Volum e 1, Issue 3

October 2011

M ONTHLY M EETING
La Cienega Park Community Center 8400 Gregory Way, Beverly Hills SUNDAY, October 16th 2011 3:00 to 5:00 pm

Helen Richards
Rose Named for BHRS Treasurer

New Rose Introductions 2012"

by Christian Bedard
As the Research Assistant for Tom Carruth at W eeks Roses, Christian Bedard has always had a green thumb. Christian started gardening with his grandpa when he was about eight years old. He went on studying plants, obtaining his M asters Degree, and began to hybridize his own roses that perform well in cold climates. His hybridizing efforts also started with a strong interest in miniature roses. One of his early introductions for W eeks Roses includes the rust and smoke bi-color mini Coffee Bean. Another of Christian's creations that resulted with a great outcome is the compact Teeny Bopper winning the Golden Rose of Rose Hills in 2009. Perfect for containers, this scarlet Shrublet boasts a contrasting white center and reverse on long-lasting flowers.

Once again Luis Desamero has honored another BHRS member by naming one of his newest seedlings. It is with great pride that the news of naming a new shrub bestowed upon our first Treasurer, Helen Richards, has was recently been registered with the International Rose Registrar of the American Rose Society. A luminescent single petaled bright pink shrub with contrasting bicolored stamens and a white surrounding eye make for a stunning plant.

PRESIDENTS THOUGHTS ..... a few words from Tania Norris

B everly H ills R ose S ociety is a Chapter of the non-profit educational organization, the A m erican R ose S o ciety, serving the residents of B everly H ills and the C ounty of Los A ngeles. The com m on goals of these S ocieties are: 1. T o uphold and adhere to the principles and m ission of T he A m erican R ose S ociety. 2. T o prom ote interest in all aspects of rose horticulture through various educational program s, s h o w s , a n d p a rticip a tio n in ro se -re la te d com m unity projects. 3. T o help and assist individuals to grow roses with ease and with m ore effectiveness. 4. T o bring them the best inform ation from the m ost knowledgeable writers and sources. 5.T o select and generate that inform ation free from the influence of advertizing. 6.T o uphold the general principles that rose growing should be fun and enjoyable. R oses 90210 is published m onthly except fo r July, A ugust and D ecem ber. Postage is via first class m ail. R eproduction and quotation are perm itted to new sletters and bulletins of affiliated rose societies of the A m erican R ose S ociety and their chapters provide d appropriate credit is given to source, author and E ditor.

ctober! How fast this year has passed but how much we have accomplished as a newly formed Chapter of the American Rose Society. Three meetings with three vibrant speakers, a trip to the Rose Trial Gardens in W hittier and plans to help two local rose gardens - Virginia Robinson Gardens and Greystone Mansion. Both these gardens are of high historic importance and significance to the City of Beverly Hills and Los Angeles County.

The BHRS Annual Christmas Party will be held on DECEM BER 4, 2011. Save the date! It will be held at my home and will start at 11am. W e will have a pot luck this year and as there are so many fabulous cooks in the society, it should be really a feast. You will receive more details next month. ARS Grand Campaign This year we have been asked by the ARS to help with their campaign to raise $100,000. Our share is $300 or more. The board of the BHRS have decided that funds raised at the traditional silent auction at the Christmas Party, should be donated to the ARS. So please put together at least two objects each that you think other people would like and either give them to Helen Richards or bring them with you to the party. The items can be fun or serious but every item will help. Now that the business notes are over, I wanted to share with you a garden that I saw in M alibu. It is at a hotel and along the pathway leading to the restaurant is a rose garden. Truthfully the roses are in too good a shape but what made me stop and look closer were the signs posted every ten feet or so. They are roughly painted and were put in the garden by a lady in her eighties. One reads Won,t you com e into my garden? I would like you to see my roses. Richard B. Sheridan,1751 -1815, English dramatist.

Beverly Hills Rose Society 137 N. Larchmont Boulevard, #807 Los Angeles, California 90004 BeverlyHillsRose@aol.com

Another What now in Heaven than with roses and these roses. Thomas Roethre, 1908 -1963, American poet. There are eight sayings in all but my favorite is It is at the edge of the petals that love waits. W illiam Carter, 1883 - 1963, American poet. I thought what a lovely idea and one day I shall add sayings that I have found and like, to my rose garden. Look forward to seeing you at the October meeting when the speaker will be the charming young Frenchman, Christian Bedard, hybridizer from W eeks Roses. He is a vibrant speaker so it should be an energetic and informative meeting.

