The Rose: President'S Corner

The Rose April 2019
Volume 74 No. 2
Newsletter of the
Philadelphia Rose Society
A non-profit organization affiliated
with The American Rose Society
Website- http://philadelphiarosesociety.org/
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PRESIDENT’S CORNER
By Ann Marie DiLauro
Oh, how I love this time of the year. I walk outside &
smell the spring bulbs blooming, bushes with leaves
emerging & of course the roses looking at me waiting to get
a haircut, get fed & sprayed. Once they're all cleaned &
pretty, they're off to the race in setting out their beautiful
buds & then gorgeous blooms in time for our show.
I have just started pruning my roses as you can see in the
picture of my arm. I tried hard to avoid being attacked, but
they just stick to me even with long sleeves. So far, they all
look good & happy. Time will tell.
I’m sure we are all researching for a new potion to feed our
roses. If you’ve brewed something new, hopefully you will
share your secret with us.
I hope to see you all on April 3, to hear Ed McFarland give Don Atkiss was awarded the Bronze Honor Medal for
a talk on hostas. I have hostas growing under my Venus outstanding service to the rose society at the December PRS
dogwood & those big leaves of different colors are a show meeting, a well-deserved honor! Photo by Bill Kozemchak
piece all summer. They hide a lot of things also including
some animals.
General Meeting
Ann Marie Sunday April 7th
“I don't know whether nice people tend to grow roses or 1:00-a 3:00 pm at the Morris
growing roses makes people nice.” Roland A. Browne
Ed MacFarland will be presenting-
“Are you a Hostaholic? “
Next General Meeting is Thursday

May 5th 4:30-6:30 pm at the Morris
Bruce Monroe will be presenting a program on
“Chemical Safety” which will give Consulting
Rosarians their chemical safety credit for
accreditation renewal.
Executive Committee Meeting
Prior to the General Meeting
3:30-4:30 pm
Don Atkiss at the pruning demo on March 9th explaining how to
properly prune. Photo by Ann Marie DiLauro
2 The Rose April 2019
PRS Officers PRS Board of Directors

Immediate Past President-Donald Atkiss 215-872-7487 (12-31-20) Vince Marocco 215-247-5777 x143
President- Ann Marie Di Lauro 610-864-6576 (12-31-20) Jeanne Durning 215-576-0828
First Vice President- Mary McKnight 215-884-8924
(12-31-20) Ed MacFarland Jr. 215-576-1436
Second Vice President- Bill Kozemchak 215-945-8098
(12-31-18) Mary Lorenzo Brelsford
Treasurer- Donald Atkiss 215-872-7487
Membership Chair- Donald Atkiss 215-872-7487
215-836-2324
Publicity Chairs-Anne Hammerschmidt 215-723-6614
(12-31-18) Anne Hammerschmidt 215-723-6614
& Jeanne Durning 215-576-0828 (12-31-19) Pat Bilson 610-644-1860
Recording Secretary- Tom Mayhew 215-757-8049 (12-31-19) Ken Borrmann 215-675-9975
Newsletter Editor- Bill Kozemchak 215-945-8098 (12-31-19) Kathy Kozemchak 215-945-8098
ARS Consulting Rosarians PRS Award Winners

Bold Name Indicates Master Rosarian
ARS Bronze Medal:
Berks County- Kathryn Alexander (Founding Member) (1994)
Kevin Glaes 610-926-4428 glaes1215@comcast.net Robert A. Ballantine III (1996),
Pat Pitkin-610-488-1817- thornyoldrose@gmail.com Patricia Pitkin (1997)
Dave & Betty Sandel (1998)
Bucks County- Elizabeth Zaiser (1999)
Bill Kozemchak-215-945-8098 Pinkykoz@aol.com Patricia Bilson (2000)
Tom Mayhew- 215-757-8049 TomsRose@aol.com Amelia Pascuzzi (2001)
Amelita Creswell (2002)
Chester County- David Wolff (2003)
Elaine Adler-610-692-5631 Tom Mayhew (2004)
Pat Bilson-610-644-1860 Edwin MacFarland Jr. (2005)
Bill Kozemchak (2009)
Montgomery County- Harry Tyson (2011)
Donald Atkiss-215-872-7487 rosarian4@comcast.net Kathy Kozemchak (2013)
Ann Marie Di Lauro 610-864-6576 Don Atkiss (2018)
Ed McFarland- 215-576-1436 emacf@stonemor.com
PRS Lifetime Achievement:
Mary McKnight 215-884-8924
Catherine Wuest (1995)
Clara Davis (1996)
Delaware-
Mary Lorenzo Brelsford (2006)
Bruce Monroe-302-478-5733
New Jersey-
Gus Banks-609-267-3809 jrsyrose@gmail.com Philadelphia Rose Society Membership
Rafiq, Rhea & Suni Bolar- 908-431-5325 Our annual dues are only $15 a person, $25 per
Brenna Bosch- 609-268-2392 family. If you wish to send more, anything over the
June Hament- 856‐424‐7971 $15 or $25 is considered a donation and tax
Iliana Oakum- 609-298-4160 deductible. The dues go to our operating expenses and
Terry Palise- 609-896-2011 the cost of the newsletter for the year. New
memberships, along with name, address, phone
number, and E-mail, can be sent to:
Don Atkiss
1675 Leon Drive
Hatfield, PA 19440
PRS FACEBOOK PAGE

Philadelphia Rose Society now has a Facebook page.
You can check it out, and join it, by searching
“Philadelphia Rose Society” on Facebook. It is great
looking, with some great photos, a list of upcoming
events, and links to our PRS web site and “Low
Maintenance Rose” list. Once you join it, click
“Invite friends to like this page” and send the link to
all of your friends. We already have 977 people who
have liked our page! Many thanks go to Mary
McKnight for setting this up. It will be a great way
to communicate the beauty of our hobby to the
public.
2019 Philadelphia Rose Society Schedule of Events

