LAGC Meeting – July 26, 2022

On a lovely Tuesday evening, Colleen welcomed garden club members and guests.  Blooming in members’ gardens:  Hibiscus, Hydrangea, Daisy, Larkspur, False Sunflower, Purple Coneflower, Milkweed, Bellflower and more.

We finally have a new program coordinator: Mary Anne Kurtz.  Please reach out to Mary Anne with program ideas for next year, tours or to volunteer as the picnic host.  She has indicated that planning for next year is already well under way.

 

Nancy Madeoy will be our president for the next term, Marlowe Madeoy our Vice President and Denny Brown our treasurer.  A recording secretary is still needed.  Duties are to record the meeting minutes and highlights from our speaker or tour.  The notes then get sent to the Vice President who then forwards it on to our blogger.  If the recording secretary is unable to make the meeting, they just need to notify the President who will make arrangements for another member to take notes for that meeting.  This is a great way to be involved in the club.  If interested, please reach out to our current president, Colleen.

 

Bill Goff will be giving a presentation “Milkweed, Monarchs and Other Pollinators” at our August meeting.  He also shared with us that “Gardens in the Park” is coming back after a 2-year hiatus.  It will be this Saturday, July 30, from 10 am to 1 pm.  It’s free and a great family activity.

 

Our September meeting will be given by April Claus, a Herpetologist, meeting topic still to be determined.

 

The October meeting will be a craft, details still being worked out with Victoria and more information to be provided as we get closer to the October date.

 

The lovely arrangement was provided by Colleen, and the delicious dessert by Rosemary.

 

Dianne provided a treasurer’s report.  We started out with $6,055.87.  July speaker fee and Northmont rental fee balance expenses totaling $132.72 brought our ending checking balance is $5,923.15.  Adding petty cash of $47.06, our total cash available to the club is $5,970.21.

 

A very informative presentation on “The Diversity of Roses” was given to us by Craig Jansen.  Craig is a Consulting Rosarian with the Pittsburgh Rose Society.  He has tons of experience and knowledge on roses, having begun as a rosarian at the tender age of 12.  He spent at least 5 years working at the Renziehausen Rose Garden, which has approximately 1,500 roses.  The best time to visit this rose garden is mid-May to mid-June.  Craig has also done a lot of work at Wilpen Hall as a volunteer gardener and shared with us photos of the many rose gardens he has visited.

Rosarian Craig Jansen.

Our speaker included many photographs from these gardens
he visited and photographed.

Roses are considered the “Queen of Flowers”.  They are loved for their fragrance, are considered an expression of love, some have a long season of bloom with repeat bloomers, whereas the older roses have one main season of bloom, and roses often have an historic/family connection in the gardens where they are grown.  They have been cultivated over thousands of years.

 

Species roses can be found throughout the world.  The swamp rose is the only rose which likes to have its “feet wet”.  Multiflora roses can be found in Pennsylvania.  The early 1800’s is when the hybridizing of roses began, with there being a lot of cross breeding in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries.

 

Old garden roses are making a comeback, primarily due to the fragrance of the rose.

 

Polyanta Rose has multiple blooms on one cane.

Hybrid tea roses have a classic form, blooming continuously from late spring to early fall on an approximately 6 week cycle.

 

Floribunda roses are a cross between the Hybrid Tea and the Polyantha rose.

 

Grandiflora roses are a cross between Hybrid Tea and Floribunda rose, and were developed in 1957.

 

“Knockout” roses are beloved for their repeat bloom and ease of care.

 

“Drift” roses are roses that are considered groundcover roses.

 

“David Austin” roses are a shrub rose which were reintroduced for their fragrance in the early 60’s and are considered an “English Rose”

 

There are also climbing, tree and mini roses available for the landscape.

 

When making decisions about the type of rose and where to put them, you must take into consideration the “why” you want the rose, i.e. to cover a trellis, enhance the landscaping …  Light and soil requirements also need to be taken into consideration, and your tolerance for disease, fungal or insect as well.

 

A great search resource for roses is edmundsroses.com.  You can also contact the Pittsburgh Rose Society to talk with a consulting rosarian about your plans for your landscape, or issues you are having with your current roses or to become a member.  Their website is pghrosesociety.org.

One of Craig Jansen's photos.