By Patti Spezaferro
I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and may 2020 be filled with love, peace and good health. It’s going to be a fantastic year and I am honored to be your 2020 President. I am a passionate Master Gardener with an AA degree from Foothill College in Environmental Horticulture and Design. My husband Ross and my daughter Izzy are lucky enough to live on a one-acre property where I have 250 roses and counting. I simply can’t get enough of roses! At the Peninsula Rose Society, I hope to instill a friendly welcoming environment where our passion for roses will nurture our thirst for learning while deepening our friendships with wonderful people like you.
Our holiday crowd-pleasing potluck was so delicious and our Christmas decorations of tall, striking winterberry holly and scarlet red poinsettias put everyone in a festive mood. A big thank you to Jill Ferguson for a year of dedication in organizing and setting up the dessert table and Priya Kamath for the delectable chocolate cake. Jerry Georgette’s “A Year in Pictures” slideshow provided the perfect backdrop.
District Director Sue Bennett traveled from Northern California to install our 2020 board members and officers in a fun ceremony punctuated with special must-have gardening gifts to each of our new board members and officers and the December rose awards were distributed to the worthiest recipients.
January marks the pruning season for roses. Start by stripping off the old leaves allowing you to see the structure of the canes as well as dispensing of diseases or pests that are hiding in the leaves. Remove all dead, crossing branches, and tiny weak growth stems that are thinner than a pencil. Make a cut . to . inch above the outward facing bud. Declutter the center of the plant to provide enough air circulation to prevent pests and diseases to harbor. Heal the wounds with white glue and dispose of all cuttings in the compost bin.
Consulting Rosarian and Past President, Stuart Dalton, will be speaking and demonstrating on the topic of How to Prune Roses in more detail at our January 21st meeting. Our vice president Judy Webster is planning a stimulating monthly speaker series. We look forward to seeing you all the third Tuesday of each month except July at 7:30 pm at 1455 Madison Avenue, Redwood City and don’t forget to bring your friends.
The Board welcomes any suggestions or ideas you may have to improve our Peninsula Rose Society. Please email your concerns, suggestions, or how you may get involved to Patti Spezzaferro at [email protected]. I am so looking forward to working with you in 2020.
See you at our January 21st meeting and don’t forget to smell the roses.