September Day

Vinca likes the heat.

I all but abandoned my gardens during these past weeks. It's just been so hot. I've tried to keep things watered, but that's been about the extent of it. The weeds have taken over!

I decided to get back to things after the boys started back to school this morning. I weeded my new roadside garden (I'm not going into the split pants incident here!). It was full of crabgrass and other assorted junk. I also planted a few more things there: a daylily 'Matisse', a TB iris from Zebra Iris, 'Gazellegant' (bought from their ebay store), and three 'Hidcote' lavender plants (my favorite lavender).

Not much is blooming right now. Just a few rose blooms and the butterfly bushes. I probably should plant more annuals to get through this part of summer. September should bring another big rose bloom and some reblooming daylilies and irises. I wonder is it too late now to feed my roses once more? I must look into that.



A baby Austin rose, 'Christopher Marlowe'.

I'm going to try to take one area a day (or a few days for some) and get everything weeded. I still have roses to plant! I've been waiting for other things that have to done in that planting area first. Isn't that always the way? What I really need to do is update my planting maps (I probably said that last post) to reflect the irises and daylilies I've planted. If I don't, I'll never remember what is what next year.

Two More Roses Planted

Rose 'Souvenir de Germain de st. Pierre' Ain't that some name?

I planted this rose and one called Second Street Tea this evening in a new garden area we'll call the Front Porch Garden (I'm so creative!). I grew up on Second Street, so how could I resist? And after reading this description of Souv. de Blah Blah in Vintage's catalog, I had to have it:

An absolutely delightful rose of the Duchess de Brabant style, particularly similar to that rose in its large, globular flowers of bright cherry pink, yellow at the petal bases, blooms opening rather helter-skelter, flamed with white, rather like old parrot tulips in appearance.

Doesn't that sound beautiful? It arrived full of these glorious blooms. I think I have a photo.

Here's another of its blooms:

I don't have a photo of Second Street Tea yet. It's still really small.

I have 3 or 4 more roses to plant in that area. I need to dig up some grass first really. That is so much work. Maybe in the morning I can get started on it. I've got to get those dwarf irises planted.

That's all for today.

So Behind

Waterlily 'Colorado'

I don't know where to begin updating. I've done lots of gardening. I have kept up with most of it in my written journal. I'll just have to try to catch up.

I've acquired more roses.

From Vintage:
Thomasville Old Gold
Souv. de Germain de St. Pierre
Second st. Tea
Sunshine
Paul Crampel
Leonie Lamesch

From Roses Unlimited:
Eugene de Beauharnais
Duchesse de Brabant
Polly Sunshine
Borderer

And another Christopher Marlowe from J&P.

I finally got Pat to rip out the Golden Thread and rest of juniper from the roadside bed. I replanted with the roses, Comtesse du Cayla and Leonie Lamesch; the daylilies, Strawberry Candy, Happy Returns and Lake Norman Sunset; TB yellow iris; IB purple reblooming iris; May Night salvia. It doesn't look like much yet but hopefully will fill out and look good.



I replanted part of my Secret Garden. The area with the angel statue had a horrible looking Abraham Darby rose that I dug up. I moved a post with birdhouse on top and planted Phyllis Bide to train up it. Also planted two other polyanthas there, Polly Sunshine and Borderer, the china Eugene de Beauharnais, and the gallica Cardinal de Richelieu. I will take photos soon. Oh, here is one of Borderer.
Borderer. Such a sweet, little rose.

Pat got biofilter built for pond. The water has cleared up a little. It's supposed to take 6 to 8 weeks. It's been 2. I can't wait for clear water.

I went daylily shopping at place called Stacked Rock Gardens. Pat was with me, so I didn't go overboard. I bought:
Lake Norman Sunset
Lake Norman Spider
Pink Monday
House of Orange
Little Zinger - bonus
Spanish Masquerade - bonus

Oh, I also got daylilies I bought from ebay:
Spanish Masquerade
Cloth of Glory
Velvet Rose
Eye Catcher - bonus

Today I got SDB irises I bought from ebay:
Jillaroo
Muse
Cops
Ingenuity
Yipee
Widow's Veil - bonus
Lore - bonus
Skyray - bonus
Sea Monster - bonus
Lots of bonuses!

Enough for now! I will update more tomorrow. I'm planning/planting new garden in front.

Pretty Pictures

I went out about 7:00 this morning, determined to get something accomplished. I planted my new Perle d'Or (I killed my other one moving it. So sad. Actually, I COULD blame it on Pat, since he chopped the roots (!), but I won't. While I was working there (Flower Girl Hill), I saw a daylily hidden under huge red salvia, so I got that moved out. I also did some weeding. Oh, and I spray painted one side of a boring, wooden trellis. I'm painting it French Blue or Garden Blue, as I call it.

