Are you tired of hearing about weather yet? We are getting almost constant rain! The garden is drenched but so green. This reminds me of 2019 when my good friend Connie Hilker came to visit and she spent her time walking in the garden under an umbrella wearing boots – the pathways were flooded. She would find the same thing today…
Here are some beauties BRAVING THE STORMS this week…
KAZANLIK is an amazingly fragrant Damask from the Bulgaria / Turkey region since before 1600s. I just had to have her and many of her cousins after visiting Turkey and learning more about their significance in the rose oil trade. Wonderful to use in potpourris! I purchased her from High Country Roses and you can too … here.
ABOVE AND BEYOND is going above and beyond, as usual, to make a big splash in the garden. Rain or shine! Thank you Dr. David Zlesak for such an amazing rose!
CLEMATIS AND LADY ASHE
The clematis is moving in a bit faster but Lady Ashe is primed and ready to take center stage. What a fabulous rose! Lady Ashe is a beautiful, well-behaved, fragrant climber from English rose growers at Peter Beale’s Roses.
THE COLOR OF ROSES
Danielle Hahn, Rose Story Farm
On this episode, the delightful Danielle Hahn of Rose Story Farm chats about the family rose farm, growing 40,000 roses, her new book, and helping Martha Stewart with her new rose garden. Since childhood, Danielle has loved roses and wants you to love them too. Join us for this fun chat as Danielle shares so many tips, tricks and behind-the-scenes stories.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
The Color of Roses: A Curated Spectrum of 300 Blooms
By Danielle Dall’Armi Hahn
A unique photographic collection of 300 stunning roses that spans the full spectrum of the flower’s shades and hues, creating a breathtaking rainbow that will amaze flower lovers of all kinds.
Few flowers come in as many colors as the beloved rose. Curated by award-winning rosarian Danielle Dall’Armi Hahn, who personally owns more than 40,000 roses, the flowers in The Color of Roses were selected not only for their glorious and subtle color combinations but also for optimal availability, repeat blooming, disease resistance, improved vase life, and fragrance.
Rose Story Farm Website here.
ROSE CHAT TEAM:
Executive Producer & On-Air Personality:
Chris VanCleave – www.RedneckRosarian.com
Creator of the Rose Chat Podcast. Mr. VanCleave is a nationally known rosarian, television personality, speaker and advocate for the rose.
Content Creator & On-Air Personality:
Teresa Byington – www.TheGardenDiary.com
Co-Host Teresa Byington promotes roses as an integral part of the landscape, as a Consulting Rosarian, Master Gardener, writer, and speaker.
SUBSCRIBE:
Subscribe to Rose Chat Podcast Updates: http://eepurl.com/hAC6gP
If you’re local, the Indianapolis Rose Society and Hamilton Country Master Gardeners have teamed up to bring a beautiful day of roses. Roses for sale, demonstrations, garden tour, great speakers, and free Proven Winner’s beautiful roses to the first 40 guests! For all the details, read on here…
In these tumultuous times, weather as a problem is not even on the scale. More than ever I appreciate the beauty and love around me.
Luke 12: Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. He’s not just in control of flowers, He’s in control of us.
Until next week…. may your time in the garden give you comfort and beauty.
Well, for the last two weeks I have been “gardening from a fire hose.” For sure. With winter refusing to leave and spring rains turning to spring floods, all the spring chores around here were crammed into the last two weeks. Of course, there is not a real “deadline”, however, I want things to be ready when FIREWORKS and FRAGRANCE season starts and the old roses lead the way in late May.
So with every minute I had, I was planting, pruning, fertilizing and mulching. As of Wednesday of this week, most of those tasks have been crossed off the list. Whew! Just in time to see this beauty take center stage as the first rose to bloom.
If you would like to know more about her or would like to have one in your garden, check out the High Country Roses website HERE.
