It Got Quiet, I Know. . .But We are Back!

Whew!  My time has been eaten up by back-to-school, weddings, and oodles of Stuff To Do.  Finally, a quiet morning so I can catch up on everything!

Big, big problems with sawfly larva over the months August and especially September.  Pretty much every rose I have got some.  Not happy!  I went around hand-picking them off (mostly picking off the chewed-up leaves they were on!) and getting rid of the little buggers.  Then spraying.  Lots of spraying.  I think I went through four bottles of neem oil before things settled down!  I used the Bayer product and just kept after them.  Once those guys get going, you've got to be regular with control, because the eggs hatch.  Also, ugly little brown droppings on my roses! EW!

On the upside, we have some new friends in the garden.  I've got a second Harry Wheatcroft, which I ordered under a different name (Caribia).  I've potted the two together, and both have given me a blossom or two.  I also got an Ebb Tide, which came with two buds on it.  I got the adorable little not-quite-two-inch blooms that you get when the rose is a baby.  I pinched the first one, which, I have learned, encourages the roots of the plant to grow.

Speaking of new friends, look who moved in!  I am pretty sure this is a toad, but I'm not 100% positive. Either way, I've seen him hanging out in the garden a few times now, and the whole family kind of keeps an eye out for him.  I've also noticed a drop in the mosquito population - no coincidence, I think!

Because he's white, I've named him Walter the Toad.  My husband says he is "the one who hops".
Yeah, we're dorky like that.  I like my little buddy, though.

Chihuly had a very nice flush last month.  I got some very pretty blooms, which I mostly left on the bush, as I didn't want to cut off too many leaves.  Need that growing power!  They faded out in a way that I found surprising, going from a light orange and yellow stripe to a translucent white with salmon edges.

Papageno has given me its first bloom!  Since my husband's name is Gene, and my kids call him Papa, this one is "his" rose.  It's a really nice red and creamy white, and I'm looking forward to more of them.  Right now, a good-sized spray has budded up.  I don't have a lot of spray roses, so I'm looking forward to seeing how that turns out!  I wasn't expecting so many blooms, as he came to me a band, but I sure am enjoying watching him grow!  It's a bit more red than my Scentimental, but not so much with the scent yet.

Along with the Papageno, my Osiria has finally rebloomed.  This particular bud really took its time.  I think I waited for a good five weeks to see it open!  Now that it's here, it is a stunner.  I'm not entirely sure why my Osiria is growing so slowly.  Maybe it needs more sun?  I will move the pot in the spring and see what kind of result that brings.  Maybe I'll swap its spot with my Commandant Beaupaire - that guy is growing like crazy!  He's going to need a trellis soon.

I've also fallen in Big Love with my Hypnotize rose.  I can see why it got so many accolades!  I get beautiful, big blooms with cream and pink stripes.  I catch myself staring!  I could wish for a stronger scent, but maybe that will come with a few more seasons under its belt - it really is still a baby.  But the flowers!  This is one of the few where I'd seriously consider having more than one bush, just to have more flowers.  I've got another bud ripening now, and I can't wait!

Scentimental had a rough couple months.  We struggle with blackspot already; then the sawfly larva I mentioned earlier got to her.  Poor baby!  I gave her lots of TLC, Neem Oil, and eventually a dousing of bug spray.  After a couple weeks of reeling, she's showing me lots of new growth, and I have hopes of one more flush before cold dormancy sets in.

This week has been very, very rainy.  We had a cold front move in here in South Jersey, so the temperature finally dropped down into the 60s (YAY!) after a few days of Indian Summer weather in the mid-80s.  I can see lots of growth as a result of all the rain.  I think the bushes will have just enough time to make good on the promise of that growth before it's too cold for them.  After that, I think they'll be all tucked in for a long winter's nap. . .what will I do?. . .

Hypnotize Does! George Burns Dances!

Whew!  Well, after a lot of quiet in the garden, Hypnotize decided to bring it with a huge, huge bloom.  I used lots and lots of patience with not clipping this one until full bloom, and it was worth it.  Take a look:

Cultivating roses, and patience.

This was the bud two days ago.  I kept staring at it, marveling at how big it was getting and how PINK it is.  I mean, that is some serious pink.  I didn't manipulate the color in this shot one bit; it's really that bright.  I held out until woke up this morning and saw:

You had me at Hello.  *tear*

What a stunner!  The bloom is a good four inches across, maybe a little bit more.  There are two more lovely buds developing, so I clipped this beauty and she's now on my dining room table.  Love!  

Yay!  Some yellow!

I also finally started seeing some yellow in my George Burns blooms, which is making me happy.  They'd been all white and red, and I was really starting to think I'd gotten a mislabeled Rock & Roll.  Not that that's a bad thing, mind, I just have a soft spot for Georgie here.  Maybe the little guy just needed some time to mature?  Here's what I got today!

