Rose Society of Tucson

Horticulture Winners 2013

Todd — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 20:53:54 +0000

Arrangement Winners 2013

Todd — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 20:52:10 +0000

Photography Winners 2013

Todd — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 20:34:27 +0000

Challenge Winners 2013

Todd — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 21:49:45 +0000

Photography Rose Show Winners!

Todd — Wed, 02 May 2012 19:06:45 +0000

Below are the winners from the rose show!
(spreadsheet at bottom of page)

Photo Credit: Judy Singer

Download this spreadsheet

Arrangement Rose Show Winners!

Todd — Wed, 02 May 2012 18:52:10 +0000

Below are the winners from the rose show!
(Spreadsheet at the bottom)

Photo Credit: Judy Singer

Download this spreadsheet

Horticulture Rose Show Winners!

Todd — Wed, 02 May 2012 18:44:14 +0000

Below are the winners from the rose show!
(Spreadsheet at the bottom)

Photo Credit: Judy Singer

Download this spreadsheet.

Rose Show on KVOA

Todd — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 03:48:47 +0000

For those of you who missed the piece on our Rose Show on KUAT, you can see it here: Just click the link:

http://originals.azpm.org/azill/story/2012/4/9/1744-a-rose-grows-in-tucson/

Rose Show coming up this Saturday!

Rose Society of Tucson’s Annual Rose Show

Todd — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 05:28:38 +0000

Rose Society of Tucson’s Annual Rose Show

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Trinity Presbyterian Church
400 East University Boulevard

(Corner of 4^th Avenue and University)

Admission is Free !

Entries Accepted 6:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.

Judging Takes Place 9:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Show Open to the Public 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

The Show Includes

Horticulture Exhibits
Rose Arrangements
A Rose Photography Show
Rose Bushes for Sale
Rose Growing Literature

Everyone is welcome to exhibit roses, rose arrangements and rose photography in this show. You don’t have to be a member to show your roses. Please
see the 2012 Rose Show Schedules on this website for rules and all the details. For questions, contact Show Chair Liz Strong,
Lizzie441@comcast.net.

Also to view our rose show schedule click Here.

April Meeting

Judy — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 21:36:47 +0000

Our April 3 meeting will be featuring one of our own members, Gary Carruthers, who will be speaking about companion plantings for roses. Gary has been an avid gardener since he was six years old, planting flowers with his Grandmother in Mesa, Arizona, where she influenced his love of all flowering things. Gary has been a member of the Rose Society of Tucson since 1968, and is a member of the Iris Society and the Gardeners’ of America too. He will give you all the tips on what works well with roses to broaden your own horizons on gardening.

Our March Meeting – Ikibana Demonstration

Judy — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 14:44:26 +0000

People around the world bring cut flowers into their homes to enjoy their shapes, colors, and fragrance. But only in Japan has this practice been developed into a sophisticated art form. Ikebana, one of the traditional arts of Japan, is over 600 years old and emerged as an independent art during the Muromachi Period (1333-1568). With the natural setting of the Japanese islands and the influence of the four seasons, this arrangement style was created to reflect the beauty of trees, plants and flowers so loved by the Japanese people.
The ancient Japanese believed their world was filled with deities, dwelling in all things—-in flowers, trees, stones, even rain and wind. Religious ceremonies were created to welcome these deities to sacred places by utilizing the natural elements of trees, plants and flowers in arrangements. The introduction of Buddhism during the Asuka (552-645) and Nara Periods(646-794) had a profound impact on the future development of ikebana.The Buddhist floral offerings, kuge, were created not for beauty but for religious significance. Done in the sanzon style, the three flowers where bunched tightly together, one large flower flanked by two smaller ones, creating a triad image of one large central Buddha next to two smaller ones. The flowers rose from the water as one, and became the basis for the styles called tatehana and rikka.
The Edo Period (1600-1867) saw the development of various schools of ikebana, along with the present headmaster system, iemoto, where individuals set up exhibitions, attracted students and established their own schools. Students where ranked in grades with certificates issued to those qualified to teach. Ikenobo, usually considered the oldest school, along with Enshu and Misho based their teachings on different interpretations of shoka, ( a form derived from the three principle rikka stems representing heaven, earth and humanity).
Unshin Ohara (1861-1916) was the founder of the Ohara school of Ikebana. He developed a new style of arranging, utilizing the many new flowers and plants being introduced into Japan. He created Moribana, literally ” piled up flowers” a totally new form of ikebana. Instead of the tightly bunched flowers in the traditional-style, Unshin spread them out on a plane, using a wide container called a suiban, in which materials could be positioned freely and with a greater sense of depth. This innovation is universally recognized as the birth of modern ikebana.
JoAnn Hyde will be demonstrating two styles of arranging from the Ohara School of Ikebana. I know you will find these creations to be beautiful and fascinating, and if you wish, she will have information on how you can become a student in the Ohara School.

