Please feel free to contact them with your rose questions! John & Diana Fleek Cross Lanes 304.776.4048 Steven Grass West Side 304.345.3634 Gary & Monica Rankin Huntington 304.697.0321 Donna Smoot South Charleston 304.744.8150 P A G E 6