A Message from our Presidents, Debbie and Geoff Coolidge

We love to watch the seasons change here in South Florida. The changes are subtle, but if you look closely you’ll notice that there are a lot more parking spaces at Publix, the temperature is rising and the afternoon showers are back. We had a nice mild winter, not too cold with mild temperatures all the way through May. This resulted in
excellent growth and bloom in the gardens.

We thought you’d be interested in the summer program we use at Cool Roses:

In May we applied a granular systemic insecticide and started our summer fertilizer program which keeps your plants nice and green but discourages new growth. In addition to less nitrogen on the roses, which slows their growth, we have stopped deadheading also. The
goal is to keep lots of mature green leaves on your plants. They help cool your roses in the brutal heat of the summer as well as help remove the extra water in the soil from the heavy summer rains. Leaves also produce energy through photosynthesis which is used for
flowers in the winter months but is stored in the plants stems in the summer. When we cut the roses in the summer that energy is wasted on spindly stems and inferior blooms and causes stress to the plants. The tender new growth that results from cutting attracts every insect in the state to your rose garden. In the winter months, the life cycle of most insect pest, from egg to grand kids takes about 40 days depending on the temperature. In the summer that same life cycle takes about 11 days so we have to be careful to avoid an insect
infestation which further stresses the plants. We won’t be cutting as usual but if you see a nice rose or two, cut them. We do a heavy cut back in the fall when the cool air returns. Have a great summer!

See you at the picnic on June 11 and in September,

Debbie & Geoff