Terry Swartz

What to do: March

Judy — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 17:34:17 +0000

A consistent and well-balanced fertilizing program is a must. A good program should consist of a mixture of organic and water-soluble mixtures. Our suggestion is to put an organic fertilizer like Max Magic Mix or home-made compost on one week (about a cup per bush) and two weeks later fertilize with Rapid-Gro or Miracle Gro For Roses. Once a month apply a dose of fish emulsion to
help get the microorganisms going. Be sure to water your roses thoroughly the night before you fertilize them.

During the Spring, the main rose ailments are aphids and mildew. Spraying your roses off with water a couple of times a week will help reduce the aphid population. If a colony has gotten started, use Bayer or Safer Rose Spray once a week per bottle instructions to wipe them out.

Mildew can be kept in check by using Funginex. It is best to spray Funginex as a preventative for mildew on a weekly basis, rather than waiting for the problem to show up. It’s harder to prevent damage once it’s started.

When the weather gets warmer, the dreaded thrips will appear. They attack the rose blooms and turn them brown. A simple way to keep them under control is to get a small plastic spray bottle, fill it with Bayer or Safer Rose Spray or Orthinex aerosol and spray the buds directly as they are starting to open. Do this once a week.

Continue to water your roses. If daytime temperatures are in the 70′ s water every 5 – 6 days. If we have temperatures in the 80′s water every 4 – 5 days. (These are suggested intervals based on 10 – 15 gallons of water per watering.)

What to do: February

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 07:48:05 +0000

In February, you will want to finish all your pruning for the Spring bloom. We recommend that you prune back the rose about 2/3rd and remove the leaves from the canes. We take the leaves off to collect any left-over mildew spores or insect eggs to give your plants a clean start for the new year. Also remove all the dead leaves and other debris around the base of the rose, again for a nice clean start. For a climbing rose, cut out the small twiggy branches and leave the nice long canes behind. You can then try to gently pull these long canes to a horizontal position, so as to expose more of the cane to the sun, and consequently more blooms. Zip-ties work great for tying canes down, simply tie around the support structure and cane, zip-pull through and cut off the slack.

You may begin to fertilize early this month too. Start with ‘organics’, those feeds that will break down slowly and last the longest, such as ‘Mac’s Magic Mix’ from Catalina Heights Nursery, or ‘Vigaro’ Rose food with iron, or ‘Bandini’ rose food. A cup or handful of any of these will work. Alphalfa pellets, ( cup ), also is a good nitrogen source to add. Either horse or rabbit pellets works. A handful of Epsom salt will provide magnesium for your rose, which aids in the plants’ development. You can also try fish meal, a cup per bush, which you can find at the local feed store. Keep the fish meal away from your pets, as it could make them quite ill if they ingest this. The fish does good things for plants, even though it is a bit smelly.

At the end of the month, you can add water soluble feed like ‘Miracle Gro’, or ‘Peters’ to give supplemental nutrients or ‘Magnum Gro’. Feed every two weeks.

