Autumnal Shades of Pink
Even in the fall my garden is full of shades of pink. Japanese anemone robustissima. For more Wordlessness this Wednesday click here.
Deadheading – Fall Maintenance for Hardy Roses
People often ask me when do I cut back my hardy roses in the fall, do I protect them in the winter and what is the best way they can protect their own roses. I have simple answers. First, I remind people that I only grow hardy roses, that are trouble free. Of course, sometimes I only find out that I have bought non-hardy roses when they die, but that's the way it goes. I do not cut back…
September 1 Record Fruiting and Tangles
This post is part of my twice a month record of bloom and doings in the garden, on the 1st of the month, and then on Bloom Day, the 15th. As we begin September it is clear that in spite of the hot and dry weather Thomas Affleck continues to thrive. One a very few other rose blossoms are to be seen. What the roses are doing instead of blooming is producing hips. The Rugosas have the biggest…
Garden Bloggers Bloom Day – August 15, 2013
On this Garden Bloggers Bloom day there are some surprises. The weather should not surprise anymore, but it does, and often causes gnashing of teeth. In June we had a glorious 12 inches of rain. In July there was no rain! It was hot! An official heat wave. In August it has been much cooler and we had 4 inches of rain so far. Still there are lots of blooms in the un-irrigated flower gardens. The Daylily Bank…
August Bloomers on August 1, 2013
Of all the August Bloomers, the Daylily Bank makes the biggest statement even though it has started to pass its peak. Other August bloomer are just beginning. The most notable in this photo is the classic Echinacea or coneflower, with Russian sage in front and pink and white phlox on the other side of the bed. The phlox is late, with light bloom, because the deer had been snacking on the buds. Only once clump of Paradise Blue…
The Fairy – Rose of the Day
You might think The Fairy to be a fragile pink rose, but in the 1960 Roses of Yesterday and Today catalog this sturdy polyantha is described as 'unexcelled for vigor, spreading growth, perfect health and hardiness, and its superability to produce those charming pink rosette type blossoms in constant abundance, - each a fair flower, crisp and waxen like a pink sea shell." The Fairy has proved herself to be a stalwart star of my mixed border for the…
Winter Sunset Correction on Wordless Wednesday
Last week I mis-identified this rose as Winter Sunset. Winter Sunset and Folksinger are both Griffith Buck hardy rose hybrids. This image from the gardenweb forum shows that both roses have a similar form, but Winter Sunset has deeper color. I have both of these roses, but right now Winter Sunset is not doing well at all. To see what else is Wordless this Wednesday click here.
It Never Rains on the Rose Viewing
It has never rained on the Rose Viewing, and I think I can claim it did not rain yesterday either. The Rose Viewing is from 1-4 pm. At 3:45 yesterday there were a few drops of rain, but then no more. The guests who were here at that time strolled into the Cottage Ornee where we stayed and chatted, ate the last few cookies, and strawberry sorbet that one of the guests brought, until Sunday afternoon exhaustion set…
Annual Rose Viewing June 30, 2013
I was inviting a new friend to our Annual Rose Viewing. She looked at me in absolute amazement. “You can grow tea roses in Heath?” No, I cannot. Tea roses will not grow in Heath. The word rose is not synonymous with the words tea rose. Mostly I have rugosas, albas, damasks, shrubs and farmgirls. Since 1980 when I planted my first rose, Passionate Nymph’s Thigh, I have planted over one hundred roses. More than half of…
Thomas Affleck in all His Summer Glory
I bought Thomas Affleck from the Antique Rose Emporium. It suggested planting it near the door so you would pass it often and enjoy the fragrance. I did plant it near the door, at the end of the Herb Bed which is next to the entry walk. There is no fragrance that I can detect, but it certainly is a pleasure to walk past it several times a day. This is a magnificent rose that requires very little…