Nashville Rose Leaf July 2011

NASHVILLE ROSE LEAF

Official Publication of The Nashville Rose Society Serving Rose Enthusiasts Throughout Middle Tennessee

July 5th NRS Meeting at Cheekwood

6:30 p.m. Refreshments 7:00 p.m. Ken Wood - ‘Do you know your rose garden?’

Queen ‘Randy Scott’

by John and Cheryl Smith

Some Like It Hot! ‘Marilyn Monroe’ July Rose of the Month By: Larry Baird “Some Like It Hot”, an apt phrase to introduce our selection for rose of the month. Named for a movie star from the time when movies were made with the talents of the star rather than the fingers of the computer operator. Named after a star who could be sexy even with her clothes on. A star whose magnitude has endured the years and whose personal mystique is still discussed in many arenas and whose associations with an American President are just one highlight surrounding the mystery of her life.

It is only fitting that a rose honoring this star would be hybridized by someone with the skills and fame of Tom Carruth. This hybrid tea rose was introduced

by Weeks Roses in 2003. Her color is described as apricot but maybe in honor of her namesake should be champagne.

(Cont’d on page 10)

“Nothing Could Be Finer” at ARS’ Spring National Rose Show By: Sam Jones “Nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina in the morning”— of springtime—at the ARS Convention and Rose Show in Winston-Salem, NC! The Rose Show was spectacular in beauty and quality of exhibitions. Some of the finest public and private gardens were on tour, including the famed Sarah P. Duke Gardens in Durham, NC and the Biltmore House and AARS Garden in Ashville, NC. While I had the privilege of judging arrangements with Nancy serving as clerk, we both were able to survey the sea of entries almost filling the large ball room, with arrangements taking fully one-third of the space. The following are a few of the winning roses and designs from the outstanding outlay, which we were able to photograph quickly between judging and listening to inspiring speakers: (Cont’d on page 12)

Photo courtesy of Sam Jones

Affiliated with the American Rose Society - www.ars.org

Photo courtesy of Dan Sanchez

july 2011 Volume 44, Issue 7

President’s Column July, time for fireworks, picnics, swimming, summer heat and Japanese beetles. Maybe not all fun and excitement, but certainly challenging to rose growers in Middle Tennessee.

While we had a little disappointment in June with some cool and rainy weather, just as the buds were ready to do their thing, along came the dry heat and the voracious beetle we have all come to know over the last few years.

At this time of year, one of the most asked questions to our Consulting Rosarians is, “What do you do about the Japanese beetle?” My answer is usually to “just ignore them.” I have not found any insecticide that will eliminate them to my satisfaction. They come when the heat is intense, and most of the time the blooms are small and blow quickly. We don’t want to be out in the heat anyway, so why make such a deal of something we can’t do anything about. The beetles will be gone soon, and we can get back to enjoying the next bloom cycle. Just don’t forget to water. The roses can overcome the beetles, but not lack of moisture.

And now, about this month’s program.

I guess the title was a little misleading.

Ken Woods agreed to do a program which we entitled “Do You Know Your Rose Garden?” Most of us know Ken from the great photos he has taken of our meetings and through some of his photos which have enhanced the pages of the Nashville Rose Leaf. While his skill with the camera is certainly worthy of a meeting on it’s own, this program took everyone on an interactive virtual tour of many of our members’ gardens that was both fun and entertaining. Thanks Ken! Thanks again to Sam and Nancy Jones for hosting our picnic. Their roses are always a pleasure as is the enjoyment of keeping company with fellow rose lovers. See highlights on pages 6 & 7.

Remember, summer rose growing in Middle Tennessee should be spelled WATER-WATER-WATER. See you at the meeting.

—— Larry Baird 2

Editors Column She Said...

For many reasons, I had asked Jim if we could wait until next year to volunteer to be on this year’s rose tour. As always, he looked into my worried eyes and promised “It’ll all be alright.” This should have been my first clue to abort, but as usual, I relented. Little did I know that spring would let summer cut in line this year. Perhaps it knew, unlike me, that the cicadas were coming. Trying to stay positive, I held onto the possibility that, if all else failed, I could smack Jim over the head with the big fat “I told you so” I was keeping in my back pocket.

Surveying our garden the day before the tour, we were feeling a bit discouraged over the lack of blooms. Not only had our roses peaked a few weeks prior, but the stifling heat resulted in premature blooms that looked like miniatures. One bright spot, however, was that Jim had discovered a hidden spray of beautiful blooms on our ‘America’ climber and, with great caution, brought the cane to the front of the bush for all to see.

I was ecstatic. Jim and I decided we needed to pay special attention to this bush as it might serve as a distraction from our other bloomless roses. We deadheaded it, removed any imperfect leaves and were just about to pat ourselves on the back when I spotted it….. a dreaded damaged cane whose appearance was absolutely destroying our otherwise perfect picture. “That has to go” I said, pointing at the cane in question. Jim inspected it and, at first, claimed not to see this criminal, saying “Show me what you’re talking about.”

