Bloom Thyme Friday: Now you see it. Now you don’t!

May 2, 2014May 1, 2014 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

If you have been following my blog for a while you know that I have posted my fair share of pictures of my New Dawn Roses. They were spectacular last year (summer 2013).

But you will not be seeing pictures like these for quite a while — maybe years, as the Polar Vortex and New Dawn did not agree on conditions fit for roses this winter. I have grown New Dawn for more than 15 years and have never had to do a hard pruning. But, this year I pruned all the way to the ground. Yes, to the ground.

Take a look.

A clean canvas ready for new possibilities…

Don't mess with a girl with a sharp pair of Barnels in her hand! — Don’t mess with a girl with a sharp pair of Barnels in her hand! The bionic gloves and long reach Corona loppers sure came in handy too!

Vita Sackville West once said, “I am not an armchair gardener. For the last forty years of my life I have broken my back, my fingernails and sometimes my heart in the practical pursuit of my favourite occupation.”

I think Vita could identify with the day I’ve had.

It had been my experience that gardens are ever-changing and I am glad for that. If things were always the same, I most likely would get bored. So, this year we will focus on other plants. There are 3 clematis that also grow in this area and I am asking that they step it up this year! They need to be more than fabulous! I think they are up to the task. Henri I, Etoile des Violette and another one (whose name I can’t remember at the moment) … you are on!

I’ll keep you posted.

MORE ABOUT SPRING…

How are things going in your garden this week? Anything that didn’t make it through the winter? Are you moving ahead with Plan A or are you like me looking for the positive side of Plan B?

Other than the New Dawn roses, things are shaping up nicely this week. The roses that had to be pruned WAY back are recovering nicely and doing very well!I am seeing some strong growth and am hopeful for June blooms!

Here are some of the bloomers in my garden this week…

Daffodils we planted for Uncle Tony... — Daffodils we planted for Uncle Tony…

HAPPY BLOOM THYME FRIDAY!

A Rose A Day: New Dawn

June 18, 2013June 18, 2013 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

One of my favorite roses is NEW DAWN. Healthy. Beautiful. Low maintenance. Sweetly fragrant.

Over the Potting Shed — Over my Potting Shed last week…

About…

New Dawn is a large-flowering climber that was introduced in the 1930s … a “modern” rose with old rose charm.
In 1997 New Dawn was voted the most popular rose in the world at the 11th World Convention of Rose Societies.
It actually was the first plant to receive a patent.
It is hardy in Zones 5 – 10.
And, I learned this spring that it’s P Allen Smith’s favorite. When I was in Arkansas for Garden 2 Blog, New Dawn was everywhere, on fences, trellis, in cemeteries and the walls of buildings. New Dawn in full bloom, especially in mass, is breathtaking.

Here are two trellises that face each other in one of my garden sections… both are laden this week with New Dawn!

Dueling New Dawns... :) — Dueling New Dawns… 🙂

In my garden…

I have three of these beautiful roses. One covers the pergola over my potting shed porch. The other 2 are on an arbor over a garden gate.

10 years ago I bought my first New Dawn from White Flower Farm. They sold New Dawn as part of their Dawn & Dusk collection … pairing it with the clematis Etiole Violette. This is a perfect pairing that I would highly recommend!

On both sides of this arbor are New Dawns and Etoile Violettes…

When they bloom in the spring …. they B L O O M. The softness of the petals and sweet fragrance make this rose just breathtaking. It is officially a “reblooming” rose but I don’t see many blooms after the spring bloom.

Just like the tag says, this rose is disease resistant and low maintenance however, you need to provide a strong support–this is a vigorous grower. And, I would advise keeping up with the pruning …. it can get out of hand! Every 3 or 4 years I do a fairly major pruning to keep the rose fresh. The New Dawns on my arbor were cut back hard last year but have already reached the top! They are hard to discourage!