So in this flurry of garden activity, I found a place for 24 dahlias.😳 Still a mystery to me how I found enough room. Also found plenty of room to plant cosmos and zinnia seeds. My plan is that they will take up the slack when the roses have to lay low while the Japanese Beetles are on the hunt for them mid-summer. Praying that the JBs do not find Dahlias and Zinnias tasty. Can’t these dreaded creatures just go away! Remember last summer …
ROSE CHAT
If you need some company while you’re weeding, check out the latest podcasts. I’ve been chatting with some great guests. Access list below..
THE COLOR OF ROSES
Danielle Hahn, Rose Story Farm
On this episode, the delightful Danielle Hahn of Rose Story Farm chats about the family rose farm, growing 40,000 roses, her new book, and helping Martha Stewart with her new rose garden. Since childhood, Danielle has loved roses and wants you to love them too. Join us for this fun chat as Danielle shares so many tips, tricks and behind-the-scenes stories.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
The Color of Roses: A Curated Spectrum of 300 Blooms
By Danielle Dall’Armi Hahn
A unique photographic collection of 300 stunning roses that spans the full spectrum of the flower’s shades and hues, creating a breathtaking rainbow that will amaze flower lovers of all kinds.
Few flowers come in as many colors as the beloved rose. Curated by award-winning rosarian Danielle Dall’Armi Hahn, who personally owns more than 40,000 roses, the flowers in The Color of Roses were selected not only for their glorious and subtle color combinations but also for optimal availability, repeat blooming, disease resistance, improved vase life, and fragrance.
Rose Story Farm Website here.
ROSE CHAT TEAM:
Executive Producer & On-Air Personality:
Chris VanCleave – www.RedneckRosarian.com
Creator of the Rose Chat Podcast. Mr. VanCleave is a nationally known rosarian, television personality, speaker and advocate for the rose.
Content Creator & On-Air Personality:
Teresa Byington – www.TheGardenDiary.com
Co-Host Teresa Byington promotes roses as an integral part of the landscape, as a Consulting Rosarian, Master Gardener, writer, and speaker.
SUBSCRIBE:
Subscribe to Rose Chat Podcast Updates: http://eepurl.com/hAC6gP
Yes, May Madness is upon us! The garden is filled with excitement. So many roses are budded up and will pop soon! FIREWORKS AND FRAGRANCE to be continued.
In this time of gardening from a fire hose…. the scripture Psalm 46:10, Be still and know that I am God…. is something I need more than ever. He is the creator of all this beauty we see and I am grateful.
Have a wonderful week in your garden and I hope you have time to just be…
Blossom by blossom the Spring begins. Algernon Charles Swinburne
I don’t know about where you are, but around here Spring is having an identity crisis. We are having such extreme ups and downs and so much rain. But with it all, Spring is still very welcome. I give Spring a lot of grace just because it is NOT WINTER.
The above quote is just perfect I think. Every day as I walk in the garden I see something new. All signs of life. Just a perfect setting to lead us up to Easter and a time when we celebrate the sacrifice Jesus made to bring us eternal life.
Several birds are checking us out.This one is stunning in person. PrimroseThis face… perfection
DAFFODILS
Daffodils are my favorite spring bulb. They sure make a difference in the spring garden. Even though I love them, I go slowly when it comes to planting them as I don’t want their messy leaves still around when the roses are getting started! I certainly get creative about where to put them. But oh how wonderful it is to see them when they come.
For containers, I buy the mini starter pots at Lowes and Walmart. Usually, Tete de Tetes are the mini daffodils used. But this year the ones I bought from Walmart were different than the ones I bought from Lowes – and I liked them much better! With a little investigation, I found out that this “new” mini daffodil was a sport of Tete de Tete — Tete Boucle. Boucle is the French word for loop. Ms Boucle was not only gorgeous but she also did very well in a vase.
On Social Media Paul Zimmerman introduced me to another daffodil that I am on the hunt for — Yosemite Valley. Have you seen this one? Oh my word! GORGEOUS! I have found the perfect spot for more daffodils and I hope these will be the ones! So far, I have not found a supplier. If you see them for sale, let me know!