Again, I pointed to the cane and mentioned to him that the growth beyond this spot was dead and non-productive anyway. I then handed him my pruners but he dismissed me (as so often he does) and told me he would tend to it later.

By now, I was on the far end of our garden and I noticed Jim coming out of the garage with a pair of loppers.

As he headed towards the ‘America’,

nashville rose leaf, july 2011

I thought loppers were somewhat “overkill” and I contemplated questioning his choice. I decided against it as I pictured him barking at me to cut it myself. IF ONLY!!!

Suddenly, I heard Jim call my name in a manner that one might expect were he being electrocuted. I ran over immediately and noticed that he was holding the beautiful spray in his hand, only it was no longer attached to the rose bush. Summoning up the wherewithal to extend forgiveness to Mr. Edward Scissorhands, I stood there silent.

Jim, however, seized upon my rare silence and proceeded to blame me, demanding (dare he) an explanation for how I could have allowed such a thing to happen. I was appalled. How could he stand there with a pair of loppers in one hand, a mutilated cane in the other and, in all earnest, blame me for the senseless slaughter of our American dream? Particularly when I was over 100 feet away when the decapitation took place!

“You told me to cut this cane!” he accused. I tried to reason, “I never told you to cut THERE, I told you to cut much higher.” He persisted, shaking his head at ME in disgust. The fight was on, my friends.

“Well”, I retorted, “Why don’t I just draw a dotted line the next time and, for safe measure I’ll put a sign on the good cane that reads ‘Don’t cut this beautiful spray’ and, just in case you get too lopper happy in the future, I’ll put a warning label on all the budunions that say “Cutting here not recommended.” Then I finished it up with the zinger “I told you so” by adding that if he had waited until next year to be on the tour, LIKE I ASKED, the stupid cane could have grown back by then, averting this entire American tragedy.

So we stood there in an escalation of bickering right in front of our God, our neighbors and all of ‘America’, or should I say what was left of it? Did I mention the fact that we have often (Cont’d on page 10)

July Rose Care - Alleviating Heat Stress In Rose Bushes By: Ted W. Mills, Master Rosarian and Judge It is essential to keep the root system cool and well-hydrated during periods of heat stress. In fact, their performance is enhanced if good hydration is furnished. Nothing pleases the plant more than a healthy drink of water. It is much more important than gorging the plant with fertilizer.

With Independence Day celebrations recently occurring, it is evident that summer has finally arrived. The blistering sun rays signal the arrival of hot weather in this part of the country. To everyone whose hobby is rose growing, be ready for extra care during this time of year. July is here and August can’t be far behind. Unfortunately, far too many rosarians lighten up in their rose activities and head for the swimming pools.

Believe RoseDoc, a hot day is no time to lounge in the shaded hammocks of the nearest tree while your prized roses roast in the sun. Let’s talk about it.

To cope with heat stress that elevated temperatures cause, crafty rosarians know that irrigation is the best remedy available. Extra water is critically needed when the rose leaves droop and hang as limp towels from the bush.

Truly, the bush is suffering. A quick shower, applied with the garden hose, will bring the plant’s temperature down swiftly. There are products such as ’wiltproof’, which offer some relief; however, a generous splashing of cool, clear water serves the purpose best.

There was a time that the RoseDoc shied away from applying water to foliage, fearing it would produce the perfect condition for blackspot-spore invasion. Common sense would let one know that failure to spray on a timely basis is the fault that allows blackspot to enter the rose garden. If the bush has been treated with an effective combatant chemical, there is no need to fear. Rinse the heated leaves with the cool water, allowing sufficient time for the water to evaporate before nightfall.

Your roses will applaud the action. Repeat this water-cooling operation as often as the need for cooling exists.

Perhaps one of the most effective ways to combat heat stress is to grow roses in pots. Many rosarians select this method since it gives them mobility of the plant. The RoseDoc has often wished he could simply roll the bush into a shady nook until the heat wave has passed. Roses on wheels so to speak. If pots are used, be sure the pots have ample drainage holes and are well watered -- usually more often than in rose beds. Good drainage is an absolute must to successful growing in pots.

Attending roses during heated periods gives the RoseDoc the opportunity to repeat the value of good mulching.

Providing at least a two to four inch layer of shredded pine bark does much to keep the rose bush cool - especially the root system. The greater the temperature the thicker the mulch if one expects to control invading weeds. Always try to keep the mulching material moist. This action is cooling to the bushes.

Yes, firecrackers and marching bands alert us to summer. We all seem to enjoy the increased activities. But in our enjoyment let us not drop our guard.

Elevated heat stirs the harmful critters to their damaging work. Heat by itself will decrease the size of the blooms and the garden just doesn’t have the beauty of spring nor the luster of fall. However, rosarians must step to the plate and help the roses survive the heat.

Practicing some of the aids already mentioned should help in dealing with heat. Rosarians realize that sunlight is important and temperature aids vastly in plant growth, it’s the plants that suffer most when experiencing stress.

