thorny issues · you with send me an email or call me. your friend juan in 1990 letha briggs and...

Thorny Issues October 2017 1 Acadiana Rose Society, Lafayette, LA

Thorny Issues A Publication of the Acadiana Rose Society in South Louisiana

An affiliate of the American Rose Society

October 2017

Volume 27

B.J. Abshire-Editor

October 19th Meeting We will be making an easy rose arrangement using a coffee mug. Bring your pruners, a coffee mug you already have or go buy one in a color you like. Dollar Tree has a selection of mugs. Bring a few roses from your yard or a florist shop/grocery store. The Oasis and some line material/filler will be provided but you may bring these items if you have them. We will also talked briefly about nominating a rose for Gulf District Rose of the Year.

Happy Birthday! October 14th someone special turned 80 years young! See inside the newsletter to find out who it is.

Thanks Thanks Juan Nieto, Letha Briggs, Lou Savoy, BJ Abshire, Penny Jones, Mary Bergeron, Karen Molbert and Linda Aguzin for manning our non-profit booth at PlantFest September 30.

Bazaar/Silent Auction Planned for Nov 16 Our fundraising bazaar/silent auction is on for Nov 16. It’s not just fundraising it’s also a chance to get some holiday goodies, gifts or just some bargains and of course we always eat. Please bring items to put in the auction. We will also be offering a red beans/sausage and rice meal plus dessert and drink for $5 per person...so come hungry! Horticulture Professor Allen Owings will be our guest speaker. Think of some questions to ask him.

No Newsletter in November Next newsletter (Nov/Dec) will be mailed out on November 27.

Christmas Banquet Plan on joining us for our annual Christmas banquet meeting on Dec 7, one week earlier than normal. It’s always fun and lots of good food. More details next newsletter.

Calendar of Events October 13-14, 2017 October 19, 2017 November 4, 2017 November, 11, 2017 November 16, 2017 December 7, 2017

Crystal Springs, Mississippi Garden Festival Acadiana RS Regular Meeting - Ira Nelson Hort. Center South Central District Rose Show - Beaumont, Tx. Southwest LA Rose Soc. Rose Show -Lake Charles, La. Acadiana RS Regular Meeting - Silent Auction/ Bazaar/Food Christmas Pot Luck Dinner - Ira Nelson Hort. Center

INSIDE THIS

ISSUE

President’s Corner

Happy Birthday!

October in the Garden

Biltmore Trials Winner

Gardener’s Friend - Assassin bugs

Scoop it Up

Weed Facts


President’s Corner

Greetings Rose Friends, I want to thank everyone that helped out at our booth at PlantFest on September 30...Ms. Lou, Mary, Letha, BJ, Penny and Karen and Ms. Linda. We had a good crowd all day long and many people stopped by with rose questions and comments. The weather is getting better although it’s still warm but you should have some good blooms in your garden now. Soon we will have cool, comfortable weather and will enjoy our roses. We haven’t had much rain in the last few weeks so don’t neglect watering your roses. I hope to see you at next weeks meeting. Ms. Lou and Ms. BJ will show us how to make a simple rose arrangement in a coffee mug - something you can easily make and give as a gift or keep yourself. Next month is our fundraiser bazaar and silent auction. Please help make it successful by bringing some items to sell. Dr. Allen Owings will be our guest speaker. Also, Ms. Linda will be making a pot of red beans, rice and sausage along with bread and dessert for $5...sounds delicious! Hope to see you next week. Feel free to invite a friend to our meeting and if there is anything I can help you with send me an email or call me.

Your Friend

Juan

In 1990 Letha Briggs and her late husband Willard started the Acadiana Rose Society. Willard was our first president in 1990 & 1991. Letha was club president in 1995 and also was the Bronze Honor Medal recipient that same year.

Letha is a Consulting Rosarian, Emeritus sta-tus and has remained active as a member par-ticipating regularly in such events as PlantFest and Festival des Fleur. She heads up the nom-inating committee when new officers are to be elected and continues as our Awards Chair-man.

She was editor of the society newsletter Thorny Issues from 1990 until 2005. And, she was instrumental in the making of our 25th Birthday Cookbook.

Happy 80th Birthday Letha, October 14th, and thank you for your dedication to Acadiana RS.