OK now, time to get busy!

Terry Swartz

November Meeting

Judy — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 18:26:35 +0000

Tuesday, November 1, 2011: Tucson Botanical Gardens 6:30
At our November meeting, roses were exhibited by our members in this casual Mock Rose Show. Judging was done by Terry Swartz and Lou Pavlovich. And the winner of the show was: Rita Tall for her gorgeous entry of a Paul Ecke, Jr. spray!

Entries in the Mock Rose Show

October Meeting

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 20:30:57 +0000

Tuesday, October 4, 2011
In honor of the late Larry Bell, LeRoy Brady will show us (using Larry Bell’s program) how to start roses from cuttings. We will see you there!

Notes from a Desert Hybridizer

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 20:14:28 +0000

Notes from a Desert Hybridizer: Posted in the September/October edition of the ARS Magazine, Editor: Steve Jones. Our very own Judy Singer wrote this article for American Rose magazine highlighting the roses she has created in this desert blast furnace.

Click here to view the article.

What to do: Sep

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 20:51:04 +0000

In September we begin the preparation for the Fall bloom season. This will be the time to do a pruning again on the roses, but only one third of the plant gets shorn away, leaving as many leaves on the plant as is possible. Start your pruning anytime after the 15th of the month and try to have all of your cutting done before October 8th. Pruning stimulates the rose into producing new growth, which in turn brings on new bloom. Prune the bush at the outward facing leaf-set, with a stem of at least a pencils’ thickness, and cut just above the leaf. At the base of the leaf is a hidden ‘bud-eye’, which the pruning will cause to swell and push out and form the new bloom stem.

Your prunned rose bush will need additional nutrients too. Bring your fertilizer on lightly at first, since our temperatures can be still quite hot, and too much fertilizer will cause burn. Any type of fertilizer will work as long as it is always supplied with a good volume of water. I start out with a small handful of epsom salt for each bush, a bit of chelated iron, ‘Vigaro Rose’ or if not available ‘Vigaro Citrus and Avocado’ or even ‘Osmocote’, feed-one handful per plant. Alphalfa pellets are a good low-nitrogen boost, (alphalfa releases nitrogen and aids stem length) a small handful should do. Apply any kind of water soluable too, such as ‘Miracle Gro’ for roses, or ‘Magnum Gro’, every two weeks.

Keep your roses well watered since you will start to see alot of tender new growth coming on, and any reduction of watering will cause wilting and leaf damage from our still warm temps.

That should get you started. Remember to water yourself as well since you will be working in the September heat. Fall is almost here so take heart!

Terry Swartz

What to do: August

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 21:09:07 +0000

August is the big month before the Fall prune in September. Keep up your watering even though you could get an occasional rain. Water is key right now.
You may fertilize lightly too. A good water soluble feed like ‘Peter’s', ‘Miracle Gro’, or the one I prefer: ‘Magnum Gro’ will keep up the plants needs for nutrients. Twice a month is good. A bit of fish emulsion works wonders as well, keeping the bacterial content of your soils at a good level.
You will want to check for insect pests on your plants. Spider mites are troublesome in the hot weather months. You may see a rose seemingly “de-foliate” overnight, dropping all of it’s leaves and exposing the canes to sun burning. If it is spider mites, you will see a salt and pepper look on the under side of the foliage, usually indicating that mites are present. Or you may have not watered enough and the plants transpiration rate was insufficient to keep leaves well hydrated and consequently it has dropped it’s leaves. A good remedy for both is to spray off your rose bushes with a good pelting spray of water on the tops and undersides of the leaves. A watering wand with an adjustable spray selection will work. This not only blasts away any insects that we don’t want, but also gives extra water to the rose. In our dry desert we can do water spraying, though it is not recommended in high humidity areas of the country, such as the deep South or Southern California. The water can actually enable some diseases like rust or black spot.
You can also keep up the removal of spent blooms on your plants to keep the bush generating new growth to help shade those canes from the sun. Just think, we are almost through the worst of our weather and we can finally look toward Fall, which is usually somewhere around Christmas.

