Month: October 2012

Everlastings

| Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com
Dried petals from this summer’s bokays

I love to save the petals of my roses to enjoy during the long winters! Many years I make potpourri. One of the simple potpourri recipes I’ve used is this one…

Rose Potpourri

8 oz rose buds and petals
2 T whole cloves
2 t ground cardamon
1 vanilla bean
1 large cinnamon stick crushed
1 t orange peel
1 t lemon peel
5 drops of oil of rose
1 oz orris root (or other fixative)

Mix and store for 4 – 6 weeks. I usually use a large jar for this.

The more fragrant your roses, the more fragrant your potpourri!

Potting Shed Review: R is for Rose

| Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

I am currently reading Carolyn Parker’s book R is for Rose and am taking my time to savor every story and every picture. This book is not only eye candy for rose lovers, but it also showcases so many of Carolyn’s talents:

As a garden designer: She shares with us her amazing garden.

As a floral arranger: She uses a unique variety of containers to showcase her beautiful roses.

As a photographer: She has an amazing gift as a photographer.

And most of all, her skills as a storyteller: With each letter of the alphabet she draws us in with one heartwarming story after another!

GRAHAM THOMAS & CAROLYN

My favorite story in Carolyn’s book is in chapter “G” … for Graham Thomas English Rose. This rose is named for the legendary gardener and rose expert, Graham Thomas. She actually had the opportunity of a life time to meet him and to share the story she had written about him in person! You just have to read this story!

BLOG TALK RADIO

I had the privilege of interviewing Carolyn recently about her book on Blog Talk Radio. She was enchanting! You can listen to that interview here.

FINDING THE BOOK

You can find her book on Amazon … click here.

Garden friends, this is a book you just might want to mention to Santa … to be sure he gets it on your Christmas list.

I think you will also enjoy Carolyn’s blog … rosenotes.com.

Rose Companions: Clematis

| Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

I love most plants but I find that when thinking about buying a plant other than a rose, I consider how it will look with the roses. So, all in all, you could say in my garden I have ROSES and I have ROSE COMPANIONS.

One of my favorite rose companions is the lovely clematis. Whether you pronounce it KLEM-UH-TIS or KLEE-MAH-TIS, I think they make wonderful companions for my roses.

New Dawn & Etoille de Violette Clematis
Henryi works very well with New Dawn and Harison’s Yellow.
Etiolle de Violette

Blue Angel
Jackmani making an entrance!
The President

Bloom Thyme Friday: Bill Warriner

| Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

The Bill Warriner Floribunda is one of my very favorite roses. I refer to it as my blooming machine. It is rarely without bloom.

Bill Warriner was bred by Keith Zary of Jackson and Perkins in 1996 and named for the renowned rose breeder Bill Warriner who died of cancer in 1991.

The American Rose Society  gives Bill Warriner a 7.9 rating in their 2013 Handbook for Selecting Roses. For more on the American Rose Society, click here. Their latest American Rose magazine is amazing. Sign up for it today! See cover pic below…

“William (Bill) Warriner (hybridizer from 1963 to 1984) developed 110 rose varieties that resulted in the sale of 40 million plants and 20 All-America Rose Selections. Two of his roses, Medallion and Red Masterpiece, were selected for special-issue postage stamps by the United States Postal Service in 1978.” -Jackson and Perkins Website 

Other Bill Warriner roses are Simpliciy, Intrique, Love, Honor, Rio Samba and Tournament of Roses.

My first Bill Warriner was planted in a bed that had the least amended soil in our garden and yet it flourished! After I saw what “Bill” could do, I moved him to a better location and bought 2 more. I love them. I am hoping I can find more. If you know of a company selling Bill Warriner roses, please let me know!

The color of this rose is a unique blend of apricot, orange and pink. It pairs very well with a vase of pink and yellow roses. As you will see from the pictures, sometimes the blooms are more pink and sometimes they are more apricot/orange.

This rose is medium sized with a compact growth habit and most definitely passes my fragrance test … a lovely, sweet rose scent.

Recently we have had at least two nights of plant-damaging frost in my neck of the woods and yet this morning, I went out to see Bill with beautiful blooms hanging in there! Love the rose but do not love the frost …. And, just so you know, it is only 158 days until spring! 🙂

Cover of latest American Rose magazine…

What’s going on in your garden this week?

Bloom Thyme Friday: 2012 Top Ten

| Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

For us in the midwest this was the year of the drought. For 9 weeks we had no rain. Most of the pictures of the entries for the 2012 Top Ten are before the drought began. However, there are a few plants that rose to the top as a result of the drought. All in all, the drought made us more appreciative of everything we have. And, made us think of those in other areas of the world that have drought as a part of their everyday lives—our prayers go out to them!

# 10 Annabelle Hydrangeas

This picture was taken before the drought began. These hydrangeas are beautiful, reliable and long lasting. I just picked a few to have in the potting shed for the long winter that is on it’s way!


# 9 Gene Boerner

This is a new rose to my garden but what a stand out! Bloomed and bloomed and bloomed. During the drought the roses were the plants that got most of the allotted water. I am so glad I planted Gene Boerner.


# 8 Bill Warriner

This rose was named for a Jackson & Perkins’ hybridizer who lost his battle with cancer. Our family lost a beloved family member to cancer too, so this rose is special to me. But, in and above all that, it is an amazing, fragrant blooming machine that is a standout in the rose garden.

# 7 Summer garden in front of the Potting Shed

It was so hot and so dry when this picture was taken. I was grateful for every bloom!

#6 The Grande Dame

The Grande Dame is an amazing fragrant rose that wows in my garden! I have three of them and will probably have more.

#5 New Dawn

New Dawn bloomed before the drought began and was spectacular! Soft pink, fragrant, tough and disease resistant. This is a climber that any garden would enjoy! For more on New Dawn, click HERE.

#4 The President Clematis

This clematis was a show stopper in early summer and just recently bloomed again making it completely amazing in my book.

#3 Larkspur

I love larkspur. Larkspur is best when it self seeds. This year was one of those years when I planted seed AND there was plenty of self seeding going on from the year before. The larkspur was beautiful for a long, long time!

#2 Dogwood

To get the whole story of why I love my dogwood trees, CLICK HERE.

#1 Harison’s Yellow

What a year this rose had. Spectacular in the spring and enchanting me completely with it’s history. Read about the history HERE.


Honorable Mention

This picture tells the story of the drought. Something I don’t want to forget…

I hope 2012 was a wonderful growing season for you! It is now that thyme of year when I settle in to plan and plot for next year. My favorite season is spring and it will be here soon… Well sort of soon … actually it will be here in 161 days! 🙂

Happy fall to you!