YEAR OF THE GLADIOLUS
The National Garden Bureau has named 2022 as the year of the Gladiolus. I am thrilled. I love this old-fashioned beauty. I know they fell out of favor except for “funeral” flowers for a time but I am “glad” to report they are coming back!
The original varieties existed naturally in South Africa.
Gladiolus owe their botanical name to the Latin word gladius, which means sword.
Some growing tips…
Gladiolus should be grown in well-drained soil and full sun.
You can grow them in a cutting garden, add them to your perennial garden, grow them in raised beds or containers, or plant the corms in your vegetable garden.
Before planting, prepare the soil by loosening the planting area to a depth of 6 to 10”. Adding compost and an all-purpose granular fertilizer will help your glads reach their full potential.
You can expect the flowers to begin opening 80-90 days after planting. To extend the bloom time, don’t plant all the corms at once. Plant the first batch in spring after all danger of frost has passed. Plant additional corms every week or two until early summer (about 90 days before the first fall frost).
Plant grandiflora types 6 to 8” deep. Planting deeper helps keep the stems upright. Dwarf glads should be planted 4 to 6” deep. Space the corms 4 to 6” apart on center. Use the closer spacing if you plan to cut most of the stems before they are fully open.
Water regularly and deeply, especially during dry spells. When plants are stressed by heat and drought, they become more susceptible to pests and disease. Applying 2 to 3” of mulch after planting will help retain moisture and control weeds.
To read more from the Garden Bureau on growing these garden beauties … head over to the Garden Bureau site HERE.
There are so many varieties at the garden centers and box stores right now. So far I have purchased 3 different varieties that I plan to work in groupings together…
Rose Chat Spring Fling:
Last week we released the first in the 4-part spring fling series…
ROSE PEST & DISEASE CONTROL … without the “hard” stuff Jason Croutch of Fraser Valley Rose Farm
On this episode, Jason Croutch, owner of Fraser Valley Rose Farm, shares his rose growing philosophy and gives us tips on managing rose pests and diseases without using “the hard stuff.” Listen in for so many great rose care ideas plus stories behind his very popular YouTube Channel. You might just need a pen and paper for this one!
Tomatoes have germinated in record time. Mr. G is very happy. Since I started them later than I usually do, he was getting a bit anxious about it! So far everyone is doing well. Fungus gnats seem to be fewer and more under control – hopefully! Although I am certainly creating their ideal habitat!
Potting up Dahlias started from seed.Baby tomatoes 🍅Lisianthus growing strong 💪🏻
Holy Week
This Sunday starts Holy week for Christians. From Jesus’ triumphant entry, to his death on the cross and resurrection. The images from Mel Gibson’s movie The Passion are forever etched into my mind. We will rewatch on Good Friday. Such love is hard to comprehend. But he calls us to the same…
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another.” –John 13:34
If you’d like to read more about the events of this special week … read on here.
Friends, I wish you a beautiful, love-filled week.
The holidays are wonderful and I don’t want to miss a moment but December 26 starts the first phase of garden thyme. I’ve made peace with January by using it as my month to plot, to plan and to dream. Getting organized now is a game-changer for having more time to enjoy the busy spring to come. There is much to do…
Catalogs to pour over.
Books and blogs to read.
Finalize seed orders.
Love on your houseplants.
Make sure seed starting supplies are ready.
Taking walks in the winter garden.
Cook! (Am I the only one who rarely cooks in the spring?)
The handbook calls this rose an “unfussy” rose with a medium to strong old rose fragrance. WIN! Growth habit is said to be a medium-size shrub with arching canes. Most of my David Austins grow quite large so it might be best to give them some space until you know. Just look at those ruffled petals. 🥰 You can find more information on this rose HERE.