Don’t head for the shade tree or swimming pool just yet. Attend to the woe-

ful cries of the stressed bushes first. It is a good practice to perform this heated work while the cool hours of the day are present. Don’t procrastinate -- take advantage of the cool mornings that often turn into heated afternoons. You may have to repeat this cooling treatment more than once per day. Double your cultural efforts so that the rose garden will experience minimal damage. You will be blessed for your actions and your roses just may take on a Happy Roses appearance.

A word of caution: You should minimize your chemical spraying during stressful heat periods to avoid spray damage to the foliage.

Reprinted with author’s permission from July, 2006 issue of the American Rose.

July Rose Tips Rather than using the age-old practice of throwing rice at weddings, it would be far better to throw fresh rose petals at the bride and groom. It is safer since rice spells possible spills when thrown on walking areas. Then too, there is no beauty in rice as there is in roses. I saved a basket of fresh petals for my niece’s wedding in Florida. It proved to be popular with the attendees. It helps to spread the beauty of the flower we love best.

—— Ted Mills, Master Rosarian —— If you are growing any plants in pots, placing a sheet of newspaper on top of the medium inside the pot benefits in several ways: 1. It keeps the growing medium cool. 2. Conserves and stabilizes moisture. 3. Stops unwanted vegetation and 4. Provides a fungal barrier between the growing medium and the stem and leaves.

—— Monty Justice

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pH Basics 101

by Marty Reich, Master Rosarian What is it? pH is a well known scientific term in today’s culture. We constantly hear about bath soaps and shampoos being pH balanced.

However, as rosarians, we need to understand it a bit better than most people since the health of our roses depends on it. Tom Beath gave the long definition of pH and some information in last month’s Rose Leaf. This article expands a bit on his.

In chemical terms water is made up of two components known as ions. One of the ions in water is hydrogen (written in chemical language as H+). The other component is the hydroxyl ion (written in chemical language as OH- ). One of these ions has a positive charge and the other has a negative charge. Because of these positive and negative charges any solution displays some electrical activity, and it is this property that makes possible pH measurement with a meter. In simple terms the pH of a solution (or soil) is a measure of the hydrogen ion concentration (or “potential,” which is what the “p” stands for in pH.) Hydrogen in one of four elements the plan needs to survive, although not too much or too little, as measured on a scale of 0-14.

There are six important things to remember: 1) pH 0 is very acidic.

2) pH 14 is very alkaline (another term for this is “basic”).

3) pH 7 is neutral.

4) pH 6.0-6.5 is the pH for best rose growth.

5) 1 unit of pH value is 10times more than another unit because the pH scale of 0-14 is based on a logarithmic value..

6) Do not worry about how hydrogen ion concentration gets converted to pH, just be thankful some smart scientist figured this out, and all you have to do is read the meter.

Why does it matter? The soil you start with in a rose bed has pH and contains some chemicals. The soil pH and chemical composition changes as a result of fertilizers and other goodies you add. pH is important because when the value strays from the 6.0-6.5 range, many of the nutrients (chemicals) roses need

for proper growth become unavailable (the plant roots cannot absorb them).

One picture is worth a thousand words.

The table shown, “pH Versus Nutrient Availability”, is taken from the Consulting Rosarian Manual and is a great picture of the importance of the proper pH. For example, many nutrients are still available at a pH of 7.5, but look at what happens to iron and manganese which are so important to chlorophyll formation and other crucial functions. They decline in availability about 100 times for each 1.0 increase in pH. The CR Manual also says that though aluminum is not needed by roses, it can cause serious toxicity problems if pH goes below 5.5.

So it is very obvious how important pH is to roses and plants in general.

How is it tested? My lab background of testing and adjusting pH in solutions— an almost daily occurrence—drove me crazy when I first started trying to test my rose bed soil. It quickly became obvious that pH values of “dirt” were difficult to obtain and sometimes not easily reproducible. So the rest of you obsessive compulsives like me, prepare to accept some variability.

If you only have a few roses and do not want to invest in a meter, then select some soil samples from different parts of the bed. Mix them together well and send or take them to your local county extension agent. In Nashville, as Tom mentioned, that is at Ellington Agricultural Center. There the UT Extension Service soil testing division’s phone is (615)832-5250. This will get you not only the pH, but a general soil test which you should do anyway. They will also suggest remedies for any problems.

Chart illustrating pH versus nutrient availability Source: ARS Consulting Rosarians Manual Credit: Steve Steps

For rosarians with many roses, a pH meter of your own is a must. You get what you pay for when choosing one. A $20 meter is highly unlikely to work well. The Kelway pHD is an excellent meter and is available from a number of online sources. I (Cont’d on page 5)

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nashville rose leaf, july 2011

pH Basics 101 (Cont’d from page 4) purchased mine from Rosemania. com for about $70. It works well if the directions are carefully followed and it is easy to use. Also, no batteries are required for it. Be sure that the soil is moist when you check it. That is very important.

