Garden Faces December 2013

Garden Faces December 2013

Birmingham Rose Society An American Rose Society Affiliate

President’s Message I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Virna and I certainly did. We made a last minute decision to go to New Orleans, La., and that Wednesday evening we had dinner at the Gumbo Shop. On Thanksgiving Day, we ate at Commander’s Palace and then on Friday we enjoyed a muffuletta, at the Central Grocery and then had dinner at Emeril’s Delmonico .

We drove to Jackson, Ms. on Saturday via LSU and spent the day/night with Virna’s sons, daughter-in-law and granddaughter before coming home Sunday.

While we were gone, we obviously had our first killing frost and as a result I cut back most of my rose bushes to waist height yesterday afternoon (December 4).

We are looking forward to the Christmas party, Monday, December 16, in the Ireland Room.

Virna and I will bring a smoked turkey and ham, which should be more than enough meat for everyone. It should also provide me with plenty of left overs. For those who wish to participate in the dirty Santa, bring a wrapped gift of approximately $10 in value.

We look forward to seeing everyone on December 16 and we wish everyone a Merry Christmas.

Harold P. Settle

Consulting Rosarian Report

By Bobbie Reed, Master Rosarian 770-979-4237, berdks@mindspring.com Observe – What's happening in your garden? It’s been another screwy month. We had a few days that touched 70°, but they were interspersed with hard freezes, as low as 19°. And I found this on the National Weather Service website: A record snowfall of 0.4 inches was set at Atlanta today, Nov 27. This is also the highest snowfall ever recorded at Atlanta in the month of November. I know it was cold and windy that day, but snow accumulations? Long-range forecasts are for average temperatures, slightly drier than usual.

Water – The new weather pattern established in September continues. Local rainfall continues 35-40% below normal. Total rainfall for the year averages about 20% above normal because of all that rain in spring and summer. The exception is Jonesboro, which is 10% below normal for the year; Jonesboro has been drier than most areas all year. Your roses will need to be well watered to withstand the colder temperatures we’ve been experiencing, so be sure to water if the soil around your roses begins to look dry, especially roses in pots.

Don't Feed! – Just don't. Although, if you've had your soil tested, you could be adding those slow-acting amendments like lime or phosphate if the test showed they were needed in your garden.

Spray – Temperatures will take care of the bugs, and the leaves in our garden are rapidly blowing away. The finest rosarians are still using fungicides, but the rest of us are taking a break to concentrate on the holidays. After Christmas, we’ll spray dormant oil and lime-sulfur to discourage bugs and diseases for next year.

Don't Deadhead! – Those rose hips that have formed are keeping the bushes from putting out new, tender growth that would be damaged by the next freeze.

Cut Back – We’ve all had a couple of hard freezes, so our roses should be going semi-dormant. This is the right time to trim the tops of large bushes to about chest height, to prevent the bushes from whipping about in high winds. That movement can loosen and tear your bush's roots in the soil, which is very damaging to the plant. If there's still too much movement, tie the plant to something solid (I like rebar, but there are prettier things), using stretchy plant ties, twine, or even old nylon stockings, which will give when the plant moves.

Mulch – It’s time to replenish the mulch around your plants, providing a 2-4" blanket to protect them through their long winter's nap.

Mulching before that freeze would only have kept the soil warm, and the plant growing, too late into the fall and winter. More mulch will be needed to protect the bud union of grafted roses during our sporadic hard freezes. Make sure you have that extra mulch handy before it's needed.

Do Dirt – If you haven't already, this is an excellent time to take soil samples from around your roses and have them tested. If you need to adjust the pH of your soil, winter is the time to get started, because it takes a long time to change the chemistry of the soil.

When mild weather permits, start preparing soil in rose beds for early planting.

Enjoy – There's still beauty to be enjoyed, with occasional late flowers gracing the garden in December (even if they are “freeze dried”). And once they open, they hold so we can enjoy them for a long time. Let me know if you have fresh roses for Christmas!

From “The Phoenix” newsletter of the Greater Atlanta Rose Society

Deep South District – Mid Winter Meeting

The Deep South District and the rose societies of the Atlanta metropolitan area cordially invite you to the 32nd Annual Mid-Winter Meeting to be held January 17-20, 2014, at the Best Western Gateway Grand in Gainesville, Florida.

Contact Chris Woods 770-309-6302, cewoods1268@yahoo.com or check your inbox for the DSD bulletin which has full details

In House Fall Rose Show

Congratulations to Gloria Purnell Winner of our in house fall rose show with her bloom of ‘Touch of Class’

Consulting Rosarian School At the Mid-Winter Meeting Contact Ralph Stream ASAP streamj@gmail.com If you plan to attend

Meeting Minutes Rose Society Meeting Minutes

George Ann Hamilton – Recording Secretary November 25, 2013 6:30 P.M. Harold Settle, President, called the meeting to order. We had twenty-five in attendance, twentyone members, two visitors Paul and Lanell Sagar and two guests Judy and Don Bacon. The host and hostesses; Martha Eskew, Mayre Parr, Gloria Purnell and Clayton Richard were thanked for providing the refreshments for the evening.

The minutes from the October meeting were approved as printed in the November 2013 Garden Faces with one correction. Gloria Purnell was not a judge for our “in-house Rose Show”.

Hyacinth Prince, Treasurer, gave the Treasurer’s Report. The checking account balance as of November 25th is $3,301.36. Our CD balance is $5,098.00.

Sharon Bamberg, Program Chairman, introduced our guest speaker Judy Bacon, President of the Gadsden Rose Society. The title of her program was “The Making of a Rose”. The slide presentation showed the time, space involved and labor that goes into cultivating a rose chosen for the public. It takes nine to eleven years from cultivation to the end of testing to get roses ready for market. After all the many roses have been cultivated only three or four are chosen for market. It was a very interesting program.

Our holiday party will be held December 16th in the Ireland Room at the Botanical Gardens at 6:30 PM. The Rose Society will provide the meat but members are asked to bring a vegetable, salad or dessert. The gift swap will take place for those who would like to participate with a limit of $10.00 The meeting was adjourned at 7:47 P.M.

Treasurer’s Report December 2013 2014 American Rose Society Calendar

BRS by the numbers: 67 BRS Members 398 Fans on Facebook 125 followers on Twitter 3500 visitors to website since Jan ‘13

How can we reach more?

Holiday Party December 16, 2013 – 6:30 p.m.

Ireland Room Birmingham Botanical Gardens Turkey & Ham will be provided. All members are asked to bring a covered dish.

The gift swap will take place for those who would like to participate with a limit of $10.00.

Our very own Lawrence Durham has several photos featured this year!

Only $10 + shipping www.ARS.org to order or call (800) 637-6534

Garden Faces Deadlines: Submission Deadline: 10th of each month Publication Date : 15th of each month Editor: Chris VanCleave Phone: 205-585-9687 E-mail: Editor@BirminghamRose.org

Birmingham Rose Society 219 Chadwick Lane Helena, AL 35080

Grow Roses. Show Roses. Share Roses.

Birmingham Rose Society American Rose Society Affiliate While the advice and information in this newsletter is believed to be true and accurate at the time of publication, neither the authors nor the editor accept any legal responsibility for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The Birmingham Rose Society makes no warranty, expressed or implied with respect to the material contained herein.