THE COUNTRY PARSON
“A pretty yet feisty rose of Scottish descent.” 💛💛💛 This healthy, robust rose is said to be a power bloomer all season long with a medium-strong fruity fragrance! It is also on the smaller side for an Austin — 3.5′ x 3.5′. Wasn’t it just last year that I said I need more yellow roses!?! You can find more information on this rose HERE.
THE YEAR OF…
January is also a great time to check out the National Garden Bureau’s “YEAR OF” plants. What a great way to get in-depth information on these varieties including history, growing tips, and many super fun facts! This year’s list is extra special as it has many of my favs! Click here to read all about them!
THIS AND THAT
🌹If you haven’t been able to find the Garden Gate Magazine with the article about my garden – A Rose Lovers Retreat, here is a pdf for you. LINK
🎙 Rose Chat will start back very soon. I have some great guests lined up! If you need to catch up on last year’s shows, here’s a LINK.
As I write I am looking out my window at birds at our filling stations. Yesterday we even saw bluebirds! Woodpeckers are very plentiful. One Pileated Woodpecker is just huge and bent on feeder domination. Thanks, Mr. G for keeping the feeders filled with good stuff. We did not get the snow that so many of you did but our temps went from near 60 earlier in the week to 13 last night. Our prayers go out to those of you dealing with extreme situations – especially those who have lost power. Be safe!
I continue to find more Roses and Dahlias that I need but more on that later. 🙄
Friends,until next time, enjoy your time to plan, plot and DREAM.
2020 and 2021 have not been easy on any of us. Mercy the lows we have all experienced. The lows teach us so much – especially to appreciate time with family and friends above all else. Mr. G and I have had a great ending to 2021 … special time with our family both in England and the US. Not easy in the current world climate so we are feeling extra grateful.
MAGAZINE FUN
Something else contributing to a good ending to 2021, learning I have an article in the January/February edition of Garden Gate Magazine. It was incredibly special to host Sr. Editor of Garden Gate Magazine, James Baggett, and Photographer, Jack Coyier, and the bonus was the article! I have followed the career and editorial work of James through the years and have been inspired by him over and over especially when he was editor of Country Gardens magazine. Meeting James and having James and Jack here was truly a bucket list moment. Yes, I did pull out my copy of the magazine where he was first named editor of Country Gardens magazine. Anyone remember the #raiseyourtrowel moment?
The magazine is out and I hope you grab a copy – not just for my article but in true Garden Gate fashion, the magazine is filled to the brim with information and inspiration to launch your garden year! If you cannot find a physical copy, you can purchase a digital copy for under $5.00 HERE.
THE ULTIMATE JOY
Luke 2 records the miraculous story of Mary, Joseph, angels, shepherds, and the journey that brought them together to bring us the best gift of all. We are incredibly grateful for the baby in the manger that was willing to go to the cross for us promising eternal life with him.
The sweet voice of Linus tells it well…
COMING SOON!
Ready or not, soon we turn the calendar. Most years that is a very exciting time for me. But, I have learned to be a bit more skeptible on what we might find on the otherside. Regardless of what the world offers, let’s work hard to make our part of the world reflect all the good as we keep the love of Christmas tucked into our hearts. Wasn’t it Eleanor Roosevelt who said, “Life is what you make it, always has been, always will be.” #realtalk
I am always late to the fall party … spend too much time pouting about the end of the growing season. But, I do eventually get there! And usually, it is just in time for the first snow which we had this week. Fresh snowfall refreshes the soul and makes everything look enchanting.
FALL WORK
When the sun is shining and I’m in the garden I forget what’s to come and just enjoy being there. There’s much to do. I am now on day three of trimming roses. It takes a while because I can never stay on one task. I am a garden project hopper.
I am also adding sulfur to the beds. A soil test revealed my pH was high and it was recommended I add sulfur. The lab I used for the soil test was A & L Great Lakes Labs. LINK HERE.
The final fall task will be to rake up debris from some of the beds and add a layer of shredded leaves which we have in abundance this year thanks to our neighbor who is treating all the neighbors on our street by “mowing” and shredding the leaves from their yards! So, they are literally being shredded and bagged for me! So grateful as typically we have to buy mulch!