Happy Birthday Letha Briggs!


October in the Garden

Soon you will be able to go out in your garden and notice how the heat doesn’t drive you back indoors. But for now it’s still pretty warm outside. If you didn’t do any fall pruning in September it’s a little late but you could do a little light pruning so you can have a few blooms before Thanksgiving.

Now is a good time to plant roses if you still have some in pots. Fall is the best time to plant roses. The roots will have plenty of time to get established before cold weather gets here and they will be ahead of the game when spring arrives. Also the cooler temps make it a good time to transplant roses now through March that need a new location. Maybe they don’t get enough sun or they are getting too large for the spot they are in.

Planning a new rose bed? Fall is a good time to start one. It will be ready to plant roses in the spring. Make sure the location you have chosen gets at least 6 hours of full sun.

Make this the last month that you fertilize and use a water soluble fertilizer if you do.

Continue to water your roses and don’t let them dry out. They still need water even though it’s not hot.

If you spray regularly, keep it up for a few more weeks. Just because it’s cooler doesn’t mean that black-spot is no longer in your garden. I take a break from it in December and January and start again as soon as I do my spring pruning in February.

Clean up the beds around the bushes where all those bad leaves have dropped. Put down a fresh layer of mulch. Over time mulch breaks down getting thinner and thinner. It just disappears. Pine straw and oak leaves are falling from the trees now through January and is free for the taking, or you can find it bagged up at the neighbor’s curb. There are other choices such as pine bark mulch and cypress mulch in 2 cubic foot bags available at garden centers.

The cooler weather will again bring some nice blooms. Make someone’s day and take them a small bouquet or even a single rose. They will feel special and so will you.

Don’t miss the Rose Show hosted by SWLA RS in Lake Charles . It’s always a great show with excellent exhibitors. Satur-day, November 11, 2017 - one day only - with public viewing Saturday 1pm - 5pm at the LSU AgCenter located at 7101 Gulf Hwy (Common St.) in Lake Charles 70607, near Burton Coliseum. To reserve a spot for your arrangements contact Ann Wehner (337)540-9048, or Julie Engert (337)477 - 4358 by Thursday, November 9. The show theme will be “ Veterans Day”. Enjoy lunch with us for only $10. If you will be eating lunch with us please let Lois De-rise know - [email protected] or 337 477-0659 Again this year the Sam Houston High School art students will be displaying their art work at the show.

by Marilyn Wellan - CenLa Rose Soc

The Biltmore Rose Trials at Asheville NC Sept. 20-23 were so much fun. Our friend and great hybridizer Ping Lim “won it all” with his new rose with the unusual name ‘Screaming Ne-on Red’! The sparkling red sin-gle bloom is borne on the most incredible dark green foliage, which helped make it a favorite with the judges, and helped to win best Growth Habit, best Disease Resistant, best Shrub Rose, and Most Outstanding. Ping Lim’s ‘Lion King’ was vot-ed best Floribunda; ‘Dee Lish’ by Meilland was voted Most Fragrant; and ‘Anastasia’ won the award for best Hybrid Tea.

Biltmore Rose Trials Big Winner - “Screaming Neon Red” Southwest Louisiana RS

Rose Show


Assassin bugs usually prey on soft-bodied insects like aphids, Mexican bean beetles, ear worms, army worms, cucumber beetle adults and caterpillars. Although it's a "general list" in terms of which insects it preys on, the assassin bug is generally considered a beneficial insect in the garden, even if sometimes it kills another beneficial insect.

One of the gardener's friends — most of the time — is the assassin bug. With its long beak it pierces the body of a soft-bodied insect and injects a toxic juice that liquifies the insect's insides; the assassin bug then uses its beak to suck out the insect's fluids. When not in use, the segmented beak is tucked into a groove under the insect's chest.

Assassin bugs are fast-moving insects and some lie in wait for their prey. There are a few thousand species, and they vary from grayish-brown to greenish brown to bright orange or red with black. The front pair of legs are often larger than the other legs and are used to hold prey. The adults have wings.

Caution: Although the assassin bug is a friend to gardeners, treat it with respect. If it's handled roughly, the assassin bug can inject a painful bite.

