Message from Virginia Foster, President of the HRS.
Dear Fellow Rosarians:
This is my first newsletter as president of the H.R.S., and I am pleased to report that the Executive Board has been working hard already, planning for the coming year. We have several interesting guest speakers lined up, covering such topics as historical roses, varieties of roses, and international competitions.
Our first meeting will be on APRIL 17th, 2018, starting at 7p.m. – please mark your calendar, and invite friends who may be interested as well. If any of your neighbours have ever complimented you on your lovely rose garden, use this as an opportunity to bring them out! We will continue to meet at the Dorian Park Community Centre located at 227 Sunnidale Road in Barrie.
If you’re not the type to skip to the last page of whatever you’re reading, I’m going to recommend that you do today so that you don’t miss the annual membership form! Maintaining your membership helps the HRS to continue providing valuable education and regular times to get together and connect.
I’m sure I’m not the only one hoping for wonderful weather this year so that we can be ready to submit beautiful entries in the July 3rd Annual Rose Show! Good weather will also help with our community project, the Millennium Rose Garden on the waterfront, that blooms for the enjoyment of all (with the hard work and green thumbs of our fabulous volunteers, of course!).
Stay warm, see you in the spring!
Virginia Foster
FUND RAISING EVENT POTTED ROSE BUSHES
Another year has come, and we must start organizing the activities of HRS. My responsibility, with suggestions from few other members, was to pick and order potted rose bushes to be sold at the Farmers’ Markets both in Barrie and Orillia. As you can see from the list we will have lots of variety and colour to choose from. There are some previous favourites, but enough new cultivars to keep your rose garden interesting. Along with the roses, we will also have a variety of interesting hostas and other perennial plants for sale.
The dates for the sales at both markets will be on Saturdays: May 12th, 19th, and 26th from 8 am to 1:00 pm. The total plants to be sold is 150.
- Price per Rose bush remains at $20
- Again, pre-paid, pre-orders will be accepted – please contact Ligita Preisbergs (705 689-2331)
- Contact for Barrie Market – Ellen Spencer (705 739-9101)
- Contact for Orillia Market – Ligita Preisbergs
Volunteers are urgently required for this major Fund-Raising Event. Please consider volunteering one Saturday morning or for a couple of hours as you know the funds are required to keep this Rose Society functioning. Please start spreading the word and we will see you all at the Farmers’ Markets.
Potted Rose Bushes for 2018 Markets
Floribunda
Floral Fairy Tale – soft pink/apricot
Golden Fairy Tale – golden yellow
Lions Fairy Tale – ivory white
Charisma – red/yellow
Desmond Tutu – deep red
Easy does it – gold peachy yellow
South Africa – glowing amber
White licorice – yellow/white
Zaide – romantic pink
Climbing
America – salmon
Dublin Bay – glowing red
Lemon meringue – bright lemon yellow
Shrub
Carefree spirit – red/pink
Never alone – red/white
Party hardy – pink
Winnipeg Parks – medium red
Hybrid Tea
Canada Blooms – bright pink
La Perla – cream white
Grandiflora
Tournament of Roses – pink
Programs
Gloria Brok, our presenter in April, will speak about the Biltmore Estate and Gardens in the mountains of North Carolina, built by the Vanderbilt family. It is open to the public for tours and includes a village and winery. The extensive estate gardens include a formal Italian garden, a shrub garden of 500 varieties, a spring garden of bulbs, an azalea garden, a 4-acre walled garden, a bass pond, a conservatory of orchids and tropical plants, and a four-acre Rose garden. The Rose garden has many varieties of roses in large beds as well as trial roses. Gloria will explain how they winterize and prune their thousands of roses each year. This presentation will show the roses in full bloom in early October 2017.
Our annual Photographic Competition results will be displayed for everyone to enjoy. A preview of the roses we have for sale at the Farmers’ Markets will further whet your appetite to buy a few new ones this spring.
Open Meetings for 2018
Held on Tuesdays from 7pm to 9pm
Dorian Parker Community Centre, 227 Sunnidale Rd., Barrie
| DATES | TOPIC | PRESENTER |
| April 17th | “The Roses of Biltmore-
The Vanderbilt Estate” |
Gloria Brok, Greater Toronto Rose Society
|
| July 3rd | Annual Rose Show & Meeting
|
Set up: 3:30pm.
Entries received: 4:30 – 6:15 pm Program: 7 pm. View Rose Show at 8 pm |
| July 17th | Garden Visit — Members only! | Hosts: Janice and Tim Schmidt |
| Sept. 18th | “Carefree and Carpet Roses”
|
|
| Oct. 23rd | “2017 International Rose Trials Winners”
|
Ethel Freeman, (Canadian Rose Society)
Photo Competition, (submit entries); Annual Meeting |
In May, we will sell potted Hostas along with Rose Bushes at the Farmers’ Markets, so, please save any leftover plant pots (approximately 1 gal. size). Our next newsletter in April will provide more details about a potting up event, when, where etc.
