Bloom Thyme Friday: 2020 Standouts: Part 2

Link | September 25, 2020December 16, 2020 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

In the spring I was gifted two ‘Lil Miss Sunshine’ Caryopteris shrubs to test in my garden. They have reached the status of 2020 Standout for sure.

I love the color of the leaves.
I love the compact size.
I love the blooms.
And, most of all I love how well it pairs with Music Box roses.

I have several Music Box roses and they are standouts every year but adding ‘Lil Miss Sunshine’ as a companion turned out to be a great decision. Just look at how fabulous these two neighbors work together.

Even though my garden is a cottage style garden and it is packed with many, many plants, I am careful about neighbors for the roses. Roses need good air circulation and are extremely grateful for plants that can help hide their “naked knees” that tend to happen by summer’s end. And, summer’s end is when ‘Lil Miss Sunshine’ goes from a pretty little shrub to a STANDOUT. Look at these soft, lovely, blue blooms… What better colors to pair with Music Box. These two plants have been so good together all year. I will be adding more Lil Miss Sunshines in the future and if you are in Zones 5 – 9, you might want this little cutie too.

Music Box is more vibrant this time of year.

Don’t you just love these beautiful blooms! Pollinators sure find them yummy. More info Lil Miss Sunshine here.

Hydrangeas are just wonderful right now and ripe for the picking. This week I made an arrangement for our dining room table.

If you would like to see the process for holding a large arrangement in a small container, here you go…

It is so fun to work on projects outside as the weather has been just about perfect. While we badly need rain, it’s hard to complain about 75 and sunny every day. The night temps are dipping closer and closer to frost and I am getting things ready to come inside. Which means reorganizing the Potting Shed! It will be my place to “garden” for the winter.

BLOOM THYME

The garden still has some beautiful blooms…

Mr. G and Me

This week is the 43rd anniversary of me and Mr. G starting our lives together and we are happier every year. Yes, like all of you, life has thrown us curve balls out of nowhere but we stay anchored to God and to each other and are committed to being each other’s best friend, support system and very best cheerleader. Plus, he is just the cutest thing! Look what he served me on the start of our anniversary week. He knows me well – COFFEE!!!

This was last September at the Biltmore International Rose Trial…

As you look at this sweet cup of coffee (and it was outstanding), know this, Mr. G is not the most comfortable man in the kitchen. But he does believe in having the right tools. So, when he decided he wanted to make me a special drink he found the right tool – a frother! We are putting it to good use! In our life together we have learned that it is the little things we do that add up to the big things! Note: During lockdown, he is learning more and more about cooking and is proving to be a very apt student! 🥰 If you would like to make someone’s day … here’s a link to the frother! I highly recommend it!

I hope you and your friends and family are enjoying the beauty of fall and continue to be safe and healthy!🍂 What are the little things in your life that are meaning so much these days?

Bloom Thyme Friday: Friends and Roses Part 2

Link | June 19, 2020June 19, 2020 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

In most of my garden “rooms” you will find roses hybridized by this rose friend – Dr. David Zlesak.

DAY JOB: David is a Professor of Horticulture at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. For the past 11 years, David has been teaching undergraduate horticulture students.

HOBBY: As a kid growing up in Milwaukee, David loved being outside and gardening – especially with his grandparents who had a small farm nearby.

FUN STORY: When David was 13 he read in the Sunday paper gardening section about Will Radler’s rose breeding hobby. So he wrote to Will for more information. Will (breeder of the Knock Out family of roses) got him connected to the Rose Hybridizers Association and with his love of art, science and roses, he was off onto a hobby that would bring him and all of us much joy in the roses that he has created.

FRIENDSHIP: I met David through American Rose Society events and we have become great friends. Actually, it is hard NOT to become friends with David as he is truly one of the nicest guys around! He is always willing to share his vast knowledge with those interested!

DAVID’S ROSES IN MY GARDEN

Petit Pink (10 of those!) (Lovely sweetheart blooms!)