Assassin Bug Nymphs

All-Seasons Nursery on Johnston- Ladies Christmas Night Thursday, November 2nd 6pm - 8pm. Free Event with Free Wine and Hors d’Oeurves Giveaways, Coupons, Door Prizes, Super Sales Garden Club Members get a free gift. Go to http://buyallseasons.com/all-seasons-garden-club/ and join for free.


Scoop it Up! by BJ Abshire

Most of the time when I buy a rose I put it in a large pot and let it grow a few months. This gives me plenty of time to evaluate the plant before putting it in the ground. Some times I make up my own concoction of potting mix. I mix together whatever I have on hand...like ready to use potting mix, soil conditioner, compost, perlite etc. I dump some of each in a large wheel barrow then use a garden hoe to mix it. I set the pot in the wheel barrow and use a large scoop to fill the pot as I plant the rose bush. I found the scoop at Home Depot or you could use a large ice scoop from a kitchen supply such as Hilton Res-taurant Supply in Lafayette or make your own using an empty orange juice jug.

A Few Facts about Weeds and Weed Killers ~Broadleaf weeds have small showing flowers and cannot be sprayed if growing in a rose bed ~Grasses in a rose bed can be sprayed using Grass-B-Gone spray by Ortho ~Grass killers do not work on winter grasses like annual blue grass ~Top 3 grass killers - Hi Yield, Poast, & Fertilome Over the Top ~Products with the active ingredient Triclopyr will kill vines, morning glory, Virginia creeper, poison ivy ~Round-Up has Glyphosate for the active ingredient. The ready to spray Round-Up has 2% Glyphosate, the con-centrate has 18%. Ultra Kill brand (Lowes)has 25% Glyphosate. Eliminator brand (Walmart) has 18% Glyphosate making it the best value. If you buy Round-Up you’re paying a high price for the name ~Preen - a pre-emergent weed killer works on germinating weeds but has no effect on existing weeds –use every 2-3 months ~Dura-Zone ready to spray & concentrate kills and prevents new weeds - last 6 months (Lowes & HD) ~Sedges have triangular stems ~Use a spreader sticker in your mix when killing Purple Nutsedge ~Sedgehammer (Chastant’s) is a selective weed killer for nut sedge (coco grass) that will not harm your roses. Do not pull or cut nutsedge before spraying ~Kill trees, small saplings and woody plants with Bonide Stump-Out tree & stump killer...make a fresh cut near the ground and apply to the cut surface ~To prevent getting weed killer on your roses use the cotton glove method. Mix glyphosate at a rate of 4 oz. in 32 oz. water. Put on a chemical resistant glove and then put on a cotton glove. Dip the gloved hand into the mixed weed killer (make a fist to squeeze out excess) and wipe the weeds. Throw the glove away when finished ~Spurge is a low flat weed. You think you are pulling it up completely but you never get all of it. Some spurge is low and some is tall. ~Chamber Bitter weed has small, round “seeds” under the leaves (top right picture) ~Try to used mixed weed killer within 2-3 day as it begins to break down and becomes ineffective ~Weed killer will not gum-up your sprayer


A Publication of the Acadiana Rose Society An Affiliate of the American Rose Society

Thorny Issues B.J. Abshire – Editor 156 Antigua Dr. Lafayette, LA. 70503

The Acadiana Rose Society

Consulting Rosarians:

B.J. Abshire 981-4473 [email protected]

Linda Aguzin* 560-1336 [email protected]

John & Carol Benoit 234-6823 [email protected]

Letha Briggs (Emeritus) 984-1868 [email protected]

Mike Hamner (Emeritus) 235-6436 [email protected]

Juan Nieto 290-1451 [email protected]

Diane Rountree 988-1741 [email protected]

Lou Savoy 235-9872

*Master Rosarian

Officers: President: Juan Nieto 1st Vice Pres.: Lou Savoy Treasurer: B.J. Abshire Secretary: Lois Manuel

Meeting Place: Ira Nelson Horticulture Center 2206 Johnston St., Lafayette, LA 3rd Thursday of each month 6:30pm (except Dec - 2nd Thurs.) No meeting in July

Membership: $20 - individual or $25 - couple Make check payable to Acadiana Rose Society c/o BJ Abshire 156 Antigua Dr. Lafayette, LA 70503

thorny issues · you with send me an email or call me. your friend juan in 1990 letha briggs and...

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