Gardening Hazard - Tetanus

It is a good idea to have a tetanus shot at least every ten years, although for those of us who are always working in the soil, five years is probably preferable. We all work in the garden and sometimes get stuck with thorns. A small cut or scrape is enough to admit tetanus bacteria.

Tetanus bacteria live in the soil and compost. It can have some rather unpleasant symptoms and cause very serious problems and nobody needs those which make having tetanus shots very important.

According to webmd.com, you should suspect tetanus if a cut or wound is followed by one or more of these symptoms:

·        Stiffness of the neck, jaw, and other muscles, often accompanied by a grotesque, grinning expression

·        Difficulty swallowing

·        Irritability

·        Uncontrollable spasms of the jaw, called lockjaw, and neck muscles

·        Painful, involuntary contraction of other muscles.

Since there is not a lot going on in the garden now, please call your doctor and make your appointment.

Until next time. Stop and smell the roses.

Rosalinda Morgan

Suggested Winter Readings

Next to rose gardening, my favorite hobby is reading. I can’t get enough books to read although we have already so many books in our home library. Winter is the best time to indulge myself. Here are some books which you might find helpful in the coming season.

Taylor’s Guides – Roses

Completely Revised and Updated by Nancy J. Ondra. Everything you need to know can be found in this guide. There are almost 400 photographs of roses with description as regards to their growth habit, winter hardiness and fragrance.

Landscape with Roses by Jeff Cox

This is an excellent idea book on new ways of using roses in your landscape; in the mixed border, walkways, arbors, containers, even clambering up a tree and adorning architectural structures. There are over 300 full color photographs and about 100 black and white photos.

Beautiful Roses by Marie-Helene Loaec

Writer and journalist Alphonse Karr (1808-1890) said “A rose without perfume is only half a rose.” This book is about fragrant roses. If you are interested in planning a garden with the most fragrant roses, this is the book you should read. It has pictures of 50 roses arranged by color and chosen for their unforgettable fragrance. Information on their history, characteristics and cultivation are included, together with hints on companion plantings. The last chapter deals with 50 guidelines which are the keys to success in rose growing.

Roses for the Scented Room by Barbara Milo Ohrbach

The book is full of entertaining, gift-giving and decorating ideas celebrating the beauty of roses. Beginning with the basics, Barbara describes the many varieties available, from old-fashioned roses to modern hybrids, and explain how to choose the best roses from a florist or from your own garden. She offers dozens of simple how-to ideas for using them in the home or giving them as gifts.

Stop and Smell the Roses by Rosalinda R Morgan

It is a rose book with motivational twist or rather a motivational book with a rose twist. “Stop and Smell the Roses” includes some of the roses I grow in my garden. There are 33 roses featured in the book. There are almost a hundred rose-related photos all in full color. If you can’t go to a rose garden, this is the next best thing. In addition to all the rose photos, there are 101 motivational tips that will inspire you to make positive changes in your life to make you happy, healthy and successful.

Until next time. Stop and smell the roses.

Rosalinda

"Stop and Smell the Roses" available on pre-order at Amazon Kindle

Feeling stressed out lately? You’re not alone.

In a world buzzing with frenetic activities, we find ourselves as busy as ever. No wonder we are all stressed out. It is time to change our bad habits. Most of our health problems are due to our unhealthy lifestyle. Studies show that stressful living causes health problems. Find out how we can improve our well-being by following simple tips for stress-free living.

Inspire yourself into a healthy lifestyle!

Do you know that roses have curative powers? In the olden days, roses were used to make all sorts of medicinal potions to cure maladies and drive away bad spirits. A bouquet of roses uplifts the spirits any day of the year. Even a single rose in a room will liven it up on dreary days. When we are in distress, a rose will cheer us up.

“Stop and Smell the Roses”, my newest book, includes some of the roses I grow in my garden. Read about those beautiful roses in full color if you can’t go to a rose garden. The book is chock-full of motivational tips that can improve our well-being. They are simple tips that will inspire us to make positive changes in our lives to make us happy, healthy and successful.

So take a break in my garden. I want you to stop and smell the roses.

