BLOOM THYME FRIDAY: The Dog Days of Summer

Link | August 25, 2023August 26, 2023 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

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!

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 … 💐🌸🌱🌼🌹🌺🪷🌻😘☕️

BLOOM THYME FRIDAY: The Weather App / My Constant Companion

Link | May 5, 2023May 3, 2023 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

The last few weeks the weather app has been my constant companion. Helping me out by alerting me to frost warnings. While I’m grateful to know, I’m really ready for that relationship to dwindle and those warnings to stop! Whew! With each warning fewer things are getting covered!! I know many of you are dealing with the same thing. Many of you have told me you are dealing with up to 3 weeks late on the growing season.

So far, it looks like there’s little frost damage to the roses but the jury is still out on the peonies! 😏 The Sargent Crabapple didn’t even make it through the first one! Next week is finally going to warm up. To say I’m excited just isn’t enough!

WINTER SOWING

Because of the frosty nights I have kept some of the jugs closed longer than was best for them. Some of the babies where screaming to get out!

POTTING UP DAHLIAS

I have a new area that I am dedicating to dahlias so I needed a few more! The bulk of my dahlia tubers came from Longfield Gardens but I did find a few other places too. To give them a head start for earlier blooming, I am potting them up to live in the potting shed while the weather warms.

I potted them up on April 22 and most of them are showing signs of life. Is there anything that looks less promising that a dahlia tuber???? Well, maybe … a bare root rose! Our gardens are rife with miracles!!

Cornel Bronze
Milena Fleur (FAV!)
Cafe au Lait
Labyrinth
Bitsy
Pacific Ocean
Karma

APRIL 22…

APRIL 30…

Believe it or not… the massive one is Bitsy 🤷🏼‍♀️

NEW ROSES

Here is my list of roses I am adding to the garden this year. Some of these are duplicates of roses I already have but love so much!

Crown Princess Margareta (Heirloom Roses)
Earth Angel (Heirloom Roses)
Ghislaine de Feligonde (High Country Roses)
Darlow’s Enigma (High Country Roses)
Generous Gardener (David Austin)
Moonlight Romantica (Jackson & Perkins)
Sweet Mademoiselle (Jackson & Perkins)
Plum Perfect (IRS Rose Sale)
State of Grace (IRS Rose Sale)
Moonlight in Paris (Menards)
Cornelia (Rose Petals Nursery)
Champneys Pink Cluster (Rose Petals Nursery)

This is the first time I am seeing this full list all together. #whatwasithinking Finding places for these beauties may get a bit tricky. Well, there’s always a big container in a sunny spot. Maybe Mr. G wouldn’t mind a few roses on the driveway to keep his tomatoes company. 🌹🍅

ROSE CHAT

The latest release of Rose Chat is ROSES THAT RAMBLE with great rose friend Leon Ginenthal from Der Rosenmeister Nursery. His stories are so fascinating! His roses are so amazing. I just wish he shipped from his nursery in Ithaca, NY. Maybe a road trip is in order!

PLANT BREEDING – Rose Chat Podcast

PLANT BREEDING Dr. David Zlesak On this episode, Dr. David Zlesak, Distinguished Professor at the University of Wisconsin and a very accomplished Rose Breeder is here to talk about plant breeding and the history and importance of plant patents. David will take us back to the very first Plant Patent. The start was strong for roses — the first plant patent was given to the lovely rose New Dawn. PREVIOUS ROSE CHAT PODCAST WITH DAVID: 2022 ARTS ROSE TRIALS (LINK) NATIONAL CLEAN PLANT NETWORK (LINK) SEE THE REGIONAL ARTS TRIAL WINNERS HERE! (LINK) 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

You might also enjoy seeing a tour of his garden…

Coming up next on Rose Chat is MINIATURE AND MINI FLORA ROSES with Dr. Gary Rankin and Dr. Monica Valentovic. Few people know more than these two on this class of roses!
Release date: Sunday, May 14.

BLOOM THYME

Making the biggest statement is the creeping phlox. Standing up to the cold nights like a champ! The Leatherleaf Viburnums have been glorious and we have several of them!