Red dates and/or times are changes from the March newsletter
th
Sunday April 7 - 1:00 - 3:00 pm - General Meeting/Speaker
Sunday May 5th 3:30 - 4:30 pm - Executive Board Meeting
Sunday May 5th 4:30 - 6:30 pm - General Meeting/Speaker
Friday-Saturday May 3rd -4th Morris Arboretum Plant Sale (Members sale on the 3rd)
Sunday June 2nd - 6:00 am- 5:00 pm - PRS Annual Rose Show
Sunday July 14th 3:00- 4:00 pm Executive Board Meeting prior to Awards Picnic
Sunday July 14th 4:00- 6:00 pm Awards Picnic at Ann Marie Di Lauro’s
Sunday September 15th - 3:00 pm - Rose Garden Visit & Picnic at the McKnight Garden
Friday- Sunday September 27th -29th - Penn-Jersey District Convention in Gettysburg, PA
Sunday October 6th - 12:00 - 1:00 pm - Executive Board Meeting
Sunday October 6th - 1:00 - 3:00 pm - Little Rose Show/Speaker
Sunday November 10th - 1:00 - 3:00 pm - PRS Photo Contest/Speaker
Sunday December 8th - 1:00 - 3:00 pm - Holiday Party with gift exchange
Horizon Roses 2018

Horizon Roses 2018 is produced entirely by volunteers under the direction of Bob Martin, National
Editor and eight regional editors. The regional editors solicit and compile the comments from
selected top exhibitors in their region and forward them for final compilation.
Further detail on Horizon Roses and an extract from its Preface is here.
Horizon Roses 2018 be available in electronic format for Kindle at a price of $9.95. It can be ordered
at Amazon.com here. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G5RBFJ5
Those without a Kindle can download the free Kindle Reading App for iPad, iPhone, Android phone
or whatever else they read on. Detail on that is here:
Horizon Roses 2018 is also available as a pdf directly from the editor at the same price. For further
information, contact: Bob Martin, Editor Horizon Roses 3291 Old Oak Tree Lane Escondido, CA
92026-8416
626-840-3472 (mobile) petrose@aol.com
Combined Rose List 2018 Available

The Combined Rose List 2018 is now available for immediate shipment at$28 per copy.
Further details are available here. To order send your check in the amount of $28 per copy to
Peter Schneider, Box 677, Mantua, Ohio 44255, or order by Paypal or credit card here.
Roses Thrive on a Routine 2.0

