Bloom Thyme Friday: What’s Next

Link | | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

This lover of spring is noticing how “fall things” have started to creep into my world. 😢 One upside is it’s time for assessing the year and making plans for next year! I really love the making plans for next year part! Hope “springs” eternal for gardeners! 😉

NEW FOR 2018

The last couple of weeks on Rose Chat we have been interviewing the rose suppliers on 2018 releases. I can tell you with great enthusiasm, there are some beauties coming. I’ll be making some room! The first in the series was with Jackson and Perkins and it is out now. Check them out at rosechatpodcast.com.

Yep, it’s that time of year to fall in love with new ones. I don’t know about you but whether I’m adding a couple or a dozen, it always “requires” some REEEE designing and some REEEE arranging. (I love that part!!!) Makes Mr G gets a bit nervous. He’s the kind who likes things in the garden the way they are now — regardless of how they are now. Which is a blessing in many ways! But, I LOVE to move things around! He says he trusts me, but when I get started I see that eye twitch until it is done.  😳 😂

Before I fall full into planning for next  year,  I’m looking at roses that were stand outs in my garden this year.

Here are 5 of them…

5. Quietness: Year after year, this rose quietly steals the show! Beautiful, healthy, easy care and fragrant — the whole package. Purchase your own at Chamblees Roses (Link). You really will love it!

4. Olivia Rose Austin: These pictures say it all. Well almost all. Until we have scratch and sniff blog pages, you can’t fully experience all this rose has to offer. The fragrance is not to be missed. You can have one (Full disclosure: I have two. LOL) too, just follow this link. David Austin roses are in the charm and fragrance business for sure!

3. Peggy Martin: A one-time blooming show stopper! She filled the early season with grace, beauty and charm. All are words I’d use to describe her lovely namesake! Just talking about her makes me miss her! 😘 Love you Peggy. This rose is available at Chamblees.

2. At Last: New to my world but made a big impression. Lovely color. Quick to repeat and a light sweet fragrance. Can’t wait to see what she will do next year! Locally, Country Harmony had this rose. (Link)

1. My Girl: As I look out at the (3) My Girls, I can’t believe how well they have done! 2 are in pots and one is in the ground. Loads of blooms and probably the most healthy roses in my garden this year! A deep pink color that is hard to photograph but trust me it is gorgeous! This beauty is from the Easy Elegance collection–found locally at Lowes and Frazee Gardens (Link).

This My Girl is in the ground…
This My Girl is in a pot on the deck.

SPECIAL MENTION…

Special mention goes to Music Box also from the Easy Elegance collection! Strong beautiful shrub giving me loads of blooms for bokays! Here’s a video I did for the American Rose Society…

One thing that does get my attention in the fall…

Are you a pumpkin spice “YAY” or a pumpkin spice “NAY” person?

If not pumpkin spice latte, what is your fall drink of choice?

Today I’m wishing you a happy Pumpkin Spice Season and a very happy Bloom Thyme Friday.

Bloom Thyme Friday: Nips and Tucks

Link | | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

Yes, is it summer thyme and time to trim up the perennials and annuals that have been beautiful companions to my roses and clean up the beds of debris and fallen blooms and leaves. There are areas that are definitely moving into the jungly stage. I also like to add a bit of mulch this time of year. Fresh mulch just looks so good and it is so helpful in moisture retention.

Some of the roses need a good hair cut too so they can move into making a beautiful fall display of blooms—which we will get to enjoy now that the Japanese Beetles are in their final decent! (Here’s a bit more on pruning.)

To add to the excitement of the summer trim, we have a fall rose show coming up in our ARS Illinois Indiana District to be held in St. Louis (more information on that here). If all goes as planned, I will have some fresh blooms to take to the show. Now I am not the most competitive or competent horticulture exhibitor, but it is quite thrilling to see a blue ribbon on one of my babies. It does happen from time to time.😉 I’ll have a better chance in the arrangement category. I love that best! But, there are so many talented people in this district! #stiffcompetition

Here’s a bokay I picked last weekend to take to a friend’s dinner party...

TIMING

Most roses will repeat bloom in 40 – 50 days after a trim. So wish me luck. It really is a win win situation … I’ll take the beautiful blooms anytime. But, if I have an award winner at the show, you will hear about it. 😱

JUST BE

Wednesday I had a day off and a chance to “just be” in the garden. No real agenda.  A little work, but mostly plotting and planning. There is nothing quite like taking some time to “just be.” So grateful for that day.

BLOOMERS THIS WEEK

Here are some of the pictures from this week…

Lady Ashe

Happy Bloom Thyme Friday from my jungly summer garden!

Bloom Thyme Friday: Moments

Link | | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

There are moments and then there are moments to treasure. With all our children visiting this week, I had so many special moments.

Watching my adult children work together in the kitchen; wandering through my garden with buckets and snips in hand, choosing flowers for bokays they will take home; sitting around the table laughing together, eating together and lifting our glasses in a unifying “CHEERS!” were such moments. Moments to treasure.

Then, there were the Potting Shed moments… Oh boy, I can’t wait for you to hear about those. 😍

As a Gardening Grammy, you dream of teaching your grandchildren about gardening. You want them to love it. You dream they will have so much fun in your garden that they vow to have gardens of their own someday.

Hudson (3.5 years) and I were walking in the garden and H says, “Grammy, let’s go into your Potting Shed.” (At this point you can picture Grammy with the ear-to-ear smile!) So, in the Potting Shed we went. He looked around asking questions and assessing the situation thoroughly. Then he said, “Can we plant something.” With speed that could be harnessed for an olympic event, I whipped open my dirt drawer and we got started!

Remember those “sprigs of something” in a post a few weeks back (link here). Well, those sprigs came in handy. They had good strong roots and were ready to be planted. We talked about roots and stems and leaves and dirt and water and he was right there with me. He loved it! We planted a coleus and an African Violet leaf. He also decorated a pot.

There were parts of me that secretly wished that I had known this would happen, so I was ready with colored markers instead of the black sharpie that I use on plant tags, a better apron for him and on and on. But, in reality, the magic of these moments could not have been improved. It was spontaneous. Not forced. No expectations. To me … just perfect. I think he will remember this time in the Potting Shed. I know I will never forget it. 

Several times a day after that he “checked” on his plants to be sure they were doing okay. More moments.

Sweet, sweet, sweet moments to treasure. Moments I will hold tightly in my heart.

At such times I remember what scripture tells us of Mary after the birth of Jesus when so many sweet moments were happening. Luke 2:19 tells us … Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. Angels singing. Shepherds visiting. Moments to treasure.

Okay, ready to see the pictures. Caution, there are “several”!

Happy Bloom Thyme Friday from a very grateful Mother and Grammy.