In Memoriam
Marjorie Bell
It is with great sadness that we announce that Marjorie Bell passed away peacefully at the Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre, Barrie, on Tuesday, January 9th, 2018. Marjorie was a founding member of the Huronia Rose Society, 1980, serving as president, treasurer and other positions. She was a founding member Oro-Medonte Horticultural Society (serving as president, secretary while serving on the board for 50 years). She was a Simcoe Co. Master Gardener where she contributed greatly to the gardening community.
Reta Caldwell
We are sad to report Reta Caldwell passed away at Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital, Orillia on Fri. Dec. 29, 2017. Reta was a charter member of the Huronia Rose Society and served as president for 2 terms with HRS, was chair of the Rose Shows for many years. Reta was an accredited GCO judge of Horticulture (‘83) and Design (‘87). She was a CRS Rose judge as well. She was a charter member of Oro-Medonte Horticultural Society and served as president for 2 two-year terms.
PHOTOS OF THE WINNERS FROM THE HRS ROSE SHOW 2017
Janice presents Best Design (Advanced) to Michelle
Janice presents Best Design (Intermediate) to Lynn
Janice presents Miniature Queen of the Show trophy to Ellen
Ellen presents Best Shrub trophy to Janice
Janice presents Best Red Rose trophy to Ellen
HRS ROSE SHOW RESULTS
QUEEN of the SHOW Ligita Preisbergs South Africa
Edna Caldwell Plaque
MINIATURE QUEEN Ellen Spencer Popcorn
of the SHOW
BEST SHRUB ROSE Janice Schmidt Morden Ruby
Victor Loeb Memorial
BEST RED ROSE Ellen Spencer Love Magic
Wendy Caldwell-Halkewicz
Memorial Trophy
BEST DESIGN LEVEL A Jenn Graungaard Prairie Wind
Rosette
BEST DESIGN LEVEL B Lynn Schnitter Northern Lights
Reta Caldwell Plaque
BEST DESIGN LEVEL C Michelle Lynch Northern Lights
Betty Nielsen Cup
INVITATIONAL DESIGN Leslie Harris / Holly Wells Beat the Drum
Rosette
JUDGE’S CHOICE Leslie Harris / Holly Wells Beat the Drum
Rosette
BEST EXHIBIT Leslie Harris Nicole
Non-member or Youth
Rosette
Entries 109 (Specimens 84 Designs 25)
Exhibitors 18
MEMBERSHIP
“HRS members have access to expert speakers, participation in our Rose show, lucky draws, friendly people with advice on growing roses and more. Please join asap and let us know if you’ve changed your phone number, email info or address. Questions: Charlotte at 705-792-2462 or Lynn at 705-252-0289.”
Join or renew your HRS membership
Dear Rosie: I am a new member of the Huronia Rose society and I would like to know, “How to prepare the roses in the Spring for the growing season ahead?”
Dear New Member: An excellent question, because it is important to give the roses some TLC in the spring to get them off to a good growing start.
Let’s begin first with removing any winter protection you may have used. For example, remove any soil, leaves, compost or mulch that you used to cover the mound of the rose in the fall. This provides good air circulation for the rose and removes any excessive coverage of the rose stems that could result in rot or harbor insects.
Secondly, prune and remember not all roses need to be pruned, other than clean up and size control but whatever type of rose you are pruning Spring is the ideal time. Prune, when the leaf buds start to swell on the cane and in our Canadian climate, it is about the time the Forsythia starts to bloom. Pruning is necessary as it stimulates growth and flowering.
How to prune:
- Hybrid tea roses – Cut the oldest stems to the ground and shorten the remainder to 6 inches (15 cm) from the base. Using outward facing buds and 45- degree angle cuts
- Floribundas roses — Prune off any dead wood and prune stems to outward-facing buds 8–12 inches (20–30 cm) from the ground using 45-degree angle cuts. When pruning, aim to leave a framework of between eight and ten strong, healthy stems.
- Climbers – Climbing rose bushes should not have their main long arching canes pruned for two or three years, and then those long main canes should only be cut back a foot or so. If you cut back the long canes too much, the climber will not flower well or even at all.
- Shrubs – Cut main stems back by a quarter and slightly reduce side shoots by a few inches. Thin out congested stems to improve air flow, and remove dead, weak, damaged, or diseased wood.
After pruning, it’s time to fertilize. Your roses will be growing, and they need nutrition, so it is time for their first feeding. There are several good all purpose rose foods that you can use, but a general all-purpose fertilizer will also suffice. I use a handful of Epsom salts at feeding time (about a 1/4-1/2 cup) added to your choice of fertilizer for each rose bush. Alfalfa pellets can also be used as fertilizer.
Lastly, Spring spraying should be used as a preventative method to assist with the reduction of fungus diseases throughout the growing season. A good example would be to use a dormant spray (Lime/Sulphur based dormant oil) as it generally kills any fungus spores of black spot that have over wintered. NOTE** You can only do this before buds appear on the canes.
I hope I have answered your question by providing you with the necessary steps that must be done in the spring so that you can enjoy a summer full of rose blooms.
Happy Gardening,
Rosie