By Carla Zambelli
Reprinted with permission from https://chestercountyramblings.com/ , posted on March 29, 2019
In the 1990s I submitted two articles to the American Rose Society. But when they changed their website
from ars.org to rose.org, my articles got lost. I still have the old link to one of the articles, but it goes nowhere.
So, I decided that twenty plus years later it was time to update one of my articles for the way I garden today.
Call it Roses Thrive on Routine 2.0 .
I am now a zone 6A rose enthusiast. Sometimes on some websites, I pop up as a 6B. I used live in suburban
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on the “Main Line”. Now I live in Chester County, Pennsylvania.
I planted my first rose bush with my father and paternal grandfather when I was fairly little. The rose bush was a
Hybrid Tea called John F. Kennedy (my late father’s favorite rose and still one of the most majestic white hybrid
tea roses when you can find it), and I have been in love with roses ever since.
My roses used to be my ultimate garden obsession as well as my favorite garden element. They still are a
favorite, but as I have grown as a gardener and as my gardens have changed over the years, they have become
part of the garden, but not the center of the garden as they used to be. Some years are better than others growing
them. That is just the way it is, as it is for other plants in my garden.
When I wrote the article, my garden was my parents’ garden. I planted and maintained that garden based upon
what my mother preferred, which generally speaking was white and pale flowers, à la Sissinghurst, Vita
Sackville-West’s garden in the UK. (Who was Vita Sackville-West? She was an English poet, novelist, and
garden designer who lived between 1892 and 1962.)
In my opinion, routines work as well in the garden as they do in the house. I have a few basics that would be my
pleasure to share. I have updated this for my current best practices.
Once you have established a routine in the garden for your roses, you will not be able to imagine how you could
live without a rose or two. When I first wrote this article my then garden has 51 rose bushes. Today I have
around ten, depending on what made it through the winter.
Rose Basics:
I believe in good mulch for my roses. Back then I used to only use licorice root and cocoa hulls (please note that
cocoa hulls can grow a fuzzy layer of mold when it is damp, which is unsightly, but has never harmed my plants),
or buckwheat hulls mulch. If I couldn’t get licorice root, I looked for a good triple-shredded mulch. I lived on the
Main Line and I not have a garden half in the woods so today I used two things predominantly: wood chips my
arborists chip down from my own hardwood trees and shredded and not shredded leaf mulch. Thanks to listening
to Jenny Rose Carey at a lecture last spring I discovered the fun of having a leaf shredder. The one I purchased is
by Worx and is rated number 1 in reviews and is very reasonable in price.
I still mulch twice a year: in the spring for the growing season, and in late fall to provide
a winter blanket. In the spring, I USED to remove as much as possible of the old mulch
from the winter and previous summer, and apply approximately one-and-one-half to
two inches of mulch everywhere. As what I am using now (hardwood chips and
shredded leaf mulch) enriches my soil and breaks down beautifully, I no longer have to
remove my old mulch.
And if you buy triple shredded mulch from someone, for God’s sake do NOT use
COLORED mulch. That dyed stuff is awful. It doesn’t break down properly and the
dye will get on your hands and feet and clothes as you garden and on your pet’s paws,
babies’ feet and so on. I also no longer use the cocoa mulch ever because dogs eat it and
Worx brand leaf shredder as that is what chocolate comes from and chocolate is poisonous to dogs, I have erred
on the side of caution. Besides the fuzzy mold that would grow got to be a bit gross.
I want my roses to breathe, so there is an approximately five-inch magic circle from the base of my rose that only
has a peat moss “jacket” (a jacket to me is peat moss only), but no mulch. In the late fall when I apply my second
mulch dressing, it merely goes over the old mulch and covers the crowns of my roses. This is where I especially
like the shredded leaf mulch now. It is light and fluffy on my flower beds. Every plant benefits, not just my roses.
As far as my soil goes, I used to follow the same routine every year. Now, I work any of the following ingredients
into my rose and perennial beds depending on what I think is needed: peat moss, dehydrated cow manure, cottonseed
meal, green sand, dried blood, bone meal, and some iron sulfate. I also like the lobster compost, chicken manure and
mushroom soil.
Lobster compost is a newer obsession. It is made with chitin and calcium-rich lobster shells, compost and peat
humus. The result is a dark-brown, complex soil that drains well and is ideal for conditioning beds and borders,
vegetable gardens, herbs and annuals! The stuff I buy is usually made by Coast of Maine. Coast of Maine sells great
products and if you look (or ask them) they can tell you locally where to find their products or on Amazon.
Minus the peat moss, you will find most of these ingredients in their chemical form in a granular rose food. Most of
these granular foods and separate ingredients can be easily located at your local garden center or hardware store. For
those who feel most comfortable with a pre-mixed granular, I would still strongly recommend also including soil
amendment as needed. It is always important to keep your soil happy. Happy soil equals happy rose bushes!
After the soil is amended when needed, I apply a weak Epsom salt tea to encourage new basal growth. I am always
careful to use Epsom salt judiciously because it is not a good thing to build up too much of a magnesium residue
over time. When magnesium is built up past the essential mineral level, it can stunt growth instead of helping boost
new growth. This is why that throughout the growing season, I will give my roses and perennials and annuals a
boost with Irish Organics Humic. It is one of my favorites – it is a kelp (seaweed) and peat mixture from the bogs
of Ireland. This is my friend’s product and I was a test garden early on when they were first bringing it into the
US. It is incidentally, certified organic in the US. (OMRI)
Once my roses have shown me at least one and one-half inches of new growth each spring, I dig in my granular
feed. I will tell you I use a systemic granular feed that has insecticides and fungicides. I usually do this around
Mother’s Day because where I live that is when the danger of frost is mostly over.
Then, I apply a little more peat moss and then my mulch. Also, whenever I have banana peels, I use them into my