While not blooming, the self-seeded larkspur game is very strong. Only a few weeks and we will see the spectacular blooms!

Hopefully we are saying goodbye to those cool nights and hello to more of what we love — blooms! Serious Bloom Thyme is coming … SOON! 🌸🌹🌱🌼💐

Happy gardening friends!

Lately I have been thinking about those wonderful days at the Biltmore Rose Trials. What a special time it was!

’til next time… 💐

BLOOM THYME FRIDAY: Fall Beauty🍂

Link | September 23, 2022September 22, 2022 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

Regardless of how hot it is, all you have to do is walk outside and you know it is fall. It just smells like fall. And the biggest sign of fall around here is all the tiny honey locust leaves we find all over our house. They are so easy to “carry in”. This morning at breakfast we watched them rain down out our window. They are everywhere now.

While I am in the midst of fall work which includes moving roses, adding roses, dividing perennials and in general making a big mess, there is still beauty to see.

One of the most beautiful sights in the garden right now is Proven Winners Midnight Blue Caryopteris (Bluebeard).

If you don’t have this shrub and you are in Zones 5-9, treat yourself to one or two or more. I now have 4 and may add two more next year. These late summer blooming machines are outstanding! Link to more information here.

I am not the only one around here who loves them. The pollinators can’t leave them alone.

DAHLIAS

The dahlias are putting on a show!

COSMOS

Loving this new (to me) cosmos, Psyche White from Floret.

They are soooooo pretty! Floret is showing sold out right now but that might change. It looks like it is still available from Select Seeds here. I’ll definitely be saving seeds from this one.

STAR OF THE WEEK:

Desdemona! This David Austin beauty thinks it’s spring.

This pollinator is loving her too!

ROSE CHAT PODCAST

We have a new series starting in October – WINTER ROSE TALES. In this series you will hear from rose growers around the country. They will tell us about their gardens and the roses they grow plus share what they do to care for their roses in the winter. I think you will find all of them fascinating and fun.

In the meantime you can catch up on other recently released show here…

PLANT BREEDING – Rose Chat Podcast

The latest podcast is an update from Star Roses and Plants where they talk about new roses and new garden trends.

I’m doing some traveling this weekend to attend the Colonial District Picnic and talk about English Cottage Gardens. So excited to see many old friends and meet new ones!

Until next time, happy gardening.

BLOOM THYME FRIDAY: Navigating July

Link | July 8, 2022July 8, 2022 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

As usual July is pulling out all its tricks…

Throwing out the welcome mat for Japanese Beetles.
Putting us on the heat index map.
And, this year being ever so skimpy with rain.

It’s hard to complain as the drought seems to keep the JBs from overtaking as quickly as they sometimes do. It’s a bit harder to “emerge” out of parched ground.

Today we are getting our first real rain in 4 weeks. I actually walked outside to see the plants celebrate. Guess who else was celebrating… you guessed it, the Japanese Beetles. Their entrance into their best life has been made much easier and they were everywhere. I picked a bunch of flowers while it was raining as I wasn’t sure there would be any good ones left when the rain stopped. You know with the JB celebration and all.

Another upside of this glorious rain, I have more time. This morning Mr. G asked me what I was going to do with all the time that I usually spend each day watering! It’s a large garden and we do not have a watering system. I do love to hand water but this weather has put that to the test. I have become one with my Dramm. By the way I think the Dramm rain wand is the best watering device EVER. Gentle deluge for the plants and one that is very calming for me too! I love it so much that I gave Mr. G one for Father’s Day to use on his tomatoes. He loves it!

ROSE CHAT PODCAST

Set to release this Sunday (July 10) is an interview I did with Kimberley, the Rose Geek. Be on the look out. It was great to hear her rose story.

PLANT BREEDING – Rose Chat Podcast

NEW BOOK

Look what just came in the mail. One of my favorite rosarians of all time, Michael Marriott has written a book. If you aren’t familiar with Michael, he spent the last 25 years as the head garden designer and rose expert for David Austin Roses. He is also well known for his expertise in rose fragrance!

