The gorgeous Flamenco rose has required very little water / from the Biltmore Collection
Today we start 9 weeks of drought… as you know my garden is very large and I have had to limit watering to my roses and tomatoes and alternating trees and shrubs that are closest to our living area.
As I write this I am in the garden looking up at a simply gorgeous summer sky… not a cloud in site! Even in times of drought, God does amazing things… with people and with plants.
There is always an up side, I read that it looks like the US will set a record in the month of July for the fewest tornadoes on record. After the horrible storms of last summer (remember Joplin, MO), that is sure welcome.
And, as far as the roses are concerned, they are usually covered in Japanese Beetles at this time of year and so far we have seen very few. In their place are beautiful blooms without bug bites! That is sure welcome!
Zinnias can take the heat…Roses get watered once a week and still keep going!Tomatoes get water a couple times each week….Hydrangeas in the side yard…Sunny Knockouts and wave petunias can definitely take the heat!Black-eyed Susans can take the heat.More Zinnias with Phlox that is also beating the heat very well.First bloom of Tropicana … rescued from sale table.Gold Medal Grandiflora….Picture worth a thousand words…
At the end of the growing season I get a little frantic thinking about the long winter and start working on my list of roses to add to my garden next year. Click here to read about the preliminary list.
Before we even had the first snow I began to “weed” through my first list of ideas to get down to the nitty gritty of what I will add to the garden–armed with URLs and a stack of catalogs.
Here are the roses I couldn’t resist and have ordered for 2012!
Clusters of old-fashioned, cherry-red blooms with a dark pink reverse are proudly displayed non-stop from spring to fall above dark green, glossy foliage. With a relaxed, open habit, this shrub rose can easily get a bit wild, but a little pruning will ensure it dances only where you want it. This performer is extremely disease resistant. A natural for borders and mass plantings. Grown own root. Flower Size: 2-4″ Fragrance: Mild Hybridizer: Beales, 2006.
Grande Dame (Read about the one I planted last year … here.)
Everything old is new again … or is it the other way around? Here’s a clean mean flowering machine whose big bountiful beauties reek with old rose romance, style & fragrance. Each lovely blossom invites you to bury your nose…to swoon from the perfume of the ‘old time’ roses of your dreams. A big vigorous ‘shrubby’ bush whose nodding clusters, abundant deep-green leaves & low-thorned cutting stems provide a perfect touch to a landscape or bouquet.
This sport of the free-flowering Aloha climbing rose bears large, full blooms in a beautiful blend of apricot and salmon. Enhanced by dark, glossy green foliage, the flowers are borne in flushes all season and infuse the air with their strong fragrance. An easy-care, hardy, disease resistant climber that won’t take over and can easily be trained on a pillar. Grown own root. Flower Size: 4-5″ Fragrance: Strong Hybridizer: Beales, 1996.
This climber is a nicely manageable size just right for arbors and patios. You will love the soft color and subtle fragrance, not to mention the easy-care, disease-resistant foliage! Eden reaches 8 feet tall and 5 feet wide.
This minis have lovely blooms the color of medium pink icing on a cake. The flowers are borne in great abandon. One of the most beautiful of all pink miniatures. Excellent for garden or for show.
Just before our wonderful American icon left us, she selected this exceptional rose to bear her name. Julia loved the even butter gold color & the licorice candy fragrance. Yet it wasn’t just the old-fashioned blooms that inspired the recipe. The perfectly rounded habit, super glossy leaves & great disease resistance finish off the dish. An awesome AARS award winner.
Doesn’t that sound beautiful! Add to all that … my friend Chris, The Redneck Rosarian, shared picture after picture after picture of his beautiful Julia Child roses last summer. I was green with envy and just had to have some for myself. Did you see his pictures??? Take a look at his blog, then look in the mirror … you just might turn green too! Click here…
I rarely see a rose I don’t want but this year I am focusing more on disease resistant roses to eliminate the need for chemicals.
What about you, what are you adding to your garden this year?