rose beds. Banana peels are the true junk food of roses!!! They love the boost a banana provides from potassium
and other elements contained within the banana and its peel. I learned about Banana Peels from Old Wives Lore
for Gardeners by Maureen and Bridget Boland. You can still find these books on Amazon and Ebay and from
other used book dealers. They also recommend beer for hollyhocks. It’s a fun book.
I have learned to make my old banana peels into a rose smoothie, so to speak.
I used to dig the peels in around the base of each bush, but given the critter population living with woods and
farmers’ fields I have developed a rose smoothie which I dig in around the base with a small spade I use to
transplant seedlings.
The formula for the smoothie is I collect a bag of banana peels and keep
them sealed in a plastic bag in my freezer until I use them. Then I rough
chop the peels and toss into the blender with whatever spent coffee grounds I
have on hand and a couple of cups or so of very warm tap water. (I never
drink flavored coffee and I would never recommend using artificially
flavored coffee grounds. I don’t know how the artificial flavor chemicals
would affect the plants.)
The consistency of this smoothie for rose bushes should be on the thick side,
but pourable. I don’t take my blender outside I pour the goop into a plastic
pitcher. I then go around to each bush and dig a few ounces in around the
base of each bush. I have a standard sized blender and only a few rose
bushes right now, so one batch of rose smoothie is all I need every time I do
this.
I will feed my roses this concoction every two weeks until Labor Day.
Sometimes I am not so religious about this as I have a large garden, but I try
my best.
As far as pruning, I have these thoughts: everyone should own a good pair of pruners used only for their roses and
own a good, basic, descriptive rose book. I am partial to ratchet-action pruning anything these days, in addition to
the bypass pruning shears. And pruning shears are not indestructible. I have some old-school by-pass pruners I can
still get sharpened if I can find someone to do it, but the others? Like vacuum cleaners they have to be replaced
every few years.
Pruning is such a visual thing to learn, and that is honestly how I learned: descriptions, photos and diagrams. I
prune from around Halloween into November, and again lightly in mid to late March when I can see what the
winter damage was. And keep those pruning shears clean!
Ratchet-action pruners Bypass pruners
With my roses I have also learned a lot from Monty Don, who is has several English television gardening shows
including Gardeners’ World (in the US we can get this on streaming services a little bit but not all of the season),
writer and speaker on horticulture. My other main go-to source is Fine Gardening. Fine Gardening is the best U.S.
based gardening magazine and buying a subscription also gets you unfettered online access to their articles and tips
and so on and so forth.
I will use an old toothbrush just for the purpose of cleaning my hand held pruning shears. I mix a weak solution of
bleach and very warm water in a metal bowl. I use the toothbrush to thoroughly clean them. Then I rinse the pruners
well under running water and wash them again with a little mild dish soap, rinse them again
and dry them carefully.
Also, do not forget to invest in good gardening gloves. When dealing with roses,
average hand covering only gardening gloves won’t do. You need gauntlet gloves.
I will also note I go through a LOT of regular gardening gloves in a season. But the
gauntlet gloves I bought are now into their fourth year and still in great shape. I
bought the Fir Tree brand on Amazon. It was just dumb luck that I discovered them
because until I bought their gloves, I was destroying gauntlet gloves at a rapid rate
too. I should also note that the things I recommend, I buy from the companies. I am
not a compensated blog.
Now how about planting? Let me also state that I do not grow those knock out
roses. They are not roses to me. They do not even really have a scent. I have
mostly David Austin roses today plus a hybrid tea (John F. Kennedy my first rose)
and a Queen Elizabeth, which is a grandiflora.
These gauntlet gloves are by Fir Tree.
I own a pair of this brand.
I used to plant a lot of different kinds of roses (modern and antique) but in this garden, my favorite shapes and smells
are the David Austins because they combine old roses with the new and as my space is limited on sun in this garden, I
want roses I know will perform well. And an added bonus for me is that with David Austin roses I can buy own-root
roses. They are not grafted and I find that a bonus because I did have an instance where a rose died and I thought I
had gotten all of the root stock out but I hadn’t and I am still getting rambling rose rootstock popping up every couple
of years that I do not want and do not have room for. Own root roses are the same plant above and below the soil line.
I find it makes a better rose bush. New canes (rose branches so to speak) can be grown from the rootstock without fear
of the grafted rootstock taking over.
When planting a new bush, I always dig my hole at least eighteen to twenty inches wide, and at least as deep. If the
soil has a large proportion of clay, then I add sand (or green sand), gypsum or Chicken grit (which is insoluble stone –
often granite or flint) or ground up Oyster shells, lobster compost/dehydrated manure/mushroom soil (just depends
what I have on hand at the time) and peat to break it up thoroughly.
The soil around my current house had a very high clay content when I first started to plant my garden, but I know it is
improving with soil amendments, judging by my toadstool barometer. Toadstools and edible mushrooms only like to
grow in good, rich soil!
When planting a potted rose, as well as a bare root rose, I have what I call my parfait theory. I visualize what a parfait
looks like: layers. The bottom of my hole has sand, peat, soil, and a couple of chopped up banana peels (I know that
sounds confusing but I will start a rose with banana peels because I am digging a pretty big hole and they are at the
very bottom, not just dug in a couple of inches around the top of the soil.) That is the first layer. Then I alternate
layers of soil and peat until I reach the halfway point and I place my potted or bare root rose in my new hole.
If planting a potted rose, I like my rose to be at the same level as it was in the pot, and if bare root, I like my crown
(looks like a knob to me) to be at soil level. If planting a bare root rose, I am careful to make sure that the roots are
supported from underneath with enough dirt, as well as being careful not to break, stress, or crowd the roots rather
