One of my favorite things about Autumn is that as I tweak the garden, dividing plants, and removing undesirables etc., I get so excited for how the “new” garden will look in the Spring. She may be tired now and in need of a good layer of mulch but in the spring she will be glorious! #dreamstage
I have already found 3 prime spaces and will be on the lookout for 3 beautiful, power-blooming, fragrant roses. #reachforthestars 🌟 Do you have a rose recommendation for me?
And then there’s seed excitement. 🎉 Few things are more exciting to me in the garden than seeds! I am gathering seeds, looking for new varieties and ordering seeds!!! SO MUCH FUN. Every time I see my little brown bags of seeds I’ve gathered I get all gushy about spring! Am I alone???
NEW HYDRANGEAS
Proven Winners sent out 4 amazing new hydrangeas that I get to try in my garden. They are planted, watered, mulched and ready to experience an Indiana fall and winter. Look at these beauties…
TUFF STUFF | Reblooming Mountain Hydrangea
SIZE: 2-3′ Tall and Wide ZONES: 4 – 9 SUN/SHADE: 4 – 6 hours of sun preferred
This beauty is said to be cold hardy and heat tolerant. Two attributes that mean a great deal to me! Just look at those beautiful lacecap fowers.
PINKY WINKY PRIME | Panicle Hydrangea
SIZE: 6 – 9′ Tall and Wide ZONES: 3 – 8 SUN/SHADE: 4 – 6 hours of sun
I have 7 of the original Pinky Winkys and love them but am so excited to try the PRIME version as it is said to have bigger and fuller flowers! Big win!
LET’S DANCE LOVABLE | Reblooming Big Leaf Hydrangea
SIZE: 3-4′ Tall and Wide ZONES: 5-9 SUN/SHADE: 4-6″ hours of sun
This lovely has vivid bloom color and glossy foliage with the “super-charged” ability to rebloom! Foliage turns burgundy in the fall.
SIZE: 2-3′ Tall and 2-4′ Wide ZONES: 4-9 SUN/SHADE: 4 – 6 hours of sun
We are constantly hearing that we need more blue in the garden and PW says these are easy to get to turn blue by adding aluminum sulfate if you don’t have acid soil.
ONE MORE HYDRANGEA
I love my Fire Light Tidbit so much I had to add another one. Luckily when I made this big decision to add another, a local garden center had several beauties!! My two will flank a walkway through a section of the garden.
This is how she looks in my garden this week… A beauty indeed! I just can’t wait until spring and to see both of them in their prime!
ROSE CHAT PODCAST
UPDATES, PLANS & PROJECTS Diane Sommers, American Rose Society President
On today’s episode, Diane Sommers, President of the American Rose Society is here to bring us up to date on some exciting projects including their recently launched digital initiative. And, we’ll take a peek into plans for the future.
It was so fun to chat with Diane about our wonderful organization! LISTEN HERE.
BLOOM THYME
This week I tried to make the most of every bloom and share bokays with friends.
Mother of Pearl going strongState of GraceCafe au Lait decorating the Potting ShedGarden “office” viewParfuma BlissParfuma Bliss budScentuous
One of the most relaxing things to do is watch butterflies in the garden… don’t you think?
Friends, thanks for stopping by. Don’t forget to let me know if you have rose recommendations for me!
Recently we spent time in one of the most historical areas of our country. We saw so many beautiful historical sites, homes, and enjoyed many generational traditions.
While there I was able to experience rose garden history as well with a visit to the rose garden at Elizabeth Park in Hartford, CT — home of the oldest public rose garden in the US. There are over 15,000 rose bushes and 800 varieties of old and new roses. Yes, she is steeped in history. This garden became the first official test garden in 1912 for the American Rose Society founded in 1892, with the idea to test and to provide accurate information about roses for the public.
The Curator of the rose garden is a great garden friend that many of you know, Stephen Scanneillo. We had hoped to meet up but he was away at that time on vacation. He plans to join me in a couple of weeks on the podcast and I’m sure he’ll have plenty of Elizabeth Park garden stories! And no one tells a garden story quiet like Stephen.
When I first became aware of this garden, like so many others, I was captivated by the beauty of the the row of rose covered arches I saw in pictures. What I didn’t see from those pictures was just how many rows of arches there are. There are 75 arches covering pathways that direct you through section after section of this amazing garden. The structures themselves were so impressive. I can’t imagine what it must be like to be there when the arches are draping in blooms from the ramblers and climbing roses. I’m told that roses on the arbors are… Dorothy Perkins, Romeo, Repeat blooming Hiawatha, Peggy Martin, Party Hardy, White Dorothy, Dr. Van Fleet, Chevy Chase, Perfumed Breeze, Dortmund, Crimson Rambler, and Exclesa.
August in drought conditions is certainly not the kindest month to visit a rose garden, especially on a day that will literally bake you in moments. It’s kind of like having a photoshoot when you’re having a bad hair day! But, it was the day I had. So, we found Mr. G a shady spot in the garden and I set off to take a closer look. The garden did not disappoint!