One more thing, when pruning a New Dawn gauntlet style rose gloves will be your friends. Hiding behind those yummy blooms are hooky thorns that mean business! But, once you experience the blooms of a New Dawn rose, you’ll forget all about the thorns.

And, one more picture…

We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses. -Abraham Lincoln

Have a wonderful day! Come back tomorrow … tomorrow’s rose is gonna be a show stopper! 🙂

Rose Companions: Clematis

October 17, 2012October 23, 2012 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

I love most plants but I find that when thinking about buying a plant other than a rose, I consider how it will look with the roses. So, all in all, you could say in my garden I have ROSES and I have ROSE COMPANIONS.

One of my favorite rose companions is the lovely clematis. Whether you pronounce it KLEM-UH-TIS or KLEE-MAH-TIS, I think they make wonderful companions for my roses.

Henryi works very well with New Dawn and Harison’s Yellow.

Bloom Thyme Friday: 2012 Top Ten

October 8, 2012April 4, 2014 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

For us in the midwest this was the year of the drought. For 9 weeks we had no rain. Most of the pictures of the entries for the 2012 Top Ten are before the drought began. However, there are a few plants that rose to the top as a result of the drought. All in all, the drought made us more appreciative of everything we have. And, made us think of those in other areas of the world that have drought as a part of their everyday lives—our prayers go out to them!

# 10 Annabelle Hydrangeas

This picture was taken before the drought began. These hydrangeas are beautiful, reliable and long lasting. I just picked a few to have in the potting shed for the long winter that is on it’s way!

# 9 Gene Boerner

This is a new rose to my garden but what a stand out! Bloomed and bloomed and bloomed. During the drought the roses were the plants that got most of the allotted water. I am so glad I planted Gene Boerner.

# 8 Bill Warriner

This rose was named for a Jackson & Perkins’ hybridizer who lost his battle with cancer. Our family lost a beloved family member to cancer too, so this rose is special to me. But, in and above all that, it is an amazing, fragrant blooming machine that is a standout in the rose garden.

# 7 Summer garden in front of the Potting Shed

It was so hot and so dry when this picture was taken. I was grateful for every bloom!

#6 The Grande Dame

The Grande Dame is an amazing fragrant rose that wows in my garden! I have three of them and will probably have more.

#5 New Dawn

New Dawn bloomed before the drought began and was spectacular! Soft pink, fragrant, tough and disease resistant. This is a climber that any garden would enjoy! For more on New Dawn, click HERE.

#4 The President Clematis

This clematis was a show stopper in early summer and just recently bloomed again making it completely amazing in my book.

#3 Larkspur

I love larkspur. Larkspur is best when it self seeds. This year was one of those years when I planted seed AND there was plenty of self seeding going on from the year before. The larkspur was beautiful for a long, long time!

#2 Dogwood

To get the whole story of why I love my dogwood trees, CLICK HERE.

#1 Harison’s Yellow

What a year this rose had. Spectacular in the spring and enchanting me completely with it’s history. Read about the history HERE.

Honorable Mention

This picture tells the story of the drought. Something I don’t want to forget…

I hope 2012 was a wonderful growing season for you! It is now that thyme of year when I settle in to plan and plot for next year. My favorite season is spring and it will be here soon… Well sort of soon … actually it will be here in 161 days! 🙂

Happy fall to you!

Bloom Thyme Friday: New Dawn

May 18, 2012June 27, 2012 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

One of my favorite roses is NEW DAWN. Healthy. Beautiful. Low maintenance. Sweetly fragrant.

New Dawn today over my Potting Shed porch.

About…

New Dawn is a large-flowering climber that was introduced in the 1930s … a “modern” rose with old rose charm.
In 1997 New Dawn was voted the most popular rose in the world at the 11th World Convention of Rose Societies.
It actually was the first plant to receive a patent.
It is hardy in Zones 5 – 10.

In my garden…

I have three of these beautiful roses. One covers the pergola over my potting shed porch. The other 2 are on an arbor over the garden gate.