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Rosaceous Rosarian NOTICE OF JULY PROGRAM CHANGE:
Don't go into the water, yet.
NOTICE OF JULY PROGRAM CHANGE: Don't go into the water, yet. Programs are a work in progress. The details are tentative. In the early stages even the topics are subject to change. One of those “beyond our control” situations has required a change in our July program. Instead of splashing at Janet’s Pond, we will enjoy refreshments & a little camaraderie at our usual meeting spot. We'll hear all about English/David Austin roses from Shari Daly Miller, who has long grown, and shown, those roses. After that discussion, we'll take our buckets and pruners out to the Hemmerich Memorial rose beds and do some speed-deadheading--it's a Deadheading Party! It shouldn't take us more than half an hour to get it all done, so no one will perish in the late-day sun. We'll have chilled drinks. Bring hats, gloves, buckets, DEET spray and your sense of humor. Wanna race? Shari Daly-Miller will be bringing some of her roses, and if you have roses you'd like others to see, we encourage you to bring a vase for the table. There's no such thing as too many roses to look at. Join us Tuesday, July 27th, 7PM, [Reminder: You can eat ice cream and see Janet's ponds during the Western Colorado Gardening Foundation's Pond Tour on Saturday, August 28, 2004]
Third Annual Yard Sale Coming October 9th! GVRS will be holding its third annual yard sale on October 9, 2004, at the fascinating and lovely home of Albert and Terry LaSalle, 617 26 Rd., just north of Patterson, on 1st St./26 Rd. This is a great location with lots of potential to draw traffic, so we could cover next year's newsletter budget with this single event. Think about how much less begging for money you'll have to endure if we just make big bucks with this sale! Start setting aside your objets d'yard-sale, and we promise that you won't have to take anything back when the sale is over! We've arranged for the unsold inventory to go to the Fruita Thrift Shop, so you can be ruthless about getting rid of "stuff". This year, we'd like to have a table of rose-themed items for sale, which we'll scour the globe far and wide to procure. Rose themed craft objects would be very welcome. We'll have more information about pre-event storage, pricing guidelines, and the assignments for staffing in future newsletters. In the meantime, get out there and accumulate!
HEALTH IN THE GARDEN: MOSQUITO REPELLENTS by Mary Mastin Mesa County Department of Health has recently reported the first human case of West Nile virus, six weeks earlier than last year. Choosing the best mosquito repellent and using it effectively is a serious matter. Consumers face a bewildering array of formulations that contain diverse active ingredients. What “works”? What is “safe”? How do “natural” products compare with “synthetic” preparations? Interesting studies have been done that compare products based on how long a volunteer’s arm remain “bite-free” when thrust into small cages filled with hungry mosquitoes. The winner by far is DEET (N, N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide). The formulation of DEET containing 23.8% protected for an average of 301 minutes, compared to 94 minutes for soybean oil based product, 20 minutes for citronella based product and 9.6 minutes for Skin-so-Soft mineral oil based moisturizer. Higher concentrations of DEET provided only slightly longer protection. The safety of DEET seems to be continually questioned in the press. The reality is that it has been used by millions of people worldwide for 40 year and has a remarkable safety profile. Adverse effects, though documented, are infrequent and are generally associated with gross overuse of the product. The risk of DEET-related adverse effects pales in comparison with the risk of acquiring infection in these years when the West Nile virus is active in our Valley. The one area where there may be some question of safety is the use of DEET in children. The American Academy of Pediatrics says DEET products should not be used in infants younger than two months but it’s safe to use concentrations up to 30% in kids. Some parents solve the dilemma by using soybean-oil based products for the kids, particularly since children are at a low risk for serious problems from West Nile virus anyway. Most alternatives to topically applied repellents have proved to be ineffective and fail to live up to their reputations for greater safety and effectiveness. No ingested compound including garlic and thiamine (vitamin B1) have been found to be capable of repelling biting arthropods. If one wants even more protection, it is best to apply permethrin (a powerful insecticide) directly to clothing or other fabrics such at tent walls, as well as using DEET. In a field trial in Alaska, persons wearing permethrin-treated uniforms and a polymer-based 35%DEET product had a 99.9% protection (1bite/hour) over 8 hours even under conditions of intense biting pressures; unprotected persons received an average of 1188 bites/hour. Various devices are advertised as “most effective” in distracting mosquitoes from people by trapping them. These claims rely heavily on subjective testimonials and have not been documented in peer-reviewed studies. A few bottles of DEET-based repellent are more cost effective and eminently more portable than these machines. Remember: If you are lucky enough to grow beautiful roses, don’t push your luck when dealing with mosquito’s this summer. When applied with common sense, DEET-based repellents can be expected to provide safe as well as long lasting protection.
