Rose Buzz: Gruss an Aachen

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This light pink rose was hybridized in Germany by Wilhelm Hinner who worked for Philipp Geduldig’s nursery in 1908. Not only is this rose beautiful, it is also fragrant and has the multi-petaled lovely old world charm that I adore.

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It is considered by most to be the first floribunda. I have also read it is one of the more shade tolerant roses.

Since this rose grows to only about 3 high and wide, she will fit nicely in to most any sized garden. She did have some black spot issues in July when it was raining every day, but I cut her back, spritzed with Mil Stop and she finished strong and healthy.

I have 3 of these in the garden that were planted 3 years ago. While they bloomed well even the first year, last year was the best by far.

I originally had 4, but one had a harder time over the winter in my Zone 5 garden, so I dug it up. Since I love this rose so much, I couldn’t just throw it away; instead I lovingly planted it in a pot. And, I unlovingly forgot about it. The poor potted Gruss received very little care or water ALL SUMMER. It is now residing in my potting shed where I promise to pamper it over the winter. I just gave it a hardy drink of Moo Poo Tea and we will see how she does.

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Moo Poo 5

By the way, Gruss means “Greetings” in German and Aachen is a city in Germany.

Do you grow this rose?

If you don’t and would like to, it is available at Chamblee Nursery here.  but I wouldn’t wait! Quantity is limited!


 

Whisper these gift ideas in Santa’s ear…

We as gardeners love what we do! But, the right tool can make all the difference and Christmas is the perfect time to share ideas with Santa to get just what we want and need for the coming growing season!

Below are some garden gifts that I highly recommend you buy for your garden friends OR whisper in Santa’s ear so they show up around your Christmas tree or in your stocking!

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THE GARDENER’S HOLLOW LEG…

Bob Blomberg’s  Gardener’s Hollow Leg® makes yard and garden clean up tasks easier! This handy “hands-free” debris holder is a must have for all pruning, weeding and harvesting tasks.

To learn more or to buy on line, read on … http://thegardenershollowleg.com/welcome.html

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THE RING WEEDER

Vinnie Suozzi’s Ring Weeder has a forked tip that pierces the ground with ease allowing you to loosen the soil around the weed to “pluck” it out without breaking off the root of the weed. Made of light weight high strength injection molded ABS plastic, The Ring Weeder allows you to get your weeding done swiftly.

For the details of how this product found it’s place in the garden, read on…HERE.
Listen to Vinnie tells his inspiring story HERE.

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MOO POO TEA

Annie Haven’s Moo Poo Tea has been a staple in my garden for many years. Whether I am using it to soak my bare root roses or bulbs before planting or adding moo poo tea to the over all care of all my plants in containers and in the ground, moo poo makes a major difference!

Try it for yourself … HERE. Shipping is always free!

 

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BARNEL PRUNERS AND BIONIC GLOVES FROM WENDY TILLEY, THE ROSE GARDENER

Who doesn’t want to be more bionic in the garden. I am convinced that without my Barnels and my bionic gloves … I would have a major loss of power!

Read all about these amazing tools and many more on Wendy’s website HERE.

Listen to Wendy give you the background stories, HERE.

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And, what about a membership to an organization that is near and dear to my heart!?!

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If you know someone who is interested in knowing more about roses, now is a great time to give them a trial membership to the American Rose Society.

You’ll receive discounts at public gardens, copies of their award winning magazine, American Rose, plus a ton of other benefits … all for only $10.

Details at Rose.org.


 

Christmas is really the MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR.

ENJOY EVERY MINUTE!

 


 

Bloom Thyme Friday: Adventures Old and New

Mr. G’s grandfather was quite the adventurer … at the age of 9, he decided to jump on a boat with his much older cousins who were leaving Greece and heading for America where new opportunities awaited! They were “sure” they didn’t want to work in the family’s olive groves! Can you imagine doing that at 9? Well, he did.

Life wasn’t easy in this new world, but he was a hard worker with an entrepreneurial spirit. He worked his way from New York to Ohio on the railroad project to a small river town and began to make ice cream and confections to sell on the street. Soon he was able to buy property for a real confection shoppe where he began bottling pop and making his wonderful ice cream and other treats. Through the late 40s, 50s and 60s the business was booming. Mr. G still measures all ice creams and chocolate milk by the ones his grandfather crafted!

