By Stuart Dalton, President

Roses Spring Forth

Even though it is still Winter it is looking like the roses will get a good start. Mine are. Both newly planted and older roses are getting plenty of water. New red and tender foliage is sprouting all over. Watch for aphids as soon as the weather warms a bit, they love tender foliage. The cuttings I’ve been starting are also loving the rain and cool weather and it looks like many are growing even without using rooting hormone.

Wasn’t that a great meeting on propagation and the Hearst Castle roses last month? Many people stayed after to watch and learn up close from Burling Leong. I have been starting roses from cuttings for over 30 years with good success, but I certainly learned some things. I even bought a better grafting knife and film to wrap the budding/ chip grafting, as well as stronger rooting powder afterwards and am inspired to try some experiments. I have grafted apples before but not roses. I will try other things after hearing Burling.

If you are an American Rose Society (ARS) member (and it’s good if you are) and have any interest in attending the Spring Business meeting of the Northern California Nevada and Hawaii (NCNH) feel free to attend the March 2nd meeting. It is held in the Hall of Flowers in Golden Gate Park. Car pools are forming. Please contact me or others to carpool. It is a pot luck lunch afterwards and there is a raffle.

If you have a Nextdoor login, why not tell your neighbors about the upcoming meetings as well as our new Facebook page? And, of course, please invite your neighbors who have roses to join us at the meeting.

It looks like we may shape up a “class” at Foothill on rose care after the first bloom. Thanks to Patti Spezzaferro for setting this in motion. This will likely be the last part of April or first part of May (avoiding the show and the talk at Hassett).

Happy gardening

Stu