Texas Rose

Number 3 Summer 2006 www.texasroserustlers.org

Texas Rose Rustlers SummerMeeting

Mercer ArboretumJuly 8,2006

Calling all New Rustlers, VeteranRustlers, and those curious about RoseRustlers ... Once again, we will have thepleasure of having our summer meetingindoors. Thanks to the generosity of MercerArboretum and Botanical Gardens, we havethe opportunity to meet in a cool andrelaxing environment.

Please feel free to come early andtake a self-guided tour of the lovely gardens.Bring a picnic style lunch to enjoy in thecool of the meeting room. We will alsofeature our traditional rose / plant lotto. OurProgram Chairman, Doana Fite, wants toannounce that if you bring a friend, and theysign up for membership, you will receive anextra lotto ticket.

We have a great program scheduledthis year. Our program features GayeHammond from the Houston Rose Society,and John Ferguson from Nature's WayResources. See you in July!

The Old

Schedule

9:00--Self guided tour of the gardens

10:00--Sign-in / set-up / coffee

10:30--Earthkind Roses by Gaye

Hammond of the Houston Rose Society

LOTTO

12:00--Picnic style lunch (indoors), you

may bring dessert to share.

1:00-- The Secret Uses of Compost by

John Ferguson of Nature's Way Resources

LOTTO

the Editor ...

Howdy Rustlers! Summer is here,is no denying that. From the looks of

ything, it looks like it is August out. We had a couple of good rains nearorial Day, but nothing since then. It is

going to be a long summer.The roses loved the warmth of the

ring this year. They have put on threenshes since March. Many of my

perennials put out their new growth recently,and they are not responding too well to thisheat and drought. All I feel like I do thesedays is drag that dam hose around.

As I glance out my window, Maggieis just finishing up her last flush, theCaldwell Pinks are in full bloom, the Zinnias(that were seeded) are doing beautifully,'Kwanso' daylilies have just begun, thelantanas, butterfly weed and cannas areblooming as well. Everything else seems tobe taking a summer nap.

OUFvegetable garden is doing. well.We've been eating green beans andtomatoes since mid-May. This week weharvested our first round of com. Also thisweek, I canned six jars of pickles.Unfortunately, the squash bugs devastatedthe zucchini and yellow squash plants earlyin the season. Because it has been so hotlately, I have a feeling that many of mycrops this year will be finished at the latterpart of July. My plan is to plant anothercrop of squash and tomatoes early in the fall,along with my usual fall / winter veggies.

The Rose Rustlers had a nice time inBay City this April. The speakers weregreat, the gardens were beautiful, and a goodtime was had by all. I would like topersonally thank all who helped plan theevent and to all of our hosts. Further detailswill be mentioned in this issue of the OTR.

Our summer meeting at Mercer isjust around the comer. I have always lovedthe meetings at Mercer; first, because thebuilding is air conditioned, and it is 100

degrees outside, and second, the summerMercer meeting was the first meeting Doanaand I attended. I guess it holds a specialplace in my heart.

The following event will be ourannual fall Cutting Exchange on October 14,2006. The event will be held in Tyler, TX.Mark your calendars. I will try to have thefall OTR out by the first of September withall the details, including hotel information.

-See ya'll soon-Candy

Did You Know???

That the Texas Rose Rustlers have gatheredabout 30 rooted cuttings for the NewOrleans Old Garden Rose Society. Thereare a few more to add to the collection frommembers who were unable to attend theApril meeting.

The New Orleans Old Garden RoseSociety will be collecting this summer.They will notify us when they will be

- coming.c.At.this time, .the .roses are beingkept at a member's house in Katy, TX.

Which leads me to my nextannouncement ...

I would like to express a heartfeltthank you to Rustler, Donna Martin, for hervolunteering to baby-sit the "baby" roses.The original plan was for me to bring themback to my house. When we arrived at theBirding and Nature Center in Bay City, werealized there too many to fit in the trunk ofour car.

Donna Martin offered to take themback to Katy. Her generosity was extendedwhen she informed Doana Fite that she didnot mind caring for them until they can becollected. In this heat, that can be a realstruggle.

THANK YOU DONNA!!!

TRR Board Position Available

If you would like to become moreinvolved with the Rose Rustlers, considerjoining the Board of Officers. The positionof Secretary is will be available for the term2007-2009. Now, before you say that itsounds like a long time, time flies when youare having fun! Let us know if you areinterested. Here is a list of the simple tasksof Secretary:Section 4. Secretary

A. Shall write all correspondenceof The tel,{as Rose Rustlers incooperation with theChairman.

B. Shall record the minutes of allbusiness meetings, as providedin Article IV, Section 1.

C. Shall maintain all archivedwritten correspondence,minutes of annual businessmeetings, and anyorganizational literature orrecords deemed appropriate bythe Executive Board.