I'm quite pleased, and looking forward to seeing how this rose matures.  Right now the plant is only about eighteen inches high, but I'm getting lots of new branches, which makes my heart happy.  He's got a bunch of new buds growing, as well.  George seems very happy in his container.  He has succumbed to a smidgen of black spot, and I've been fending off the *&%$ Japanese beetles every day, but otherwise we're all good.

Still lots of bright red, but that yellow is creeping in. . .

Yeah, I've got black spot and Japanese Beetles out the wazoo, and Neem Oil is my new best friend.  Black spot has always been a problem in my garden, starting with my very first rose, and since it spreads so easily most of my roses have at least some.  My apple tree, too.  I've been keeping it under control with lots of pulling the affected leaves, and now Bayer 3-in-1 with neem oil.  There was an immediate drop in the beetle population (I found only one this week, which I promptly sprayed!).  That's a big relief, because once the little blighters make themselves at home, they secrete pheremones to let all their friends know that the neighborhood has good eats.  Then the grubs get into your lawn and destroy that, too.  Not my favorite!  I looked into natural and chemical ways to get rid of them.  If you're an eco-friendly type, you can always go over your roses, pick them off one-by-one, and drop them into a bucket of soapy water to drown.  I did quite a lot of that, but kept getting more; hence the neem oil.  Spraying is a last resort, but I'm not afraid to get a little chemical if need be!

The black spot is more resistant, but I'm keeping after it and seeing progress.  I'm also imagining myself with Dr. Who on a pirate ship, spraying pirates in the hand with neem oil, but that's just because I'm a great big geek.

It's OK, spray a little Neem Oil on it. . .

The Scentimental is really suffering the black spot right now, so I'm keeping after it, keeping her airy and as dry as I can, and hoping for the best.  I think she'll recover just fine, in time.  The Oranges & Lemons had a really bad case a couple years back, and got so leggy that the Rockettes tried to recruit her, but is feeling much better now.

I added a butterfly bush to the garden this week, which is settling in nicely.  I got it for a song, since it is late in the season and the plant was looking less than stellar.  I also picked up a pretty 25-gallon pot on sale.  Add one to the other, and Bob's your uncle!  I trimmed the butterfly bush a little and it looks nice now.  I had butterflies within about 3 minutes.  Yay sales!  I've been enjoying the heck out of the end-of-season sales, and snapped up two big containers for a fraction of the original cost.  I got a lovely gift card to Homegoods for my birthday last month, and used that to get a banged-up, dark grey pot that I ballpark at around 30 gallons.  I've decided to repaint it with chalkboard paint, so my kids can draw on it.  The Hypnotize is getting big and strong enough that I think I'll move it up to this pot, so it'll have more room.  One of the little bands will get Hypnotize's pot, in turn.  Maybe Chihuly?

 I am thinking that for next year I'll get rid of just about everything in the containers but that and the roses; I really want to focus on them at this point.  Also, getting rid of all the small pots will give me more room for more roses. . .hee!  

Not that I'm obsessed or anything. 

July 30, 2013

Holy cow, it's wet around here!  The Philadelphia area had record rainfall on the 28th of July; Philly recorded - I kid you not - over 8 inches of rain in one night!  I live about fifteen miles outside of town, and we got a good 4 1/2 inches here.  There was a bit of flooding, though not as bad as some other nearby areas.

The net result in the garden is lots and lots of new buds.  I had been feeding and fertilizing anyway, so with all the additional rain, the garden is doing the happy dance!  This morning I cut some Oranges and Lemons blooms, some Mardi Gras blooms, and one divinely scented Mr. Lincoln.  I mixed in one JFK, some white dianthus, and my last Shasta daisy for contrast, and have a sweet little posy on my dining room table.

I finally caught a Swallowtail in flight!

I expect lots of pretty next week, too; the JFK has a few nice, fat buds that should be ready by then.  The Mardi Gras, my big producer right now, is budded up all over!  Hypnotize has one bud that should be opening in a few more days, and one on the way.  My George Burns (which I am starting to suspect is actually a mis-marked Rock & Roll - there is NO yellow!) has one nice bloom, but it's a center flower and too short of stem to cut.  There are plenty of buds growing around it, though, so after I remove it I think I'll get some real beauties - whoever they really are.

George?  Rock?  Not sure. . .

My Papageno and Harry Wheatcroft arrived looking quite happy.  I put them together in a pot to get some more growing time on them.  Being 1st-year bands, I'm not expecting any bloom this year; just letting the little guys grow.

Osiria has been markedly quiet.  I suspect that she's been investing in her root system, so I've been making sure to give her lots of water.  I just this week noticed a few new shoots growing, so there's hope for one more bloom this season - maybe two if I get lucky!  Scentimental has also been quiet, and suffering from a bout of black spot.  She seems to be starting a recovery, and lots of shoots are popping out.