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No wonder Mr. G is so handsome… 🙂
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Our brave soldier…

We were recently visiting with Mr. G’s mom and came upon several items that had belonged to his grandfather …. A picture of him as a young man, a picture of him as a soldier who proudly fought and was even wounded twice in WW 2. We found his business card, pictures of the “shoppe’ and an amazing bucket that was used to mix the ingredients for the ice cream. There is even a handle low on the back of the bucket for ease in pouring a large amount.

Guess what… that super cool bucket is my new MOO POO bucket. It is perfect and since MOO POO is brewing throughout the summer in our garden, we get to see and use our new found heirloom all the time. We absolutely love it! For more about Moo Poo Teas, visit Annie’s site at ManureTea.com or follow her on Social Media…  Twitter @greensoil and Facebook.

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IN THE GARDEN THIS WEEK…

First of all I have to say that hummingbirds are particularly happy in the garden this week. They are everywhere! We love to watch them! Aren’t they just so fascinating!

The heat is up and we are doing a lot more watering. I hear rain is in the forecast BUT it would take a lot of rain to get us where we need to be so… hand watering it is!

Even with the heat, we still have blooms and the pollinators are feasting on many of them today! Especially the sedums. I don’t blame them, the sedums are spectacular this time of year!

The roses that are showing their best side are getting snipped and put in the fridge to exhibit at the Indianapolis Rose Society rose show tomorrow! Wish me luck! I’ll let you know how I do.

If it’s hot where you are, take a break, get out of the heat and …

 

Happy Bloom Thyme Friday_Yellow

Bloom Thyme Friday 2014

It is time to start Bloom Thyme Fridays even though I am currently sitting in my potting shed while the weather channel is issuing extreme weather warnings … flooding, gale force winds and dropping temperatures.

Several garden friends have asked if I will give regular updates on what is going on in the garden especially since so many of the roses and their companions were effected by the Polar Vortex kind of winter we had. I will post an article on Fridays sharing what is going on in the garden—Bloom Thyme Friday!

Today on my list is to get the barefoot roses that were delivered this week soaked in Moo Poo Tea and ready to plant on Sunday — if the weather predictions are true and the weather is much better on Sunday.

IMG_9078Last Sunday I was able to plant two new roses: Climbing Colette and Sally Holmes.

 

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Climbing Colette

Colette comes to us from our great rose friends at Star Roses and Plants. I purchased Colette from S & W Greenhouse and received a very healthy barefoot plant.

Here’ a little bit about Colette…

  • Scent: Strong, Sweet
  • Bloom Season: Spring to fall
  • Mature Size: 8 to 10 feet
  • Hardiness Zones: 7
    to 9

This rose came highly recommended to me by Marci Martin (Listen to her delightful Rose Chat Podcast here.) and she knows beautiful roses!

I also surveyed my Rose Chat friends on Facebook who grow Colette to get their opinions.

Here are some of their responses.

  • Colette is a Beauty!
  • We just planted one yesterday for a client of ours with four pillar roses in a row growing on upright trellises. Totally lovely.
  • Light color roses usually need afternoon shade here in  SoCal. 
  • I have this rose, it’s very fragrant and looks like an old fashioned rose with so many petals. It was also very fast growing and had flowers all the way up, not just at the top like a lot of climbers. I did find that the heat took a toll on it here in CA. I might recommend afternoon shade based on my experience with it.

 

This beauty is Sally Holmes, a Hybrid Musk…

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Hybrid Musks are a small but very hardy group of roses and Sally is one of the most popular! I have another Hybrid Musk, Francis E. Lester. You can read about him here.

Sally was introduced in 1976 and has been the recipient of countless awards. Every picture I see of Sally is breathtaking—huge 3 1/2″ blooms. I read these blooms are as fragrant as they are beautiful. I am so looking forward to having Sally in my garden. I planted her near my Potting Shed so I could enjoy her up close and personal!