BULB PLANTING
I love bulbs and have quite a few but I try to resist planting too many as the foliage they leave behind for such a long, long, long time tends to get in the way of the beauty of my spring “fireworks and fragrance” stage when the old garden roses start doing their thing! They take center stage and the bulbs get a nip in their life cycle if you know what I mean.
This year it was harder than ever to resist buying hundreds of bulbs I can tell you! I am following several people on Instagram that are naturalizing bulbs and they made it so tempting.
But I stayed fairly strong and only planted a few additional bulbs. It was great to get them in the ground and dream of when they will emerge doing their very popular jobs — adding beauty to the end of winter and shouting to the world that spring is coming! For the first time, I also planted a few bulbs in a container on the patio to see how well they will do.
FALL FOOD
One of the very best things about fall is fall food. It is synonymous with comfort food. So far we have had several favorites… Zuppa Toscana, Chicken Pot Pie, and Chicken Noodle Soup! What food says fall to you?
I also made several batches of caramel dip to share. It is way too good to keep around too long so it must be shared! If you are interested, you can find the recipe HERE. The next treat to share will be Grandma B’s Fruit Cake Cookies. I know. I know. You’re thinking you wouldn’t like them but I’m telling you, they are not only traditional, they are good! Especially if you add extra coconut! Go ahead, give them a try. Recipe HERE.
BLOOM THYME
Let’s talk about my orchid!
I have tried orchids several times in the past and while I enjoy them so much, I could never get a robust rebloom. That story has now changed. At the Awards Banquet for the Indianapolis Rose Society in December 2019, I was given a lovely orchid as a gift for serving as President.
This year the beautiful orchid came back to life in January sending up 2 strong bloom “spikes.” By February it was blooming and it finished blooming in August! It was glorious! Now it is going again!
In this picture taken yesterday, you can see that the Amaryllis is clearly saying “this is my time to shine” and the Orchid is clearly saying “hold my beer.” 😳😆 They both will be bringing me immense pleasure very soon!
February
July
Want to know my orchid secret? I have a good friend who is a master at growing orchids. The most amazing orchids I have ever seen. He gave me some simple advice and that is what I do. Water every week with soluble orchid fertilizer. Amount? One jigger full of the fertilized water. It works.
BACK TO THE BANQUET
Here are a few pictures from that Indianapolis Rose Society Banquet. Such a beautiful evening together with rose friends. Little did we know how different things would be in a few short months and it would be the last of such events for a good long while. I so look forward to having them again.
Such a lovely gift that keeps giving
The Hefners installing the new board
Linda Kimmel being installed as editor
Giving out individual service awards
Presenting Teresa Downham with Bronze Medal
LATEST PODCAST
Last week I chatted with Carrie and Joe Bergs about winter rose care where it gets very cold but we talked about so much MORE than just winter rose care. We talked about roses they love, their hobby of exhibiting roses, mentoring others in their area, and the work they are doing for local societies and the American Rose Society. Joe and Carrie enjoy every aspect of growing roses – a lovely rose power couple. LISTEN HERE
Carrie did a previous Rose Chat podcast, “My Favorite Pink Ladies” where she shares about her favorite old garden roses. Listen HERE
BEST PART OF FALL
It is almost time for the best part of fall … Thanksgiving! A time to count our blessings and enjoy special moments and yummy food with those we love. We’ve learned that holidays can look very different but I’m so impressed with how we have learned to find new ways to celebrate and share. Wishing you a very special week.
Friends, when I count my blessings, I certainly count you. It is wonderful to have a community of like-minded friends who share my love of gardening and roses. Thank you.