“Stop and Smell the Roses” is now available on pre-order at Amazon Kindle. Reserve your copy today! Click here.

Until next time. Stop and smell the roses.

Rosalinda

HISTORY OF THE ROSE PARADE

 

By Rosalinda Morgan

           

The annual Rose Parade and Rose Bowl football game is an all-American tradition on New Year’s Day.  Long before the radio was invented much less the TV in 1890, members of the Pasadena’s Valley Hunt Club wanted to celebrate the mild winter weather in California where roses were still in bloom in January.  They were eager to tell the world about their paradise.  They were from the East and Midwest who moved to California and discovered the nice mild winter weather in Pasadena.  Dr. Charles Frederick Holder declared at a club meeting that “In New York, people are buried in snow.  Here our flowers are blooming and our oranges are about to bear.  Let’s hold a festival to tell the world about our paradise.”

 

The first floral festival on New Year’s Day was attended by more than 2000 people and was patterned after the Battle of the Flowers held in Nice, France.  The festival included a modest procession of flower-covered carriages with afternoon games of foot races, tug-of-war contests, bicycle races, ostrich races, polo matches and other contest on the town lot.  There was even a race between a camel and an elephant.  The elephant won.  Eventually, the contest was replaced by the best of college football.  The town lot was then renamed Tournament Park in 1900.  The first football game was played in 1902 between Stanford University and the University of Michigan with Michigan winning 49-0.  Due to such defeat, the Association dropped football in favor of chariot races.

 

Then in 1916, football came back to stay.  In 1920, a new stadium was built which the local newspaper called the Rose Bowl.  On January 1, 1923, the Tournament held the first Rose Bowl game.  Today, the festival starts with a parade that includes matching bands, high-stepping equestrian units and spectacular animated floats covered with million flowers from all over the world.  Volunteers called petal pushers work hand in hand with professional designers to make this event a huge success.  This was followed by the Rose Bowl where the championship collegiate football teams of the Pac-12 and the Big Ten conference meet for the showdown of the Granddaddy of them all.

 

In the early years, few teams arrived in flower decorated carriages which gave Dr. Holder the idea to change the name of the festival to “Tournament of Roses”.  By 1895, the festival had gotten so big that it was difficult for the Valley Hunt Club to handle so the Tournament of Roses Association was formed.  Today the Tournament of Roses Association headquarters is housed at an Italian Renaissance-style house, thanks to the generosity of the famous chewing-gum manufacturer, William Wrigley Jr. whose favorite pastime was watching the parade.  The 18,500 square foot mansion designed by architect G. Lawrence Stimson with a 4-1/2 acres rose garden is located two blocks south of the starting point of the parade and was bequeathed to the city of Pasadena upon Mr. Wrigley’s death in 1958 with the stipulation that it be used as the Tournament’s permanent headquarters.

 

From the humble beginning, the 126^th Rose Parade presented by Honda with the theme, “Inspiring Stories,” will start at 8:00 a.m. (PT) on Thursday, January 1, 2015. The Tournament of Roses has selected Els Hazenberg, Steven Wood Schmader and Eddie Zaratsian to be float judges for the 126th Rose Parade. The Rose Parade expects to be watched by millions on television in more than 100 countries plus a million of spectators along the parade routes.

 

The Rose Parade will be followed by the 101^st Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual at 1:30 pm PT (4:30 pm ET) between the No. 2 CFP-ranked Oregon Ducks, champions of the Pac-12 Conference, and the No. 3 CFP-ranked Florida State Seminoles, champions of the ACC Conference. The 101st Rose Bowl Game will mark the first-ever meeting between the Ducks and the Seminoles. The winner of the Playoff Semifinal at the Rose Bowl Game will earn a spot in the first-ever College Football Playoff National Championship, which will take place on January 12, 2015 in North Texas. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN with Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Heather Cox calling the action.

ROSE DAY OF REMEMBRANCE

“To remember, lest we forget.”

Today, Sept. 11, let us remember the fallen and celebrate life, liberty and freedom through roses.

