I have always loved the Christmas Carol, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen. If you are not familiar, the verse is…
Oh tidings of comfort and joy
Comfort and joy
Oh tidings of comfort and joy
This season I have thought of it so often as our family has been in need of comfort and has been given so much joy.
COMFORT
Our need for comfort came as we walked through finding care for our beloved matriarch this year as she needed extra care and in slowly handing her over to her Heavenly Father. Our comfort came from our family, our friends, and our faith. Faith in the scripture that tells us in John 14,
“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.”
We know she was welcomed into her forever home with open arms. JOY!
OH, THE JOY!
Joy in remembering stories and hearing new stories of a life well lived.
Joy in the man that I am privileged to share my life with.
Joy in our grown children who inspire us every day.
Joy in our friendships – we have the best.
Joy in our “littles.” These little boys make our hearts want to sing. Their innocent faces full of wonder and unbridled expressions of love can erase all the murky dust our world sprinkles around us.
Just look at them! JOY!
BLOOM THYME
When we left Indiana is was cold and “frosty.”
But here in sunny California, there are roses and their companions in bloom! JOY!
I leave you with wishes for a wonderful Bloom Thyme Friday and Pentatonix singing God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen…. JOY!
OH, ONE MORE THING!!
The African Violet cuttings the littles worked on in the Potting Shed a couple months back (read about that here) are starting to grow! JOY!
Yep, just looking at their pictures, I could just break out in song!!!
Wishing you a week filled with all the things that fill you with Joy!
It seems like so long since I posted but it hasn’t been. However, I have been traveling and that warps my sense of time! So many fun things to tell you about.
AMERICAN ROSE SOCIETY NATIONAL CONVENTION
I travelled to San Diego for the ARS National Convention as my friend and current president, Pat Shanley passed the gavel to incoming president Bob Martin. They have worked so well together and it was very special to see them honor one another. Diane Sommers was installed as Vice President by her good friend Andy Plasz of the IL-IN District. And, there was my own installation as IL-IN Director.
Then it was time for the Board Meeting … my first board meeting. As I looked around the table of other board members, I found I was in very good company with so much to learn! I am excited for this opportunity to learn from them as we serve our organization. I love people and I love roses and I am always happy to bring the two together.
And by the way, I was honored with an award, a presidential citation for my work as editor of the ARS member newsletter Roses & You. #blush
EDUCATION
There were so many opportunities to learn at this conference.
HYBRIDIZING
We heard from hybridizers, Tom Carruth and Ping Lim. Tom gave us a lesson on rose breeding — a walk through families of roses that led us to the ever popular and beautiful Julia Child rose.
As many of you know, Ping Lim is the hybridizer of the Easy Elegance Collection that I talk about quite often. Ping now has a NEW ROSE COLLECTION called TRUE BLOOM (details here). I had the pleasure of seeing many of them and can tell you we have so much to look forward too. I can’t wait to try them in my garden!
ROSE PRESERVATION by Connie Hilker of Hartwood Roses — one of my new best rose friends! We were all entranced as she shared her heart, stories and so much information about heirloom roses. So many of them are endangered.
It is no surprise that Incoming ARS President Bob Martin has named Connie the Chairman of the Committee for Rose Preservation. I can think of no one better suited. Yes, roses, especially those “who have been around for a long long time,” are in good hands with Connie. She and I recorded a Rose Chat while there that will include her entire program. Her Rose Chat will be released soon so watch social media.
I was also able to catch up with my good friend Wendy Tilley, owner of TheRoseGardener.com — a place for wonderful products for rose growers and all gardeners. Wendy and her husband Ryan recently moved from the Atlanta Area to Portland. That moved included moving a rose garden. And they don’t just grow a few.
PODCAST: While in San Diego Wendy and I chatted about the move and some tips she had for others. You can listen to our chat HERE.
ROSE SHOW…
Oh my word the roses!!! A National Convention Rose Show is so over the top! Each rose was eye candy!
BLOOM THYME…
We had the pleasure of touring 5 beautiful private gardens. Don’t you just love going on tours of private gardens. All are so unique. Seeing the style and personality of the ones who lovingly tend them makes them special — an honor to be invited behind the gates.
Bob and Dona Martin invited us to a President’s reception “FIESTA”. What a wonderful evening in a truly beautiful place. Take a look….
A beautiful entrance
Our entertainment. They were amazing.
Lavaglut
Didn’t get the name of this beauty!
Julia Child
A rose I had never seen before but totally fell in love with, Garden and Home.
Another shot of Garden and Home…
Side Garden
South Africa
PERFECT ENDING….
At the end of the convention I travelled by train north to visit with the grandboys and their parents. Truly a perfect ending to a big week. We only had a few days but they were filled to the brim with hugs, hand holding and trips to fun places.