D. Shall have one vote in allbusiness of the ExecutiveBoard.

*Reprinted from the Texas Rose Rustler'sBy-laws.

REMEMBER TEXAS ROSERUSTLER'S 20TH ANNIVERSARY IN

2007

If you have any ideas or suggestions, pleasefeel free to contact any of the Boardmembers.Our phone numbers are listed on the back ofthis issue.

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On behalf of the Texas RoseRustlers, we would like to thank all of thepeople who assisted us in the success of the2006 Spring Symposium. First, andforemost, Faith Bickley, thank you for all

work in the planning andfor the meeting. Yourefforts were the reason for

your hardschedulingtremendoussuccess!

Thank you to Myra Mayo andRustler, Ray Ponton, for dedicating yourtime to speaking for us! Thanks to the BayCity Birding and Nature Center for sograciously allowing us the use of theirfacilities. The gardens are not only beautifuland meticuously maintained, but theincorporation of wildlife habitats completesthe natural union. Thank you to Bob andMarcia Roenigk from the Vintage Rosery.We enjoyed your presentation, walking yourlovely gardens, and shopping for roses! Iended up with three new roses, including myfirst (believe it or not) Souvenir De LaMalmaison.

Mark Your Calendars

Next event: July 8, 2006-MercerArboretum

Fall Cutting Exchange: October 14,2006;meeting will be held in Tyler, TX. We willbe staying overnight in Tyler. Details in thefall issue of the OTR.

Folks, Ihave a surprise for you. Iwas sentthis wonderful article from Dr. WilliamWelch. Ihope you enjoy it as much as Idid.

The "Peggy Martin" RoseDr. William C. Welch

Peggy Martin has been a mainstay in theNew Orleans Old Garden Rose Society formany years. She and her husband, MJ, livedin Plaquemines Parish a few miles across theMississippi River from the city of NewOrleans. My wife, Diane, and I were herguests several years ago when I accepted aspeaking engagement for the NOOGRS.

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Peggy graciously cared for us during ourvisit and entertained us in her home with amemorable Louisiana style seafood boil thathad been harvested by her husband justhours before. Peggy's garden included awonderful collection of old roses assembledwith love and care over the years. Therewere many wonderful specimens thatappealed to me but one rambler in particularcaught my eye. I am always interested inthornless roses and Peggy was particularlyenthusiastic about a large, healthy specimenshe had collected in 1989 in New Orleans.According to Peggy "1\vas given cuttings ofthe thornless climber in 1989 by EllenDupriest who had gotten her rose cuttingsfrom her mother-in-law, Faye Dupriest.Faye had gotten her cuttings from arelative's garden in New Orleans. When Ifirst saw this rose it was in full bloom andsmothered the 8ft wooden fence in Ellen'sback yard. It took my breath away! I hadnever seen a rose so lushly beautiful withthornless bright green foliage that wasdisease free. All along the canes there wereclusters of roses that resembled perfectnosegays of blooms".

I departed from New Orleans in the latesummer of 2003 with several cuttings ofPeggy's thornless climber. I was pleasedthat the cuttings rooted quickly andimmediately set one on the fence thatencloses the NC equipment at Fragilee, ourweekend home in Washington County, TX. Iwas a little dubious of the site I had selectedbecause the soil was less than ideal. Myconcern soon disappeared as I saw thecutting quickly mature into a vigorousspecimen that spans most of the 12-15 linearfeet of 4' tall picket fencing.

I didn't allow myself to get overly excitedabout the plant because I assumed that itwould be a "once bloomer" with a fairlyshort flowering season in the spring. On asubsequent visit with Peggy she indicated

that my plant would rebloom in the fall afterit had been established for a couple of years.I must admit that I had some doubt about therebloom in our hot and sometimes very dryTexas climate. Last year Peggy's roserewarded us with a nice bloom fromSeptember through November. Even withbeing covered by ice for two days duringmid-December '05 we have had somescattered bloom all winter.

'Katrina' takes its Toll

We fretted about many of our New Orleansfriends during the 'Katrina' storm. Gettinginformation was not easy with so much ofthe communications system inoperative. Wewere uneasy about traveling to Birminghamfor an annual meeting with the gardens stafffor Southern Living. We spent the night ofSeptember 7, at our home in Mangham, La.Mangham is in the northeastern part of thestate and 'Katrina' had only brushed by as itveered to- the east through Mississippi. Wewere relieved that our cotton and soybeancrops received only minor damage and theold pecan trees in our yard suffered littlemore than loss of most of this year's crop.