MY DAY IN THE GARDEN…
THRIVE / SPROULTHRIVE
THE GARDEN IN JUNE…
Stephen sent me these pictures he took when the roses are at peak bloom. 😱🌟
Mixes RamblersMixed Ramblers and Caldwell PinkMixed RamblersI love fog!
DID YOU KNOW?
At Elizabeth Park they winter-protect the roses on the arches by using branches that are pruned from the evergreen in the garden!! What a fabulous idea!! 🌟
THE HERITAGE ROSE GARDEN
The heritage roses have their own special place in the Elizabeth Park garden … nestled in a more secluded area surround by beautiful stone walls. Just perfect! Although I only saw a few blooms as most of these roses have their bloom in early June, they do leave behind some very lovely rose hips which was a treat. And, I so enjoyed seeing the name tags telling me who lived there!
Yes, I have to go back!
ONE MORE THING!! PEGGY MARTIN…
The Peggy Martin Rose would certainly be a sight to see in June as she has covered the rose garden office wall so beautifully.
CHATTING ABOUT ROSES…
Here are the latest podcasts!
INTERNATIONAL ROSE TEST GARDEN Rachel Burlington, Botanic Specialist III-Rose Garden / Curator
Rachel is a very impressive young woman and wears many hats in the world of horticulture. In addition to her work at the Test Garden, she is co-founder of the non-profit, Women in Horticulture and serves on the Pacific Northwest’s Great Plant Picks committee. So much to chat about! LISTEN HERE.
COMING SUNDAY!
My next chat is with Diane Sommers, President of the American Rose Society. We will be chatting about what’s going on today and take a peek into plans for the future. This one will be “live” this Sunday, September 10th.
VARMINT UPDATE…
All the varmints are feeling the drought too. They are back and tearing through any part of the garden that I have watered. 😱 #catch22 If you’ve never been visited by these kind of critters (groundhogs, raccoons, possoms), let me tell you they are gifted diggers. When they visit it looks like small rototillers have gone through the garden leaving many plant roots exposed and damaged. To be honest we have not kept up with spreading the deterrents mostly because we were traveling and it was so hot. I guess not using the deterrents is the same thing as hanging a welcome sign. …. sigh 😔
I’ve been seeing pictures on social media and hearing horror stories of armadillo damage. Talk about diggers!!! To those of you who deal with armadillos – 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 !
SURPRISE DAHLIA…
While in Tennessee this spring to speak to a extremely wonderful group of Master Gardeners, I bought a dahlia. Not one I had ever heard of but the name got to me because I had family in CA.
Meet Pacific Ocean … my first “waterlily” dahlia
Waterlily Dahlias. These blossoms have rounded petals that spiral around tight, slightly flattened centers. Their flawless form makes them popular cut flowers. The plants are typically just 2’ to 3’ tall, yet they produce large blossoms that measure up to 5” across. Waterlily dahlias perform well in large containers and are also good for perennial gardens. -Longfield Gardens For more on the different types of Dahlias, read the full article HERE.
I didn’t give Pacific Ocean much attention until now as she has been “in captivity” in the dahlia bed that was fenced in from the critters. The fence made it hard to get to her — for the varmints and for me. 🙄 Well, now she has been sprung and is bringing much joy!
Behind the curtainShe’s been sprung!Her debut in a bokay!
BLOOM THYME…
ZaideMilena FleurQuietnessLisianthusPomponellaCafe au LaitState of Grace🐝Caryopteris 🐝
WHY WE GRoW ZINNIAS…
Zinnias are among the easiest annuals to grow, they produce tons of blooms, come in a wide array of colors, sizes and varieties, and they last forever in a vase. But the very best reason to grow them … they are a feast for the pollinators. Party time! 🐝🥳🐝
YOUR GARDEN…
Gardens are ever changing – especially now. I’m curious, as you walk in your garden, what plants / flowers are bringing you the most joy in this season?
Thanks for stopping by! Until next time, have fun in your garden!
These are certainly the Dog Days of Summer … hot! hot! hot! 🥵 But, there’s more than just heat going on in August.
August is universally the time for vacations and holidays especially in Europe. We joined that group this year and have just returned from a lovely vacation in New England. There is nothing quite like the north eastern seacoast. We were with beautiful people and went to so many beautiful places! Oh and the food! I love seafood and it was out of this world. 🦀🦞🦐
One of the places we visited was the Elizabeth Park/ Helen S Kaman Rose Garden. It was amazing. I thought I knew what it would be like from pictures I’ve seen through the years, but, oh no – it so exceeded my expectations. I’ll tell you more about my time there soon.
We came home relaxed, refreshed and recharged. We can’t wait to go back!
August celebrates sandwiches. in August of 1762 the Earl of Sandwich requested two pieces of bread with meat inside. We’re all about celebrating sandwiches in August too — we had the first BLT with a homegrown tomato. Nothing like it! 🎉🍅
August… the gateway to all things Autumn. I’m sure enjoying autumn more than I used to, partly because I became more focused on plants that have their heyday this time of year … Dahlias, Zinnias, alliums and power blooming roses that can take the heat!