than enlarge my hole if necessary.
(Please note that if you are planting bare root, it is important to soak the roots 12 to 24 hours in a bucket of water out
of the sun. I like to mix in a little liquid seaweed or whatever liquid humus I have around to that bucket of water to
give a little more of a boost.)
After I have reached my “halfway parfait” point, I water the rose and the hole a bit. I water in approximately one half
of a gallon of water with seaweed extract or my Irish Organics Humic. I do this to help cut down on potential
transplant shock. The water should soak in quickly, and I finish off my parfait layers, alternating between soil and
peat moss.
My top layer is always peat moss. After the parfait is complete, I dig in about a quarter to one half a cup of a granular
(or liquid) rose food in a circle around the bush, depending on the size of the bush and the directions on the package.
Then I water in about another half-gallon of water. I will note that if you are against granular rose food with
insecticide and fungicides in it, David Austin Roses makes a very good granular rose food.
Finally, I mulch well, leaving my five-inch magic circle from the base of the plant. The magic circle is only peat at the
top so my rose breathes properly. Roses should ideally get a good solid one inch of water once a week. If I have
just planted a bare root rose with no growth, I sometimes mist the canes with water once a day, preferably in the
morning before the sun is high. (I say sometimes, because sometimes I forget!)
Except for new plantings, roses should be fed once a month as they are heavy feeders. The new plants are not fed
again for five to six weeks after initial planting and feeding. Then they go on the regular schedule.
As the season progresses, I do keep my rose beds clean, discarding dead and fallen leaves, etc. I am a believer in
preventive, albeit judicious, spraying. If you are a sprayer only spray early in the morning (before 7 a.m.) to avoid
causing my leaves to burn in the sun. I have learned if a rose is purported to dislike spraying (some Old Garden Roses
and Rugosas come to mind, for example), PAY ATTENTION! I have exfoliated a bush or two in my past spraying
career! (Another “live and learn,” I suppose, but well-learned.)
I also do NOT ever recommend homemade remedies of soap and baking soda and Listerine and whatever other
fakakta sprays people think are so much better. They aren’t. They are kind of like the whole spraying vinegar and
whatnot to get rid of weeds. People do not seem to get how bad that is for other plants, the soil, your pets, humans,
and wildlife. Plus, you can fry your plants in the heat of summer by spraying
For diseases like rust, blackspot and powdery mildew I used to spray when needed. But then I
discovered drenches which are much easier on the rose. I use Cease Microbial Fungicide and Bactericide, which
is OMRI Listed, by BioWorks. You can buy it from Amazon and other places. It is expensive but worth it. One
of my other horticultural mentors taught me about using a bio fungicide. It also is marvelous when I have to deal
with daylily rust.
Cease is a aqueous suspension bio fungicide with proven effectiveness in controlling a wide array of both fungal
and bacterial pathogens, while providing outstanding plant and environmental safety. Based on a naturally
occurring, patented strain of Bacillus subtilis (strain QST 713).
Cease Microbial Fungicide and Bactericide can be used as a foliar spray and soil drench on ornamentals, trees,
shrubs, flowering plants and greenhouse crops and vegetables grown under cover. It is a broad spectrum bio
fungicide targeting common fungal and bacterial diseases such as Botrytis, Pseudomonas, Xanthomonas, Erwinia,
Powdery Mildew, Leaf Spot and Speck, Anthracnose and Rust. There are other biologic fungicides out there, but
Cease is what I use.
For the pest problems like aphids and their ilk, I use a horticultural oil spray like Neem or something with
Pyrethrin. Sprays with Pyrethrin are the best things to control outbreaks of white fly. When the weather gets too
muggy, hot and humid I do not spray. I used to use a rose dust, but a few years ago I decided that skeeved me out
and settled on another drench. The one I discovered by accident and use VPG/fertilome’s Tree & Shrub Systemic
Insect Drench.
This insecticide drench controls most bugs I can think of that will bother my roses, perennials, and shrubs. As a
drench, it is watered in (I have a special watering can I use ONLY for drenches). The product is mixed with water,
dissolves in water, moves down through the soil, and is absorbed by the roots. You drench the plant at the base,
the root level. It is NOT like a spray so you don’t hit the above ground plat at all. Once absorbed, it moves up
through the tree or shrub, providing year-long protection even into new growth. It contains Imidacloprid and
provides 12-month Systemic Protection. Again, I discovered this completely on my own. My most pervasive rose
pest seems to be borers and it has helped with them.
Look, I am a cancer survivor. I do not like using chemicals. But sometimes you just have to in a controlled
manner. I have a lot of time, money and sweat equity involved in my garden. I will treat it right. A website which
helps find biologic alternatives is Forestry Distributing. I discovered them by accident when trying to learn in
terminology I could understand what biologics did and how they worked.
I have also discovered that other old wives’ tales have some truth to them: planting pungent herbs are natural pest
repellants. Plants in the edible Allium family are repugnant to aphids. Planting chives and garlic in and around my
roses along with lavender, rosemary, sage and thyme has dramatically cut down my personal aphid population. I
also plant purple sweet onions around and near my roses and other plants aphids like. I buy the starts in the spring.
Old wife’s tales also say that parsley planted near the feet of roses makes your roses smell sweeter. I don’t know it
THAT is true, but hey! why ruin a good thing? I do it anyway! I can also tell you that it is very true that
strawberries and roses get on well together.
I experiment every year with at least one new companion plant for my roses. If they crowd my roses or I don’t like
the effect, I simply move that companion plant to a new location! I don’t like to ever waste a good perennial,
bulb, shrub, or herb. My garden is definitely a layered one and is reminiscent of an English or Irish cottage garden.
Well, there you have the thumbnail version of my rose routine. It works extremely well for me, and I hope I have
helped. All of the photos of roses were taken by me and are my actual roses from my garden. Happy rose
gardening!
Morris Pruning Demonstration