Above and Beyond (Gorgeous spring-blooming climber)

The newly released Pretty Polly Lavender (Sweetest blooms and fragrant too)

The newly released Pretty Polly (So prolific and great in arrangements)

PODCAST:

Recently I spoke to David on the Rose Chat Podcast about a project that he is also very passionate about — The Clean Plant Network and the very important work they are doing. Listen in HERE.

BLOOM THYME THIS WEEK

THYME OUT…

‘Thyme Out’ is the name for my new outdoor working space and this space is coming together very nicely. Gone are the horrible vines, roots, and trunks of the invasive Japanese Honeysuckle (if you missed that post, read on HERE.

This space has always included a potting bench but Mr. G gave the potting bench a facelift and then surprised me with a beautiful work table. After a few days of seeing me work in the space, he said, “I’m making you another table.” Seriously, I said I don’t need another one it would be tooooo excessive.” He said, “I’m making you another table.” And, he did. And, guess what? I am so glad he did! I have room to spread out! I am spending so much time in this space.

Mr. G is the best.

To say that he ”gets” me would be an understatement.

To say that he is a craftsman, would be an understatement.

To say that he is a leader and mentor, would be an understatement.
To say that I love him would be an understatement.

And, to say that he is the very best at being a dad and papa … would be an understatement.

HAPPY FATHER’S (& PAPA) DAY, MR. G.

BLOOMING THIS WEEK…

The roses are on steroids this week and so are many other things. Here are a few pics. For more pictures and videos go to my Instagram page HERE.

Friends, thanks for dropping by.

I hope your world is filled to the brim with friends and with beautiful blooms too! 😘

Bloom Thyme Friday: Patience is a Virtue

Link | May 28, 2020 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

Yes, patience is a virtue… they say.

And this season as gardeners we have needed all the patience we can get as we deal with weather conditions. Weather dictates most everything we do.

As I write a gentle rain is falling, it looks and sounds beautiful. The birds are loving it but I’m practicing patience as I wait on sunshine. Much of the garden is sitting in water and rain predicted for all day tomorrow too. 😏 We gardeners surely do hate to complain about rain. However… GULP! GULP!

We are coming out of a very cold, dreary period … it has actually set records for lack of sunshine and for lowest temps. Funny thing about that, England is having their sunniest spring on record. I think I have their answer … my daughter is there. She always brings sunshine to my life.

We NEED a bit of sunshine. Our spirits need it. Our plants need it. Work on my new outdoor potting space needs it. My Sweet Bay Magnolias especially need it.

SWEET BAY MAGNOLIAS

We have three SB Magnolias and love them. Last year at this time they were leafing out so beautifully and getting ready to bloom. The freeze we experienced a couple of weeks ago nipped them good. All baby leaves turned black. We feared the worst. But, this week with the warming temps, we now see leaves! Whew, that was close. Can’t imagine losing them.

BLOOM THYME…

The warm temps are sure paying off… blooms (and veggies) are popping all over the garden!

Caution: Excessive images coming. Hope you like pink and purple.😳

Oh, **Sweet William** how sweet you are![/caption
**Baptisia** getting started. Easy, Breezy, Beautiful.

**May Night Salvia** can’t be stopped. Power bloomer.

Not sure of the variety, but these alliums brought their “A” game this spring!

**The President** clematis has been bringing joy to my garden for years and years. It is usually the first of my clematis to bloom.

PEONIES…

Click on any picture to open the gallery feature.

VEGGIES…

Click on individual pics for additional information on varieties, etc.

🍅Tomatoes planted in containers last weekend by my son. 👨‍🌾 We always have garden days together for Mother’s Day but this year it had to be later and socially distanced. No hugs. 😭 TOMATOES: Summer Sandwich (formerly Steak Sandwich), Romas, Mr. Stripey and several cherry tomato varieties.

🌱Peas coming along nicely.

🌱Zucchini are growing in containers as we did last year. This year’s varieties are Romanesco and Rhonde de Nice (a round Zuc)

🥔Potatoes (Kennebecs) jumping up along with a “volunteer” Cosmos to the right side.

🥗Lettuce (Black Simpson) is being enjoyed by all!

ROSES…

So many roses are loaded with bud and just ready to burst!

And some ROSES are reaching their peak…

**Midnight in Paris** growing in a container on my deck.

Below is Ghislaine de Feligonde reaching for the sky over the Potting Shed.