Meet Me At The River Fall Festival The Garden Angels of the Western Colorado Botanical Society are having a Fall Festival on September 11, 2004. This is a big deal, bringing together groups such as the Arts Commission, Downtown Partnership, the Riverfront Commission, and interested non-profit groups, including GVRS. The festival begins at 10AM with the grand opening of the Children's Garden--lots of activities for kids are on the program. A farmer's market, nature education, hosted garden tours, and a juried flower show are scheduled. A wide array of floral categories, including roses, provide opportunities to show off your gardening results. If you didn't get to enter the GVRS rose show, this is another chance to display your blooms. Several GVRS members hope to participate in multiple floral categories, so plan to attend! Tickets for evening events, which include wine, music, and a catfish or brisket dinner, can be purchased from the Garden Angels. The Garden Angels meet on the first Tuesday of the month, and dues are only $5! Be an angel and help the garden grow! For more information, call 970-257-7408
A TALE OF TWO ROSARIANS by Nancy Anderies Recently Mary Mastin, Wanda Valencia and I spent a pleasant weekend in Colorado Springs attending the Convention of the Rocky Mtn. District of the American Rose Society. Following the Pikes Peak Rose Show on Saturday afternoon, we attended the Awards Banquet. Carol Macon, who recently judged our own local Rose Show and now serves as Chairman of the Rocky Mtn. District Convention, presided. The highlight of the evening was the presentation of awards. The American Rose Society's Silver Honor Medal was awarded posthumously to Dr. William A. Campbell, who was known affectionately as "Dr. Bill". Prior to the presentation of the awards, over dinner, members of the local Rose Society brought up Dr. Bill's name. All spoke of him with great admiration, mentioning that he would take time from his busy practice as a Pediatric Urologist to answer their questions concerning their roses. They told us of his office outside the Children’s Hospital in Denver, and of his rose garden there--he always had roses in his office. Dr. Bill had died last August at 77, following a battle with cancer. His entire family occupied a table near the podium. Carol pointed out that this Medal should have been given to him years ago. She told of his founding the High Country Rosarium in Denver, in 1970, which has since evolved into High Country Roses in north-eastern Utah, now operated by his daughter and son-in-law. Dr. Bill spent a decade collecting and testing Old Garden Roses in the tough climate of the high plains in Colorado. He found that the roses' extraordinary forms and fragrances were often matched "by great vigor." It brought many people in Colorado to a new appreciation of the rose as a sturdy garden plant. Perhaps the most poignant moment came when Carol attempted to tell of first meeting Dr. Bill. Following a failed attempt by Carol and her husband to create a rose bed in their newly purchased home, on a friend’s advice, she met with Dr. Bill, seeking his input. Thus began a great friendship. She had to pause for several moments to be able to relate this experience, and you could feel the emotion within the room. Quoting Carol “He was a tireless judge and a willing mentor for anyone who wanted to learn more about old garden roses. He kept cats, goats and a mule as pets at his home in Evergreen. He was solid as an oak, engaging, intelligent, good dinner company, and Jerry and I thought he would live forever. The auditorium at Denver Botanic Gardens was standing-room-only for his memorial service. Most of the people there had no idea that he was an expert in the field of old garden roses who traveled all over the world to study and collect them." What a privilege and an honor it was to hear of this fellow Rosarian. Dr. Bill served as a Judge for the Grand Valley Rose Society’s 2nd Annual Rose Show in 2002 and all present for that occasion were duly impressed with this great man. Would that I could ever have met him. The American Rose Society’s Bronze Service Medal was presented to Dr. Warren Kirkley for service to the Pikes Peak Rose Society. Dr. Kirkley was also presented The Consulting Rosarian Award of the Rocky Mountain District for 35 years of exemplary service as a Consulting Rosarian. Quoting Carol: "Warren Kirkley has served the American Rose Society for 35 years as a Consulting Rosarian, exhibitor, judge, and District Director of the Rocky Mountain District. He was instrumental in forming the Pikes Peak Rose Society, thus enlarging the Rocky Mountain District. As a Consulting Rosarian, Warren has been invaluable. His personal experience, combined with his scientific approach to rose culture, make possible quick and lucid solutions to our rose problems, and quick solutions to rose problems keep novice members enthusiastic. He has had an article on fertilization published by the ARS, and used as a handout at an ARS convention and district conventions. His article on planning a rose bed and preparing the soil has also been widely circulated in our district. Warren’s latest venture is Warren’s Worms, providing us with a source for worm casting fertilizer. Should be fun to try this out on our roses!" The evening was but a portion of a fun-filled and educational weekend. We enthusiastically urge you to attend next year!