If you read the Springhill article in last week’s Bloom Thyme Friday, you know that roses are planted more than any other plant. It was fun to read the favorites for each state. LINK
GARDEN ROSES
You hear a lot about types of roses and there are many: hybrid teas, grandifloras, noisettes, polyanthas, old garden roses – just to name a few! I believe all of them are beautiful and have their place. I especially love old garden roses and will even give some room to a diva or two. However, most of the roses in my garden are ones I simply call “garden” or shrub roses. Even though my garden is large, it is a cottage garden and is home to all kinds of shrubs, perennials, herbs, veggies, annuals, and roses! So I want roses that work well with the other plants, aren’t difficult to care for and are great for cutting and sharing! Note: I have about 175 roses tucked around all those other plants!
FRAGRANT GARDEN ROSES
Contrary to what you might have heard, there are easy care shrub roses with fragrance.
Here are a few of the fragrant ones in my garden…
SAVANNAH: Large vigorous shrub with large full blooms filled with deep rose fragrance. A standout in the garden!
Savannah
MOTHER OF PEARL: A fabulous bloomer with gorgeous peachy pink blooms. Light sweet fragrance. I keep adding more! I think I’m up to eight of these! They pair very well with white lilies in the garden.
Mother of Pearl
FLAMENCO ROSITA (Ivor’s Rose): Lovely old fashioned blooms on a large, hardy, disease resistant shrub. Stunning color and a wonderful fragrance.
Flamenco Rosita
QUIETNESS: Such a pretty soft pink bloom with medium rose fragrance. Delicate looking blooms on a sturdy shrub.
Quietness
MUSIC BOX: Small hybrid tea-type blooms on a large, blooming machine. Light rose fragrance. Confession time: I have 9 of these roses. They look so pretty in the garden and last well in a vase! (Easy Elegance Collection)
Music Box
Vase of Music Box roses
CHAMPAGNE WISHES: Rich creamy white blooms with an ivory center on a medium-sized shrub. Sweet fragrance. (Easy Elegance Collection)
Champagne Wishes
AT LAST: Great bloomer, lovely petals, with ruffled edging and the orange/peachy color is divine and right on point with today’s color preferences. This one has a wonderful medium to strong fragrance. Proven Winners has a real winner in this rose!
At Last
DESDEMONA (David Austin): A lovely, floriferous bloomer that as you can see the pollinators love. Lovely light old rose fragrance.
Desdemona
THE GENEROUS GARDENER (David Austin Climber): A well-behaved climber – about 8′ – 9′ in my garden. The blooms are large and open beautifully. A lovely old rose/myrrh fragrance.
The Generous Gardener
EARTH ANGEL: This one is relatively new in my garden and has taken a while to become her best self. Now in her 3rd year, I can say that I need at least one more! Beautiful, fragrant and few roses match her in beauty and charm!
Earth Angel
POSEIDON: Full blooms in a wonderful lavender color. The petals have beautiful ruffled edges. The fragrance is light to moderate.
Posiedon
Pomponella, Posiedon, and Earth Angel are Kordes roses. I find that Kordes roses do very well in my garden (Zone 5b) and there are many on the market. Note: More than 30 years ago the Kordes Company (Germany) made the unpopular business decision to stop spraying their rose fields. The result was that they were way ahead in the sustainable rose department.
SPEAKING OF FRAGRANCE
We know that fragrance is very subjective and this is truly a subject where there is much more than meets the eye… errr nose.
Recently I had the chance to have the delightful Rebecca Koraytum of David Austin Roses as a guest on the Rose Chat Podcast. She gave a lot of insight on “THE FRAGRANCE OF ROSES.” You can listen here…
GARDEN ROSES WITHOUT FRAGRANCE
This list of roses is beautiful in the garden and wonderful in a bokay – however in most cases, these don’t have fragrance or have very little fragrance. I don’t let that stand in my way and still consider them very valuable. Fragrance can be added with lavender, lilies, mint, lemon balm, and a bevy of other herbs and flowers. Just like gardeners who grow them, roses grow best with good companions.
THE FAUN: A blooming machine with gorgeous blooms all summer long. Sometimes I get a hint of fragrance with this one. The cupped blooms on this one look very old-fashioned but this one was released in Denmark in 1983.
