Two named master rosarians
The American Rose Society has conferred the title of master rosarian upon Lee Heenan and Richard Jackson of the Las Vegas Valley Rose Society. This designation honors those who are consulting rosarians who had:
• Demonstrated a greater knowledge of roses and rose culture.
• Has willingly and enthusiastically shared that knowledge with general public.
• Established a superior record of performance and service as a consulting rosarian of the American Rose Society.
These two honorees were nominated by their peers from the society and withstood intensive reviews from the district and national master rosarian committees. This year there were 63 honored nationally, with six coming from the Pacific Southwest District, including Heenan and Jackson.
Both Heenan and Jackson have been involved with the roses ever since I came on the scene. They've lived up to the above stipulations in every word. You will find them at every rose-pruning demonstration and every flower show. They travel the west, judging other rose shows and often win awards within the invited judges category.
The following are some questions I encountered at the Dr. Green Thumb booth at the Springs Preserve this past week.
Q: What do we do with a mass of bees that showed up in our tree?
A: They are simply passing through in search of a new and larger home. The queen alighted in your tree to pass the night. Workers amass around her in order to protect their most valuable asset and future and will move on in search of a more spacious permanent residence.
Many people are allergic to bee stings and just about anyone will react poorly to multiple stings. If you swat, injure or kill an Africanized bee, it can release an airborne chemical that may result in an aggressive defensive response from every bee in the vicinity. Avoid this at all costs. Richard Hicks, now retired from Clark County Vector Control, found that just about all bees he examined were Africanized.
Q: How do you make roses last longer after picking them for an arrangement?
A: An air bubble develops within the stem once severed from th e bush and prevents roses from taking up water, so it quickly parishes. To overcome this, place stem-ends in a container of water once they are detached from plant. Next, fill a vase with water you plan on holding arrangement. Now, remove an inch more from stem-end while still under water in container. As you lift stem, a drop of water accumulates on the stem-end to prevent an air bubble from forming so your rose can continue to take up water and last longer.
Q: We have a weed in our flower beds and lawn that looks like a palm seedling. We have attempted to pull it up, but it comes back with vengeance. What can we do?
A: You are describing nut sedge, and it is very difficult to eliminate. It develops a nut that stores energy and when you pull up plant, the nut remains and restarts the plant. It also propagates itself by underground rhizomes and if that isn't enough, it produces seeds. Jeff Eggen of Helena Chemical knows of only one chemical that will take it out; it is Sedgehammer. Roundup won't touch it. For more information about eliminating this difficult weed, call 740-5320.
Q: Last year, I had a company spray my olive tree and was promised I would never have any more olives. Then why am I having problems this year and the cost was very high?
A: First, there was a miscommunication as the products companies use to abort olives are only effective for that season. You must treat trees each year for effective control, and even then companies only guarantee an 80 percent control.
There is a reason for the high cost of application. First, the olive tree is a bushy plant, making it very difficult to get the spray in contact with all areas where the fruit originates. Companies must use very powerful spray equipment to get material to cover all those places and it must be done at the right time. For better control, thin out trees to increase its effectiveness.
Q: Should I put in artificial turf?
A: You must answer that question. But manufactures have come a long way since the inception of artificial turf, as they continue to improve its quality. It does get hotter, with some of that attributed to using recycled tires to keep grass blades upright, but they now use sand, which has helped. The turf is easy to maintain by blowing or washing it off and it does make good mulch and allows water passes through it in case you have plants in located in the turf.
Q: What are some perennials I can plant under my mesquite tree with its filtered shade?
A: We need to take advantage of these shady conditions, as they are great places to nurture perennials to get more color out of them. Consider using coleus, gerbera daisy, impatiens, lobelia, asparagus fern, periwinkle and wandering Jew. But remember to deep-water shade trees for continual root development.
Q: What are some good sure-fire flowers I can plant for the summer?
A: Your nursery carries a great array of flowers. Here are some considerations: ageratum, celosia, coreopsis, cosmos, gaillardia, lisianthus, marigold, salvia, vinca and sunflower. Of course, the key to beautiful flowers is wrapped up in three words: "good soil preparation." Failing to improve your soil before planting these workhorses is a kiss of death to them. That means the addition of lots of organic matter into the soil before planting, and keeping soil moist until they become established.
FREE NATIVE PLANTS
Drop by Dr. Green Thumb's booth at the Springs Preserve, 333 S. Valley View Blvd., from 10 a.m. to noon Friday to get a free native plant. Choose one from the many species available, answer the question attached to it and take it home.
"Giving away native plants on holidays is fast becoming a tradition," said Laura Eisenberg of the Springs Preserve. "We want homeowners to incorporate these beauties into their landscape."
FARMERS MARKET
The Las Vegas Farmers Market is something new at the Springs Preserve. It features fresh-grown produce, such as oranges, asparagus, beets, avocados, squash, strawberries, and more with emphasis on organically grown products from within 500 miles of Las Vegas. It is now taking place every Thursday into the summer from 4 to 8 p.m. If you want to become a vendor at this market, visit www.lasvegasfarmersmarket.com or call 562-2676.
Linn Mills writes a gardening column each Sunday. You can reach him at linn.mills@springspreserve.com or call him at 822-7754.
