Wednesday was that rare spring day in December and I was home all afternoon!! I could not wait to grab my sassy Bog rose boots and get busy. My boots were all clean and ready for service! (They are not clean now.)
There was so much to do as this fall was extremely busy for us and I was not able to put the garden to bed as I usually do. But, I had this glorious day! I suppose the tasks at hand would be daunting to some, but I just couldn’t wait. Just being outside in the garden sent my happiness meter over the top. I could have conquered the world! Sort of. 🙂
There were roses to trim.
I only had time for a few. Giving them the tender care of cleaning up the world around them, trimming the long floppy canes and mounding up some extra soil and leaves around them was a labor of love.
Sticks to pick up (We have loads and loads of sticks!)
Leaves to rake and stack around some tender roses. More long canes to secure.
This is one of my most favorites, Peggy Martin. The rose and her namesake bring me much happiness too. Look at all this growth – she is still going strong, but I know that when the real winter gets here, she’s a bit tender and needs some help. Last year I did not get to see very many of her gorgeous blooms as there was so much winter dieback due to the late cold spells we had. But when she shines, she shines. Remember this image from two years ago…
I saw a post on Facebook that Chamblee Roses has a new crop of Peggy Martin Roses. If you want one, go to Chamblee’s website here. Better hurry, they go fast!
What, other than your family, sends your happiness meter over the top! Do that soon!
And, by the way, did you realize it is only 82 days until spring? I have a stack of garden catalogs just waiting!! There goes my happiness meter again.
You know, I STILL enjoy the old hybrid tea roses that were so popular when I was a kid! They are so easy to prune too! I mean, they do not leave so many confusing options. They just get pruned back to a few simple canes, and that is that! I know it must sound boring to those who grow the more interesting modern types. My Pa dislikes the hybrid teas, because they are not like the even older types that he grew up with, which are probably more like the newer types, with fragrance and such. Well, I still grow my favorite ‘John F. Kennedy’, as well as ‘Oklahoma’ (which I really like, but would not recommend to others). I intend to find ‘Seashell’. I know it is not pretty, but it is one that I remember.