I bought my very first ebay rose. Buff Beauty, which has been on my wish list for about 4 years now. It came yesterday. Very nice! I have ordered soooo many more roses. That's it for this year though, I swear.





Nick's radishes. I think it's so amazing to grow something from seed.

New Lights

Here is one in the set of garden lights Pat gave me for anniversary. They're in my Secret Garden. I just love them.

I got a little more done this evening. Planted rose Veilchenblau at end of driveway, in front of fence section. I had to dig out big white irises there. Now I have to find somewhere to plant them. They didn't get enough sun there anyway. I also potted up two roses from little bands, Celine de Forestier and Comtesse du Cayla. Hope to get them planted soon though. My goal is to have no roses left over the winter in pots. Of course, I have bunches more coming.

I got two today I ordered from The Uncommon Rose: Marianne and Precious Dream. They are bands also. I need to get busy!

After all my hard work, I had a margarita by the pond. I'm quite relaxed now.



The "garden wall" edging I bought at Farmhouse Gardeners. It's around my Bird Garden. I just love it. Need more though! They're supposed to be ordering more. I hope so.

Daylilies

I love lots of other flowers besides roses. Another is daylilies. My grandmother was a daylily gardener. She did hybridizing even. It was her love. I have some of her daylilies. Also my friend Tim used to grow hundreds to sell. I have some of his too. And some that I've bought myself. I love having plants from people I love. It makes them so special. I wish I had all my daylilies identified. I may work on that.

I gardened for about an hour this morning. Daniel helped me dig up the Austin rose Heritage. I'm tired of its blackspot. I'm going to replace with Duchesse de Brabant. I also gave my Fairy tree a big haircut. It hasn't been looking much like a standard lately, more like Cousin It. Then I moved the daylily Barbara Mitchell fromm the too shady end of driveway to the other side of pond area in front of tea roses I recently planted. I stayed out about an hour. Already hot and humid here. That's all I can do until maybe tonight.

Yesterday I went crazy again with the rose ordering. More on that later.

Busy

David Austin's 'Tamora'

I've been working in my Secret Garden/Bird Garden the past couple days. I couldn't decide whether or not to get rid of Tamora with all her blackspot but decided to clean her up, spray her, feed her, and give her another chance. Such beautiful blooms!

Today I groomed (my word for deadheading and light pruning) Teasing Georgia and Lilian Austin in Bird Garden and fed T.G., Mlle. Franziska Kruger and Molineux before I ran out of food. Need more RoseTone! I also planted a pink penstemon there and clematis H.F. Young to climb with T.G.

I dug up Abraham Darby. He was such a mess. I did save some cuttings to try to root. Pat moved 4x4 post (with bird house on top) to that spot, and I planted Phyllis Bide there. I'll have to take a photo. I also want to plant a clematis there. Maybe Princess Alexandra (Wayside). I left Basye's Purple beside that area, but I think its time is limited. I'm thinking of planting something big and pink there. Maybe a once bloomer. That area is in some shade. There are a ton of irises there that I need to divide. I think they're the reblooming purple ones, but some are planted too deep and not blooming. I will probably take most of them out and maybe plant some other colors there. I also want to plant some daylilies there. May go to local daylily sale next weekend for new varieties.

Oh, I also had Pat trim up the Birch tree in Bird Garden to give the roses there more sun (Teasing Georgia, Mlle. Franziska Kruger, Molineux, Lilian Austin, Lovely Fairy).

One of my anniversary presents was a set of garden lights! They're so beautiful. Pat surprised me with them and already set them up in Secret Garden. Can't wait to see them tonight!

Irises

Iris in my front garden.

I went a bit iris crazy. (All photos from ebay.)

Aachen Elf

Bangles

Bloodstone

Clearfire

Erleen Richeson

Foxy Lady

Good and True

Grapesicle

Little Showoff

Princess Caroline de Monaco (will look so pretty with Pat Austin rose)

Invitation

Starlit River

Ashdown Order

My roses from Ashdown.



Reve d'Or
Cardinal de Richelieu
Cl. Margo Koster
Phyllis Bide (already got planted!)
Perle d'Or (killed mine moving it)

Wednesday Morning Garden News

This tiny newborn praying mantis came running out of some lavender while I was weeding! Isn't it beautiful?

Also this morning, I deadheaded/pruned Mrs. RM Finch. I've been studying the best book I got from the library, Gardening With Old Roses. It has a great chapter on pruning. I've learned so much from it. I hope I can successfully put it into practice!

Last night, as the first thunder boomed, I ran outside to plant the roses I had dug holes for! I said a little prayer that I wouldn't get struck by lightning and worked as fast as I could. I got Mrs. Dudley Cross and Triomphe du Luxembourg planted. I'm making progress!

I went iris crazy last night on ebay. I'll post what I bought soon. I so love iris. Iris and roses look gorgeous together.