SOME LIKE IT HOT
Well, I don’t know that they truly LIKE IT but many roses in my garden are acting like it is a normal summer day… not a day when the heat index is 105 and has been in the 90s for way too long.
Are there roses in your garden that do better in the heat than others?
My “some like it hot” observations…
Mother of Pearl isn’t phased – keeps going strong.
For Petite Pink and Petite Peach the heat is no big deal.
Sweet Drift says “bring it.”
Music Box isn’t phased much.
Flamenco Rosita has so many blooms even if they are a bit smaller.
Reminiscent Pink is doing very well.
Others are blooming but sparingly and many of the blooms melt so quickly. The roses are pretty much on their own during these extremes. Minimal watering, no fertilizing and no big expectations. I do think we are going to start cooling down next week and more of the roses will have a chance to shine!
Unlike many of you we have had some rain. Not tons but enough to keep things going without too much supplemental watering. We don’t have irrigation so we are extremely grateful for the rain. I am praying that those of you dealing with drought will have rain very soon. Drought is so cruel.
August is also a time when many schools start. Maybe it’s seeing all the back to school items but August has me itching to get new pens and paper and make lists. Mr. G would tell you that every season is a season of lists for me. The garden lists I am currently working on:
What did well…
What needs to go…
What I need more of / less of…
What was outstanding…
Seeds to buy…
Dahlias…
Bulbs…
Roses:
Who was outstanding…
Who struggled…
Where will I put more roses.. (I’ve found a few spots!)
What roses do I “need”… (That list is always in place.)
INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT I’M LOVING:
If you are like me and love dried flowers, I have an Instagram account recommendation for you. LAYLA ROBINSON DESIGN / Creating happiness with everlasting flowers. She does such beautiful arrangements and crafts with dried flowers! LINK HERE.
ROSE CHAT PODCAST
Coming this Sunday (August 27) is a new podcast… don’t miss this one. You’re gonna love Rachel.
ROSE CHAT NOTE:
I am beginning to work on the 2024 line up for Rose Chat. If you have suggestions of who you’d suggest I have on the podcast or topics you would find interesting, let me know. Email your ideas to me HERE.
BLOOM THYME IN AUGUST
The day we returned from vacation the garden greeted us with a light rain falling. It was such a welcome site, I immediately got out my phone and took videos. I posted a video on YouTube for easy access if you would like to see it.
The misty rain was such a blessing!Earth AngelCut DahliasCafe au LaitMr. G’s tomatoes!Ghislaine de FeligondeReminiscent PinkFlamenco RositaPetite PeachDahlia bokayHoneymoonMusic BoxMilena FleurZinnia Love
Yes, August is here and so is Pumpkin Spice Lattes. Did you know PSLs have been around for 20 years! That’s a lot of spice! Mr. G and I enjoy having one to celebrate the season. But we may wait until the temps drop to at least the 80s! 😳🥵😉
There’s no going back on the seasons so let’s hit this season head on and enjoy every minute. Until next time …
Stay cool, stay safe and have fun in your garden …💐🌸🌱🌼🌹🌺🪷🌻😘☕️
As many of you know this summer the raccoons, ground hogs, bunnies and possums all came together in a perfect storm of destruction in parts of my garden. They used every God given “talent” they had to dig up, tunnel under, break down and nibble away so much beauty. In turn we stalked them on the critter cam, set traps, sprayed repellent, sprinkled cayenne pepper, built fences and planted more plants.
That is behind us for now… and we are seeing much beauty in those areas — from behind a fence of course.
THE CARNAGE…
Dahlias where shredded and knocked over, yarrow disappeared, orlaya and cosmos were devoured never to return, zucchini destroyed, and so much more.
DETERRENTS USED…
From AmazonRabbit Fence / LowesFrom Amazon
BEAUTY IN CAPTIVITY
Bitsy Milena Fleur – I plant 5 – 3 survived.Pacific OceanPacific OceanCornel BronzeFama Blue ScabiosaFama White ScabiosaLabryinth – I waited 3 years to get this one. Every time I tried to order it was sold out! It was wroth the wait. It is so much prettier in person!
COME BACK KIDS…
These two plants were eaten to the ground more than once but are now looking fantastic.
FENCING…
We did what we could quickly and while the fence has definitely worked; working around a fence is not ideal. I want to get up close and personal with all my plants! My goal next year is to not need the fence or at least have Mr. G design something that can easily go up and down. We’ll see what the varmints think of that. 😳
For more about the destruction stage, read on here… (LINK).
JAPANESE BEETLES
I am seeing so few Japanese Beetles this year compared to years past. How about you?
