September Rose Society Meeting Speakers

Date: Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023

Social Time: 6:30 p.m.

Start Of Meeting: 7:00 p.m.

The featured speaker at the next Rose Society of Tucson meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 5 will be Les Hayt.

His presentation will begin at 7:00 p.m. in the Tucson Botanical Gardens (2150 North Alvernon Way), one block south of Grant and Alvernon on the east side of the street.

Les will discuss all of the vital areas to consider for September rose care that will pave the way for spectacular rose blooms in November.

We have just experienced one of the most brutal summers in Tucson history. The Old Pueblo had 53 consecutive days of 100-plus temperatures from June 16-Aug. 7 which snapped the old record of 39 consecutive days.

We also set a record for 110-plus temperatures in 2023 with 16. There were 14 days that hit 110 or higher in the month of July alone which was an all-time record. In a normal summer, July only has one day that hits 110 or higher.

Some of the anticipated topics include:

• Late September pruning dates and the reasons why.Fertilization strategy from September – November.
• Equipment for growing great roses.
• How to coax your roses from the blast furnace of summer into dynamic growth and eventual spectacular blooms this fall.
• Lightly pruning your roses in late September ONLY if the summer hasn’t taken off much of the foliage.
• The importance of adding quality potting soil to your pots.
• Being aware of grubs and the damage they cause each fall.
• Why having razor-sharp pruning shears is of vital importance along with sanitizing them with alcohol.
• Value of shade cloth until temperatures go under 90°.Rose sources for ordering new roses.

Les Hayt has been growing roses for over 60 years in Tucson. At one time, he owned Greenbelt Nursery in Green Valley where he sold thousands of roses over the years. He and his wife Suzanne know every trick in the book for growing exceptional roses. Les has been an American Rose Society judge and Consulting Rosarian over the years.

Razor-Sharp Pruning Shears
Lou Pavlovich will also give a demonstration on how you can give your pruning shears a razor-sharp edge that can cut the hair off your arm! It’s not as difficult as it sounds.

It should be a fun and educational time.