From Eula's Kitchen Window

Well here we are...with one of the busiest months for the Riverside Rose Society nearing an end and another one rounding the corner. The January pruning demonstrations have gone really well this year and I am very pleased with the help I have received from our members. Thank you all!

We had several people interested in the pruning demo at our home the first Saturday in January (the 7th), and then on the following Saturday, January 14th, we conducted the full day seminar at Sims Tree Learning Center with a full house in attendance.

The Sims event is especially meaningful to RRS members because Susan Sims and Audrey Kenyon - who are long-standing members of the Society - always go out of their way to make it special for everyone. Members so enjoy the “day in the country” spent around the tractors and horses and roses! This year, the morning was spent teaching about tools and preparing roses for planting. At noon we had a lovely lunch hosted by Susan and Audrey, where we had a chance to talk and get acquainted with our members and guests. After lunch we went outdoors, going past some of the beautiful landscaping and a corral of the huge Percheron horses. What beauties!  We stopped at a particular spot and planted four new roses…all the while we were getting more clouds and the question "Is it going to rain?" After planting the roses we moved to the rose garden around 2:00 P.M., passing by a newly prepared bed of Iris. We did get started pruning, but unfortunately, at about 3:00 P.M. it began to rain. At that point we headed back into the museum, at which time Audrey graciously began pouring us cups of hot chocolate. Boy, did that taste good…plus gave us an opportunity to visit some more and unwind after our exciting day!

The following weekend we conducted pruning demonstrations at both Parkview Nurseries in Riverside on Saturday, the 21st, and also the next day, Sunday, January 22nd, at UCR’s Botanic Gardens. All three events were very successful and we got a lot of good feedback about the demonstrations. The next weekend, Saturday, January 28th, we held our last January pruning demonstration of the year at Steve's Valley Nursery in Moreno Valley. That event went very well also, and I am happy to report that as a result of these six pruning demonstrations we have held, we have increased our membership by over twenty members. Again, thank you all for your help!

To me, this is an exciting time of year, getting ready for spring and some lovely roses. I miss my roses so much now, as I always have a bouquet of them somewhere in my house. I have other pretty flowers, but nothing takes the place of the roses. One of the things I have been noticing in the garden of late, is that the roses are having a hard time "going to sleep" due to the warm weather we’re having. Sometimes it is hard to see the eye where you want to prune. Most of my roses along the driveway have been pruned, so the little birds aren't getting much food from that area now. Guess they will just need to look somewhere else, but they’ll be back I’m sure. My little hummers are still feeding but they, too, will be nesting soon so they will be quiet.

With one pruning date left on the calendar - February 4th at Dennis and Bonnie Brokaw’s residence in Moreno Valley - I encourage all of our members to come to the demonstration at our new President’s home. Bonnie has done much to bring us to the place we are today and I’d like to see you there as a show of appreciation and support. In the meantime, be sure to keep those tools sharp, and prune, prune, prune!