OFFICERS
PRESIDENT: Tania Norris 1st V. President: Dr. Tommy Cairns (Editor) 2nd Vice President: Don Rose Recording Secretary: Diane Rose Treasurer: Helen Richards Directors: Luis Desamero Alice Hart Dean Murakami Linda Goldberg Dr. Lynn Brody

ROSES 90210
2 OCTOBER 2011

Roses should be somewhat moist at all times, and never allowed to dry out completely. Roses should not be kept constantly wet. Water two or three times a week (or more) in warm weather, but always as needed. When watering, water long and well enough to moisten the entire rootball. Roses may even require watering every other day during hot summer weather.

In this issue Dean reviews the menu of new varieties for 2010. Perhaps now is the time to start thinking about which varieties in the garden need to be replaced because of lack of vigor or displeasure with the color. More often it is the desire to have the latest varieties in this horticultural fashion contest. Whatever the decision process, it is time to plan their removal and prepare the site for the incoming bushes in late December of early January. Waiting until the new plants arrive is the wrong approach. Early removal and amending the soil way ahead of planting is wise advice for a number of reasons. One, preparing the soil ahead of time allows the various bacteriums necessary for fertilization conversion to re-establish themselves ready for the new occupant. Two, the condition of the soil should be moist and not dry as occurs in new plantings with added amendments. Three, the planting process is simplified by having the texture of the soil such that bushes could be planted by hand. But, alas we all tend to buy new rose bushes on impluse and then proceed to the planting. .

After removal of the previous occupant and all its root remnants, discard at 1/3 of this old soil. Place about a cup of blood and bone meal in the bottom of the full excavated hole. Then mix the remaining 2/3 with 1/3 of a good potting soil and a few handfuls of Oak Leaf Mold. Mix well and then refill the hole and water about twice a week until the new bushes arrive. This process allows the soil to regain its horticultural status for sustaining growth.

As blooms age and become somewhat unattractive, they should be removed immediately since that stem can be a source of unnecessary moisture loss. Removing the bloom head and some stem with foliage will help reduce transpiration or water loss through the pores on the leaf sets. Besides this removal will initiate yet another bloom cycle before Christmas! Californians are blessed in that their gardens can produce blooms for the dining table on Christmas Day.

To enhance and intensify the color of many varieties, the use of fish emulsion can be beneficial. This purely organic source of fe rtilize r p r o vid es m any essentia l micronutrients in readily available forms for immediate absorption by the root system. It is best to apply this form of fertilizer about the same time the buds drop their sepals and show color, usually 10 days before the bloom.

While there is no doubt that good hygiene and preventative measures can ensure a check on potential diseases, it is the ultimate choice of durable varieties that works best. Certain varieties may display a built-in genetic resistance - perhaps best characterized as an increased natural immunity to certain common diseases. For instance, varieties with shiny foliage often have a wax coating to protect them from fungal infections such as powdery mildew and blackspot. Prevailing climatic conditions also play an important role. Cool climates with high humidity may promote fungal diseases, while hot dry climates offer some protection. And above all else roses requires 6-10 hours of sunshine to excel. Therefore, choosing a rose variety based merely on an appealing color photograph can be a recipe for disappointment. The selections below are a guide to varieties tested for their observed disease resistance in gardens throughout the US. You can also ask advice from your local rose society and its ARS Consulting Rosarian cadre who are always willing to assist. H YBRID T E AS Gemini, pink blend , 25-30 petals, 1999 St. Patrick yellow, 30-35 petals, 1996 Marilyn Monroe, apricot, 30-35 petals New Zealand, light pink, 34 petals, 1989 F O RIBU N D AS & P O LYAN TH AS Iceberg, white, 20-25 petals, 1958 Moondance, white, full, 2007 Easy Does It orange pink, full, 2008 Playboy, red blend, single, 1976 The Fairy, light pink, double, 1932 M IN IATU RE S & M IN IFLO RAS Gourmet Popcorn, white, 1988 Behold, medium yellow, double, 1996 Memphis Music, red blend, double, 2006 O LD G ARD EN R O SE S Charles de Mills dark red, 38 petals, Konigin von Danemark, medium pink Louise Odier, deep pink, double, 1851 SH R U B S Knock Out, red blend, single, 1999 Pink Home Run, deep pink, single, 2009 Carefree Sunshine, yellow, single, 2001

ROSES 90210
OCTOBER 2011 3

OLD GARDEN ROSES

Cardinal de Richelieu Hybrid Gallica, mauve

FLORIBUNDA
Chihuly Floribunda, red blend In naming a rose to honor Americas famous glass artist, Dale Chihuly, it had to have impeccable style and an ever changing array of flashy colors. The chosen rose has it all! As the sun hits the opening petals, they blushed from subtly-striped apricot yellow to dazzling orange and deep red; producing a remarkable display against the deep dark green leaves and mahogany new-grown. Medium growth and bushy, it stays remarkably clean all season long and lots of flowers to grab everyones attention.
(WEKscemala) Carruth, USA, 2004 Scentimental Amalia