When you have your own meter, how should you test? Should you pool samples as for the small garden or test each rose in the bed? If your roses are all doing well and treated the same, by all means just pool several samples, test and be done.

In my own garden with two beds of 45 roses total, I decided to test at every rose one fall as I was feeding them some organics. One bed was consistently 6.4-6.8, but the other, an older bed which was less well prepared when it was built, was more in the 6.0 range except for one rose which was 5.8 and another which was (oh, the horror!!) pH 4.1.

Though I may never repeat this extensive sampling, it was nice to have such specific information. Certainly you want to test any individual rose that is not thriving. How could two roses be so different from the rest of my 45? Quite frankly, I have no idea, but I know that I am not the only one who has run across this situation.

Generally speaking, chemical fertilizers make soils more acid so before pH testing was readily available to home gardeners, most rosarians routinely added lime to their soil. Now we can go more high tech and determine what is really needed.

How can it be changed? Lime is the chemical of choice to raise pH.

Most of the soils in middle Tennessee are slightly acidic so raising the pH is a requirement. Both the Kelway meter instructions and the UT Extension service recommend “dolomite limestone” which is pelletized and has magnesium in it as well as calcium. If you are routinely adding Epsom salts for magnesium, you may add just calcitic limestone which does not contain magnesium. Both types come in 50lb. bags available at reasonable cost at co-ops and garden supply stores.

Either product is slow acting (2-3 months) and you cannot expect extremely rapid change in pH, so be patient. So if you want to raise the pH in your bed for spring growth, be sure to add lime in late winter or early spring. and be sure the lime is well worked into the soil. Do not use “burnt” or “quick” lime. It works quickly but can burn both you and the roses.

Sulfur is the chemical of choice to lower pH. Since sulfur is used less often than lime, it is difficult to find smaller bags than 50lbs. at the co-ops, but check the larger garden centers before you have to buy the huge amount or try to share with a fellow member (thank you, Bob Bowen, for mine).

How much lime or sulfur are used? Here is the annoying part for me: I decided to write this article to answer questions that I had wondered about in the past and to figure out how much sulfur or lime was needed for a couple of bushes with high or low pH. My lab background again reared its demanding little head and asked exactly how much to use per bush. Sulfur is the easiest to figure out since it is elemental sulfur, meaning it is the pure stuff, and comes as a powder or as very small pellets. UT Extension Service says to apply 0.2lb of sulfur per 100 square ft. for each 0.1 unit that the pH is above 6.5. Good grief, I only want to treat one rose bush!

(I found this same amount to add in some old pH meter instruction manuals so this seems to be reasonably standard advice.) You should also add 1/3 more for clay soil and 1/3 less for sandy

soil, but since most rose beds are probably medium textured, I stuck to the standard recommendation.

So I weighed one cup of the sulfur I had and found that it weighed about 0.5lb and I decided that the area around my rose bush was about 4sq. ft.

After checking my calculations a dozen times, I came to the conclusion that for this package of sulfur 0.2lb/100sq. ft. equates to applying about 1tsp./4sq.ft. to lower the pH one tenth of a unit per rose bush. That certainly is not very much but gives me a starting point once I multiply by the amount of pH change I need to make. If the pH needed to be lowered even more, say one whole unit from 7.5 to 6.5, then I would need about 3.3tbls/4sq.ft.

As to lime, that proves to be a different kettle of fish. Depending on which lime purchased and what brand, it can range from neat tiny pellets to a heterogeneous mixture of light and dark lumps. I had some of each and weighed them and they both were about 0.5lb/ cup. The problem here, when trying for accuracy in the amount to add, is the variability found in the many sources I read. The bags themselves generally have some sort of recommendations as to the amount to add, but the best value I found was again in the CR Manual which gives a range of 4.6 ounces/rose bush in sandy loam to 13.2 ounces/rose bush in clay loam to raise the pH one whole unit from 5.5 to 6.5.

That would make the old standard of 1 cup/bush a reasonable value to go by if we assume most rose soil is somewhere in the middle between a sandy and clay and assuming also that the area I chose of 4sqare ft. is close to the Manual’s rose bush area. To make adjustments raising the pH less than a whole unit use 1.5 tbsp per tenth of a unit.

As you have read above, this is not a very exact science, but at least I now have some general guidelines to use for adjusting the pH of the “dirt” around my roses. Good luck with your own!

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Highlights from the NRS Picnic All Photos courtesy of Don Gill except as noted

‘Cherry Parfait’ welcomes everyone to the NRS picnic at Sam & Nancy Jones’

Nancy Hazelwood relaxing on the swing Gene Meyer looks on as Charles Lott gets first with Martha Garman dibs on Bob Bowen’s homemade ice cream

Becky Meagher (white blouse) is all smiles after enjoying the great grub

Photo courtesy of Jim Harding

NRS President Larry Baird (center) bravely stands between hungry NRS members and the food as he asks David Hazelwood to say grace

Millie & Dudley Dolinger admiring Sam & Nancy’s roses 6

nashville rose leaf, july 2011

A beautiful bloom of ‘Crescendo’

A happy Dillard & Diane Lester enjoying the picnic

‘Moonstone’ - a crowd favorite!