At first look it is beautiful and starts off with a bang … the first chapter is “The Romance of the Rose” and moves quickly to the subject of rose fragrance with the “The Magic of Scent”. I can’t wait to fully dive in! If you’d like a copy, you can find it on Amazon here.

An inspirational guide to choosing and growing the best roses!

Below are links to two of the most recent podcasts I did with Michael. In both, he shares amazing information!

ROSES IN EVERY SEASON ..

https://rosechat.podbean.com/e/roses-in-every-season/

COMPANION PLANTING…

https://rosechat.podbean.com/e/companion-planting-for-roses-michael-marriott/

BLOOM THYME THIS WEEK

Even with all the horrible heat and drought so many plants just keep going! I do water but only a small percentage gets any regular watering. Most just have to make it on their own.

There is a question I ask myself every July… Why didn’t I plant sunflowers? I love them but just don’t seem to have a place for them. I’m not big on bright yellow but who can resist sunflowers. Maybe next year. 🌻🌻🌻

July does give us ups and downs, but it also gives us enough heat to get the dahlias going… big plus!

Featured Dahlia … Creme de Cognac from Longfield Gardens.

Thanks for stopping by! 💐

BLOOM THYME FRIDAY: Marching into March

Link | March 4, 2022March 5, 2022 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

I have been away for a few days. I have seen beautiful things. I have been with beautiful people. I am refreshed. I am now very ready for spring. And with the weather we are having, I am tempted to do too much. High temps one day and low temps the next. There’s much to be said about March … In like a lion … out like a lamb. Yes, March is a jam-packed month… Calling us to spring forward, participate in March Madness (Indiana), beware the ides, don our green for St. Patrick, and usher in SPRING! 💐

BOOK GIVEAWAY

On March 1st the winner of the GARDEN MAKER by Christie Purifoy was selected. Sherry Lewis, our winner, will be receiving her new book soon. Congratulations Sherry!

Thank you to all of you who shared your favorite book both on social media and the blog. I wish I could send each of you a copy of this delightful book. If you are interested, you can read more about it or purchase here.

BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS

We are all winners with the great book ideas that came in! Several of you had the same favorites! Over the next few weeks, I will share some of the books you recommended.

TASHA TUDOR

Several mentioned Tasha Tudor books. Tasha is a very favorite of mine. She certainly lived life her way and inspired us with her journey. Although she was born in 1915, she chose to live a lifestyle of the early 1800s. Her garden is a legendary work of cottage garden art. These books are in short supply so best to buy them as used books. Often they can often be found on Amazon reasonably. If currently available, I provided a link.

Tasha Tudor’s Garden by Tovah Martin

The Private World of Tasha Tudor by Richard Brown

The Tasha Tudor Cookbook by Tasha Tudor

ANOTHER RECOMMENDATION…

Empress of the Garden by Michael Shoup (Owner of Antique Rose Emporium)

Jolene Angelos shared… “This is a very large book filled with beautiful photos, interesting facts, and histories of an array of roses.”

I don’t have this particular book but I do have Mike’s book on Landscaping with Antique Roses and it is fabulous. Link here.

ABOUT MIKE SHOUP

Mike Shoup has a deep and profound love of the rose. We chatted about his fascinating rose story on Rose Chat last year. I just love to hear him talk about roses! Did you know he did a Ted Talk about his rose story? I think you would enjoy the podcast!

ROSE CHAT PODCAST

ROSES THE ULTIMATE GARDEN PLANT with Mike Shoup

In this episode, Mike Shoup, author of several books and creator of the Antique Rose Emporium, takes us on a creative journey with roses and gives us their history and the ways they complement every garden. You can listen here.

POTTING SHED PUTTERINGS

As you know, I have several dahlias on order but I found 2 packs of Dahlia tubers at WalMart and 1 pack at Lowes that I couldn’t resist. They are potted up and doing very well. I couldn’t believe how quickly they sprouted. I also potted up one that I wintered over but so far no sprouts. I have much to learn about the overwintering process.

The Lisianthus I started a few weeks back were big enough this week to move up into individual pots. Look at those roots – even on the tiny ones. Fingers crossed these all make it through the rest of the seedling processes!