One of the award-winning leaders of our rose society (Indianapolis Rose Society) Mark Nolen has been keeping detailed notes for years on the Japanese Beetles in his beautiful garden of more than 200 roses. Mark recently wrote an article about what he is seeing this year and why he thinks things are different. READ HERE
Here is Mark, his wife Cathy, and some of their beautiful roses…
One of most delightful gardeners you’ll ever meet is Claudia Weekes. She joined me on Rose Chat to talk about her garden journey. Claudia has a Master’s Degree in Nutrition and Wellness and a Bachelor of Science in Dietetics which has allowed her to work as a registered dietitian, wellness coach, and nutrition consultant. Claudia says she is happiest when she is helping others AND digging in the dirt. She brings all that she is into the garden with her each day and gives her followers a perfect combination of wellness tips, practical advice, and great gardening.
Petite Peach is having a great summer! I love how she pairs with another favorite rose Mother of Pearl!
In this image below you see the difference in Petite Peach and her “mother” Petite Pink…
BLOOM THYME THIS WEEK…
The Faun (Fawn)Stokes AsterStrawflowerPhloxLisianthusCafe au LaitReminiscent PinkCasa BlancaSavannahSweet FragranceWater HyacinthPrairie Sunrise
Even with a few varmints to aggravate us and keep us on our toes, the garden – and the world – are filled with joy and beauty. Let’s have eyes and hearts that strive to see it.
God is able to do far more than we could ever ask for or imagine. Ephesians 3:20-21
Many of the plants in my garden have stories attached to them. It’s what makes my garden so completely personal to me. As I walk around my garden I think of those stories and those people. And, when a visitor comes who wants to go on a slow garden walk and hear those stories, well that is the very best.
ANNABELLE HYDRANGEA HAS QUITE A STORY
I have a hedge of Annabelle Hydrangeas which started from one Hydrangea I planted many years ago. My first plant was a passalong gift from my good friend Colletta Kosiba.
Yes, there are newer, less floppy varieties and I love those too and have many of them. But I still love the Annabelle. While I was in England I was surprised to find so many Annabelle’s there too. Here is Annabelle showing off behind a bench in the gardens of Highclere Castle of Downton Abby Fame.
Recently John Chapin of Tree Frog Nursery and Gardens (link) wrote an article about the history of this beautiful hydrangea. Now that I know her story, I love her even more.
ANNABELLE’S STORY…
The story of the wildly popular ‘Annabelle’ hydrangea, which blooms throughout Central Indiana in early summer, is one of a pass-along plant shared by generations of gardeners before it was “discovered” and made available to the gardening world at large. In 1910, Harriet Kirkpatrick was riding her horse through the woods outside of the southern Illinois town of Anna (link) when she noticed a beautiful native hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens) with abnormally large, snowball-like blooms. Together with her sister-in-law, Amy Kirkpatrick, she went back to dig up the native shrub and transplanted it into her yard in town.
Over the years, neighbors and friends admired the showy plant and the Kirkpatrick family shared divisions of the easily transplantable shrub, spreading its progeny throughout the area. Given its wide popularity and easy culture, Mrs. Kirkpatrick contacted the Burpee Seed Company to see if they were interested in developing the new variety commercially. However, a different wild specimen of the native hydrangea had been found near Yellow Springs, Ohio with similar abnormally large, snowball-like flowers, but an earlier bloom time. It was named ‘Snowhill’ and released by Burpee in 1906, so they weren’t interested.
For the next 50 years, ‘Annabelle’ would be an unnamed but locally popular cultivar that was distributed by word of mouth throughout the southern Illinois region, finally reaching Urbana around 1935. J.C. McDaniel, a renowned plant breeder and professor of horticulture at the University of Illinois saw the plant in an Urbana garden in 1960 and somehow traced it back to the southern Illinois farming community of Anna where gardeners grew it all over town. He was able to collect cuttings for propagation, named the cultivar for the two belles from Anna, and released it for commercial production in 1962. In a paper submitted at a horticultural conference that same year, McDaniel recounts the story of ‘Annabelle’, noting it as “the best form of its species yet found.”
From this variety, many new cultivars have been developed, in an assortment of sizes and even with flowers in shades of pink, with stronger stems to avoid flopping. All are very hardy, reliably bloom on new growth, and easy to grow in mostly shade to mostly sun. There is a variety for every garden.
PRESERVING THE OLD…
Have you seen Season 2 of Growing Floret ? It is over the top for rose lovers and/or plant historians. The show is on the Magnolia Network. I have access to the Magnolia through a Discovery+ subscription. But there are other ways to find it too.
On the show Erin Benzakein, the owner of Floret, takes you on her journey to the world of old garden roses. Erin had the pleasure of getting to know one of our rose icons Anne Belovich whose story in itself is over the top fascinating. She also takes us on a tour with Gregg Lowery to see his massive collection and hear about his is passions for the old roses and the work he does with FRIENDS OF VINTAGE ROSES.
More about Gregg Lowery and the Friends of Vintage Roses (Link). Erin also released several articles about her rose experience on the Floret Flower blog (Link).
Leon Ginenthal and I chatted about Anne and Erin on Rose Chat when we did the podcast on ROSES THAT RAMBLE. Podcast.