Other details…

  • Shade Tolerant
  • Very few thorns
  • Zone 5 – 9
  • 6’ high (or up to 12’ if trained as a climber) and 4-5’ wide

 

 

The Potting Shed on a much warmer day!
The Potting Shed on a much warmer day!

 

I hope you are having a lovely day regardless of the weather. Even in the storms we see the beauty and creativity of God’s handiwork and get a glimpse of His power too!

So from my Potting Shed on a very cold, stormy day I wish you a very happy  BLOOM THYME FRIDAY!

 

Bloom Thyme Friday

For other Bloom Thyme Friday posts, read on.

Spring Fever

Spring fever is a term applied to several sets of physical and psychological symptoms associated with the arrival of spring says Wikipedia. It isn’t mentioned here, but I can tell you that at my house it includes being so excited that you can’t sleep. And, you should limit reading gardening books too late at night–might cause an adrenalin rush!

It is way too easy for me to get spring fever — regardless of the time of year. I start counting down the days until spring the day after Christmas. So, you could say that today is a day I look forward to most of the year. However, due to current low temperatures, the quote by Hal Borland below is one I am clinging to today…

No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn. – Hal Borland

Look at this… the difference between this year and last year …. same week!

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But, I am not discouraged ….  no, not one little bit. Spring is my friend and I am willing to wait. I’ll be seeing the forsythia and daffodils blooming soon and I’ll be filling buckets with Moo Poo tea to soak those bareroot roses I ordered this winter while I was “patiently” waiting on spring. Soon … real soon. Fingers crossed!

COMING SOON………..

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Bare roots soaking in Moo Poo Tea...
Bare roots soaking in Moo Poo Tea…

Ready and waiting……………

Pol-Reporting for Duty

Do you have anything blooming in your garden or are you, like me, “patiently” waiting?

P.S.

I had a little help writing tonight…

Mr. Bennet
Mr. Bennet

Can you say BLT?

I love BLTs. Don’t you? I think I may have to try this Monster BLT from The Pioneer Woman…. click here. If you take a look at that sandwich she prepared, your mouth will water for sure!

Nothing is better on a BLT than your very own homegrown tomato! And, yes, we are starting our 9th week of drought. Last week we had our first rain (1/2″) and as grateful as we are, we sure would love some more. (I recorded the rain… click here to hear that wonderful sound and see how fresh it makes everything look!)

Regardless of the lack of rain, Mr. G and I are committed to watering our tomatoes and to feeding them Annie’s Moo Poo Tea. When all the water your plants get comes from your efforts, well that is a lot of work and with so many days in the 90s and 100s, we have had to be vigilant.

A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS

Last February I surveyed my garden friends who also love tomatoes and got a ton of suggestions on what tomatoes to plant this year. (You can read about it here.)

Based on the their suggestions, I am growing Rutgers, Mortgage Lifter, Brandywine, Lemon Boy, Beefsteak, San Marzanos, Cherokee Purple and a few others that “grabbed” my attention at the local garden centers and Lowes.

OUR EFFORTS ARE PAYING OFF…

What is your favorite variety of tomato? Do you have a unique BLT recipe you’d like to share? I’d love your recommendations!

Wordless Wednesday: Early Garden Beauty

My garden is coming back about 4 weeks earlier than ever before. Click on the first picture to start the gallery.

Bloom Thyme Friday: Food for Thought

To keep your roses and other plants happily blooming for an entire season they need lots of sunshine, a consistent amount of water and regular doses of nutritional food! This year it’s all organic fertilizers for me. I know there are a ton of products out there, but here’s what I plan to use…

For my Roses

Alfalfa Tea for Roses ONLY
I plan to jumpstart the rose growing season with a one-time feeding of Haven Brand’s Alfalfa Tea. For more information or to order … click here.

Magic for Roses…
I love the word MAGIC when talking about caring for my roses! This year I’m using Mills Magic Rose Mix — a 100% natural product formulated and developed by Ted Mills, accredited Consulting Rosarian and Rose Show Judge of the American Rose Society. This product is a combination of alfalfa meal, fish meal, steamed bone meal, cottonseed meal, blood meal, activated sludge and an organic compost activator. How’s that for a sweet combination of good food! For more information … click here.

