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.