President's Message - April 2025

Hello Fellow GRS members and friends.

We sure have been having some real nice weather this past month. I hope you had a chance or had time to get your roses ready for spring blooms. Pruning, sterilizing after pruning, feeding and spraying for flower thrips. We have got all the above done and the garden is real pretty with all the new red and green growth. We even have new bloom buds on the varieties that grow fast. The challenge now is keeping them healthy. The lack of rain this month is our biggest concern. Rose blooms just look a lot prettier when there has been adequate rain fall. All the hand watering you could possibly provide does not come close to what nature’s rain does.

In case you were not aware, GRS will not be having its regular meeting date and time this month at the Tower Road Library. We will be having our Second Rose Festival on Saturday, April 12th instead. All members are asked to participate. Hopefully we are all clear on our individual responsibilities. If you were not assigned a specific job, we still need your help to make this a memorable event for the participants. Jean Giesel is our coordinator, please contact her with your questions.

My article this month is on Feeding Your Roses. To get the most out of your roses, we need to keep them well and happy. Attached are three sheets of suggestions on how Jean and I feed our roses. The first is our Spring Regiment and contains our own Ralph’s Organic Mix. Follow this as suggested on page #1. Second is our Formula on how often to feed each element. The third sheet gives more suggestions for new roses, how to feed them and when to feed them. Plus, planting any rose any time of the year. These will be three separate sheets for you to print and keep for future use.

As mentioned at our last meeting, please be thinking about a place to have our GRS Summer picnic, either having a potluck or eat at a restaurant. My vote is for a potluck where we will not feel rushed. Please let Mary Menoski know your preference.

I look forward to seeing you on Saturday, April 12th 10:00am – 3:30pm, at the Tower Road Public Library.

President's Message - March 2025

Hello Fellow GRS members and friends.

As I sit here, I’m thinking about what I could recommend that would help our roses through the extremes of summer heat. For the past three summers we have had nearly three-digit heat degrees for most of the spring and summer months. Keeping them hydrated and cool will be the best path to lessen plant stress. I would suggest making sure there is plenty of mulch around each plant, three to four inches deep/thick. Another thing, unless you have an automatic watering system, being gone from home for extended periods, the roses may suffer from loss of moisture. I have seen in these cases where if you place a couple coffee cans, with very small holes, on each side of the plant. When it rains the can could fill up and provide seeping water up to a week. Hopefully it would rain at least once a week in order for this to be effective.

Last month was our annual pruning meeting here at the Stream’s Garden. There were a few who took part in cutting back 8 to 10 roses and learned how Ralph does his pruning. Thanks to CR’s Kathy and Wayne for helping to demonstrate their pruning skills too. If you missed out, you can still drop by and take a look. The entire garden is now finished and starting to show red growth.

This year’s DSD Mid-Winter Meeting has been moved to February 28-March 2nd. It is now too late to participate in the Saturday night banquet, but you can still register at the desk and take part in all other activities, programs, vendor sales and raffles. Plus, the opportunity to make some new friends.

Our March 9th program will be on Thornless and Shade tolerant roses, presented by Consulting Rosarian, Kathy Porter. Kathy always does a great job, so please be sure to come and lend your support.

Don’t forget your raffle items on the 9th. This helps GRS earn a few dollars. Thanks to all who bring items and buy tickets.

Take care, and I look forward to seeing you soon.