She looks like she’s enjoying today’s gentle rain.

Ghislaine de Feligonde… this old-fashioned rambler forms a large shrub with few thorns. Fragrant bloom clusters open apricot, aging to pale yellow. Occasional repeat bloom. Canes can reach 6 to 10 feet. (Taken from High Country Roses website where I bought her 3 years ago.)

RAIN OR SHINE

If you need a rainy or sunny day activity … I think you will enjoy my recent interview with Mike Shoup of the Antique Rose Emporium. His talks should come with a warning, he makes it hard not to fall in love (or deeper in love) with roses — plants he calls THE ULTIMATE GARDEN PLANT. And, he uses them so beautifully. You can listen HERE.

Friends, spring is happening! Until next time be well, be safe, and be happy in the garden.

If you are local keep an umbrella handy too. 😉 ☔️

Bloom Thyme Friday: Penelope’s Story

Link | May 15, 2020May 15, 2020 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

Between winter, these cold snaps and “shelter in place”, I have had too much time on my hands. Keep looking at online catalogs etc. I have added – let’s just say SEVERAL roses to the family.

Just when I told myself I was officially DONE and truly had all the roses I need at this time, this happened… I was chatting with Mike Shoup of Antique Rose Emporium about his upcoming Rose Chat Podcast. (Release date May 24. Don’t miss it — Mike is amazing and you will be inspired. When he speaks about roses it is though he is reciting poetry!

As we talked I noted one of his favorite roses is Penelope and he told me all the great things about it (and there are many). I was doing okay and still good with my decision for NO MORE ROSES THIS YEAR… until I saw their Facebook post of a picture of an entire shrub line of Penelope roses in full bloom at the Antique Rose Emporium. 😳

I tried to get my good friend Linda Kimmel to talk me out of it – but alas she was no help. At the mere mention of Penelope, she launched into a story of how her Penelope was so beautiful and such a good rebloomer than it won an award in a rose show and beat out some very prestigious contenders and on and on she went. No. Help. At. All. 🙄

I caved. 🤦‍♀️ Wouldn’t you? Do you grow this rose? Do you ever “cave” when it comes to plants? If so, please leave me a comment. Safety in numbers. 👊🏻

Penelope now lives in Brownsburg in a prime spot where I will see her constantly. I keep apologizing to her for all the cold. It must be a shock coming from Texas to Indiana where it is even colder than usual for this time of year. 🥶

UP CLOSE & PERSONAL WITH PENELOPE:

Image of Penelope courtesy of Antique Rose Emporium Website.

Penelope is a fragrant Hybrid Musk Shrub Rose bred by a historical favorite, Rev. Joseph Hardwich Pemberton in 1924.

David Austin’s website says it is deliciously fragrant and ideal for hips. Link.

High Country Roses website says it is known for its healthy vigor and shade tolerance! Link

Note: HELP ME FIND says resist the urge to prune this rose too heavily – it doesn’t like it. Hopefully, winters won’t do that either. More info here.

BLOOM THYME

Early this week we had record low temperatures. For the first time I can remember we had a FREEZE (not frost) WARNING in May (26 degrees). I turned my garden into a POT AND TENT CITY. Was so very thankful for all the pots I have kept on hand. Almost got rid of them last fall!!!

My garden is way too large to cover everything. So I went with the veggies, peonies and as many roses as I could.

The sergeant crabapple suffered greatly.
The hostas and lilies suffered greatly.
Tips of roses not covered suffered too.

Time will tell how much other damage we had. Each day I am seeing more signs. I’ll keep you posted on how the recovery goes. A big surprise was how well the clematis did. I have a ton of clematis and many of them are covered in buds.

Yes, time will tell.

So, while the temps prevented outside fun, we went in to enjoy hot soup and homemade bread…

FRED:

Handsome Fred (the frog) is back out and conversing with the goldfish so all is well for spring!

GOING STRONG:

Bloomerang lilacs …

Dogwoods…

Pansies and violas are still bright spots. They like cool weather.

First lettuce picking! Always a great day.