Photo courtesy of Jim Harding

‘Heart ‘n’ Soul’ (Shrub) blooms in front of the garden fountain.

NRS members kicking back, relaxing and enjoying the evening

Photo courtesy of Jim Harding

Lois Sloan & Gene Meyer (foreground) along with other NRS members take time to tour the rose garden

Don & Sara Jo Gill having fun chatting with NRS members

Larry Lee watches and listens to NRS Vice President Tom Beath chew the fat

A big thank you to Sam and Nancy Jones for sharing the beautiful foliage and blooms of their garden

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Mass Arrangements

beauty of the roses (more on this later).

By: Ray Hunter

The first article is on traditional mass arrangements. The word “traditional” is key and is interpreted by rose show judges as “ looking as if it came off your great grandmother’s table”. I have searched for a simple way to describe a mass arrangement and for now let’s say it should take the shape of the top ¾ of a “modified” basketball sitting on top of your “traditional” container.

Oh, my goodness! I have agreed to write a series on rose show arrangements. No one ever feels adequate to write articles on how to do something like this because there are so many diverse opinions on what looks good and what does not. Just as there is “more than one way to skin a cat” there are multiple ways to do rose arrangements. The Nashville Rose Society is blessed with so many wonderful, creative arrangers including National Rose Show winners like Sara Jo Gill and Connie Baird, District winners like Sam Jones (and myself), and terrific local blue ribbon arrangers like Lynda Correll, Lori Emery, Jennifer and Jeff Harvey, Marise Keathley, Anne Owen, Ginny Russell, Denise Thorne, Lynne Wallman, Ruby Worsham, and I’m sure a few other I have regrettably omitted. But I will express opinions from my experience in rose shows and on what I have heard from rose show judges.

The objective of this series is to encourage more of you, our members, to enter arrangements in the Nashville Rose show in October. You will enjoy this so much once you take that reallyfun step.

Just to begin there are four types of arrangements (in my opinion): (1) the wonderful home grower (or recipient of roses/ flowers) who takes cut roses and just sticks them in a vase; (2) the florist who in most cases will do a pave (pah veh =blanket) floral design where the flowers are placed short stemmed very close to one another like a blanket covering the container, or a church/funeral fan shaped design; (3) the garden show arrangement that has gorgeous designs and has accessories or containers that support some creative approach; and (4) the rose show arrangement where emphasis is placed on “the rose” and where accessories or the container can be distractions that take the eye off the 8

The container: it should be traditional and not be an eye catcher that creates a visual distraction (pulls the eye away from the roses). Once a container was used in a mass arrangement for “The Kentucky Derby” with a race horse and silhouettes of Churchill Downs, but it was a visual distraction. Similarly bright metallic containers can be a distraction and should be avoided if possible. Water-clear glass vases are often viewed as distractions because of the stems pulling the eye away from the blooms (the way around this is to layer the inside of the container with leaves or crumpled aluminum foil).

The flowers: Look at the show schedule and see if there is any hint of what color would carry out the theme. If the theme of the mass design is about “Mount Ranier”, then white roses are preferable; “Little Red Riding Hood” would slant the choice to some red roses. Sometimes the choice is what I have in the garden and not whether reds, or whites, or yellows should be used. Use the best roses you have. Your arrangement will look great and the theme color, if desired, can often be picked up with the filler.

The filler: This is greenery or other flowers that are inserted to complete the design by defining the edges of the ar-

nashville rose leaf, july 2011

rangement and filling the empty spaces between the roses. Often the color of the filler can be influenced by the theme if red or yellow or purples would fit better.

(A theme “Purple Mountain Majesty” could be done with purple filler). Try not to use a filler that overwhelms the rose.

For instance, iris or daisies mixed with the roses might be beautiful, but could be a distraction from the roses (see the fillers in the four mass pictures in the article). This is often the dominance factor in design.

The holding material: In most cases this is Oasis®, a soft green foam material. Take the Oasis® and cut and shape it to fit the top of the container. Then take the cut piece and set it on top of a bucket of water (or in the sink) and let it absorb water for about an hour. Stuff the wet oasis gently in the top of your container. Oasis® is the “glue” that holds your mass arrangement together. The design can be done without oasis®, but in 90% of cases it helps with the “mechanics” of the mass arrangement.

Scale: measure the height of the container and multiply this by 1.67, the Fibonacci number, or to simplify use 1.5. This is the proportion used in Grecian-roman architecture, art, and nature that is most pleasing to the eye and should be the height that the highest rose sticks above the container. For example: if your container is six inches tall add nine inches for the height of the arrangement.