On Saturday March 9th 10:00 am - 12:00 pm, the Philadelphia Rose Society assisted Vince Morocco with the
hands-on portion of the Morris Pruning Demonstration. After Vince’s talk inside, the group headed down to
the rose garden to do some actual pruning. President Ann Marie DiLauro and Don Atkiss helped the people
attending the class by working one on one and showing the proper pruning techniques.
Vince Morocco and Don Atkiss explaining the proper way to prune roses. Photos by Ann Marie DiLauro
Attracting Hummingbirds to
Your Garden
By Tom Mayhew,
Master Consulting Rosarian
During the summer months, eastern North America
provides the breeding grounds for visiting migratory Ruby-
throated Hummingbirds. In the Philadelphia, PA area, the
colorful hummingbirds with their iridescent plumage arrive
in late April or early May. The males usually precede the
females by 1-2 weeks. During the spring and summer, they
mate, nest and rear their young. The adult and first year
young hummingbirds don't leave for their winter home in
Central America until late September. It always seems, that
in the fall, the last to leave the area, is an adult female. It is as Fig 1. Male Ruby-throated Hummingbird with Bee Balm
though; the mother wants to make sure that all the young
have safely left for the long flight to their winter home.
The Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are small, lightweight
birds (3 grams), about the size of your thumb and are very
skillful flyers. They are fast flying and can fly forward or go
backwards and can hover in place, as they feed on the nectar
of a flower or at a feeder. They can easily maneuver around
obstacles and are agile at avoiding bees and wasps who
compete with them at the feeders. Their wing beat rate is
about 60 beats per second. As is typical with many birds, the
male Ruby-throated Hummingbird is more colorful with a
ruby red colored throat, greenish back and dark tail feathers
(See Figure 1). The female is plainer with a white or slightly
streaked throat, greenish back and white tips on the ends of
the tail feathers (See Figure 2). The females are slightly
larger than the males and have a longer bill. The first-year
young males and females resemble the adult female. As the Fig 2. Female Ruby-throated Hummingbird at Feeder
summer goes on, the young males may start to show some
spots of ruby color in the throat (See Figure 3). In the winter,
the Hummingbirds molt (cyclic renewal of feathers) and
when they come back the next spring, the young males have
the adult male coloring with the ruby red throat.
When the females arrive in the spring, the males compete
for a mate, performing their aerial dance display involving
high speed diving with swooping U-shaped loops, down and
up again to impress the females who watch the displays and
eventually chose a mate. Nesting does not involve the males.
The female builds a small nest and lays two or three white
eggs. The babies hatch in about 15 to 17 days. Three more
weeks and the babies are fully feathered and leave the nest.
This initiates a lot of hummingbird activity in the garden.
If one is watching or photographing the hummingbird
activity, it seems that the best time to observe or photograph
the males is in early spring when the males first arrive and
then for a while after that, when the females are busy on the Fig 3. Young Male Ruby-throated Hummingbird with a
nest and seem to only occasionally visit the feeders, usually Ruby Red Spot on his Throat and White Tipped tail
late in the evening. After the babies are born and start to fly, Feathers Normally seen on the Females.
the feeders seem to be taken over by the females and the
young hummingbirds. This results in fewer opportunities to
photograph the adult males at the feeders.
Attracting Hummingbirds with Plants and Feeders: be kept for about a week. Before refilling a feeder, clean it
Hummingbirds feed mostly on nectar, insects and spiders, with a brush and periodically soak the interior with a weak
and many plants are pollinated by hummingbirds The nectar solution of bleach for a few minutes to help rid the feeder of
is taken in through a long tubular tongue which is inserted any mold that may have built up. Change the feeder solution
deep into a flower. The hummingbirds will revisit the plants every 3-4 days to help prevent the buildup of unhealthy
they like many times during the daylight hours when they conditions in the solution. Generally, a smaller feeder is
feed. They do not feed at night. The major part of their diet is preferred since its contents will be emptied sooner and you
nectar, but a portion consists of insects and spiders. Often will be refilling it more often with fresh sugar water.
hummingbirds take in insects with an open beak while in
flight. (Yes, the beak does open, see Figure 7). Other times
insects are picked from plant foliage and flowers.
A good way to attract hummingbirds to your garden is to
grow the types of plants that they like. Some of their favorite
nectar plants that I have used include cardinal flower, bee
balm, butterfly bush, fuchsias, salvia, abelia, penstemon and a
few others. Another method of attracting hummingbirds is to
add several hummingbird feeders to your garden. You should
keep these filled with fresh sugar water throughout the
hummingbird season - mid April through early October.
Figures 4, 5 and 6 show several types of feeders. Figure 4
shows a general purpose multiport feeder having four ports,
each with a perch for the hummingbird to stand on while
feeding. Figure 5 shows a smaller feeder with a single port
(spout) and no perch, so the hummingbird has to hover in
place while feeding. A single spout is good for photography
purposes since you know exactly where the hummingbird will
be feeding. The smaller feeder is shown supported by a water
Fig 4. Hummingbird in Rose Garden at Multiport Feeder
filled ant trap which is hung from a pole. The water in the ant
trap forms a water moat between the post holding the upper
support hook and the outer edge of the water cup. The lower
cup hook is used to support the small feeder. The ants that
climb up the pole would have to swim in the water moat to get
to outer edge of the cup and so this forms a water barrier to
stop the ants from getting to the sugar water at the feeder
spout. It is helpful to have ant traps on all of the feeders. Ant
traps are available from www.Audubon Workshop.com,
www.Duncraft.com. and others. Figure 6 shows a window
mounted feeder with no perch which is convenient for
observing hummingbirds while sitting inside the house.
Sometimes an aggressive male hummingbird will claim a
feeder as his own and will spend a lot of time fending off other
hummingbirds that want to use his feeder. As the summer goes
on, bees and wasps will also start to compete for the use of the
feeders. See Figure 8.
Sugar Water Mix for Hummingbird Container Feeders:
For hummingbird container feeders, a sugar water solution
of four parts water to one part white table sugar is easy to
prepare and is similar to the natural nectar of flowers that the
hummingbirds feed on. The mixture does not have to be exact
but should be between three and five parts water to one part
table sugar. Red dye is not needed in the water (flower nectar
is colorless), and the red color on the feeder is enough to
attract the birds attention. To prepare the solution, bring the
water to a boil, then add the sugar, stir and bring the solution
to a boil again and then turn off the heat. Let the solution cool
to room temperature before using it in a clean feeder. Any
unused solution should be refrigerated and can Fig 5. Single Spout Feeder held by Water Filled Ant Trap.
Cardinal Flower and Rose Bushes are behind the Feeder.
Enjoying the Hummingbirds in the Garden:
The hummingbirds are friendly creatures and a joy to watch
in the garden as they conduct their various activities. Often
one or more will suddenly dart into view moving swiftly to
perch on a branch or else to go directly to hover over a flower
of interest or to a feeder containing sugar water. Occasionally
they will go to the flower blooms of the roses, apparently
gleaning small insects from inside the flowers. Often times
they will fly to a high point in the garden where they will
look around and survey the situation as they rest for a few
moments (See Figure 9). Pairs of hummingbirds will often fly
close together, maneuvering at high speed as though a sort of
flight training was going on.
If you sit still and don't make sudden moves, often the
hummingbirds appear to ignore you as they go about their
business. I have a setup on my back porch, with a single
spout feeder, where sometimes in the early evening at about
6-8 pm, I take photographs of hummingbirds in flight. When Fig 7. Male Hummingbird Showing Open Beak
I am photographing the hummingbirds, I am usually only
three feet away from the feeder spout, staying still as I peer
through the camera viewer looking for a good photo
opportunity. Often times I can hear the humming beat of their
fast-moving wings before I see them. It sounds to me like a
small helicopter is coming in and I get ready for action at the
feeder spout. It is while photographing, that I have observed
over the years, that a particular hummingbird will return to
the feeder about every 10-15 minutes as he makes his rounds.
I have read that this may be related to the time it takes a
flower to regenerate the nectar that was taken on a previous
visit. Often the flash of the camera will temporarily chase a
hummingbird away, but they always come back. The females
and the babies seem to tolerate the camera flash better than
the males and will stay for repeated photo shots.
Bring Them Back Again Next Year:
If you supply the hummingbirds with a good reliable source
of food in the form of the plants that they like, and augment
these with artificial feeders filled with fresh sugar water, they
Fig 8 Competition with Yellow Jacket At Feeder
will remember your garden and will return again.
Fig 9. Male Hummingbird on a High Point in the Garden