DREAMS…

And, then there’s this guy — the dream maker. Mr. G is busy making furniture for my new and improved potting area! More pics to come!! It is soooo fun. I can’t wait to show you. He is the very best. #swoon

The weather app is giving out better news for the days to come – if our tender plants can survive the downpours of rain. Happy Days!

COVID-19 & GARDENING:

On the Rose Chat podcast, we are featuring stories from those in our garden community on what it is like WHEN GARDENERS SHELTER IN PLACE. Listen in to these short, insightful stories told by the gardeners themselves… LINK

Friends, wishing you safety, health, and fun in the garden.

Bloom Thyme Friday Flashback

Link | November 22, 2019November 22, 2019 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

We are having a very dark week and I’m going back to sunny days in May (when it wasn’t raining… and it rained a lot!) ☔️

Let’s start with Niobe Clematis: Gorgeous blooms for months! She cared little about the torrential rainfall — just did her beautiful thing!

Reine des Violette: This almost thornless, one-time blooming OGR gives so much in beauty and fragrance that you forgive her for leaving so quickly!! Hybrid Perpetuals usually rebloom but she hasn’t in 5 years. She is in a bit of a shady area so that could be the issue.

Sweet William (Dianthus): Makes spring so special with it’s dependable mass of bloom! Great in a vase!

Rosa Mundi (Gallica Rose) and friends…

Rosa Mundi is a beautiful and fragrant one-time blooming machine! I dream of her blooms in winter! She is fantastic!

Easy on the Eyes Rose: This disease resistant, fragrant beauty blooms all summer long and is indeed easy on the eyes and gets a lot of attention in the garden. I don’t think I ever saw a spec of disease on this one. Thanks Tom Carruth! 2018 release from Weeks.

Peonies: The rain beat them down too quickly, but I had plenty to bring inside! Their season is always short and sweet but I couldn’t do without it! Even after my blooms were gone, I bought bundles from the grocery store to bring home.

IN OTHER NEWS:

BULB UPDATE:

As of today, all bulbs are planted. Daffodils, Alliums, Crocus. I was so surprised how soft the soil still is. It was a pleasure to be digging!I have a lot more garden clean up to do and am hoping that will happen this weekend as the weather looks to be just perfect for some outside work — once the rain moves on!

ROCKY:

We have a raccoon that is making our bird watching fun most unpleasant. One evening while sitting in our chairs we heard a loud thud from outside. A few minutes later, we heard another thud. I said, “I am sure it’s just a raccoon on the bird feeder.” Not really sure that was it at all. Mr. G goes to investigate and the fattest raccoon you have ever seen, was climbing up our window (how do they do that) to try to get to the feeder and he did! Got right in the middle. Raccoons are a year round problem here. We are spreading around more cayenne pepper. But, if you ask me he kind of likes it — or at least sees it as a challenge. Any tips??

AMARYLLIS:

It’s time to plant amaryllis… I’m waiting a bit later than usual to plant them this year so that I have blooms in January when I return from England. I’ll really need them then!

Look at these amazing bulbs I found! You probably can’t really tell the size but they are huge! The last time I grew a Mount Blanc – it had 14 blooms – at one time. A record for me! Seriously, I have a picture somewhere! Apple Blossom is always pretty. I wanted red this year but didn’t find any large bulbs. #sizematters

I also had to buy this Smith and Hawkins pot for old times sake. I miss the Smith and Hawkins store so much. Trips to that store made my winters so much more pleasant! It is where I did so much spring dreaming! Anyone else remember those amazing places for gardeners. Glad Target keeps the memories alive with their S & H garden collection.

POTTING SHED PUTTERINGS:

Repotted a very leggy Swedish Ivy that was in a tiny pot. Swedish Ivy is not a picky plant. I don’t ever remember buying this plant but I sure like it. If you are new to houseplants, this would be a great one to buy!

Took some cuttings from the Ivy and potted up a broken stem of the Thanksgiving/Christmas cactus. We’ll see what happens with them. Hope they take. I love having new babies. (Like I need more. 🤦‍♀️)

Window garden still looking good. The sun found us a bit today!