I also have a new plant I am very excited about… an Easter cactus. I picked it up at a favorite local garden center, Country Harmony. There were so many beautiful plants there!

Easter Cactus… the blooms are just stuning

Friends, wherever you are I hope your days are filled with sunshine and all the excitement that March can bring to a gardener! We are on the home stretch now. SPRING IS SPRINGING!!

🌱🌸🌱💐🌱🌼🌱

BLOOM THYME FRIDAY: FRESH AND NEW

Link | February 4, 2022February 4, 2022 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

As predicted we have snow – around 14″ of snow! It is the fluffy, packing kind of snow that leaves your world looking all fresh and new! Driving in it is another story!

The view behind the amaryllis changed a lot in one day!

LEARNING SOMETHING NEW

February is the best time to get familiar with the new plants and seeds that I have on order. It’s easy to fall in love with the pictures! 😳 But, eventually I have to do something with them! 🤣

This week is was the dahlias. These beauties have always caught my interest, but spending time in England and following so many English gardeners online – has taken my interest to an all-time high! And, they are such good companions for roses. I love adding them to rose bokays!

I’ve grown a few here and there but there are many gaps in my knowledge about them… so this week armed with two new books, I’m filling some gaps.

DISCOVERING DAHLIAS by Erin Benzakein of Floret Farms

This book is just amazing if only for the photography and the inspiration that Erin gives. Erin leaves nothing out. She beautifully takes you from … understanding dahlias, to their care and overwintering and onto designing with dahlias and ends with a fabulous “variety finder” to help you choose dahlias for your garden. I particularly enjoyed looking to see if Erin reviewed the ones I bought. Truth be told if I read Erin’s book before purchasing, I probably would have ordered differently based on her recommendations. Erin’s book is truly wonderful. I just checked availability on Amazon and it has been marked down. Check Amazon… here. A great value!!

CONNIE’S DAHLIAS … A Beginner’s Guide by Connie Thompson

Connie and her husband own a small commercial dahlia farm on Vancouver Island, BC.

Connie shares all the basics as she goes through the seasons. She also has practical information and helpful information in identifying and dealing with in pests and diseases.

As I make my way through these books I am learning so much. I find it very funny that these two dahlia experts live less than 2 hours from each other. Ooooo that pacific NW has great growing power and it’s not just dahlias.

A NEW WAY

I bought these books through my iBook app. While I love REAL books and will continue to buy them, I am using the E resource more and more. Having these resources on iBooks puts them on all my apple devices and at my fingertips. They look fabulous on my mac laptop! That high resolution pays off! Other great features about ebooks … highlighting, note-taking, references, and magnification when needed! Don’t judge me but I have Erin’s book in printed form too. It is such a pretty book!

NEW DAHLIAS FOR 2022

Here are the latest lists.

SWAN ISLAND DAHLIAS

Bliss
Charlotte Mae
Day Dreamer
Frank Holmes
Sheer Heaven
Cafe Au Lait (Did not do that great for me last year so trying again.)
Black Satin (Swan Lake added this one to my order as a gift.)

Longfield Gardens

Milena (have grown this before and loved it)
Break Out (I grew one in a pot a few years ago and LOVED it.)
Cafe au Lait
Creme de Cognac

I have last year’s dahlias that came from a mixed bag at Lowes, over-wintering in the garage, but I don’t have much confidence in my ability to make this happen. I did look at them this week and they didn’t look shriveled up or anything. Since the tubers aren’t cheap, it sure would be nice to master the over-wintering process. Time will tell.