Terry Swartz

“Summer Mornings In The Garden”

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 20:52:41 +0000

In spite of the heat, I always enjoy summer mornings in the garden. Here’s my routine: First thing when I get up is to feed Magnolia, my cat. She never lets me forget that I am here to serve (her). Next, put on the coffee. While that’s brewing, get the paper. Then it’s out to the garden with a cup of coffee.

First thing in the garden is to refresh the water in the bird bath and the two little saucers of water for both the birds and bees. I have three crape myrtle trees which are blooming and when you get near them, they’re buzzing with the sound of bees. Bees, our important pollinators, also drink a lot of water—so the water is for both the birds and bees. I also refill the bird feeders—one with thistle and one for the humming birds.

Next I spray off all the roses with a fine mist. This doesn’t take long, but it refreshes/hydrates each bush and knocks off any aphids. After that, I water all the roses that are in pots, 17 of them. The balance of my roses are in the ground—26 of them, and each has two irrigation sprinklers. In the summer, I set their watering schedule for 2 hours every other day, starting at 8:30 in the morning.

The final thing that I’m having outstanding success with this summer is special watering for two of my rose shrubs. “Sally Holmes” is a huge bush which gets 4 times the rose food as all of the other bushes. This summer I’m giving her additional water—I set a sprinkler on her once a week for 45 minutes. The results are amazing. She only blooms on new growth and for the first time in the many years I’ve had her, her second bloom is almost as beautiful as her April bloom. Since this has been successful, I’m now providing the same watering for “Pillow Fight”. And, yes, the water bill has definitely taken a hit, but I think it’s worth it.

This routine is most enjoyable and rewarding, providing me an opportunity to bond with my roses on a daily basis.

Liz Strong

Judy Singer on Summer Heat!

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 02:11:02 +0000

It’s June and it’s Dry, Dry, Dry

If you’ve been watching your blooms fry in the heat, you’re not alone. June is the hardest month for them. Water gets sucked out of the petals so fast, it’s hard for the roses to replenish it before the petals shrivel. I’ve put a thermometer up in my desert garden and was shocked to see temperatures hit 142 degrees with reflection from the desert soil. Oh my! What to do, what to do?

1) be sure your roses are sufficiently watered. And that doesn’t just refer to the quantity of water. The water needs to get to the roots. If the soil dries out even once, it will be very hard for the soil to recover its moisture retention abilities. If that happens, a very long, slow drip or light circular sprinkler system will be the best way to rehydrate. If the rose is in a pot and is small enough, submerge it in a bucket of water until the soil is good and saturated and the pot is heavy.

2) If you haven’t already done so, MULCH! Add a good thick layer of mulch to your roses. This will not only keep the soil cool, but will cut down on the rose’s water needs. There are many types of mulch. Use organic mulches which will break down and improve the soil. Do not use black plastic as recommended on some sites. This will heat up the soil and prevent water from getting to the roots. Here is a good article on mulches: http://scvrs.homestead.com/Mulching.html

3) Keep the humidity up around the roses. A misting several times a day during the heat will be welcomed by them. Soaking the topsoil around them may help keep the local air humid.

4) You can try shading them with shadecloth. If you’ve got new roses with small root systems, it may be better to keep them out of the sun for most of the day during June, giving them only morning sun. If they’re in black pots, shade the pots as much as possible. They will get VERY hot.

5) Leave the leaves! Your canes need as much shade as possible, so don’t pull off those yellowing leaves unless there is plenty of good green foliage on the bush. Unless you’re cutting blooms for the house, forget the “cut down to a 5 leaf node” rule. Just deadhead the bloom down to it’s closest leaves.

Hang in there. July will be here soon with (hopefully) rain and higher humidity which our roses will appreciate.