Upon arrival in Birmingham we checkedinto the Marriott Courtyard located near theSouthern Living headquarters. Early thenext morning we went to breakfast and wereseated adjacent to two couples who soundedlike they had New Orleans accents. Afterintroducing ourselves we learned that theywere from Plaquemines Parish and had losttheir homes. Birmingham was the first placethey were able to find shelter. I asked themif they knew Peggy Martin and her familyand they said they knew them well and werewe familiar with the tragedy of their losses?It seems that Peggy lost both her elderlyparents in the flood that inundated nearly allof Plaquemines Parish. We were, of course,deeply saddened that Peggy had lost herparents, her home, and commercial fishing

Myra Mayo Speaks at the Bay City Nature andBirding Center

\. ...."'t'Rustler, Ray Ponton Speaks about

Misting System

Joy Hairston's Lovely Garden

Rustlers Shop & Chat at Myra's Garden

Bob Roenigk Speaks to Us at theVintage Rosery

boat that her husband used to supplementtheir income.

An Inspirational Survivor

It took a couple of months for me toreestablish communication with Peggy. Sheand her family have moved to Gonzales, LAwhich is close to Baton Rouge on Interstate10. I asked Peggy about her roses and homeand she indicated the house and garden wereunder about 20' of salt water for two weeksfollowing the hurricane. When she wasfinally able to return to"'visit their propertyshe was heartened to see the lush growth ofher thornless climber, a testament to itstoughness and status as a true survivor.This rose and one crinum were all thatremained of the once beautiful garden.

I had already been convinced that this rosedeserved to be widely available and enjoyedby gardeners in other locations. Its diseaseresistance, thornless stems and colorfuldisplays of bright pink flowers along with agraceful vining form make it a logicalchoice for creating beautiful garden pictures.My specimen is literally covered withclusters of dark pink flowers each springfrom mid-March through May. It startsblooming again in late summer and repeatsuntil a hard frost slows it down for thewinter.

A Way to Help

In mid-January I was pleased to receive anotification that my friend Nancy Godshall,a member of the Garden Club of Houstonand currently Zone IX Director for theGarden Club of America had given adonation in my name to a recentlyestablished Zone IX HorticultureRestoration Fund. The fund wasestablished for the purpose of restoringparks, gardens and green space in NewOrleans, LA, Laurel, MS and Beaumont TX,

following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Iwas pleased to learn that Nancy Thomas,also from Houston and a former GCAPresident was closely involved in selectingprojects for the restoration fund.

An idea came to me several weeks ago "inthe middle of the night" about growing the"Peggy Martin" rose as a fund raiser forZone IX Horticulture Restoration Fund.First, I checked with Peggy to see if shewould be in agreement then I went to MikeShoup, owner of the Antique RoseEmporium. Mike is enthusiastic and hasalready stuck the first small crop of cuttingswe provided a couple of weeks ago. He iscertain that he can produce a good crop byfall '06 and has pledged a dollar per plantwill go to the Fund. Jason and ShelleyPowell, owners of Petals from the PastNursery in Jemison, AL were impressedwith the rose while visiting here in lateOctober, '05 and took quite a few cuttings atthat time. Jason reports that they alreadyhave sixty or seventy rooted cuttings. Jasonreceived his Master's Degree from Texas A& M and was an early recipient of myscholarship sponsored by Texas GardenClubs, Inc.. Mark Chamblee, owner ofChamblee Rose Nursery in Tyler, TX hasreceived a small stock plant and isenthusiastic about marketing the rose as isAubrey King, owner of King's Nursery inTenaha, TX. Addresses and phonenumbers for these sources are includedbelow. A first crop from these growersshould be available as early as the fall of '06with larger numbers in '07. Each of thesegrowers has pledged a $1.00 per plantdonation to the Garden Restoration Fund foreach plant. Reduced or wholesale pricesmay be available for Garden Club PlantSales, Master Gardener Events, etc.. Thiswould allow more opportunity forcontributions.

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This is going to be fun! A great rose and agreat cause. This is a hard combination tobeat! I am fully convinced that theresilience and fortitude of our friends andneighbors in New Orleans, Beaumont andMississippi is matched by the beauty andtoughness of the "Peggy Martin" rose. The'Peggy Martin' rose is a beautiful symbol ofsurvival on the Gulf Coast. Please join usin this celebration.