Fig 6. Hummingbird at Window Feeder
Pruning Basics
By Bill Kozemchak
In our area the rule of thumb is to prune when the forsythia bloom. Many new growers are nervous when it comes to
pruning. Unless you prune your roses to the ground in the fall, you shouldn’t have a problem. The canes will hold
nutrients for spring growth, so pruning in the fall should be limited to dead, damaged, or diseased canes. I will prune any
overly tall canes so the bush will not rock in the cold winter winds, opening the ground around the bud union. This can kill
the bush in a cold winter. Usually this is around 3.5 to 4 foot high. Other people have good luck with tying all the canes
together so there is less for the wind to catch. The bushes can be pruned low or very high. Low pruning (8-12 inches) will
produce less, but larger flowers. This is how many exhibitors prune. Higher pruning or just shaping the bush will produce
smaller, but more numerous blooms. It is a matter of preference as to what you want from your garden. You could also
prune somewhere in between the two extremes. No matter which way you choose, the bushes will still grow.
I have also heard from other rosarians, “the older I get the higher I prune”, as it gets harder get down near the ground.
The Fiskars pruning stick is very useful for people who have a hard time bending or kneeing down. It is very light and has
a swivel head so it can be used to reach high or low, eliminating the need to bend down or step up on a stool or ladder.
Wear good leather gloves. They should be sturdy but flexible. You can also get gloves with gauntlets that cover the
forearm for added protection. Wearing long sleeves and denim pants will also help protect you. It is a good idea to check
to see if you have had a tetanus shot in the last 10 years. If not, you should schedule one as tetanus is a soil born disease
and it is easy to get scratched when working around roses.
Clean sharp pruning shears, loppers, and pruning saw are important so you don’t damage the canes as you prune.
Bypass pruners are much more preferable to the anvil type with a flat cutting surface that tend to crush the canes when
cutting. Also use the proper tool for size cane you are cutting. Some people will try to muscle the cane with the wrong tool
and end up with a very dull or broken tool. If the cane is too large for pruners, get your loppers, if the loppers aren’t
working get the pruning saw. It is easier and cheaper than replacing the broken tool. Trust me, I know firsthand.
The cane will tend to grow in the direction the top bud is pointing. Cut to an outside bud on uprights bushes and cut to
an inside bud on sprawling bushes that tend to grow outward. Cut about 1/4" above the bud on a 45° angle sloping away
from the bud. If cut closer, the new growth may break off. If cut longer, an unsightly stub will remain.
Cut the canes back to healthy tissue. The center or pith should be white and healthy, not brown. Some varieties may not
be very white, but they also shouldn’t be too brown. Once I left some questionable canes higher than I should and once the
heat came in June the canes ended up dying, wasting the energy the bush had put out to grow that new cane. Had I pruned
lower the canes would still have been on the bush. If you find canes that are dead or diseased, you may have to remove
them completely. Canes that are damaged or split should be removed below the damaged portion. It is also good to open
the center of the bush to allow air to circulate, helping with disease and fungus problems. Small, twiggy, and unproductive
growth should also be removed. Generally, remove about one-third to one-half the length of the canes, leaving healthy
canes and the center of the plant open for good air circulation.
Don’t prune once blooming Old Garden Roses at this time. The blooms on the old roses are produced on current
growth. If you prune them now, you are pruning your spring flowers away. If canes are dead, diseased, damaged or
growing out into paths where you walk, remove them in the spring, but otherwise prune them after they bloom.
If you don’t grow a very large number of roses, many people will seal the ends of the canes with Elmers glue (not the
school glue), nail polish or shellac. This will stop cane borers from tunneling into the freshly cut soft canes. They can do
quite a bit of damage when they tunnel way down into the cane, sometimes down to the bud union.
After pruning I usually apply a fresh layer of mulch. Mulching now will prevent breaking off new soft growth later on.
It is also easier than working around bushes that have already leafed out.
From left: winter damaged roses with black and brown canes, our front beds pruned, climber pruned and refastened
Things to do in April
1. Come to our April meeting and bring a friend!
2. Go out in the garden and clean up leaves and debris. This will help get rid of disease and insect eggs left over from last year.
3. Is your Tetanus shot up to date? It is a good idea to have a tetanus booster at least every ten years, although for those of us
who are always working in the soil, five years is probably better. Tetanus is a soil born bacteria that can cause serious
problems, and nobody needs those! Before you get too busy in the garden, call the doctor and make your appointment.
4. When the forsythia blooms it is time to prune.
5. Late March or early April is a good time to transplant roses in your garden. If a rose is too small or large for the spot
you’ve given it, or it doesn’t bloom enough for a prime spot you may want to find a different one.
6. If you didn’t dormant spray, you can spray your regular fungicide after pruning to help prevent disease. Daconil and Manzate,
Mancozeb, or Pentathalon are contact fungicides that will kill spores. Most other fungicides are preventatives.
7. Make a garden map. It doesn’t have to be fancy; it will be a record of what varieties are planted and where they are at. Tags
can easily be lost during the winter with canes being broken and damaged by our animal friends.
8. Buy some new roses! If you’re are not sure what varieties to buy, check the “ARS Handbook for Selecting Roses” which will
give higher ratings to better performing roses, Roses in Review, or put on one of us Consulting Rosarians to work, we’re listed
on page 2. You can also come to the monthly meeting and ask other members what does well for them in their gardens.
Catalogs come out this time of year with lots of new varieties.
9. Check your ph; this is a good time of year to correct it. Roses like a ph around 6.0-6.5. Limestone will raise it if it too low,
usually the case in our area.
10. Sharpen and clean your pruning tools. Maybe consider upgrading your pruners if they are wearing out or not really good
quality.
11. When the ground dries and is workable dig new planting holes or beds and amend them. This will make planting your new
additions easier when they arrive, especially if you ordered a lot of new roses.
12. If there is no rain, water your roses deeply!
Join the ARS for just $10 for a 4-Month Trial Membership
The American Rose Society is offering a four-month trial membership for only $10 to anyone who is interested in be-
coming a member of our organization. Most ARS members are home gardeners who enjoy growing roses and want to
expand their knowledge of rose culture.
Four-Month Trial Members receive:
Free advice from Consulting Rosarians.
Free or reduced garden admissions, a $25 value after just three uses.
Free online access to five quarterly bulletins, a $45 value.
Two issues of American Rose magazine, a $16 value. View a free issue online at www.ars.org
Discounts of up to 30% at merchant partners.
A 4-month trial membership is valued at $86 for only $10!