WHERE TO PUT THEM

My garden certainly has an overcrowding problem. So the first thing I did was search for a place. Of course, I could always put them in random places around the garden. but, I really wanted most of them to be planted together for impact! ⭐️ As you know I changed up my herb garden last year leaving walking room around all the raised beds!!! When measuring the space I had left for walking room in the back of the herb garden … I realized it was the perfect size and place for most of the dahlias. Less walking room, yes – but I knew it wouldn’t last! 🙄🤣 The ground is good there and this should be a really good spot for them! #fingerscrossed

NEW ROSECHAT PODCAST

RAMBLINGS WITH DER ROSENMEISTER
LEON GINENTHAL

Leon and I met several years ago in Syracuse, NY at the wonderful ARS convention. I love Leon’s rose story. Leon is a remarkable gardener and self-professed horticulture nerd. I think you’ll love this podcast for all the rose information and inspiration, but there is so much more! LISTEN HERE…

On the podcast player below you can choose Leon’s episode on one from the recent listing…

PLANT BREEDING – Rose Chat Podcast

Break Out Dahlia from Longfield Garden’s Website

Friends, hope you are safe and warm and have enough garden planning going on to make you think spring. It’s coming! 43 days!

BLOOM THYME FRIDAY: Don’t Wait!

Link | October 22, 2021February 20, 2022 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

One of the things this season of our world has taught me is don’t wait.

Last year I experienced… “Sold Out” on seeds and other garden supplies and shortages of ingredients for holiday favorites. From the look of the aisles in the grocery stores, I’m thinking waiting could be risky business. This week the grocery aisles were very skimpy. 😳

One ingredient that is absolutely necessary for our holiday meals is Pepperidge Farm Herb Classic Stuffing Mix. Following in the tradition of Mr. G’s mother … Our family “dressing” is a mixture of the Pepperidge Farm mix, dried bread, butter, broth, eggs, herbs, celery, and onion. This speaks “holiday” in our family like no other!

Sometimes this mix is hard to find! During the original COVID lockdown, I looked and looked and finally was able to order online! You can imagine my delight when last week our local Kroger had all I needed! Let’s say I bought plenty!!!

What food says “holiday” to you?

DAHLIAS / SEEDS

In the spirit of not waiting, I have placed orders for Dahlias and seeds. #priorities 🙄 I didn’t want to see the “sold out” banner again. I am happy to report seeds are already here safe and sound and waiting their time to shine. Dahlias will come in the spring. ☑️ ☑️

DAHLIA ORDER … FROM SWAN ISLAND

Swan Island was recommended to me by John Hefner. If you know John, you know that he and Donna have the most amazing garden filled with hundreds of roses and yes beautiful dahlias! There are so many beautiful ones to choose from. My greatest challenge is to NOT buy pink ones because I have so many pink roses. 💞 Here’s a link for Swan Island Don’t wait!

The dahlias below are on order and there are “only” a couple more I am still trying to find. ☑️

THE ROSE WITHOUT A NAME

The Rose Without a Name is a children’s book that shares the story of the Peggy Martin Rose. The book beautifully and thoughtfully weaves a story of hope from hurricane and devastation to rebirth and beauty. I can’t wait to read this book to my grandchildren.

Read more about this book or purchase here.

HOW ROSES TOUCH OUR LIVES

Speaking of books, a good friend, Teresa Mosher, has written her second book, How Roses Touch our Lives. You can listen to her story of the book and of being a gardener of 40 years. (Pssst: She currently cares for and maintains 42 flower beds, around 200 roses, 1500 perennials, shrubs, and trees.😱) LISTEN HERE

Here is my beautiful friend standing in front of her beautiful rose
‘Perennial Blue’. She loves purple!

BLOOM THYME THIS WEEK

Beautiful visitor

The Potting Shed Window Box is now dressed for the season.

COMING SOON

November is almost here. And, don’t judge us but that will usher in Christmas music season around here. Mr. G makes sure all our favorites fill the airwaves around here! And I bet if we listen closely, we will hear the sounds coming from a home in England that houses 4 little boys. We may be a house divided on how we feel about fall, but this family is a big fan of Christmas. Maybe not the commercial parts but definitely in the celebrating Christ’s birth with loads of family, friends, food, twinkle lights and watching “White Christmas”. Never too many twinkle lights or Bing!

DON’T WAIT

Yes, these days, if you need something it is best not to wait. Supplies for our everyday lives are important but this unpredictable season beckons us not to wait on other more important things too… to say what’s on our hearts … whether it’s You are special, I love you, I’m sorry or something in between. Don’t wait. 😘