GRANDIFLORA
Cherry Parfait

When the buds first show color, Cardinal de Richelieu looks as though it will be pink, but as the fluffy pompoms open, they take on the most wonderful shades of violet and grape-purple. They are beautifully fragrant. The bush is tall for a Gallica (about headhigh), with smooth, mid-green leaves that possibly betray non-Gallica blood. The name honors the great seventeenth-century French statesman, but the rose dates from some 200 years after his death, having been raised at some time before 1847.
Laffay, France, before 1847 Parentage unknown

The plant puts on quite a color display featuring blooms with swirls of white petals with broad red edges shading darker as the bloom ages. The medium size blooms are fully double borne mostly in large clusters on a free flowering bush. Reminiscent of one of worlds favorite roses, Double Delight Not your typical tall Grandiflora, this variety is more medium and broadly rounded, bushy, with deep green clean foliage. The plant performs beautifully all year with the colors intensifying even more during real hot days of summer.
(MEIsponge) Meilland, France, 2003 [Jacqueline Nebout (Anticipation Matangi)]

MINIATURE
Candy Cane Climbing Miniature, pink blend Although introduced in 1958, this variety is still popular in the United States thanks to its ability to flower abundantly throughout the season. One of Ralph Moores earlier successes, Candy Cane has simple, semidouble blooms, pink striped with white, that come in huge, loose clusters. Planted against a fence or wall, it will create a beautiful tapestry of colors. The plant has good disease resistance and needs minimal care. Moore celebrated his one-hundredth

birthday in January 2007 now thats longevity!

Moore, USA, 1958 Seedling Zee

SHRUB

Cocktail Shrub, red blend (MEImick) Meilland, France, 1961 Medium, single, 5 petals, clusters, (Independence Orange Triumph) slight, spicy fragrance. The single Phyllis Bide flowers of Cocktail appear in such profusion as to almost hide the foliage. When they first open they are scarlet with gold at the centre, but age turns them crimson. The foliage is often red tinged even at maturity, and the stems are heavily prickled. You can grow Cocktail as a climber, on a pillar, or prune it hard to make a moderate-sized shrub. There is nothing quite like it, and it is a pity that Meilland, the raisers, reused the name in the

1970s for a yellow and red, rather ordinary Hybrid Tea. The original came out in 1957.

ROSES 90210
4 OCTOBER 2011

disease-resistant foliage on a medium shrub (4 ft. tall x 3 ft. wide) with a round, bushy habit complete the picture. Hybridizer: Bdard 2012. Parentage: (City of San Francisco x Shockwave) I, for one, dont relish the idea of more condiment named roses. Whats next? Mayonnaise, the creamy white Hybrid Tea; Worcestershire, the small saucy dark red Austin; Hot Salsa, the spicy red orange multicolor shrub rose. A-1. (Hey, that last names not so bad.) Koko Loco (WEKbijou) Weeks went so crazy over Hot Cocoa, so loco they now bring you Koko Loko, a novelty 4 foot tall Floribunda whose light milk chocolate buds change to light lavender blooms. The medium double blooms have 30 to 35 petals, with both good show form and vase life.

Dean Murakami of Sego Nursery in the San Fernando Valley is an award winning author who has been recognized by the ARS for his excellence in rose horticultural knowledge.

[www.weeksroses.com] Weeks Wholesale Rose Grower, Inc. only sells through nurseries & garden centers. Beyond Sunshine Daydream, Weeks Roses is offering: All ATwitter (WEKcofbunk)

solitary All American Rose Selection(AARS) leads next years list, painstakingly judged and evaluated for two years at twenty test gardens all over the country, including Rose Hills, and is available from both Star & Weeks.

Sunshine Daydream (MEIkanaro) Sunshine Daydream is the first AARS to win under new no spray trialing conditions, and promises good garden performance even under the challenging conditions found in the rest of the country - a Grandiflora with light butter cream yellow blooms on very glossy dark green foliage. The medium-large, fully double flowers have 30-35 petals and are cuppy when full open.

Hybridizer: Bdard 2012. Parentage: (Blueberry Hill x Pot o Gold) Stormy Weather (ORAfantanov) A 8 to 10 foot tall medium climber with clusters of smoky magenta purple blend flowers. The unusual purple double blooms have 20 petals and a moderate spice fragrance on gray green foliage.