Rocky Mountain District
Meeting & Rose Show Unless you've been hiding under a rock, you probably know that three of our members went to Colorado Springs earlier this month, and cleaned up on awards. Both the Fruita Times and the Sentinel covered the awards, and all three women are now charging for their autographs (kidding!). Mary Mastin scored a big win in the Oriental Arrangement category, taking the top prize, which included a gorgeous crystal vase, and wins for Europeana (out of the Botanical Garden roses), Crimson Glory, Apricot Delight, and Crystal Fairy. She also took a second in rose photography. Nancy Anderies won with Double Delight, Blaze and, again, Europeana. Wanda Valencia, repeating her more-entries-than-anyone technique that swept our rose show, won multiple Firsts for Royal Parade, The Pilgrim, Show Biz, Red Rosamini, Impatient, and Eutin. Her Seconds, Thirds and Honorable Mentions were to numerous to list here. GVRS even took a second in the Tin Can Division. You can see pictures of our award winning trio on-line at Rocky Mountain District Rose Show. Check it out!
ARS Life Memberships Becoming a Life Member is a great way to show your support for the
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! The following businesses contributed gift certificates, products, or services to the GVRS 2004 Rose Show. Please demonstrate your gratitude for their generosity by giving them both your business, and your thanks: Bookcliff Gardens The following superb human beings contributed financial support to the GVRS 2004 Rose Show. Please kiss their rings when you run into them: Bill and Nancy Anderies THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
American Rose Magazine One of the best reasons to get an ARS membership is the monthly magazine American Rose. Most of the articles are too long to include in this newsletter, but recent articles have included topics as diverse as Bonsai techniques for roses, and how to "fool" climber's into brilliant performance. The following is an excerpt from the June, 2004 issue, and we hope it will whet your appetite for more! Join ARS and subscribe today!
Defining Modern Roses by Don Julian The American Rose Society separates roses into classifications which, at least among modern roses, are supposed to be descriptive of size and growth habit. So why does buying a rose seem like a crapshoot? The consumer has an expectation of what a floribunda or a miniature or a climber is supposed to be, but reality is often a different story. The American Rose Society is the International Registrar for roses, but the classification is chosen by the registrant. In many cases, the classification is chosen as a marketing strategy rather than as a true description of the rose. If pink floribundas don't sell, call it a pink shrub. But since buying tastes change over time, what may have been successful as a floribunda in 1950, may be closer to what is now marketed as a shrub. Let's take a look at the modern rose classifications, what they were in the past, and how they are used today. HYBRID TEAS So, what should gardeners expect from today's hybrid tea? First, a very tall bush. A well-grown modern hybrid tea tends to grow from 5 to 7 feet tall, compared to the 3 to 5 feet of yester-year. The bushes are usually upright rather than spreading, with long canes topped with a single bud. If side shoots emerge, they will usually reach well above the first bloom (compared to floribundas, where the side shoots emerge to bloom at roughly the same height). Blooms should be large (5 to 6 inches across), in proportion with the long canes. GRANDIFLORAS FLORIBUNDAS
GVRS: SEMI-ANNUAL REPORT 7/17/2004 • Held productive long-range planning meetings prior to new program year.
Rocky Mountain District Doings: [The following is excerpted from an exchange of e-mails from a Rosarian with a problem to Carol Macon, District President, and the replies that resulted.] Problem: For the past three weeks our roses have been plagued by a bug 1/8th to 1/4th inch long, black with a white midsection, chewing away on the petals in the centers of the open blossoms. There are dozens of these in one bloom. White and yellow blooms are the most affected. I could find no identification for these insects in THE CONSULTING ROSARIAN'S MANUAL or GROWING ROSES IN COLORADO, and yet they are such a scourge that they rival the rose curculio in damage. They are everywhere--not just in the roses. Dahlias and lilies are heavily infested. In desperation, I turned to Whitney Crenshaw's two bug books, but none of his bugs matched my problem. This morning I took a magnifying glass into the garden and gave these pests a thorough examination. It was the disk-like or knob-like protuberances on their antennae that gave them away, the same protuberances that are on the antennae of the dusky rose chafer of the northeastern US. Could this be the Western Rose Chafer? What I am sure of is that I want it gone, and it is extremely difficult to kill. I sprayed the opening buds and blooms of my roses. Where the insecticide came into direct contact with the bugs, they died. But others took shelter under petals near the centers, stayed alive and kept on eating. They are undaunted by systemic insecticides, as I use a systemic. Any CRs out there with info about this problem, please enlighten the rest of us. Replies:
Care of the Hemmerich Memorial Rose Garden: Top of page This page last modified: September 06, 2004 |
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