The "Peggy Martin" Rose

Current List of Cooperating Growers ofthe "Peggy Martin" rose:Antique Rose Emporium9300 Lueckmeyer RoadBrenham, TX 77833800-441-0002http://www.antiqueroseemporium.com

Chamblee's Rose Nursery10926 US Hwy 69 NorthTyler, TX 75706800-256-ROSEhttp://www.chambleeroses.com

Petals from the Past Nursery16034 County Rd. 29Jemison, AL 35085205-646-0069http://www.petalsfromthepast.com

King's NurseryHwy 84 East,Tenaha,Texas 75974409-248-3811

***Note from the Editor. . .I am not sureabout all of you, but I would love to have oneof those roses! This for sure, will be my nextpurchase, not only for the beauty, but for thesentimental value as well. This picture doesnot do the rose justice being printed in b/w. Itis the loveliest pink, and looks to be bloomingin clusters. The bush overhanging the fence iscovered in blooms!

[

Here is information about our speakersthis summer ...

EARTHKIND ROSES MIRROR RUSTLERSPIRIT

Rose rustlers have long touted the lowmaintenance requirements of antique and oldgarden roses. Although individual experiencesconfirm that generally these types of rosesperform with less maintenance than theirmodem counterparts, until a few years agothere had been no scientific evaluation onwhich roses will truly grow with almost nohuman care - much less=do so in divergentgeographic zones and in different soil types.

Thanks to the dedication and work byresearchers at Texas A&M University, acollection of roses has now been scientificallyproven to grow anywhere in the South withoutapplications of fertilizer, pesticides, fungicidesand no deadheading or pruning. Known as"EarthKind Roses", this collection of cultivarsalso reduces the need for supplementalwatering by as much as 75%. "These roses areas close to "plant 'em and forget 'em" roses asyou can grow", says Gaye Hammond, Presidentof the Houston Rose Society.

Gaye is the study liaison between theHouston Rose Society (which funded theEarthKind Research Program) and TexasCooperative Extension (a division of TexasA&M). She is also one of the instructors in theEarthKind schools and seminars that have beenconducted in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma andMississippi.

The Secret Uses of Compost by JohnFerguson of Nature's Way Resources

Mr. Ferguson has over 27 years of businessexperience. He owns Nature's Way Resources acompo sting company that specializes in highquality compost, mulch, and soil mixes. Mr.Ferguson holds a MS degree in Physics andGeology and is a licensed Soil Scientist in Texas.He has won many awards in horticulture and

environmental issues. He represents thecomposting industry on the Houston-GalvestonArea Council for solid waste. His personalgarden has been featured in several books and"Better Homes and Gardens" magazine and hisbusiness has been recognized in the Wall StreetJournal for the quality and value of theirproducts. He is a member of the Physics HonorSociety and many professional societies.

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On Behalf of the Texas1/ Rose Rustlers, we'd like~ to express our deepest

sympathies to ...

,~~,

~ Faith Bickley, Phyllis~ _ DeGelleke and family for

~ the loss of Faith's husband,( Harold Bickley.

Starlet Taylor and familythe loss of their son.

Our hearts go out to you and yourfamilies. We hope and pray that pain fromyour losses lessen as the days pass.Peace be with you and your families.

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The Texas Rose RustlersC/O Mrs. Candy Fite8020 FM 2502Brenham, TX 77833

First Class Mail

Is this your last issue???

***Please take a moment to look at your label. In the lower right-hand corner of your mailing labelis the last issue you will receive with your current membership. Do not forget to renew yourmembership so you will continue to receive this informative and fun newsletter! Mail your $10 toDon and Pat Gerard at 114 Buttercup Ln., Lake Jackson, TX 77566

ChairmanProgram ChairmanCo-Chair.SecretaryTreas. / MembershipEditor-OTR

Mrs. Faith BickleyMrs. Doana FiteMrs. Ursula WhiteMrs. Allison StrongMr. Don & Mrs. Pat GerardMrs. Candy Fite

PO Box 174, Glen Flora, TX 774431715 Lake Geneva Ct. Houston, TX 7708412103 Atwell, Houston, TX 77035PO Box 758, Willis, TX 77378114 Buttercup Ln., Lake Jackson, TX 775668020 FM 2502, Brenham, TX 77833

979-677-3286281-398-8210713-723-9217936-525-0535979-297-3460979-277-9335

Texas Rose Rustlers Board Members

Welcoming Committee Eric and Patty Varnado