Best greeting EVER!!!
He is the best hugger!
Making garden creations with Mr. H.
My grocery shopping partner!
And, that smile!
These guys were over the legal limit for Halloween! SO FUN!!!
WHAT’S NEXT?
With all the travel I am a “bit” behind on putting the garden to bed. I have bulbs to plant and the potting shed is reeking of garlic since I have not gotten that planted yet either. Maybe tomorrow! 😳 I’ll need a warm coat and hat! LOL Did you plant bulbs this year?
The temps this week are getting more and more frosty and time for some of my favorite fall tasks. I am a bit late in getting some of these things done, but sometimes the “best” time to do things is when you have the time and I did.
Things like welcoming back in the houseplants that have enjoyed the sunshine and rain all summer but certainly don’t want to stay outside in the cold!
Bringing into the garage potted herbs and flowers, I hope to over winter. Note: Sometimes this works for me and sometimes it does not — but always worth the effort. These plants are put in a dark, slightly heated garage and get watered once a month until early spring and go back out! Most do make it!
By far the most fun task this week was clipping herbs and flowers to dry. Since there are only two of us, we don’t need as many cooking herbs, but this is a process I would do even if we never cooked — for many reasons. First of all I love every part of the process… gathering them and enjoying their fragrance. I love how they look in their little bunches hanging around! And, another huge bonus, it takes me back to those days when I was a stay at home mom and had a small cottage business of making potpourri and herb and flower wreaths. A local garden center requested them and it was so fun to do! Mr. G made me drying racks of all kinds for the bunches and bunches of herbs and flowers I needed. Hydrangeas, roses, lavender, grasses, yarrow, sedum, artemisia, tansy, sage, feverfew and such. Yes, sweet (and savory) memories.
In those days many of these dried bunches of beauty were also used as main decorations for the Christmas tree. Things were different every year. As the kids got older they helped to bring things in and of course in decorating. #familyfun Let me just say that both of our grown children are gardeners. I guess it is in their genes or at least in their memory banks!
You can read about my daughter’s garden here. My son has to have herbs for cooking and is always chasing the best tomatoes to plant!
POTTING SHED FUN THIS WEEK:
BLOOM THYME THIS WEEK:
Many bloomers were great at the beginning of the week but not so much today.
Thanks for stopping by.
I hope you have beautiful treasures from your garden to enjoy outside and in.
Celebrating 130 Years of high quality & exceptional taste.
The Four Roses® Anniversary Rose celebrates the 130th Anniversary of the Four Roses® Kentucky Bourbon brand.
In the late 1800s, the legend of the Four Roses® name was born.
As the story goes, Paul Jones Jr., the founder of Four Roses® Bourbon, became smitten by a beautiful Southern Belle. He sent a proposal to her and she replied that if her answer were “yes”, she would wear a corsage of roses on her gown to the upcoming grand ball. When she arrived on the night of the ball, she wore a corsage of four red roses. He later named his bourbon “Four Roses” as a symbol of his devout passion for the lovely belle. He then carried that devotion a step further by trademarking Four Roses® in 1888.
That passion continues today. Master Distiller, Brent Elliott, and his team produce highly awarded Four Roses® Bourbon for consumers all over the world.
The Jackson & Perkins® Four Roses® Anniversary Rose perfectly represents the brand. Graceful, colorful, and elegant – it reminds us of that Southern Belle so long ago. Like the Bourbons, this rose will bloom and be recognized as a symbol of high quality and exceptional taste.
The blooms of this rose are exquisitely formed and fade-proof,
with a lovely damask fragrance.
Once they open, the blooms are 3 to 4 inches wide and comprised of 20 to 25 deep red petals. These blooms arrive in early summer and keep on going in waves all season long, especially if promptly deadheaded.
It’s a vigorous and easy-to-grow rose, heat tolerant, and resistant to rust and powdery mildew, meaning it’s a good choice for warmer climates.
(NOTE: FOR MORE ON CARE, SEE VIDEO BELOW.)
IN MY GARDEN!
Rose lovers love a good story. And as you read in the press release above, this rose comes with a rich and romantic one. I am fortunate to have been given this beauty and will share my experience with you! Thank you Jackson and Perkins for this lovely gift!
It is going in the ground this week and will get a large covering of mulch once the ground has frozen.
Four Roses Anniversary Rose will spend the winter with some good neighbors… Sweet Drift, Darcey Bussell and Petit Pink. It’s a good place…
Jackson and Perkins has a lot going on with roses and all her companions. They even have some great videos on rose care and garden design by Paul Zimmerman. Find Paul’s videos and more information here.