A brilliant orange 18 inch tall Miniature that promises its deep persimmon orange blossoms wont fade. It has glossy deep green foliage on a medium Miniature with a rounded and bushy habit. Hybridizer: Bdard 2012. Parentage: (Coffee Bean x unknown) Ketchup & Mustard (WEKzazette) From the people who brought you Honey Dijon, here is the newest addition to their condiment line, . This red and yellow bicolor Floribunda boasts an eye-catching combination of bright ketchup red and dark mustard yellow on each bloom. The medium, double blooms have about 25 petals, and the catalog boasts of the flower colors being both bold and non-fading. Glossy,

Hybridizer: Meilland International 2012. Parentage: [(Carefree Beauty x Yakimour) x Christopher Columbus]

Hybridizer: Orard 2012. Parentage: (Heart n Soul x Rhapsody in Blue)

ROSES 90210
OCTOBER 2011 5

Sugar Moon (WEKmemolo) A pure white 5 foot tall Hybrid Tea with a very strong sweet citrus & rose fragrance. Big pointed buds open into full blooms of 30 broad petals. These fragrant classically formed pure white flowers are borne on long cutting stems with very dark green foliage.

Eyeconic Pink Lemonade (SPROlempink)

Light pink with red eye version. The single flowers have 8 to 10 petals on a 3 ft Hulthemia hybrid. Itty Bitty Pink (MEIlezpha) Medium pink miniature shrub Rose whose cupped single blooms are, well, itty-bitty. Tiny, cup-like single flowers of 12 to 15 petals are borne profusely on a 18 inch tall and wide semiglossy medium green bush with very good disease resistance.

Hybridizer: Bdard 2012. Parentage: [Meredith x (Moonstone x Baby Love)] Pink Home Run (WEKphorn) When you got something as good as Home Run, it's a great surprise to discover a match. That's the excitement Weeks felt when they found one lone branch on the famous red Shrub that had sported (mutated) to produce pink blossoms. Parentage: Sport of Home Run Fragrance: Slight Hybridizer: Carruth/Bdard - 2011 Comments: Coast to coastit's the cleanest

[www.starroses.com] Star Roses is leading off with a pair of Hulthemia hybrids. Hulthemias are known for a characteristic darker blotch at the base of each petal, producing the effect of a contrasting central eye on each bloom. Bakersfield-based rose breeder Jim Sproul has been hybridizing Hulthemias with modern roses with an eye to combining the best of both: the unique look of Hulthemias with the modern roses diseaseresistance, good garden habit, and reblooming ability. Eyeconic Lemonade (SPROlem)

Hybridizer: Meilland International 2012. Orchid Romance (RADprov) An orchid pink 4 foot tall OGR-type Romantica Hybrid Tea. Orchid Romance has old fashioned blooms of 75 petals, in shades of medium pink with a lavender undertone. It has a strong citrus fragrance. Semi-glossy dark green foliage and Radler hybridizing promise good disease resistance.

3 to 4 foot tall shrub with single, bright yellow flowers of 12 to 14 petals. Each bloom has Hulthemia form with the characteristic red eye.

Hybridizer: William Radler 2012.

ROSES 90210
6 OCTOBER 2011

Tangerine Streams (BAGstream) Apricot salmon orange blooms with creamy yellow on the outside base of each petal. The uniquely colored medium double blooms average 25 petals. This 3 to 4 foot tall Floribunda has medium green, semi-glossy foliage.

Bronze Star apricot, 5 HT ; fragrant (spicy) Bubble Double light pink 4 shrub rose Burgundy Iceberg purple-red burgundy with a cream reverse 3 FL California Dreamin white edged cerise pink 4 HT; fragrant (citrus) China Doll china rose pink poly Double Delight white/red 4' HT; fragrant (spicy rose) Easy Going golden peach yellow 4 FL Elizabeth Taylor pink edged deep pink 4- HT Europeana red 4 FL [5S58] Is Thrive! the first in another name series? Three more candidates come quickly to mind: Grow!, Bloom!, and that future favorite of exhibitors everywhere: Win, D--- It!. 2012 promises to be a challenging year for roses (and everything else). Limited availability will be the rule for the foreseeable future, so plan accordingly. Happy Rose Hunting! And. Enjoy, D--- it!.