For Roses, Rose Companions and Veggies…
Manure teas condition the soil, so your plants’ root systems can better absorb the nutrients needed to build strong, healthy root base. Last year I used these teas on a few of my plants and the results made a true believer of me! In 2012 all my roses, rose companions and veggies will get steeped in tea! For more information or to order … click here.

What yummy food are you giving your plants?

Some of the Roses in My Garden

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Floribundas
3 Bill Warriner
3 Julia Child / Coming Spring 2012
2 Flamenco / Coming Spring 2012

OGR/Shrubs
3 Hansa (Rugosa) / 1 Coming Spring 2012
1 Blanc Double de Coubert (Rugosa)
3 Roseraie de l’Hay (Hybrid Rugosa)
1 F. J. Grootendorst  (Hybrid Rugosa)
1 Madam Hardy (Damask)
1 Harrison Yellow (Hybrid Foetida)
1 Comte de Chambord (Portland)
1 Bourbon Queen (Bourbon)
1 Zepherine Drouhin (Bourbon)
1 Reine de Voilettes (Hybrid Perpetual)

Hybrid Teas
3 The Grand Dame / 2 Coming Spring 2012

Romantica
1 Eden / Coming Spring 2012

David Austins
2 Gertrude Jekyll
1 Charlotte
1 Crocus Rose
1 Othello
1 Christopher Marlowe
1 Lady Emma Hamilton
1 Eglantine
1 Comte de Champagne

Climbers

3 New Dawn
2 Red Eden
1 Lady Ashe / Coming Spring 2012

Shrubs
2 Amber Shrubs
1 Bonica
1 White Meidiland
30 Red Double Knockouts
3 Pink Knockouts

Miniatures
1 Minnie Pearl
1 Pink  Mini
1 Coral Mini

Here are some other articles about roses… 

Moo Poo … Who Knew?

From the first night I participated in #gardenchat I began to hear amazing stories about a product called Moo Poo and the magical effect it had on plants. What gardener doesn’t want a miracle product for their plants?

If you are not familiar with Moo Poo here are a few details…

  • Company: Authentic Haven Brand
  • What: Totally organic soil conditioner teas
  • Who: Annie the expert!
  • How: Easy to brew … click here or see video below.
  • Bonus: Very cute packaging
Don't they look great!

For the last few years my tomatoes have been very disappointing … wimpy plants with wimpy fruit. So, I decided that my first Moo Poo experiment would be with my tomatoes. I may be new to Moo Poo but I can honestly say I feel great about using something that comes so highly recommended by so many amazing #gardenchat gardeners. And, believe it or not, my tomatoes already look impressive. The plants are huge and there are blooms everywhere! I can almost taste the homemade marinara, homemade salsa, BLTs … you get the picture.

Along with the tomatoes, my roses and potted flowers are also getting “the poo!” I’ll keep you posted.

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TOMATO UPDATE: AUGUST 25, 2011

This is by far the best tomato crop ever! And I LOVE tomatoes. My patio tomatoes produced and produced and produced.

See what I mean. They are tall ... hubby is over 6'!

The tomatoes in my herb garden are still producing yummy tomatoes even in this very hot and very dry season!

However, my favorite tomato/Moo Poo story is this… Some friend’s told me before their 2-week vacation that they had this pitiful tomato in a pot that was probably going to die while they were gone if not before. I told them to bring it over and I would see what I could do. Sorry to say I did not take a before picture. It WAS pitiful!

The first thing I did was repot the poor baby and give it a stiff drink of Moo Poo. I continued to give it stiff drinks each of the two weeks they were gone. When they returned, they did not recognize their plant– it was huge … green leafy and had several tomatoes. Trust me, it really was miraculous. And, even surprised me! I was very proud.

The plant was truly over 5′ and much too large to move, so I kept it! To date we have picked about 10 yummies and today there are 25, yes 25, tomatoes on the plant.

I say all that to say this … I am a believer in Moo Poo. Contact Annie  asap and place your order. Stock up for next year! If you need more info, her website has all the details you need.

So, join me in raising a glass of tea or whatever to Annie at Haven Authentic Brand … she has something all gardens need!

This was taken about 4 weeks after they brought to me.
Cute little sachets!
The "Brewery"