PETITE PEACH IN THE NEWS…
Big smiles here — The American Rose Society had a beautiful article on the Award of Excellence that my Petite Peach won. I wrote a post all about the history of the award and the details of the rose a few weeks ago. Here’s that article…
If you are a member of the American Rose Society you know that the magazine is outstanding and comes in paper form as well digitally for members. If you are not a member, you can read all about the organization at Rose.org.
BLOOM THYME
Some of the flowers in the garden are beginning to take on a “ready for a break” time so this week I picked a few buckets of flowers before I let them take a rest!
The annuals that I planted to go strong during those lulls of course have been eaten by the varmint who found them very tasty. Luckily there are flowers they either don’t like or haven’t found! (Varmint post)
Time to gather flowers… (I made several bokays but forgot to take pictures.)
My fav snapdragon this year – Costa SilverLisianthus starting to bloomPhloxSomething new for the deckFound some nice Pentas on sale. Flamenco RositaJapanese Beetles are back. The bucket is back too.Garlic Harvest – Chesnok RedLarkspur seed collection time!
Maybe the tallest Monarda on record – at least here! Obviously I didn’t expect this size of plant for my small herb garden boxes. But the pollinators are over the top happy and I love it too. I do think I will find a more suitable place for it next year. Extra bonus: it works so well in a vase! 🐝 🦋
COMING SOON!
Fresh BLTs soon!!!
STAY STRONG!
Sometimes gardening isn’t for the faint of heart … especially late summer – with all the heat and varmints. I always say that few decide to be gardeners in the month of August and August is just around the corner.
BUT… so many amazing things are still to come. Today on my morning walk I went over the moon about the lisianthus and lilies that are coming on strong and tomatoes!! 🍅 🍅 🍅 🍅 🍅 🍅
Until next time… What’s your favorite tomato? And, your favorite way to enjoy fresh tomatoes? For me it’s yummy BLTs!
Yes, for the past few weeks I have been absent from the blog but very present in my world. I have been in the company of four of the most amazing little men! #grandboys They continue to amaze me on all counts.
AND, THE WORST OF TIMES…
Well, not the worst of times really BUT during those same three weeks, we have been invaded and parts of the garden show signs of a massacre! The critter cam tells us the culprits are raccoons, possums, ground squirrels, rabbits, and at least two of the most destructive horrible creatures on the planet – groundhogs.
What have we done about it?
To date we have captured 12 raccoons, put up 3′ bunny fence, used tons of cayenne pepper powder and animal repellent pellets.
Has it helped? Not much.
The raised bed filled with my handpicked from pouring over catalogs, pre-sprouted for earlier bloom, gorgeous dahlias – many 2.5-3′ tall living in the beautiful raised bed Mr. G built … was invaded. Pictures do not do the damage justice. The day after we installed the 3′ bunny fence and lavishly poured on the cayenne powder, we caught the groundhog inside the fence and the damage was even worse. I think he was mad.
I understand they hate garlic so this week when I trimmed off my garlic scapes I placed them all around the dahlias that are trying to come back. #timewilltell
DESTRUCTION
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Nothing like this has happened before. Oh, we have had the annual visits from raccoons and ground squirrels. While destructive, they were mostly deterred by cayenne pepper. I am beginning to think most of the damage is groundhog damage. We have not been able to trap them but see them out and about. They are very comfortable here! Right up by the patio while I am sitting there!!!! 😳
THE VARMINT’S PREFERRED SMORGASBORD
Here is a list of plants that have been most damaged…
Yarrow – I have several varieties – all nibbled to the ground except a couple of patches I rescued early – before they found them!
Parsley – all leaves enjoyed by varmints
Coreopsis (4 varieties) – to the ground
Orlaya – all blooms gone / plants mangled
Cosmos – devoured
Daisies – new Variety Banana Cream devoured / old variety still standing
Lantana – to the ground
Supertunias – to the ground
Zucchini – struggling
Lupines – mangled & broken
Zinnias – mangled & broken
Dahlias – None of my 20 dahlias have been left untouched but so far some of the damage is minimal. Others… well it’s doubtful they will recover.
My garden looks like a war zone in many areas. And I’m sure you understand, seeing your plants behind fencing is no way to garden!! But while we use every trick we hear about, we are spending our time in prettier parts of the summer garden. Even the Japanese Beetle damage seems like no big deal compared to the massive varmint damage. #perspective
I am so grateful for every plant they have not touched (so far) and am taking note!
STILL STANDING
Lilies
Lavender
Glads
Hollyhocks
Phlox
Salvias
Scabiosa
Larkspur
Clematis
Sweet William
Lisianthus
Foxgloves
Roses (THANK GOODNESS!)
Snapdragons – I’m telling you if they touch my snaps, you will hear me scream. I have soooooooo many gorgeous ones this year!!!