Hybridizer: John Bagnasco. Tequila Supreme (MEIlkokan) A 4 foot tall landscape shrub rose with medium, double flowers of 25 petals. A novel color combination of copper red and ochre yellow, unusual scalloped petals, and very bright, medium green foliage make Tequila Supreme an eye-catcher in any garden.

new!--Eyeconic Lemonade bright yellow with red eye single (12-14 petals) 3-4 Hulthemia hybrid new!--Eyeconic Pink Lemonade light pink with red eye single (8-10 petals) 3 Hulthemia hybrid
Gentle Giant vibrant rich pink 4 HT Gina Lollobrigida golden yellow 4 + HT; fragrant [5S23] Girls Night Out dark dusky pink 5+ HT; fragrant (spicy) Gold M edal clear golden yellow 5' GR ] Green Romantica green hued white 4 OGR-type florist HT Honor satin white 4 HT Iceberg pure ice white 3' FL; FR (sweet) Icy Drift pure white 1 groundcover rose

EDITOR: Please be aware that the availability and selection this Fall in your local nursery may be limited since the varieties normally sold by J&P are unavailable. Therefore, I suggest and recommend to members that they not procrastinate this year and quickly decide their potential purchases to avoid disappointment. To that end I have requested from Sego Nursery (located at the corner of Burbank and Laurel Canyon in the San Fernando Valley) their list for sale which is as follows:

new!--Itty Bitty Pink medium pink cupped single (12-15 petals) 18 Mini
John F. Kennedy pure white 4+ HT; FR (sweet licorice) Just Joey rich apricot 4+ HT; fragrant (fruity)

BUSH ROSES
Adobe Sunrise salmon orange 3 FL

new!--All ATwitter brilliant orange 18 Mini

Amalia true red 4+ florist HT Apricot Candy apricot 4 HT Barbra Streisand lavender 4' HT; FR (rose & citrus blossom) Baronne de Rothschild cherry red / white reverse 5 Bewitched pink 4 HT; fragrant (rose) Black Baccara black-red 4+ florist HT Brandy golden apricot 5' HT; fragrant Brilliant Pink Iceberg cerise pink & cream blend 4 FL

new!--Ketchup & Mustard Red & yellow bicolor 4 FL new!--Koko Loko novelty light milk chocolate ages to light lavender 4 FL
Liv Tyler Coral Pink 4 Romantica HT; fragrant (apricot & peach) M arilyn M onroe apricot cream 4+ HT (#1 ) M ilwaukees Calatrava white 5 shrub rose; fragrant (citrus)

Hybridizer: Meilland International PP#: 21271. Thrive! (SPROthrive) A dark red 4+ medium shrub with cuplike single (8 petals) blooms. Very glossy dark green foliage and Rose Knockout ancestry promise good disease resistance. Hybridizer: Jim Sproul 2012.

ROSES 90210
OCTOBER 2011 7

M iss All American Beauty Deep hot pink HT; fragrant (strong rose) M ister Lincoln deep red 5' HT; fragrant (damask rose & melon) Neptune rich lavender 4 HT; fragrant (sweet rose) Oklahoma black velvet red 5' HT; fragrant (Rose) Olympiad bright red 4+ HT Orchid Romance orchid pink 4 OGR-type Romantica HT; fragrant (citrus) Oregold deep lemon yellow 4 HT Paradise Found cerise pink/cream bicolor 5 HT; fragrant (anise & verbena) Paris de Yves St. Laurent pink 4 florist HT fragrant] Peppermint Pop pink & white bicolor 4 shrub rose Peter M ayle deep pink 5 HT; fragrant (old rose) Pink Flamingo deep pink 5 GR Pink Traviata deep pink 5 Romantica (HT) Queen M ary 2 pure white 4+ HT; fragrant (rose & banana) Rouge Royale deep raspberry red 4 Romantica HT; fragrant (citrus & berry) Scarlet M eidiland bright red 3-4 shrub/groundcover (6 wide) Secrets Out pure white 4 HT; FR (spice) Sexy Rexy pink 4' FL Silicon Valley Diamond pearl white 1- Mini Singin the Blues deep lavender cuplike FL; FR (citrus & verbena)

W hite M ajesty pure white 4 florist HT W hite M eidilland pure white groundcover shrub; canes to 4-5 Yves Piaget rich pink 4 Romantica HT; fragrant (rose)

Editors Picks for 2012

Julia Child 2006 AARS Winner (WEKvossutono)

CLIMBING ROSES
Cl. Colette pink Romantica (OGR form); 10-12; fragrant (damask)] Cl. Don Juan red 10-14 Cl. Dublin Bay clear red; 8-10 Cl. Eden pastel pink blend; Romantica (OGR form); 10-12; aka Eden Climber Cl. Iceberg ice white FL; 12-14; Cl. Josephs Coat multi-colored red/yellow blend; 10'-12 Cl. New Dawn light cameo pink; 18-20; Cl. Polka peach; Romantica (OGR form),10-12; fragrant (rose) Cl. Red Eden deep burgundy red; Romantica (OGR form); 10-12] Cl. Royal Gold golden yellow; 8-10; fragrant (fruity) Cl. Royal Sunset orange apricot 8-10; Cl. Sally Holmes pure white single (5 to 8 petals); 6-12 Cl. Smiley Face yellow double (10-15 petals); 10-12' Cl. Stormy W eather smoky purple blend; double (~20 petals); 8-10 Cl. W hite Eden pure white; Romantica (OGR form); 10 to 12