The Faun
PETITE PINK: Covered all summer with the sweetest sweetheart blooms. Lasts and lasts in a vase and dries very well for dried arrangements!
Petite Pink
POMPONELLA: Large shrub with arching canes of beautiful clusters of blooms. Just so pretty and a mild fragrance.
Pomponella
Pomponella
THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT
Friends, these lists are just the tip of the iceberg. There are so many great garden roses today and more on the way! Yes, we’ve come a long way from when that first Kock Out rose was released. Letting the world know that roses truly could be grown without chemicals and realizing that is exactly what many gardeners are looking for! Today many dedicated hybridizers are committed to bringing beautiful and sustainable roses to our gardens. I have the pleasure of testing the new roses from time to time and I can tell you, the future is bright.
There are rose trials going on constantly and awards being given to outstanding garden performers each year. Much of this is done regionally and that takes “finding the right rose for the right place” to the next level!
My good friend Dr. David Zlesak works closely with the ARTS trials (American Rose Trials for Sustainability). Each year they release more regional winners. Take a look at their website here. Dr. David joined me to chat about the ARTS program on Rose Chat a few months back. You can listen here.
EASY ELEGANCE COLLECTION
Most of the roses in the Easy Elegance (Link) collection I would recommend. Another line to be looking for is the True Bloom (Link) collection. Easy Elegance roses are available at most Lowes and as the True Bloom plant inventory is built, they will be sold at Lowes and Home Depot. Currently, they are mostly found on the west and east coasts.
WHERE TO BUY
I have also been getting a lot of questions about where I buy my roses. While I buy local when I can, these roses can be tricky to find in my neck of the woods, so I look to online sources. Here’s a list of suppliers with a link to their websites. Take a look around, these websites have loads of information…
Truth be told — no plant is NO CARE. Even the Garden of Eden has its “issues.” Each garden has its own variation of soils, climates, and disease/pest pressure. There are many bugs and diseases that can “love” your plants too. Fortunately, by regularly spending time with our plants to not only enjoy them but also to see what’s going on, we can keep them from being loved to death by pests. 😉
Until next time, here are The Generous Gardener, Quietness and Music Box working together…
We have had more rain than my liking but the roses have loved it and many have responded with record-breaking blooms (well for my garden). It is wonderful to see them and to share them!
I was contacted by a garden club I had spoken to a couple years ago (before COVID) and they wanted to come see my garden. After so long of saying “no”, it was good to say “yes”. They even had me saying ‘yes’ to the next time I would come to do another program! Great to be planning again.
I also invited my master gardener group as it had been so long since I had seen so many of them!
In a week of rain, it was a wonderful morning – hot but with a great breeze. It was a balm to my soul to see so many people enjoying the garden.
UP AND OVER
As though they knew that people were coming, my climbers chose to be their very best selves on Open Garden day. I love most anything that vines or climbs in the garden and probably have way too many climbers in the garden! And, I have on more than one occasion invited a climber that ended up being a nightmare … yes I had a porcelain berry vine that was bent on world domination. And, I still see bits of yellow trumpet vine lurking about.
If you have been following for a while you may remember the tears when Peggy Martin died back to the ground and didn’t cover her arbor for almost two seasons. And the time New Dawn did the same thing. It doesn’t all go according to plan, but this year the arbors are doing what I dreamed they would do… cover the arbors with beautiful flowers and all do it at the same time. Seeing them looking so good sure made the time on the ladder in dubious fall weather so worth it!