Let’s now start the design. At this point the container has been selected, the roses cut, the filler obtained, and the height measured. Lay out the cut roses with the longest stem buds on one side and the more open blooms to the other side. Take a long stemmed tight (light colored) rose bud and cut the stem a little over the “1.5 times your container height”. Place this long stemmed bud in the middle of the oasis at the center point. If the bloom is too large or too open, pluck some petals off. If the bloom you want to use is too short, then use a taller piece of oasis® or put the stem in an orchid vial and tape this to a green floral stick and stick this in the oasis to the desired height.

It is preferable for balance reasons

Mass Arrangements (Cont’d from page 8)

to place the roses too close together by leaving some open space in between so you can see each individual bloom (ideally the blooms should not touch).

to have the darker color roses at the bottom and the lighter color ones at the top. This prevents a top-heavy appearance and it just looks better this way. So if there was a choice, the long stem bud selected above should be a lighter color rose bud (if more than one color is to be used).

Last step: sometimes fillers are just not needed. If you do want to use some baby’s breath, leaves, etc., insert them in the open spaces and at the edges so as to define the borders of the design.

Once this is done you now have a simple, complete, excellent mass rose arrangement.

Now take the nicest open dark color rose and insert it at the center directly above the lip of the container. This is your focal point. Then take the two of your nicest buds of the darker color rose and place one on each side sticking out beyond the sides of the container. The stem length of these two roses should have equal or less stem length compared to the one you placed at the top. Now you have set up the proportion (height and width) and balance features of the design (darks and more open blooms toward the bottom). The tough part is done.

To visualize the importance of some of the features presented, here are four excellent rose arrangements. It helps to learn from the best so let’s do a critique on what would have made them better, similar to what a judge would do in a rose show.

Take the rest of the roses and start filling in the arrangement to make a shape like the “modified basketball”.

Remember try to keep the darker color roses to the bottom and the lighter color ones to the top. Try not to place the roses where it looks like the blooms are in a line. Stagger the placement a bit to create rhythm (one of the design elements) and your eye will be forced to move through and around the design (arrangement rhythm). Also, try not

1

Photo 1 of the orange and yellow rose is gorgeous, but a bit pointed and some of the roses are placed in a straight line. If instead the blooms were staggered just a bit, the rhythm would have been better. The gradation from darker orange to lighter yellow could have been improved on. The quality of the open roses could have been a bit better, but sometimes you have to use what is available.

Photo 2 of the pink and white roses is superb, but it would have been better if the darker open pink roses had been more at the bottom with a gradation upward to the whites. The designer has chosen to use a metallic draped backdrop which in some shows (depending on the judges’ preferences) would be viewed as a distraction, taking the eye off the rose blooms. In other shows it would be viewed as no problem. It is

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still absolutely superb.

Photo 3 of the pink Knockout rose is simplicity in mass designs at its best.

The blue clear container does not show the stems. It has a few void or open spaces and could be improved on in form.

But for an arrangement with Knockout roses it is distinctly beautiful.

Photo 4 of the red roses is unbelievably wonderful. The red roses with blue and white filler in a white vase fit the theme of “Honoring Our Heroes”. The shape could be a bit rounder and some judges might think it is a bit too crowded and maybe sticks too low below the lip of the container. Others might question whether the mirror it is placed on is needed (possible distraction). This design is my favorite of the four and is wonderful.

Note all four arrangements have a solid color backdrop. This is highly recommended to show off the arrangement better. Often a niche (cardboard or fabric covered backdrop) is used to achieve this. Most award winners will use a niche. The arrangement should never stick above the niche and ideally should be about seventy percent of the height of the niche. Note also that all of these arrangements used fillers beautifully.

Thinking forward to the Nashville Rose Show in October, submit a mass design for us all to enjoy. You will have fun and gain such a terrific sense of accomplishment. It’s your inner beauty demonstrated outwardly. So go ahead and make your plans now to do a mass arrangement for the October show!

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Editors Column She Said...

(Cont’d from page 2) boasted to our neighbors about the bonding experience of growing roses together?

After a brief period of silence, we assessed why we were both so upset and it all came down to a needless case of nerves. We supposed that if our garden was filled with nothing more than sun-baked cicadas, our friends in the Nashville Rose Society would find a way to fill our hearts with abundant cicada pride, rendering our apprehension sheer nonsense.

We were right as you dear folks who drove the distance to our garden weathered the unbearable heat and made no mention of the serenading cicadas. Heartfelt gratitude goes to each of you. My best friend, Betty, is a seamstress who admonishes me to “measure twice and cut once”. I now tell my sweet hubby to “check thrice and cut once.” This helps to keep the peace in our little corner of America.

—— Starla Harding

Editors Column He Said...

While it may be true that every story has two sides and somewhere in between you will find the truth, in this case between Starla and me, this idiom couldn’t be further from the truth. Anyone who has read her editor’s columns knows by now that Starla has a certain way with words in that she constructs the truth with the precision of a surgeon. Conversely, I have no such skill and must rely on the simple truth.