Join Now! You may complete the online form or call us at 1-800-637-6534.
Philadelphia Rose Society Membership

Our annual dues are only $15 a person, $25 per family. A sponsor is $25 and Patron is $50. If you wish to send more,
anything over the $15 or $25 is considered a donation and tax deductible. The dues go to our operating expenses for
the year. New memberships and renewals, along with name, address, phone number, e-mail, and permission or not, to
publish contact information to other society members can be sent to:
Don Atkiss
1675 Leon Drive
Hatfield, PA 19440
Had a Tetanus Booster lately?

It is a good idea to have a Tetanus booster at least every ten years, with a five year interval preferable. We all work in the soil
and occasionally get stuck with thorns, which makes having the booster important. Tetanus is a soil born bacteria which can
have some rather unpleasant symptoms. So if it’s been a while, make your appointment now, please!!!
PRS Renewals were due January 1st
The Philadelphia Rose Society

Membership Form
www.philadelphiarosesociety.org
Check out our Facebook Page
Membership in the Philadephia Rose Society runs from January 1 to December 31. Membership includes nine monthly e-
newsletters full of rose growing advice for our area, five meeting programs, garden visits and the friendship of many
knowledgeabe rose growers. All contributions over the $15/$25 level are tax deductible. PRS is a 501(c) (3) non-
profit organization
Regular Membership $15.00
Family Membership $25.00
Patron $50
We hope your association with PRS will be an enjoyable one and that you plan to continue as a members.
Meetings are held at the Morris Arboretum, 100 Northwestern Ave, Philadelphia, PA.
Our annual rose show is held on the first Sunday in June each year at the Morris Arboretum. Exhibition is open
to everyone. The show is open to the public from 1:30-4:30. Exhibitors can submit cut roses from 7:00AM –
10:30 AM. If you are a PRS member, you will receive a program schedule in the mail prior to the show.
PRS also has a group of Consulting Rosarians who can provide rose advice free of charge, including visits to
your garden. For more contact information on the Consulting Rosarian program, please visit our web site.
Also, check out our new Facebook page with some beautiful rose pictures and announcements of upcoming
events.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Membership Application: Please make checks payable to: The Philadelphia Rose Society. Mail to:
Don Atkiss, Treasurer
Philadelphia Rose Society
1675 Leon Drive – Hatfield, PA 19440.
Name: ________________________________________________________
Address:_______________________________________________________
Phone #: ___________________ Email address:______________________
May your information be shared with other PRS members? Yes ___ No ___
Are you presently a member of the American Rose Society (ARS)? Yes ___ No ___
Upcoming Events - events are held at The Horticultural Center on Bloomfield Farm directly across the
street from the Morris Arboretum 100 Northwestern Ave. Philadelphia, at Morris Arboretum 100 Northwestern Ave.
Philadelphia, (Chestnut Hills) unless otherwise indicated
Sunday April 7th 1:00 - 3:00 pm - General Meeting/Speaker
Sunday May 5th 3:30 - 4:30 pm - Executive Board Meeting
Sunday May 5th 4:30 - 6:30 pm - General Meeting/Speaker
Friday-Saturday May 3rd - 4th Morris Arboretum Plant Sale (Members sale on the 3rd)
Sunday June 2nd 6:00 am- 5:00 pm - PRS Annual Rose Show
July 14th 4:00- 6:00 pm Awards Picnic at Ann Marie Di Lauro, unless we have another volunteer
3:00- 4:00 pm board meeting prior to picnic
Refreshments Door Prizes

April- Kathy Kozemchak April- Mary McKnight
May- Jeanne Durning May- Pat Bilson
October- Mary Brelsford October- Jeanne Durning
November- Ann Marie DiLauro November- Bill Kozemchak
The Philadelphia Rose Society *

Affiliate of the American Rose Society
c/o Bill Kozemchak, Newsletter Editor
12 Violet Rd.
Levittown, Pa. 19057
First Class Mail

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The Rose April 2019

Next General Meeting is Thursday

PRS Officers PRS Board of Directors

ARS Consulting Rosarians PRS Award Winners

PRS FACEBOOK PAGE

2019 Philadelphia Rose Society Schedule of Events

Horizon Roses 2018

Combined Rose List 2018 Available

Roses Thrive on a Routine 2.0

Ratchet-action pruners Bypass pruners

Morris Pruning Demonstration

Fig 9. Male Hummingbird on a High Point in the Garden

A 4-month trial membership is valued at $86 for only $10!

Philadelphia Rose Society Membership

Had a Tetanus Booster lately?

PRS Renewals were due January 1st

The Philadelphia Rose Society

Sunday April 7th 1:00 - 3:00 pm - General Meeting/Speaker

Sunday May 5th 3:30 - 4:30 pm - Executive Board Meeting

Sunday May 5th 4:30 - 6:30 pm - General Meeting/Speaker

Refreshments Door Prizes

The Philadelphia Rose Society *

First Class Mail

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