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Red roses have their day



Red rose, titled Power Point
This beauty is called Power Point. Today is National Red Rose Day. (Photos: Debbie Arrington)

Celebrate nation's flower with your own favorites


Cluster of Trumpeter roses
A cluster of Trumpeter roses brightens the garden.



Today, make time to smell the roses or give a bouquet to someone you love.

It’s only appropriate – June 12 is National Red Rose Day.

Roses are the birth flower for June, which also coincides with this beloved flower blooming in gardens throughout America. June is also National Rose Month.

Red rose
Olympiad was developed for the 1984 Olympics.
The rose is also our nation’s official flower, thanks to Congress and a proclamation signed by then-President Ronald Reagan in 1986 in a ceremony – where else? – in the White House Rose Garden.

Red roses in particular hold special meaning as a symbol of love and romance. Red roses also tend to be among the most fragrant in the garden. Some varieties are cultivated specifically for perfume.

In roses, red comes in many hues, ranging from eye-popping scarlet to deepest burgundy.

Garry Chin, president of the Sierra Foothills Rose Society, challenged local rose enthusiasts to send him photos of their favorite red roses for a salute to National Red Rose Day. The results demonstrated the range of red roses that love the Sacramento area.

Some 22 local rose lovers submitted 106 photos with relatively few repeats, Chin said. “Total different varieties of red roses submitted is 73 not counting five photos with unknown names. … Three separate submitters had Altissimo, Fame and Lasting Love; all other varieties had one or two submitters.”

One society member sent four versions of "The 1812 Rose."

Red rose, titled Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby is a gorgeous red.
As for my own garden, I have several red roses, of course. Among my favorites: Mister Lincoln (for its incredible scent), Ingrid Bergman, Olympiad, Trumpeter, Veteran’s Honor, Kentucky Derby and Power Point.

There’s a red rose for everyone. You just need to look – and sniff.

Looking for the perfect red rose – or any rose? Check out the American Rose Society website at
Rose.org .

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Garden Checklist for week of May 19

Temperatures will be a bit higher than normal in the afternoons this week. Take care of chores early in the day – then enjoy the afternoon. It’s time to smell the roses.

* Plant, plant, plant! It’s prime planting season in the Sacramento area. If you haven’t already, it’s 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.

* Plant dahlia tubers. Other perennials to set out include verbena, coreopsis, coneflower and astilbe.

* 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.

* Don’t forget to water. Seedlings need moisture. Deep watering will help build strong roots and healthy plants.

* Add mulch to the garden to help keep that precious water from evaporating. Mulch also cuts down on weeds. But don’t let it mound around the stems or trunks of trees or shrubs. Leave about a 6-inch to 1-foot circle to avoid crown rot or other problems.

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