I also ordered two rose books yesterday: David Austin's Old Roses and English Roses and Designing With Roses by Tony Lord.

Already In From The Garden

It's so humid already! Yuck! I dug four more holes this morning. Three for roses. One for 'Barbara Mitchell' (I think that's it. I should keep up with my daylilies better!) daylily I'm going to move. The holes are on the far side of the pond. I should think of a name for that area. Far Side of the Pond Garden - ha! Anyway, I'm letting the heavy clay dry out some before I plant. Hopefully, by this evening, I'll be able to do it. Evening (7:00 and later) seems the coolest time anyway. I may turn into a night gardener.

I bought plants (trees) from ebay for the first time last night. Such good deals! I hope the quality is good. The place that I bought from is a nursery with a guarantee and good feedback. Everything was cheap, so I'm not too worried. I got my Purple Smoke tree! Also, three Heritage birch trees, a very small Japanese maple (I'd like to grow this in a pot on my deck), and a Paperbark maple. I have my eye on a few other things as well.

My Ashdown rose order is shipping this week!

Someday I'll just sit around in my garden and enjoy. Actually, the fun of it to me is the doing. And like they say, a garden is never finished.

Already Too Hot To Garden

One of our water lilies this morning.

I've already done my gardening for the day (maybe I'll go back out in the evening). It's so hot and steamy already. Like a jungle. I did get two roses planted though: Alexander Hill Gray (which is so very special after hearing Trish from Ashdown's story of how she grew and babied him!) and Baronne Henriette de Snoy. Don't you just love rose names?

Yay for rose planting progress!

More Wishes

I want a pumpkin patch. Wonder if it's too late for this year?

I would also love a strawberry patch.

And blackberries. I want blackberries.

I really want/need a farm. Maybe someday.

Weekend Update

The rain finally stopped, and now it is hot and humid here. Pat was motivated by the I-work-for-rich-people pond man to finally finish it up himself. We went for more rock yesterday. He's building up the top for a biofilter. Then we'll finish rocking the waterfall. Hopefully, the added filter at top will help clear up the water. Then he's gonna fix the UV part.

Over 2200 pounds of rock Pat (I helped load smaller ones until I smashed my finger!) loaded and unloaded yesterday.

We definitely have a frog! Still haven't seen him, but he talks to me when I'm sitting by the pond. I've named him Fred Mertz. I hope he'll get used to us around and maybe come out once in a while. I so want to get a look at him!

So for the planting update. I dug holes for two roses this morning, but the ground was so wet. I'm going to let it dry out some and maybe plant this evening. I did get Creeping Jenny planted between some rocks at pond edge. Also, on Pond Hill, I planted two 'Provence' lavenders and a wooly creeping thyme. I repotted two water lilies (one was just stuck in some rocks) and fed all the water lilies. I had to put my hands in pond water. Blech!

Exciting Frog News

Pat saw Fred the frog!

Other Garden Wishes!

(image from www.lancasterfarms.com)

Cercis canadensis 'Forest Pansy' (Eastern Redbud) - Saw this at Farmhouse Gardeners. Gorgeous colored leaves! Redbuds have always been one of my favorite trees with those heart-shaped leaves. I must have one of these. Was $75 at F.G. Maybe in the fall.

(image from www.botanicalarchive.com)

Smoke Tree
Cotinus coggygria

(image from www.waysidegardens.com)

Weeping Redbud ™ Covey
Cercis canadensis var. canadensis Covey

After we get a big problem solved with our creek bank, we want to do a border garden around the perimeter of our backyard with small trees, shrubs (Beautyberry is one I want for sure) and large shrub-type roses. I love that look.

Another thing I have been lusting after for years is Black bamboo! I saw it first at the NC Zoo in Asheboro. It's so gorgeous. I love bamboo. It's very expensive though. But Pat knows someone who's going to GIVE us some! It's a noninvasive type of bamboo. I want to plant it near the pond. I think that will look great.

On the perennial front, I'd like to have more cottagey-type flowers, like foxgloves, hollyhocks, more salvias. I can't tell you how many times I've planted foxgloves. I have no luck with them at all. I know they like some shade. I've tried everywhere! Maybe someday.

Also, I MUST have a Himalayan Blue poppy.
Meconopsis betonicifolia

(image from www.dutchbulbs.com)

Front Garden

I'm putting in 4 garden-related entries from my regular (as it can be, anyway) journal. I know you've seen these before!

From 5-10-05



My front garden. (This little garden is on the right side in front of garage, looking at the photo of my house.) The roses there aren't really blooming yet though. The Azuro rhododendrons will bloom very soon. That is climbing hydrangea on the wall. Beautiful white blooms in a few weeks.

Two more angles of front garden.




One of my hill gardens and pond in backyard. A few roses blooming.




I think I will paint this scene "en plein air" when the roses bloom around her.