Our rose extravaganza was a wonderful success and a big thank you to everyone who participated! While there I witnessed a grandmother who brought her young grandson in to look at the roses. The boy was about 10 years old and was so taken with the beauty of the flowers that they stayed for quite some time. When they left the boy was hugging a beautiful yellow rosebush that his grandma had bought for him. He turned back to say that that was the happiest day of his life. Brought tears to my eyes. That is exactly what our show is for!
Well, we could all use some rain! Our roses are feeling the effects of our current drought however there is much we can
do even under the current water use regulations:
- Create a basin with a 12-30” radius of the trunk around each bush and build a 3 to 6-inch high soil ridge at the edges to hold water, which will allow it to soak down instead of running off.
- Fill the basin with 2 to 3 inches of organic mulch (but not touching the trunk). Three inches of organic mulch retains soil moisture by an average of 60% by forming an insulating barrier that reduces evaporation, blocks sun and wind from drying out the soil, and prevents soil compaction. Organic mulch builds up soil nutrients as it breaks down.
- Aim for deep soakings—this is the most important thing! Usually 1–2 times a week, ensuring the root zone (6–12 inches down) is saturated, rather than daily light sprinklings that cause shallow roots. You can just let the hose trickle at the base of each bush for 20–30 minutes. Established roses need about 3 gallons of water per week in summer.
We have our grand annual picnic this Sunday and an impressive speaker to look forward to. It is hard to believe that this will be our last meeting until fall, wow! It has certainly been a wonderful year thus far!
See you all Sunday!
Pray for rain!
Susan Hairston, President