BLOOM THYME…
Maid Marion (DA)Regale TrumpetsBliss ParfumaFlamenco Rosita & Snaps!State of Grace Petite PeachAdorable garden helperHoneymoonMother of PearlPhloxGladioliasZaide
BOKAY DAY
Bokay Day this year was a dream. Those four little men and I had the very best time. Everyone was so into all aspects of the process. Taking wagons of buckets around to gather flowers (much fewer options this year but they didn’t mind) and filling the jars. Ohhh and they were such a charming delivery crew as they pulled the wagon filled with bokays and handed them to our neighbors. All of you who grandparent from a distance know just what a dream come true this was for me!! #preciousmemories
Back before the internet and blogs, we had bokay days too. Here’s my son all ready for delivery…
Precious Memories indeed!
MAGAZINE ARTICLES
If you see a copy of the current Midwest Living or Birds and Bloom, you just might find me there.
ROSE CHAT PODCAST
I have been chatting away with so many rose friends. The last one was with Kimberley Dean, AKA The Rose Geek. We had the best time talking about her trip to England and how it changed her garden and her as a gardener! Listen here…
GARDENS OF THE NORTHEAST
Stephen Scanniello
Stephen is a world-renowned gardener, historian, author, lecturer, designer, and consultant for gardens public and private. He currently serves as the curator of the internationally acclaimed Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden at the New York Botanical Garden and as the consultant for the Elizabeth Park Conservancy in West Hartford, CT.
Today Stephen will share updates from the beautiful gardens and garden projects in the Northeast.
It is said that every rose has a story and Stephen just may know most of them. I'm sure today we will be educated, enlightened, and entertained as we chat with a master storyteller about his favorite subject – roses.
ROSE GARDEN IMAGES… DOWNLOAD HERE
INFORMATION ON THE HERITAGE ROSE FOUNDATION…
ROSE CHAT TEAM:
Executive Producer & On-Air Personality:
Chris VanCleave – http://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 – http://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
Friends, even with the varmint invasion, the heat, and the bugs that come and make things so ugly, I still just can’t wait to get out there! How about you? 💐
This is a different year for the “first flush.” Except for the Old Garden roses, the roses are having their first flush at different times due to the severity of the die back!
Here are the ones that are having their “first flush” now and commanding our attention…
MOTHER OF PEARL
If you follow me on Instagram, you know I have been obsessively posting pictures of this one! I have 8 of these roses and have them planted close together in our patio area where we enjoy them up close. This peachy/pink grandiflora is a power bloomer from late spring to fall. Plus she is disease resistant, has a light fragrance and holds on to her clusters of blooms for a very long time! She’s great in a vase whenever I can bring myself to remove her from the garden! Even though she is zoned for 6 and I’m 5b, I have never had much winter die back.
Zones: 6 – 9 Size: 3 -4′ H X – 2′ W
REMINISCENT PINK
I had the privilege of growing this rose as a test rose and she has totally exceeded my expectations. First year she came as a very small insignificant plant.But look at her now! She sustained no winter die back and the deer left her alone! She is so much prettier in person with her full rich English style blooms. A modern rose with an old fashioned bloom that is fragrant and very disease resistant – perfection! Great winner for the garden from Proven Winners.
Zones: 4a-9a Size 3 -4′ H X 2.5 – 3′ W
QUIETNESS
An old favorite in my garden that’s still wowing me! I have three Quietness roses and one of them is in a very undesirable spot in the garden – terrible soil and I forget to care for her. This year she is laughing at the thought that her spot in the garden is less than ideal as she is covered in those yummy shell pink blooms! Dr. Buck bred his roses for winter hardiness and easy care and he was sure successful with this one.
Zones: 4-10 Size: 3 – 4′ H – 3.5′ W
Planted in a “bad” spot!
PLUM PERFECT
This rose is new to me but it is all that my friends have told me it would be. The color of these gorgeous blooms catch your eye and the closer you get the better it is. This is a lovely floribunda from Kordes and historically Kordes roses do so well in my garden. Plum Perfect is part of the Star Roses Bloomables collection and bloom she does. These beauties are born in sprays with a nice fragrance.
Zones: 5-10 Size: 2′ X 2′
PETITE PEACH
Petite Peach is my new rose. She didn’t suffer any winter set backs so received little to no spring trim this year! This beauty came to me as a sport on the Petite Pink – another favorite rose four years ago. Last month Petite Peach was awarded the American Rose Society’s 2024 Award of Excellence in the no spray division. This tells us the rose has been trialed all over the country for 2 years and has emerged the winner! Yes, it is a winter hardy shrub with excellent disease resistant and she blooms all summer long! It is for sale at High Country Roses.
Zones: 4-9 Size: 3′ H X 3′ W
WHERE TO FIND ROSES?
Of course, always check your local nurseries but if you can’t find them, there are some excellent online sources that I use every year.
I highly recommend the roses from Heirloom. They are committed to doing the research to assure the health of the rose. I recently did a podcast with from Robin from Heirloom about these processes and you can find that podcast on or after June 11.
