Finally Roses

Austin rose Lilian Austin

I came home from Tennessee trip to some of my roses blooming. There's nothing quite as beautiful as a rose. Although, the irises I planted last year are making me flower happy too.

I worked in front/garage/needsabettername garden for about an hour and half this morning (Maybe I'll call it Garden of Good and Evil, since I have that statue there. I used to call it the Fairy Garden. I obsess about such things.). I thought I'd get some stuff moved and planted, but I spent all that time weeding and digging up wild violets that are trying to take over.

Here's a list of what I need to do in that garden:

1. Move some of orange lilies to back.
2. Move tiger lilies closer to front.
3. Divide and spread bigger daylilies.
4. Move columbine plants that are now under peony.
5. Move some of back irises to middle.
6. Dig up dead rhododendrons at foundation. Replace with? Either boxwood (boring, I know, but makes good backdrop for flowers) or some type of dwarf hollies.
7. Plant Endless Summer hydrangea in left corner.
8. Transplant some lamb's ear to left side.
9. Transplant some toad lily to left side.
10. Plant Angelonia either here or Roadside Garden.
11. Tie up pillar rose.
12. Plant roses: Marianne and Paul Crampell.
13. Dig up two roses on left that didn't make it.

I think that's it for now. And that's just in that one garden! I haven't even started on the back ones yet. Also I have lots to do in Secret Garden. I'll make list for that later.

Another shot of Lilian Austin

Austin rose Tamora

The ever elusive yellow noisette Marechal Niel.
It's gotten so huge.

Columbine



My little Roadside Garden. This is a new tiny garden area I made last year. Not a lot blooming here yet. The two roses I planted, Comtesse du Cayla and Leonie Lamesch are starting to bloom. There are both still very small though. This beautiful iris below from Zebra Iris is in this small garden bed. I think it may be Bewilderbeast. I will look back at my notes to make sure.



Another one from Zebra Iris. I will check notes for name. Verified name: 'Alpha Gnu'.


Unknowns.

Clematis Will Goodwin in Secret/Bird Garden.

Picture Day

My garden isn't doing a lot yet, but here are some things.



The wisteria is just starting to bloom. The fragrance is already intoxicating.

Waiting to be planted.




He's all sad with nothing blooming around him yet.




Remember her?
I'll finish her when everything is blooming there again.

Now where did Hendy come from?!

It's Gardening Time

OK, it's BEEN gardening time, but I am just now starting to get motivated again.

I bought new Felco pruners this morning (#6 for all you in the Felco know) and was all ready to start pruning my 80+ roses, and then it started raining! *sigh*

Is this a sign that I should just give up on the gardening here?

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.