This butter-gold Floribunda named for a wonderful American icon has an even butter gold color & the licorice candy fragrance. This variety is destined for greatness in the rose world and will undoubtedly win many awards through the world. Parentage: [(Voodoo x R. soulieana derivative) x Summerwine] x Top Notch Hybridizer: Carruth - 2006 White Out 'RADwhite' A new and excellent introduction from breeder, Bill R adler w ill sa tisfy landscapers and homeowners in most parts of the country except for the areas that are most susceptible to black spot. It is efficient, more compact alternative to Iceberg. In fact, it is the best white shrub rose Star has introduced since Sea Foam over 45 years ago.

new!--Sugar Moon pure white 5 HT; fragrant (sweet citrus & rose) AARS winner! new!--Sunshine Daydream light butter cream yellow 5 HT new!--Tangerine Streams apricot orange/cream 3+ FL new!--Tequila Supreme copper red/ochre yellow 4+ shrub new!--Thrive! dark red 4+ shrub; cuplike single (8 petals)
Tiffany phlox pink 4-5 HT; fragrant (fruit) 5W 41] Touch of Class coral & cream blend 4' HT Traviata vibrant red 4+ Romantica HT Tropicana clear coral orange 4 tall HT; fragrant (sweet fruity)

TREE ROSES (all on 36 trunks) Tree--Bewitched pink HT; fragrant (rich rose) Tree--Brandy golden apricot HT; fragrant (tea) Tree--Ch-Ching! lemon yellow GR fragrant (sweet spice & fruit) Tree--Chris Evert melon orange blushed red HT Tree--Grande Dame intense rose pink HT Tree--Iceberg pure ice white FL; fragrant (sweet) Tree--Lasting Love dusky red HT; fragrant (pure rose) Tree--M ister Lincoln deep red HT; fragrant (damask rose & melon) Tree--Vavoom orange juice orange FL Tree--W eeping China Doll deep pink cascading poly
<end>

ROSES 90210
8 OCTOBER 2011

Birth Lines of English Roses

The cross was not completely successful in ensuring repeat flowering for Constance Spry was at best only summer flowering. Then in 1967 Austin introduced another summer flowering shrub Chianti hybridized using as seed parent the 1948 prize winning Floribunda Dusky Maiden with the pollen parent the Hybrid Gallica Tuscany. And again in 1968 Austin introduced another cross between an old garden rose and a modern repeat flowering variety, Shropshire Lass born from Madame Butterfly, a classic 1918 early Hybrid Tea with Madame Legras de St Germain, an 1846 Alba. Alas they too were only summer flowering. With this triumvirate of potential genetic material, Austin finally developed the first varieties that were indeed repeat flowering but markedly inherited the charm, elegance, fragrance and form of garden roses. They were the Wife of Bath and Canterbury. Having been forced to read The Canterbury Tales by Chaucer in school, I can only recollect that the Wife of Bath was a most unattractive lady with perhaps a front tooth missing or at least a very large space between her front teeth. Hardly an appropriate name for such a lovely rose! In producing this rose Austin has used an early 1890 Hybrid Tea, Madame Caroline Testout as seed parent with pollen derived from the cross of Ma Perkins with Constance Spry. Similarly Canterbury with recurrent flowering capability and old garden elegance was the result of the seed parentage of a cross between Monique (a 1949 Hybrid Tea) and Constance Spry. At this juncture Austin coined the term English Roses to symbolize a new breed of roses, not a new classification for they were shrubs under the existing international registration scheme. By the time 'Graham Thomas' and 'Mary Rose' were introduced at the Chelsea Flower Show in 1983, English Roses had gained acceptance and popularity throughout the world. Since that time David Austin has introduced over 200 varieties. His original concept of using Old Garden Roses in his breeding programs were surprisingly limited to a small selected few with intermittent success:
Species: Bourbons: R. macrantha R. pimpinellifolia Reine Victoria Louise Odier Duchess of Montebello Tuscany Baroness Rothschild Roseraie de lHay Conrad Ferdinand Meyer. Stella Grey Blush

What is an English Rose?