Matt Douglas and his team are committed to bringing us old garden roses, harder to find modern roses, as well as the very newest releases. His own root roses are sent out in quart containers that are perfect for tucking into your garden and watching them grow. Many of my largest roses started in those quart containers from High Country Roses. Matt was a recent guest on Rose Chat talking about the less known but very charming, easy care Hybrid Musk Roses as well as some of his favorite newly released roses. LISTEN HERE.
Proven Winners sells their plants in a variety of sizes via mail order.
GARDEN DEVOTIONAL
Several of you have asked about the garden devotional I am doing this year. I love it! There is a link on the image below…
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MOST RECENT ROSE CHAT
THE COLOR OF ROSES
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. LISTEN HERE.
The next release will be an update from Robin Jennings of Heirloom Roses you won’t want to miss.
HONORABLE MENTION BLOOMER…
SAVANNAH
Savannah is a healthy, fragrant Kordes rose that will stop you in your tracks when she’s blooming.
Not quite up to previous glory (before the deer found her so desirable) but she’s coming along…
UNTIL NEXT TIME…
AS I MAKE EDITS TO THIS POST I AM WATCHING A BLUEBIRD FLIT AROUND THE GARDEN AND I’M WONDERING WHAT ROSES OR PLANTS ARE STAND OUTS FOR YOU THIS SEASON… 💐
For the past four years I have been keeping a secret. Something new from my garden … a beautiful sport!
A sport in the botany world means a ‘genetic mutation;’ one that has no explanation and no specific rhyme or reason for its occurrence. This process gave me a beautiful gift … a peach sport of the lovely Petite Pink. One of my very favorite roses hybridized by my good friend Dr. David Zlesak. As many of you know I have several Petite Pinks in my garden (9 at this time) and I have given it away as gifts! I love it so.
So, I have been on a journey to have my beautiful sport tested in trials to watch what it can do. I am happy to report it has done very well in a national, multi-site rose trial managed by the American Rose Society.
Last week I attended the American Rose Society’s National Convention at the home of America’s Rose Garden in Shreveport, LA. There were many highlights from the convention, but the most special part was when my name was called to come up and receive a certificate that states that Petite Peach™️ (‘BYIbloomthyme’) was awarded the Award of Excellence from the AOE testing program – in the no-spray category.
ABOUT THE AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
In 1973 the American Rose Society Board of Directors established the Award of Excellence to recognize new miniature and miniflora rose varieties of superior quality and marked distinction. Since the inception of the Award, there have been 141 AOE winners. Miniature and miniflora roses which have been in commerce for less than one year, as well as unnamed seedlings or sports, are eligible for evaluation for two to three years in seven AOE public test gardens and two private gardens, spaced geographically across the United States. Since 2013 roses may be entered in a “no spray“ division, a “preventive spray” division or both. Each public garden has an AOE supervisor and five evaluators who score the entries on 11 criteria four times during each growing season. At the end of the trial period, Awards of Excellence are given to deserving entries, with a maximum of five per year. The public test gardens are: American Rose Center, Shreveport, Louisiana; Edisto Memorial Gardens, Orangeburg, South Carolina; Farmers Branch Public Rose Garden, Farmers Branch, Texas; International Rose Test Garden, Portland, Oregon; Mesa Community College Garden, Mesa, Arizona; Toledo Botanical Gardens, Toledo, Ohio; and Virginia Clemens Rose Garden, St. Cloud, Minnesota.
The official public announcement of the Award of Excellence winner(s) is made each year in American Rose and at the awards banquet of the ARS National Rose Show and Conference. After two years of evaluation (three for climbers) four Award of Excellence winners are selected.
MEET PETITE PEACH™️
Isn’t she lovely! These sweet apricot/peach colored blooms keep going all summer long on a small bush that fits into any garden as well as containers. It is great as a cut flower too!
Height: 2-3′
Width: 2-3′
Bloom Type: Double / Sweetheart Size (1″)
Bloom Repeat: All season
Disease Resistance: Extremely Resistant
Hardiness Zones: 4 and up
HIGH COUNTRY ROSES
For many years I have been ordering roses from High Country Roses and find them to be outstanding performers. They come to you small but mighty and catch up quickly. Some of my favorites from High Country: Earth Angel, Ghislane de Feligonde, Veilchenblau, Dalow’s Enigma, Ispahan, Kazanlik, and Banshee High Country.
I am so happy to partner with Matt at High Country Roses for the release of Petite Peach™️.
Additional details on the rose and how to purchase are HERE…
DR. DAVID ZELSAK
I am thrilled that this beautiful sport came to me through David’s work. His friendship, mentorship and help through this process have been invaluable. Petite Peach™️ and I are so very grateful.
David’s rose work has given us so many beautiful roses for our gardens…
Petite Pink
Above and Beyond
The Pretty Polly Series
OSO Easy Peasy
Smoothie
Candy Oh
Gaye Hammond
ARS CONVENTION
The ARS put on a fabulous convention in the newly renovated AMERICA”S ROSE GARDEN. The garden is amazing, the speakers were outstanding, the tours were over the top! Here’s a mini slideshow…
my Partner’s in crime for the week
THe Award celebration
It was fun to go, but it’s so good to be home. The garden is changing every day!