Twas the day before the rose tour (in other words last minute preparations were being made to a garden that had peaked several weeks earlier) and I was looking for anything that had decent color, when I found hiding behind an abundance of foliage a beautiful 10

spray of blooms, a long healthy cane of ‘America’. In this one particular rose bed it was the lone standout of color.

So it was with great excitement I shared my find with Starla, which so happened to be the same time the trouble began.

Why? Because not being satisfied with celebrating my find of beautiful red blooms she was compelled to point out a cane she thought needed pruning.

Personally, I was willing to leave well enough alone, but she insisted this bad piece of cane just had to come off. She pointed. I nodded. Since she knew what she wanted cut, why princess didn’t cut the cane herself is still a question I have yet to ask. Needless to say if she had offered a lot less talking and a little more action, what follows could have been easily avoided. Instead she went back to polishing her garden clogs for tomorrow’s tour.

As for me, I got the loppers and dutifully cut the cane that princess found so offending. The crunch of the loppers down below yielded a spray of beautiful blooms from above followed by the feeling of wanting to electrocute someone! Based on her reaction it was like America itself was facing some national crisis at the hands of a terrorist. At this point, all I can say is that this was a classic case of failure to communicate. Even though the difference in the cut was only a few inches, our gap in communication could have easily been measured by our standing on opposite sides of the Grand Canyon. Somewhere in the back of my mind I recall Dad saying something about measure twice - cut once, but nothing about applying this to women and roses?

The fact is that I did remove the offending cane. The lesser known fact was the cane of beautiful blooms was attached.

However, the most important fact remains that I love my princess. So in an attempt to make lemonade out of lemons, we agreed to disagree and placed the freshly cut blooms in a vase of water on the deck next to the rose bed to salvage what was left of ‘America’.

One good thing about being editor is that I finally get the last word.

nashville rose leaf, july 2011

—— Jim Harding

Some Like It Hot ‘Marilyn Monroe’ (Cont’d from page 1) As with her namesake ‘Marilyn Monroe’ possesses almost perfect shape and is made for exhibition.

With a 7.9 ARS rating and a national queen to her credit, she proves that perfection endures over the years.

The sultry looks and the texture of her petals that you almost want to caress only add to the illusions. And while the movie star was raised for the first 16 years of her life as an orphan and foster child, and never knew her father, we know the rose’s parents are ‘Sunset Celebration’ X ‘St Patrick’, a cross assuring the future.

Described by Weeks as prolific, a continuous bloomer with a mild, citrus tea fragrance, armed with thorns and well branched, “Marilyn Monroe” is not recommended for climate zones cooler than our own 6b. As with all heat loving life forms, hydration is essential, so whether it be water or champagne, provide the moisture and enjoy.

NRS News

2011 Grand Prix Due to scheduling problems, there will only be one Grand Prix this year.

It will be held during the regular scheduled NRS meeting on September 6 at Cheekwood. The theme of the show will be “ Songs of Tennessee”.

We would like for all members to enter at least one rose. The grooming room will be open at 5:30 for anyone needing help in preparing their entries for judging. The Grand Prix will especially give new members an opportunity to learn how to groom roses for future entries in the NRS show in October.

Look for the show schedule in upcoming issues.

—— Dillard & Diane Lester

A Rose Lover’s Calendar

Welcome New

NRS, Tenarky, & ARS Coming Events

Members!

AUGUST 2

Jack Clinton Looney 1902 57th St. Lubbock, TX 79412-2806 806-741-3030

NRS Meeting at Cheekwood - 6:30 PM Refreshments 7:00 Denise Thorne - Arranging Roses + Ice Cream Social!

SEPTEMBER

Julie Thompson 1065 Thompson Rd. Westmoreland, TN 37186

2 NRS Meeting at Cheekwood - 6:30 PM Refreshments

7:00 Rose Show Basics + Grand Prix 23-24 Tenarky District Rose Show and Convention - Knoxville, TN

Ms. Lois R. Chumley 2550 Highway 70 E. Dickson, TN 37055 615-587-8316

OCTOBER 1 & 2 NRS Rose Show at Cheekwood 4

NRS Meeting at Cheekwood - 6:30 PM Refreshments 7:00 Old Garden Roses M&T Nursery

16

The Memphis and Dixie Rose Society Rose Show

ARS Consulting Rosarians

12-16 ARS Fall National Convention & Rose Show - Universal City, CA

Details & other event news available at www.nashvillerosesociety.com Nashville Rose Leaf is printed by: The Print Authority, Brentwood, Tennessee

Contributions

Nashville Rose Society is a 501c-3 organization and all contributions to the society are tax-deductible. Contributions may be made as memorials or to honor some person, group or occasion. Checks for contributions should be made payable to Nashville Rose Society and mailed to: CINDY WORCH 137 Urban Farms Rd. Manchester, TN 37355 ((931) 723-2142

rosegardener@hughes.net

Nashville Rose Leaf

The Nashville Rose Leaf is published eleven times annually by the Nashville Rose Society, Nashville, TN Editors: Jim & Starla Harding, Sam Jones & Leann Barron Editorial Advisory Committee: Marty Reich

