March 2020 Turnip News ...all the news that turns up! Master Gardeners Prince William Editor: Jan Doble, MGPW Inside This Issue: MGPW Annual Recertification 2 President’s Message Upcoming Events and MGPW Meetings— 3-4 At A Glance by David Robison, MGPW How Did Roses Lose Their Scent 5-7 e are continuing our search for help in a few of our Vegetable Gardening Series 2020 8 committees. We need chairs for our Social The Basics of Gardening 2020 9 W Committee and two new committees—Outreach Gardening in the Valley Symposium 10 to Underserved Communities and Fund Raising. Turf Grass and Pizza 11 VT ‘Giving Day’ March 18-19 12 We are looking forward to the new format for Recert this year. I am excited about the idea of an outside speaker, ‘Let’s Get Growing’ Gardening Symposium 13 Michael Carter from Virginia State University, followed by a Prince William Drinking Water Clinic 14 job fair session in the atrium to allow everybody to talk to Teaching Garden Work Days 2020 15 leaders of each of the projects and sign up for any of interest. EMG Program Serves Needs for 16-18 Meaningful Engagement Consider doing something different this year if you have not Donations for Spring Plant Sale 19 ventured out for a while. Spend some time at Plant a Row, City Nature Challenge 19 the Teaching Garden, do a few Best Lawns or answer clients’ 2020 Saturday in the Garden Dates 20 questions at a Farmers’ Market for a change of pace. I know Compost Awareness Day 21 that I tended to do the same activities after my first year and Upcoming Events & MGPW Meetings— 22 we offer a lot of different activities for folks to get involved Details with. Recent MGPW Happenings... 23 For Interns— time at the Help Desk is always interesting and Get To Know a Critter 24 Turnip News remember that the Farmers’ Markets in Manassas and Dale City run all spring, summer and into the fall if you are looking for hours. Also, you might consider doing BOTH Farmers’ Markets, as they each have a different feel in style and clients. We can always add an intern to one of our Clinics with no problem if you find later on in the year that you want to get some hours in Clinic time. Please also consider coming to a Board meeting—they are almost always interesting. The Board meetings can give you an interesting overview as to what sort of things we deal with in all our programs. It can be a great way to give input into the many programs we discuss each meeting. It can also be a way to get your feet wet if you are considering greater involvement in a committee or activity. The Board meets 8 times a year at 6 pm on the 2nd Wednesday of the month. You can check our website for the schedule or feel free to reach out to any Board member for information. We are all listed on the website. Thank you for all that you do! David [email protected] MGPW Annual Recertification: Monday, March 2 at 6:30pm Edward Kelly Leadership Center 14715 Bristow Rd. Manassas, VA RSVP to the Extension Horticulture Help Desk (703) 792-7747 or [email protected] so we can plan for seats and refreshments. —————————— Keynote Speaker: Michael Carter, Jr. Followed by a Volunteer Job Fair in the atrium Share something in the Turnip News! Email your submissions to [email protected] by the 20th of any month 2 Turnip News Upcoming Events and MGPW Meetings—At A Glance March MONDAY 2 MGPW RECERTIFICATION SATURDAY SATURDAY SATURDAY TUESDAY 7 7 7 10 Basics of Gardening Vegetable Garden Gardening in the HELP DESK Series 2020 Series 2020 Valley Symposium Training (Session III) (Managing Pests) TUESDAY SATURDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY 10 14 18 19 ‘Turf Grass and Pizza’ Basics of Gardening Virginia Tech Virginia Tech with Series 2020 (Giving Day) (Giving Day) Dr. Mike Goatley (Snow Date) SATURDAY SATURDAY TUESDAY MONDAY 21 21 24 30 11th Annual Vegetable Garden Plant a Row VCE-PW Well-Water Gardening Symposium Series 2020 (Organizational Clinic (Kickoff Mtg) (Loudoun Co. MG’s) (Snow Date) Meeting) April WEDNESDAY THURSDAY SATURDAY WEDNEDAY 1 2 4 8 Well Water MG Plant Clinic Garden Center MGPW Board of Sample Drop Off Training “Ask a Master Directors Meeting Gardener’ Clinics (All MG’s Welcome) SATURDAY SATURDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY 11 11 11 12 Manassas Farmers’ Garden Center Bluebell Festival Dale City Farmers’ Market Plant “Ask a Master “Ask a Master Market Plant Clinics Begin Gardener’ Clinics Gardener’ Info Table Clinics Begin 3 Turnip News SATURDAY April (cont.) WEDNESDAY 18 MONDAY TUESDAY 22 Garden Center Earth Day “Ask a Master 20 21 “Ask a Master Gardener’ Clinics Gardener’ Info Tables Earth Day Earth Day “Ask a Master “Ask a Master SATURDAY Gardener’ Info Tables Gardener’ Info Tables SATURDAY 25 25 Saturday in the Garden Center Garden (plus City “Ask a Master Nature Challenge) Gardener’ Clinics May SATURDAY MONDAY SATURDAY WEDNESDAY 2 4 9 13 Garden Center Well Water Results Compost Awareness MGPW Board of “Ask a Master Interpretation Day “Ask a Master Directors Meeting Gardener’ Clinics Meeting Gardener’ Booth (All MG’s Welcome) Social Media — keep in touch! BLOG: TeachingGardenpwc.wordpress.com INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/ mastergardenerspwc/ FACEBOOK: VCE - Prince William Master Gardeners FACEBOOK Teaching Garden: teaching garden VCE Master Gardeners of PWC TWITTER: @VCEMG PINTEREST: pinterest.com/PrinceWilliamMG/ Master Gardeners of Prince William WEBSITE: MGPW.org/ 4 Turnip News How Did Roses Lose Their Scent by Abbie and Vincent Panettiere, MGPW ome years back I bought myself a Peace rose- in the late 18th century, they brought several new bush. It had been advertised as one of the desirable qualities: repeat bloom; a true crimson- S most popular hybrid teas of the 20th Century red color; a shorter bushy rose; and roses in many and was said to have beautiful double flowers yellow shades. with coral inside and yellow and pink outside. Also, I remember reading then that it had “...a A strong rose fragrance is a necessity for wild sweet and fruity fragrance roses since it attracts bees to that varies in its strength pollinate them. Without from mild to strong” fragrance, they’re losing a (Wikipedia). Checking a survival tool. For centuries, number of rosarian plant the fragrance of roses was sellers’ sites online recently, most important and rose “a pleasing fragrance” figures fragrance was at times used prominently in descriptions of for barter or sale as well as for Peace, though the amount of fragrance and flavoring. fragrance and strength of it Damask roses were valued as varies from place to place. a species in the production of rose water, attar of roses and My rosebush survived for essential oils used in the several years and produced perfumery industry. It flowers each year which lasted eventually was found that the well and were an approxi- fragrance of roses originated mation of the coral—yellow— within various genes in the pink combination of colors Rosa ‘Peace’ petals and they determined that the descriptions of Peace mentioned, the amount or lack of scent a species of but they had no fragrance that I could discern. rose would produce. It’s often noticed that if you buy cut roses or other When the commercial cut rose industry developed, fragrant flowers for use in bouquets you’re apt to not only in Holland and America but, lately, in find that your flowers are large, beautiful, and Africa and several South American countries, the may last for longer than you’d expect in a vase of qualities that became important were a resistance water but they typically, particularly the roses, to disease, longevity or the ability of a rose to last lack any sweet fragrance. I was curious as to why. beautifully in bloom for most of a week even in a bowl of water, and the size and beauty of the The answer appears to lie in the practice of flowers themselves. This is when the flowers crossing roses to improve various other traits that began to lose their fragrance. are considered desirable. The rose has been around for some 35 million years, there are fossil The presence or absence of fragrance in rose proofs to support the estimate and today one species is rather technical for someone such as hundred fifty species of rose are now spread me, so let me share this description from Science throughout the Northern Hemisphere from News for Students: Alaska to Mexico and northern Africa. The garden cultivation of roses began in more recent time; it “[Roses] create their scent using a surprising is thought to have begun some five thousand tool. It’s an enzyme — a hardworking years ago in China. molecule—that was thought to help clean up DNA. This enzyme is missing in many roses. Throughout history, the story of rose culture has And that seems to explain why their blooms involved cross-fertilization to improve or also lack a sweet floral aroma. The new accentuate desirable qualities for human tastes. finding could help scientists solve the thorny When Chinese roses were introduced into Europe problem of why some rose varieties bred for 5 Turnip News dazzling color and long-lasting blooms have The back story of the Peace rose is rather lost their scent. interesting. The original was bred in a nursery near Lyon, France, by Francis Meilland and his “When roses do smell like roses, it’s because father, Antoine Meilland. It was recognized by the they give off a distinct mix of chemicals.