We have just returned from 3 weeks away. We are all tanked up on hugs and kisses from the grands that will last us a little while!
While we were away the weather was erratic to say the least — both high and low. The temperatures were high enough for the garden to start springing back. Especially the roses. But what I saw when I returned was shocking! This year I am seeing the biggest changes to the garden as a result of the increasing deer pressure. I could not believe the level of damage that had occurred from deer munching. Many of the shrub roses (that most often need very little pruning) looked as though they had been burnt. Throughout the plants were black canes. My Honeymoon climbing roses were damaged to the ground. Ghislaine Feligonde was damaged low. I don’t see as much damage on the old garden roses and Rugosas. Deer typically don’t like Rugosas. Time will tell if they nibbled enough to steal the blooms.
To add to that problem, I am seeing winter damaged (both erratic temps and wind) on 2 of my huge Peggy Martins. There will be a heavy amount of pruning on those.
For some reason I forgot to take pictures of the worse ones. Here is Petite Pink who in year’s past has only needed a bit of pruning (same with her 8 sisters) and the picture on the right shows that when tips are nibbled, the cane dies back to the ground. (Sorry so blurry.)
IT’S NOT ALL BAD
This week I started officially pruning and many of the roses required cutting to the ground. But I have to say that the new growth looks very healthy! Mr. G has decided to take advantage of the “new room” on the large arbors to do some maintenance and that is a very good thing.
Mr. G and I are also thinking through what we can do to help deter the deer even more than ever before! We now know it will require some sort of temporary fencing. If you have tips that have worked for you please leave a comment! Having this level of deer pressure is a relatively new problem for us.
NOW TO THE PROTECTIVE CUSTODY PART
My beautiful Honeymoon climber is on a main deer thoroughfare so it sustained extreme nibble damage. It had to be cut to the ground. While it is not pretty, I put it in protective custody with a extra piece of fencing we had and some bamboo poles – just in case the deer come to call. Not pretty but “desperate times/desperate measures. Others on the “thoroughfare”are going to get the same type of protection. 😔 How long will we leave this there??? Well, the critter cams will help us know when the deer have moved on – if they do. 😱 They usually do! 🙏🏻
NEW BEST GARDEN HELPER
I spray my pruners with Lysol after each bush (to keep from spreading diseases that might be present whether I can see them or not) and this new found friend has made that so easy. Small enough to fit into a pocket; yet large enough to make it through several rose bushes. (Amazon Link)
POTTING SHED PUTTERINGS
This week I added several more “winter jugs” filled with warm season flowers / veggies.
Tomatoes
Zinnias
Cosmos
Other than tomatoes, I have never planted this late in the season. I am so excited to see how they do!
UPDATE OF “JUGS” PLANTED MID JANUARY
Of all the containers, only a couple haven’t germinated!
LISIANTHUS UPDATE
My two trays of Lisianthus are coming along nicely. I will plant them out in another week.
DAHLIAS
Of the 8 tubers I tried to winter over, 3 of them survived! BEST RESULTS EVER! Here is one I potted up mid February just to get it started before traveling. I knew it was a bit early but I was so excited that the tubers had made it that far with a bit of plumpness, I decided not to wait!
So here she is a dahlia that I think is almost perfect in every way… Milena Fleur…
–Medium size (3 – 4′) –Beautiful color (peachy, pink with a yellow center) –Prolific bloomer
Any guesses on when she will bloom?? She is certainly ahead of the game! The dahlias I ordered from Longfields were delivered today. Those tubers will get potted up soon.
ROSE CHAT PODCAST
Since we are talking so much about pruning, if you haven’t listened to the podcast I did with Gaye Hammond, don’t miss it.
NOISETTES: THE SOUTHERN BELLE OF ROSES (LINK) Connie Hilker
I had so much fun talking with Connie about her favorite rose class — the historical and beautiful Noisettes.
BLOOM THYME
The garden is coming back to life… more each glorious day! #grateful
HOW HAS YOUR GARDEN FARED?
I know winter was hard on gardens in many zones. My good friend, Ron Daniels in Nashville, TN who has a magnificent garden that has appeared on TV many times had an uncharacteristic freeze in December than damaged some of his roses. The biggest damage was his climbers. Many having to be cut to the ground. Speaking of Ron, did you know he has a book coming out – ROSE THERAPY. He will join me on Rose Chat in June to tell us all about it. I am so excited for him. Here’s the cover…
CONFESSION
I bought a few more roses … we’ll talk about them next time.
SPIRITUAL PRUNING
Once I got past the shock of the condition of my roses, I began to think of how this could be a rejuvenation for them; making them stronger and more productive.
John 15 reminds us that God prunes us as well “I am the vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”
Good to know that our rejuvenation is in the capable hands of the true Master Gardener.