GIVING THANKS:

I hope you enjoy this very special week. A time to stop and think about all the people and all the things we have been blessed with. And cook all our favorite foods! Yummmmm.

Til next time… know that I am thankful for you and the Giver of all good things…

Bloom Thyme Friday: Heavenly

Link | October 25, 2019February 15, 2022 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

Well friends I have turned the corner and have said a proper goodbye to summer with the last rose bokay I picked this week. I am embracing the fall beauty around me!

Side Note: One garden friend on seeing my recent bokay asked if I should be still cutting my roses. She has heard me say on more than one occasion that we should stop deadheading our roses several weeks before the first frost to encourage them to begin to make hips (seeds) and go to sleep in protection of the cold to come. That is true. However, once a week I do scour the garden of nearly 200 roses to find the best of the best. My Cherry Parfait rose had about 25 blooms and 15 or so buds and I just picked one. So I do limit my cutting during this time! (But, it’s super hard to do so.) I’m so glad she asked!

WHAT I’M LOVING…

The most beautiful thing right now is the Heavenly Blue Morning Glory vine… that has completely invaded the Potting Shed’s personal space.

Morning Glories (Ipomoea) are natives albeit “very happy overachieving natives” who can spread their beauty around in ways that look like an invasive! 😳 Their ability to self seed gets them into trouble!

Yes, it is heavenly!

Bees love, birds love, butterflies love and even my camera lens loves these amazing blooms. A fall highlight!

NOT SO HEAVENLY

A morning glory family member, Bind Weed, is a much more aggressive plant and drives our farmers crazy. Do do check your variety and your local cooperative extension for information on growing any of these vines in your area.

Birds do contribute to the problem! As I mentioned in a previous post. I have a very healthy vine of Grandpa Ott blooming this year and I have not planted that variety for many, many years! I suspect some little bird left me a present.

POTTING SHED PUTTERINGS…

Hudson’s African Violet is still going strong and has been blooming for several weeks. Cooper’s African Violet is smaller but it’s on the verge of another bloom cycle too. (Both started from a single leaf.)

Still haven’t potted my roses. Maybe tomorrow! 🤦‍♀️ But we have new tiny leaves.

And, I bought one new plant ….. a cute little peperomia.

And lastly, this beauty is bringing me all kinds of happy — but alas I can’t remember her name. Do you know it???

If it is cold where you are, I hope you are safe and warm and enjoying a mug of something delish.

If it’s spring where you are, enjoy it enough for me too and share pictures. 😊

Bloom Thyme Friday: Love Hate Garden Relationships

Link | October 4, 2019 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

This morning I got up extra early just to grab my coffee and a blanket and head to the sun porch to greet the morning. It was so wonderful.

Before we get started know this… regardless of the title of this post, I don’t “hate” much of anything. I just like some things”more.” Spring is an exception in the other direction. I am completely over the moon crazy about spring and all that it means and all that it brings.

Fall.

How can anyone not like the cooler temps, vivid flower colors and God’s magic of the changing scenery. And, it’s hard to beat the cool mornings. I do love all those things… but I miss my outside time, flower picking, collecting fresh herbs for cooking, summer nights, hummingbirds and finches when they are so yellow.

Morning Glories.

Pretty blooms. Magical in the morning. So healthy. And, sometimes — SO INVASIVE! If you plant, be careful of variety! I didn’t plant any this year and they are everywhere. And, I forgive them.

I am very curious to know how “Grandpa Ott” made his way to the patch of sage. If I ever did plant “Grandpa Ott” … it was years and years and years ago. But isn’t this bloom amazing!!!

Yellow Trumpet Vine.

(Campsis radical f. flava) A beautiful native that the hummingbirds flock to.
That drapes beautifully over our pergola that holds our facing swings.

Another shot of “drapiness” from last year.

I love the cozy feeling this vine gives our swing time. BUT, it has made us crazy. It is popping up everywhere and we may never get it under control. I still see it for sale but I wouldn’t recommend it in my area. Resist.

POTTING SHED OVER CROWDING…

I am beginning to bring ‘inside plants’ that have been outside this summer and ‘outside plants’ that I want to overwinter in my Potting Shed/Garden Office. I am only half way through the process and there is little room left for working!