Front Arbor: New Dawn and Peggy Martin and Etoile Violette Clematis
Back Arbor: Peggy Martin, Francis E. Lester and Etoile Violette Clematis
My Pearl
THE MOST GROWN FLOWER IN EVERY STATE
Did you see this article by Spring Hill Nursery? To find out, what was the most grown flower in every state, they shared a list of 20 flowers with Americans in every state and the District of Columbia and asked them to choose the flower they plant in their gardens most often. Read on to see what gardeners in your state are most likely to grow! (Link)
GOD BLESS THE QUEEN
I can’t imagine what it has been like for Queen Elizabeth to say goodbye to her devoted prince after nearly 74 years of marriage. But it was good to see her smile as she accepted a new rose that was given in honor of what would have been his 100th birthday. The ‘Duke of Edinburgh’ rose will be planted in a mixed rose border of Windsor Castle – and there’s so much more to the story! You can read the entire Town and Country article by Annie Goldsmith here…
IAN GAVAN / GETTY IMAGES
BOKAY DAY
With the flowers at peak this week it was time for a BOKAY DAY. I packed up trugs, buckets and tools in my trusty wagon and got busy. What a pleasure it is to be close up and personal with all the blooms. Seriously, it was quiet, peaceful and the fragrance of roses filled the garden – it was as though for a few hours I was in another world.
Once the bokays were made, we were off to make deliveries.
Here’s a few pics of how the morning went…
Bucket w/ tools & jar of alcohol to disinfect pruners between roses
Bucket for cutting stems under water
TIPS TO EXTEND THE LIFE OF YOUR CUT FLOWERS
Morning is the best time to cut flowers.
Use sharp snips or pruners.
Choose blooms not yet fully open.
Place in water immediately. (Take bucket to garden!)
Re-cut stems under water before adding to arrangement.
Remove leaves that will be under water.
Use flower preservative in water.
Change out water and recut stems every day or two!
WHAT A WEEK!
It has been a busy but wonderful week in the garden. So much beauty to be a part of – both people and flowers. May I never take it for granted and may I never forget who the real master gardener is.
God Almighty first planted a garden. And indeed, it is the purest of human pleasures. Sir Francis Bacon
It was as though when the calendar said “first day of summer,” there was an explosion of color. Summer bloomers joined the spring perennials and early roses held on longer than usual. Peggy Martin still looks fabulous from afar. I love how her blooms dry in place – giving her the look of a painting that just lasts and lasts.
COMPANIONS…
Loving the Etoile Violette clematis surrounding the gate.Niobi Clematis and Petit Pink RoseBright Eyes PhloxCerise Pink YarrowCoreopsisDown the path to the herb garden…
ROSES…
‘Imogene’ (David Austin) This is the 3rd year for this rose and it is just stunning. Right now it is just covered with blooms.‘Quietness’ (Buck Rose) This is such a pretty, easy care rose with a sweet fragrance. ‘Bathsheba’ (David Austin) Poor Bathsheba was left out in her container all winter and I was sure she was dead but here she is in that same container. I do need to find her a place in the garden. She has definitely outgrown her container. ‘Champagne Wishes’ (Easy Elegance Series) This color is so rich and so is the fragrance. ‘Little Mischief’ (Easy Elegance) A tough and pretty ground cover rose.‘Golden Fairy Tale’ (Kordes) Power bloomer and since she is yellow, the Japanese Beetles find her first. 😩‘Music Box’ (Easy Elegance) Fragrant and pretty at every stage.
INSTAGRAM…
Many have asked me to do online tours. My answer to that was to start posting longer videos to an Instagram IGTV channel — complete with bird song and neighborhood activities like mowing lawns and motorcycles, etc. 😳 You can find those HERE.
LATEST PODCAST…
Last week on Rose Chat I chatted with Ping Lim the creator of the Easy Elegance Rose Series and a New Series called True Bloom. Ping is a great rose friend and it was great to hear his heart for people and roses and his way of bringing them together. You can listen to the chat here.
GOOD NEWS / BAD NEWS…
The temperatures this week have been perfect. It has been so nice to spend time in the garden. The roses and their companions are going strong but the Japanese Beetles have decided to join the party. Only a few so far but we’ll talk more on that next week.
Until next time…
I’ll leave you with the bokay I made this week entirely from my favorite Easy Elegance Rose, Music Box.