To the average home gardener, English Roses represent a group of repeat flowering shrub type roses with the following highly desirable characteristics: A Beautiful Flower The form and brilliance of the blooms is cloned directly from Old Garden Roses retaining their best qualities. They may be cupped, quartered, or rosette shaped and come in an attractive array of delightful colors, mostly pastels although there are a few stunning dark reds, with many small petals that the light tends to bounce off and be forever captured within the flower itself. Pleasing Growth Habit Plants have a natural shrub-like growth that blends into the overall garden display without overpowering other companion plants. On the contrary, they create that perfect English garden look oozing with tranquility and passive ambiance. Attractive Foliage Behind every great flower is great foliage and English Roses are no exception to that concept. Wonderful Array of Fragrances Outwardly English Roses are first noticed for their elegant and delicate charm. But the smell quickly seduces the gardener to their inner intense power. The fragrance range stretches from Tea Rose fragrance to Musk to Myrrh and to many different fruit flavors adding to their overall popularity and acceptance. As Cut Flowers Every gardener has a desire to bring the fruits of their labors into the home rather than allow the weather to cut short the life of their roses. English Roses amplify that urge while providing even the amateur flower arranger a golden opportunity to create beauty within the home. David Austin with his son David, Jr.

L UIS D ESAMERO

The Early Beginnings

Adopted by David Austin Roses of Wolverhampton in England to introduce a new group of roses whose clan matriarch was born in 1961 from a cross of a 1845 Hybrid Gallica, Belle Isis with a 20th century Floribunda, Dainty Maid. That rose was Constance Spry appropriately assigned the international registered codename AUSfirst.

The significance of that cross between what was a non recurrent flowering Gallica as seed parent and a repeat flowering modern Floribunda as pollen parent hopefully would combine the delicate charm, form and bouquet of an old garden rose with the habit and repeat flowering inherited from a modern rose - at that time an unconventional approach to rose breeding!

Hybrid Gallicas:

Hybrid Perpetuals: Hybrid Rugosas:

Noisettes: Alister Noisette Portlands: Comte de Chambord

ROSES 90210
OCTOBER 2011 9

Parentage of English Roses

The main thrust of future developments was then directed towards using established varieties derived from these early crosses. A review of the choice of parents for the large majority of Austins English Roses has revealed that deliberate in-breeding among the founding members of the group occurred with great success. Interestingly, Austin had a propensity to name many varieties after characters from The Canterbury Tales, his family members and historical icons. The choice of Robert Burns, the Scottish poet, pleased me greatly especially coming from an Englishman! Clearly his favorite or most productive seed parents were Charles Austin, Graham Thomas, Lilian Austin, Mary Rose, The Knight, and the Wife of Bath. As pollen parents the most productive have been Constance Spry, Chaucer, Graham Thomas, Lilian Austin, Mary Rose and The Squire. With all respect to the great pioneering English gardener, Graham Thomas, it may be said of him that he was both a good mother and father to English Roses. This genetic use of interbreeding within the general population of shrubs produced via the earlier crosses has been very successful in producing a wide diversity of colors and flower forms.

Graham Thomas (AUSmas) 1983 [Seedling x (Charles Austin x Iceberg seedling)]

Mary Rose (AUSmary) 1983 [Seedling x The Friar]

Emulation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery

Other European hybridizers have emulated the pioneering work of Austin introducing their own versions of English Roses choosing such great marketing strategies as Romanticas, Generosas, and Country Roses. The sad part of this great story is that while David Austin has been recognized with various honors for his work, English Roses still remain classified as Shrubs. After all the French claimed the Gallicas as National treasures, so why cant we have English Roses? Perhaps some day in the too distant future, the rose world will finally recognized the true significance of this evolutionary development in the history of the rose. But for the moment we must be content to call them mere Shrubs! Golden Celebration (AUSgold) 1993 Happy Child (AUScomp) 1994 [Charles Austin x Abraham Darby] [Seedling x Hero]

ROSES 90210
10 OCTOBER 2011

Importance of Humus & Humin The Nitrogen Cycle

rganic fertilizers will take 3-6 months to degrade to supply the necessary nutrients (nitrate nitrogen) to the rose plants. This fact then necessitates that frequent applications (every two weeks) will be required to maintain effective nutrient levels. Roses are horticulturally regarded as heavy feeders meaning they can utilize large quantities of nitrate nitrogen to support the 5-6 blooms cycles experienced in one year. With organic based products the NPK is generally much lower (alfalfa meal is 2:0:0) than that of chemical fertilizers. These lower NPK products require more frequent applications.

The Nitrogen Cycle This diagram illustrates the various processes that take place in the soil via rain, manures plant decay and applied fertilizers. The common denominator to all these actions is the production of Nitrate, a form of nitrogen that is immediately available to the plants for assimilation to assist in growth. However, being a soluble form of nitrogen it can also be easily lost to the water table by leaching to lower soil levels.

