ARS conference in Sacramento features huge rose show; plus hear Debbie talk roses and horses
Rose fans take time to smell the flowers at a previous show. The district-wide rose show this weekend will feature the best rose exhibitors from four states. Courtesy Peninsula Rose Society
It’s time to smell some champion roses – and learn more about America’s favorite flower.
On Saturday, Oct. 7, Sacramento hosts the Northern California Nevada Hawaii district conference for the American Rose Society. Representatives from dozens of rose societies from four states (southern Oregon is also part of NCNH) will gather at Wyndham Hotel on Date at Madison avenues, just off Interstate 80.
Highlighting the conference: A district-wide rose show featuring the best rose exhibitors from four states. The rose show is open free to the public from 1 to 4:30 p.m.
Besides the seriousness of the competition, what makes this show so unusual: Lots of challenge classes. Those are special classes where exhibitors must meet certain goals, such as multiple matching perfect blooms.
A large rose photo contest and arrangements competition also are part of the district rose show. Come see autumn roses in all their beauty.
In addition to the show, the conference features several speakers, but those talks are only open to those with conference registration ($80 for speakers only). Registration is open until 10 a.m. Saturday at the host hotel.
Saturday’s speakers include Debbie Arrington of Sacramento Digs Gardening. A master rosarian and longtime turf writer, Debbie will present “Thoroughbred Roses: The Queen of Flowers and the Sport of Kings” – a look at roses and racing connections. Her talk will start at 11 a.m.
First speaker of the day is Gwen Quail, past president of the Butte Rose Society, who will discuss “Fragrance: From Your Rose to Your Nose” at 10 a.m. She’ll discuss how chemistry and botany influence our perception of flower fragrance.
At 2 p.m., award-winning author and NPR show host Jennifer Jewell will present “Cultivating Place: Cultivating a Garden Culture of Care and Roses.” Her talk will focus how individual gardeners can be agents for change, one backyard at a time. The popular garden writer also will sign copies of her latest book, “What We Sow.”
At 3 p.m., Jacqui Nye will teach how to take better photos with your cellphone in “From Snapshots to Wow Shots.”
Wyndham Hotel is located at 5321 Date Ave., Sacramento.
Details and forms: www.ncnhdistrict.org.
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Food in My Back Yard Series
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Garden Checklist for week of May 18
Get outside early in the morning while temperatures are still cool – and get to work!
* Plant, plant, plant! It’s prime planting season in the Sacramento area. Time to set out those tomato transplants along with peppers and eggplants. Pinch off any flowers on new transplants to make them concentrate on establishing roots instead of setting premature fruit.
* Direct-seed melons, cucumbers, summer squash, corn, radishes, pumpkins and annual herbs such as basil.
* Harvest cabbage, lettuce, peas and green onions.
* In the flower garden, direct-seed sunflowers, cosmos, salvia, zinnias, marigolds, celosia and asters. Transplant seedlings for many of the same flowers.
* Plant dahlia tubers.
* Transplant petunias, marigolds and perennial flowers such as astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia and verbena.
* Keep an eye out for slugs, snails, earwigs and aphids that want to dine on tender new growth.
* Feed summer bloomers with a balanced fertilizer.
* For continued bloom, cut off spent flowers on roses as well as other flowering plants.
* Are birds picking your fruit off trees before it’s ripe? Try hanging strips of aluminum foil on tree branches. The shiny, dangling strips help deter birds from making themselves at home.
* As spring-flowering shrubs finish blooming, give them a little pruning to shape them, removing old and dead wood. Lightly trim azaleas, fuchsias and marguerites for bushier plants.