South Nashville Leann Barron Marty Reich*

(615) 269-0240 (615) 833-0791

West Nashville Keith Garman (615) 352-6219 Sam* & Nancy Jones (615) 646-4138

Nashville Rose Society 2011 Officers President Larry Baird.........(931) 729-5259 Vice-Pres Tom Beath..........(615) 673-2435 Treasurer Gary Spencer......(615) 662-3819 Rec. S’ty Hayes Gibson .......(615) 794-1708 Cor. S’ty Cynthia Worch .....(931) 723-2142

Nashville Rose Society Membership

We are a non-profit organization serving the middle Tennessee area to educate persons on growing and exhibiting roses. Membership is open to everyone who supports the objectives of the organization. Annual dues of $20.00 per household include a subscription to The Nashville Rose Leaf, the official newsletter of the society. To join, send a check payable to Nashville Rose Society to: Marty Reich, 5020 Dovecote Dr., Nashville, TN 37220-1614 Phone: (615) 833-0791; E-mail: marty615@bellsouth.net

Disclaimer: 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(s) accept any legal responsibility for any errors or omissions that may have been made.

The Nashville Rose Society makes no warranty, expressed or implied with respect to the material contained herein.

Brentwood Area Cecil* & Bessie Ward (615)373-2245 Jerry & Marise Keathley(615)377-3034 Franklin Area Anne Owen* (615) 794-0138 Logan* & Joan Shillinglaw(615) 790-7346 Robbie*&Marsha Tucker(615) 595-9187 Hendersonville Area Ron Daniels (615) 330-7083 Charles Lott (615) 824-5614 Jack Wedekind (615) 824-8696 Murfreesboro Area Dillard & Diane Lester(615) 896-0203 Columbia Area Lyle Worsham*

(931) 388-4547

Lebanon-Watertown Area Jeff Harvey (615) 268-7089 Jennifer Harvey (615) 268-7032 Denise Thorne (615) 237-9757 Duck River-Centerville Area Larry* & Connie Baird(931) 729-5259 Manchester Area Cindy Worch

(931) 723-2142

*Indicates ARS Master Rosarian

nashville rose leaf, july 2011

11

NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID BRENTWOOD, TN PERMIT NO. 162

5020 Dovecote Drive Nashville, TN 37220-1614 Address Service Requested

www.nashvillerosesociety.com

Highlights from the ARS Spring National Queen of the Show was ‘Randy Scott’, shown by its own amateur hybridizer, John Smith and his wife, Cheryl of Westminster, MD (near Washington, DC). The coveted national Nicholson Perpetual Challenge Bowl, an entry of nine hybrid tea blooms (each of a different variety), and the Herb Swim Memorial Trophy of five hybrid teas (different varieties) were won by the same pair of talented rosarians, John and Cheryl Smith.

Two Carolina District winning entries of note include The District McFarland Trophy (five hybrid teas of different varieties) by Claude and June Thomas of Charleston, SC, and the District Ralph Moore Trophy consisting of seven miniature blooms (of different varieties), by Paul and Charlotte Thomas of North Augusta, SC. In the Artistic Exhibits Division, the ARS Standard Design Gold Certificate was won by Cynthia Chuang of Los Altos, CA, with her Oriental design using ‘Gold Medal’ and ‘Magic Lantern’ roses. The coveted Nora Katherman Arrangement Trophy (traditional line or line-mass design) was won by Susan Waites of Chapin, SC with ‘Moonstone’ roses. Waites also won a number of other arrangements awards, including the Russ Anger Trophy (modern style) with ‘St. Patrick’ roses; the Bea Satterlee Miniature Arrangement Trophy (traditional mass style) with ‘Ty’ miniature roses (hybridized by Nashville’s Robbie Tucker); and the ARS Miniature Gold Certificate with her Princess of Arrangements (modern style) using ‘Tiffany Lynn’ roses.

All Winston-Salem 2011 ARS Spring Rose Show results, including names of the varieties in the winning challenge classes, may be found online at the following website: http://roseshow.com/results/national_show_results/

Nicholson Perpetual Challenge Bowl, John and Cheryl Smith of Westminster, MD

Miniature Queen ‘Joy’ Andrew Hearne of Oxford, PA

District Ralph Moore Trophy seven miniature blooms Paul and Charlotte Thomas North Augusta, SC

ARS Standard Design Gold Certificate, Cynthia Chuang of Los Altos, CA

Nora Katherman Arrangement Trophy, Susan Waites of Chapin, SC

All Photos courtesy of Sam Jones

Both Miniature and Miniflora Queens (‘Joy’ and ‘Whirlaway’) were won by Andrew Hearne of Oxford, PA, who also took the prize for the J. Benjamin Williams Miniflora Rose Challenge, an entry of 10 specimens (five or ten different varieties). The Floribunda Spray Queen was won

by Bill and Kathy Kozemchak of Levittown, PA, with ‘Matilda’.