 

 

Firefighter, a beautiful dark red hybrid tea hybridized by Orard in 1999, is the first of the eleven roses to be named for the Remember Me Rose Gardens to honor the 343 firefighters who lost their lives on September 11, 2001 while trying to save lives in the World Trade Center.  Firefighter also honors those men and women who risk their lives daily to protect ours. 

 

 

Firefighter is a tall hybrid tea about 5-6 ft tall with a perfect flower form, about 4-6 inches and disease resistant.  Petal count is about 40-45 and has a very strong fragrance.  Firefighter won the City of Portland Gold Medal Award for 2007. 

To honor and pay tribute to all the victims of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Sue Casey of Portland, Oregon formed an organization called Remember Me Rose Gardens to create three rose gardens on or near the sites of the terrorist attacks in New York, at the Pentagon and at a field in Stonycreek Township, Somerset County in Pennsylvania. 

 

ECO-FRIENDLY ALTERNATIVES TO ROSE CARE

As I talk to more people about growing roses, I was amazed at most of the answers I got, “Roses are hard to grow. You have to spray constantly.” Spraying scares some people. With all the talk on sustainability, this is one thing that we as members of a rose society should pay attention to. Most people just want to grow roses without spraying those chemicals and that is the main reason “Knock Out” roses are so popular. We have to educate them that there are alternative to spraying and there are other easy roses besides Knock Out roses.

 

I know big exhibitors have to keep their roses in perfect condition and the only way is to keep on their spray program. I admire them for taking on that task but a majority of gardeners do not want to do that. When we talk to novices and start spouting about all those toxic chemicals, they will surely find the nearest exit to get out of where you are. It’s not a good way to introduce new members to grow roses. We have to find an alternative way to entice them to grow roses the easy way and there are other ways.

 

Years ago, I sprayed my roses every week. Then about 15 years ago, I decided to stop spraying because I could not stand the smell of those chemicals to the point of closing all my windows after I sprayed the garden. Top exhibitors would disagree with this notion but I was not going for the Queen. I was more interested in rose arrangements at that time and showing my garden at our annual garden tour. I need color in the garden and fragrant roses. I discovered Bayers 3-in-1 would do the same job so I used that. Then Bayers stopped selling them in New York. The first year, I did not spray, the garden looked terrible. Some of the roses got defoliated completely by August. But I ignored it as I looked for other alternatives.

 

For starters, I discovered Gardens Alive, a purveyor of earth-friendly products. I started spreading beneficial nematodes on the edge of the lawn in the spring and fall. They kill the grubs which grow up into Japanese beetles. I got rid of the beetles. 

 

For aphids, there are some environment friendly methods you can use. Ladybugs and lacewing larvae will eat aphids. I used ladybugs. One rose supplier I asked told me to just give them a good drench of water. A heavy thunderstorm will probably do a better job than any dose of chemical spray. Since aphids cannot fly, once you knock them off the plant, they will not be able to return.

 

Red spider mite is a relative of the true spider and only occurs in the late spring/early summers in very dry conditions. Once you get an infestation, it is very hard to control but the most important thing to remember is that a very fine spray must be used on the sprayer and the plant must be completely wet. An application of dormant oil in late winter will kill eggs wintering on the ground. The telltale sign of an infestation is the leaves appear to lack color and eventually fall off. The mites, which are very, very small, appear on the underside of the leaves and are reddish brown. I had a Graham Thomas in a pot in front of my house and for two years got spider mites. Since I don’t spray, I kept on cutting the infected stem. I decided to give it one more chance and move the pot to the back yard where it got partial sun and pruned it drastically in February. Lo and behold it fares better at the new location and looks happy.

 

To take care of diseases like blackspot, I used Pyola from Gardens Alive. I also bought Serenade from Possum. Messenger and Mighty Plant are excellent products too. I tried Roses Alive this year and the roses look very healthy without spraying toxic chemicals. I don’t own a sprayer to prove my point.

 

Most important of all is to keep your garden clean, tidy and weed free. Get rid of diseased leaves. I go out there every day and if I see leaves with blackspot, I pull them out. If you have pine straw mulch, it is hard to pick up the diseased leaves stuck between the straws so I opted for black cedar mulch.

