By Kitty Belendez
Signal Contributing Writer
Some people think that spring is the best and only time for roses to bloom.
But here in Santa Clarita, California, we can enjoy a spectacular fall rose blooming season.
Although intense summer heat can be brutal on our roses, such as the 118 degrees we suffered this year in July, we can rejuvenate our roses, so that by late October and into November, our roses will return to their natural glory and reward us for the effort we put into providing them with loving care and attention.
Most roses grown in Santa Clarita, especially the hybrid tea types, are their very best in November. That is why the Santa Clarita Valley Rose Society has intentionally held their Annual Rose Show on the first Saturday in November for 25 years.
With a little TLC, we can expect to enjoy a bounty of rose bouquets on our Thanksgiving table.
October and November can be warm and windy, which can desiccate our lovely rose blooms. Make sure to keep your rose bushes well-hydrated by deeply soaking the ground beneath the bushes several times a week unless it rains.
Avoid getting the blooms and foliage wet, as that may encourage mildew, blackspot, bloom rot, and other diseases that ruin the blooms. You can still lightly fertilize your rose bushes, and lightly trim off spent blooms, but after Thanksgiving let them go dormant in anticipation of the winter pruning season.
The next meeting of the Santa Clarita Valley Rose Society is on Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, 2:30 p.m. at the Senior Center in Newhall.
Our featured speaker will be Burling Leong of Burlington Rose Nursery from Visalia. She will discuss and demonstrate how she breeds roses, propagates roses from cuttings and grafts new roses using the chip budding method.
Burling, who helped to revitalize the gardens at Hearst Castle, was mentored and trained for many years by Ralph Moore, who’s considered the father of the miniature rose.
Our annual Rose Care Seminar will be held at the Senior Center on Jan. 13, 2019, at 2:30 p.m., and will feature pruning, planting and fertilizing.
The public is welcome to attend free of charge.
The Santa Clarita Valley Rose Society meets at the Senior Center, 2:30 p.m. the second Sunday of every month, except July, August and December. Visit the Santa Clarita Valley Rose Society website for more information at www.santaclaritarose.org