But, I love how it looks full. I will be crying out for help this winter as the darkness and dryness threaten to take them from me.

But for now they are lush and beautiful…

Yep. There is a lot more plants to bring in. Where will they go? There’s not much room left — even on the potting bench. Do you have any growing “room” to rent?

BLOOM THYME THIS WEEK…

Petit Pink peeking through the fence. (OSO Easy Series)

James L. Austin (DA)

James L. Austin Up close

Petit Pink (OSO Easy Series)

Sunrise Sunset (Easy Elegance)

Peter III Blue Aster

The Faun

Nasturiums still going strong

Mother of Pearl

Head over Heels (Easy Elegance Collection)

Fingers crossed that fall lasts a long, long, long time.🍂

Bloom Thyme Friday: A View to a Miracle

Link | September 20, 2019February 15, 2022 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

As a gardener I am no stranger to miracles – I see them daily. But, there is one miracle that I look forward to in September. These guys…

For the past 5 years I have filled a container with herbs to put on Mr. G’s prep table by his grill. Each year the flat leaf parsley we have there becomes host to these little green creepy caterpillars that become the, oh so beautiful black swallowtails. Last year there were only 3 of them and I put two in a large jar so we could watch them. What a miracle this is. I shake my head over and over on the life cycle of a butterfly.

This year we have more than we have ever had before. So I am going to put some of them in a collapsible butterfly habitat so we can more enjoy the process and get the pleasure of releasing them.

One thing I know for sure. They love flat leaf parsley.

MORE MIRACLES…

That one small leaf can become a gorgeous blooming plant.

In August 2017 H planted a single leaf and today it looks like this…

I love looking back at H planting that first leaf!

In September 2018 C planted his single leaf and while his African Violet is not blooming, it is growing strong.

BLOOM THYME THIS WEEK…

I think Sweet Drfit saved the best for last….

Pink and purple… perfect combination I think.

Lady of Shallot DA. The blooms are few this time of year, but no less beautiful and fragrant.

Yellow and purple are a great combination too. Rose: Popcorn Drift

As you know, Fall is not my favorite but it is a time of many miracles … butterflies, changing leaves, and cooler temps to name a few. God’s artistry is on display in bold ways! I plan to enjoy every one!

Wishing you a week of miracles in the garden and out!

Happy Bloom Thyme Friday!

Bloom Thyme Friday: An Unexpected Treasure

Link | July 5, 2019February 15, 2022 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

As you must already know my life’s greatest garden treasure is Mr. G. who is the very best at supporting my garden obsession. One of the reasons he is so good at this — his grandmother was a gardener who loved the same style and many of the same plants as me — Our garden reminds him of the special times he had walking in his grandmothers garden, hearing her talk about the plants she loved and helping her when needed.

I so wish I could have seen her garden – more specifically, her in her garden and hear the garden stories. I did meet her and she was lovely, but not gardening at that time. well, not outside, but she did have a vast collection of house plants — something I am well on my way to having too. 🙄

I also had hoped to see pictures of her garden, but through the years none surfaced.

Until last weekend.

Greg’s mother passed away last November, she was lovely too and enjoyed flowers but she was an inside girl.

This past weekend we were doing that task that all of us hate, going through our loved ones possessions. But, like most of you know too, you so often uncover treasures. Unexpected treasures.

Here was mine.

Though the picture is black and while and faded – I can SEE a good portion of her garden and HER in the garden. And, YES, she did garden in dresses and stacked high heels Mr. G tells me. Much different than my cargo pants, bogs, t shirt and often a very handy garden apron. Thank you Mamaw Levis for preparing him well to love our garden too. I still wish we could have strolled in our gardens together in the mornings with our coffee in hand. She loved her coffee too!

And then there is this iris…

A treasure I have in my garden is a fragrant iris that she had in her garden and my mother-in-law had too. I actually see iris foliage in the garden picture above. Could it be the same one…

Treasures INDEED.

BLOOM THYME…

For now the torrential downpours have subsided and the HEAT is soaring. We are hoping the sky hasn’t forgotten how to rain. … it was VERY good at it for a few weeks.

Glad we have long garden hoses!