 

Check your garden every day to see what is going on. Unless it is raining, I’m out there in the garden everyday doing something or just walking around and enjoying the beauty that surrounds me. That’s the reward of gardening!

MAY IS ROSE MONTH IN THE LOWCOUNTRY

 

Blush Noisette

 

Roses, Roses, Roses Everywhere!

Roses are at their peak bloom in May in the Lowcountry and the Charleston Lowcountry Rose Society is celebrating May as their Rose Month. In the South and on the West Coast, the Rose reigns supreme in the garden in May, but from Mid-Atlantic regions and all the way up to Maine, it is in June.

The Charleston Lowcountry Rose Society will have a display of roses and rose items for the whole month of May at two libraries, one on either side of Charleston across the two rivers, one at Mt. Pleasant Public Library and another one at Johns Island Public Library. We have our monthly meeting on May 4 at Berkeley Electric Coop Office, 3351 Maybank Highway, Johns Island at 3 PM with a program on how to exhibit your roses. Everyone is welcome to attend and the admission is free. Our Annual Rose Show is on May 10 at Citadel Mall and open to the public. Everyone can enter their roses to exhibit and the show is free. We will have an educational table there where American Rose Society Consulting Rosarians will be doing pro bono service answering various questions on rose culture. Consulting Rosarians are nationally accredited rose authorities. They take classes from the American Rose Society sponsored schools and take continuing education every three years to maintain their status. They offer free advice to the public. We will also have a booth at the Charleston Farmer’s Market on May 17 at Marion Square in downtown Charleston manned by members of the Charleston Lowcountry Rose Society. We are closing the event with a picnic and an auction on Saturday, June 1 at a waterfront private garden in Mt. Pleasant open only to CLRS members and their friends, a benefit of CLRS membership. For info on how to join CLRS, visit www.charlestonrose.com. Roses will be in abundance in all these places.

The Rose has been around for millions of years and has grown naturally throughout North America. The petals and rose hips are edible and have been used in medicines since ancient times. The rose has been revered for millions of years as a symbol of love and beauty and has been an inspiration to poets and artists. Rose leaf impressions have been discovered in chalk formed in the Miocence age of 70 million years ago. The first rose illustrations were found in the ruins of the 4000-year-old Minoan capital, Knossos, in Crete. Empress Josephine (1763-1814), wife of Napoleon was so enamored by them, she commissioned Pierre Redoute to paint them from her garden at Malmaison in France and immortalized in his book ‘Les Roses’ (1817-1824).

The poetess Sappho at 650 B.C. declared it the Queen of Flowers in her “Ode to the Rose.”

"Would you appoint some other flower to reign

In matchless beauty on the plain,

The Rose (mankind will all agree)

The Rose the Queen of Flowers should be.”

 

Some gardeners have the wrong notion that roses are difficult to grow. It is not so. Yes, you can grow beautiful roses. The Charleston Lowcountry Rose Society will teach you how to grow beautiful roses. There are so many roses on the market that growing roses is not that difficult as choosing the varieties to plant. Just like people, roses need the basic things to live: water, food and sunshine. If you supply these basic needs of the rose, you will have no trouble growing them and they will reward you with the most beautiful flower there is. Roses need plenty of sunshine, at least five hours, food and water to live and good drainage. Some roses will grow in dappled shade but roses do not like wet feet. The roots will rot and the rose will eventually die.

The rose was designated the United States National Floral Emblem and several states have it too as their state flower. President Ronald Reagan signed the proclamation declaring The Rose as our National Floral Emblem on November 20, 1986. Charleston is home to the only class of old garden roses, the Noisette Rose, that was bred, evaluated and introduced to the world by the United States.

Let’s celebrate May as the Rose Month in the Lowcountry! We are blessed with this beautiful flower in our midst so let’s all grow roses. The Charleston Lowcountry Rose Society and the American Rose Society join together to teach you how to grow beautiful roses, at least One Rose for Every Home!

 

For more info on growing roses, visit the following sites:

 

www.charlestonrose.com

www.charlestonlowcountryrosesociety.blogspot.com

www.rosegardeningworld.com

www.ars.org

www.heritagerosefoundation.org.