Cation Exchange Capacity Fertility Improvements

To rose growers the major benefits of adding Humic Acids to fertilization programs residues in the huge increase in Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC). Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) quantifies the ability of a soil to provide a nutrient reserve for plant uptake. In scientific terms CEC is the sum of exchangeable cations (positively charged ions) soil can adsorb per unit weight or volume and is usually measured in milligram equivalents per 100 g. Translated this term means that Humic Acids provide a way of storing the various nutrients (the so called cations of Calcium, Potassium, Magnesium, Nitrate Nitrogen, etc.) for absorption by the root system rather than allowing them to travel to the water table below ands be lost to be plant. By far the most important ions are the primary nutrients, Nitrate (via HN4+), Phosphorus (P+), and Potassium (K+). The ammonium ion (NH4 +), the principal source of nitrogen, both as an applied fertilizer as well as from decomposition of various organics (cotton seed meal and alfalfa), requires conversation by various soil bacteriums into the Nitrate ion (NO3-). The retention of Nitrate ions onto the various Humic Acids structures via cation exchange allows the conversion to take place for later assimulation by the root structure. While various naturally occurring soils have a low CEC value (0-75), soil humus has the highest levels of all (150-250) i.e. a combination of organic and chemical fertilizers will produce the most blooms.

BENEFITS OF HUMUS
PHYSICAL CHANGES 1. As organic matter increases, so does soil water holding capacity. The water capacity of humus compared to silicate clay soils is 4 to 5 times. 2. Improves the structure of soil and increases aeration of soil leading to better workability. CHEMICAL CHANGES 1. Serves as a buffer to neutralize both excessive soil acidity and alkalinity ensuring that nutrient ions are not rendered insoluble and unavailable to the plant. 2. Improves both the uptake and retention of vital nutrients. 3. Induces high Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) ensuring retention of nutrients for later assimilation by root structure. 4. Absorbed cations (the nutrients) attract water molecules for ease of transmission to plant. BIOLOGICAL CHANGES 1. Various growth regulators, vitamins, amino acids, auxins, and gibberellins, are formed as organic matter decays just enhancing growth. 2. Stimulates root development 3. Stimulates overall plant growth by increasing microbial like by up to 2000 times in just a few weeks. 4. Excellent food source for mycorrhizal fungus.

HUMUS
Plants do not have the ability to recognize nitrate from a naturally occurring source relative to a chemical based fertilizer in spite of claims from practitioners. Proponents of organic-only gardening often embellish their cause by exaggerating the merits. They are correct in one important respect, degradation of organic products eventually produces humus, a most important substance in gardening. This end product of composting/degradation is a complex mixture of four components: i Humic Acid not soluble in water under very acidic conditions (pH<2) but soluble at higher pH levels. This portion of humus is the major extract used in horticulture. i Fulvic Acid is the portion that is soluble in water under all pH levels. The color is light yellow to yellowish-brown. i Ulmic Acid - also known as Hymatomelanic acid, a minor fraction that is soluble in alkaline. i Humin is the remaining fraction that is not soluble in water at any pH.

ROSES 90210
OCTOBER 2011 11

A new design and modern technology have been combined to produce a powerful siphon device with optimum performance and maximum energy efficiency. This new advanced technology provides reliable 1:16 siphon vacuum at low and high water pressure from 30 to 90 psi over a 200 ft length of 5/8 inch hose. This simple design has been constructed to work in conjunction with an antisiphon vacuum breaker to prevent the back siphonage of contaminated water into the home. Most homes built after 1975 are usually equipped with such a protective device, but in older homes the use of a anti-siphon water value attached to the faucet will suffice. This new siphon mixer permits the easy application of fertilizer to your rose bushes by dissolving soluble fertilizers in water at 16 times the product label: i.e. manufacturer recommends 1 tablespoon per gallon of water, then add 16 tablespoons to a gallon of water in a bucket, dip in the feeder line and you will get 16 gallons of fertilizer at the hose end delivered in 5 minutes or less. This new bright yellow device is made of non corrodible impact plastic construction and is nonclogging and can be permanently installed. Be aware that the siphon mixer must be used with a atmospheric vacuum breaker of such as a sprinkler valve with a vacuum breaker. This unit replaces the corroding brass fittings used previously which were easy to clog and cause problems. Thanks to the good people at Grow More (manufacturer of Magnum Rose Food) we now have a reliable and inexpensive siphon device to fertilize our rose gardens with simplicity in mind.

Siphon Mixer from Grow More

Luis, doyen of Editors, was honored as Editor Emeritus of the ARS Pacific Southwest District and is a recipient of the ARS Klima Medal for e xc e l l e n c e i n ros e education.
L UIS D ESAMERO

ROSES 90210
12 OCTOBER 2011