Dis is Mah Roes

I turned 40 yesterday, and spent the morning reflecting and giving lots of love to the garden.  The connection felt very spiritual and loving of the Earth; it was wonderful.  I shot a bunch of photos and was blessed by visits from butterflies, dragonflies, and a hummingbird.  Marveling at the beauty of nature is a lovely way to start your morning - and your 4th decade!

Hummingbird Breakfast

July 21, 2013

Holy garden shears, it's hot out there!

Yes, I know everyone's hot on the East Coast!  We had a real gully-washer of a thunderstorm last night and the heat has eased a bit, though it's super-humid.  Water out of my garden hose is shower-hot.  Yuck!

We left for a short vacation and went to St. Michaels, Maryland.  It appears to be lily and hydrangea heaven there!  The gardens along the Chesapeake Bay were a delight to see, and there were several that had me in outright envy.  Everywhere I went, I saw Tiger Swallowtail butterflies, which I'm sure helps with proliferating all those huge blooms!

They didn't seem to mind a bit if I walked right up to them and took pictures, so I really took advantage.    The place we were staying had lots of butterfly bush, and sometimes I saw as many as half a dozen feeding on them together.  

I also noticed a LOT of deer.  My family and I made counting them a game one evening, on a slow drive to Tilghman Island.  We lost count around 50 in a 15 mile drive.  I saw more bucks than I've ever seen in one place before, as well - anywhere from 2 to 6 points!  I wish I'd gotten better photos of them.  Being in a townhouse development, deer aren't a big problem for me.  My Mom, more in the country, has a huge deer problem.  She sprays, but with all the rain we've been having, it hasn't done her as much good as it might otherwise.

Before I left, I de-budded most of my roses.  I had seen a tip on Garden Web that suggested this is a good idea for avoiding Japanese Beetles (GRRRR!  BOOOO!  HISS!)  I just came in from the garden, where I found four of the little buggers, all of whom are now six feet under.  Fortunately, they only managed to ruin one bud, since I'd taken them off.  My George Burns responded by popping out half a dozen new buds, and I'm looking forward to seeing them open in a couple days.  Pictures to come!  I had let the first bloom stay a few days before we left:

Pretty, eh?

My Oranges and Lemons had set up a bunch of blooms before I headed out, which I let stay.  I cut a few today.  They faded out to an interesting melon and cream coloration in the hot sun.  I snipped a spray of six or so, added a few more single blooms, one Mardi Gras, three pink knockouts, and a couple of JFK buds.  They're on my table now and looking pretty.

I also added some of my favorite crushed eggshell to as many of my roses as I could, before I ran out.  I'll let you know if I see a resulting boost in blooms.

If you've got good ways to keep the deer away from Mom's roses, please share them here.  Until next time!

Scentimental Journey

Ok, so the title is the obvious pun. . .but it's not entirely inappropriate.  Though I was still seeking out that George Burns rose that attracted me in the beginning, I was having a real devil of a time finding it.  I was starting to get an idea of how many other striped varietals there are out there.  I decided it was time to pick a new buddy.

Find this gorgeous rose here!

I chose the Scentimental from Jackson & Perkins for a few reasons; firstly, I wanted a rose with a strong scent, and this rose has one of my favorite, richest musky-rose scents ever.  The plant is heat resistant, which I had, by now, realized is important in my sunny backyard.  It's also a repeat bloomer, and being greedy for more pretty flowers to enjoy, I really wanted that!  

Around this time I decided to aim for container gardening.  My neighborhood has a pretty significant rabbit population, and while I love watching the bunnies play in my backyard, I did want some protection for anything I planted.  I also realized that at some point I'll probably move away, and if I do I want to take my roses with me.  Keeping an eye out for large planters has become a habit!  For roses, I make sure they're very large, so the roots have lots of space to spread and grow.  

Most of my roses have come either banded or bare-root.  I usually start them in a smaller planter, especially if they're banded, and then move them to a larger, permanent home after the first year.  With the Scentimental, this worked very well.  The first year, it was a quiet producer, but I got amazingly fragrant blooms.  The stems were thin, having some trouble supporting the glorious heads, which made for charmingly nodding blooms.  By the second year this trait faded, as the plant got stronger.  Blooms are 4-inches wide, strongly scented, loose and double, often with ruffled petals.

Now in our third year together, Scentimental gives me frequent and numerous blooms.  She is largely disease-resistant, though with all the rain this year I've had to keep an eye on black spot.  The blooms do not last more than a few days in the vase, with a few exceptions; it helps to mind when you cut the flowers and get them after a good watering the day before, and early in the morning.  The petals are lovely for drying into potpourri or sachets, as they retain a lot of their scent if dried carefully.

Deadheading this rose is a good idea, and careful pruning is a must.  I fertilize regularly, and feed those eggshells to my roses!  The rose has a nice 4-foot height and width, making it ideal for container growth; they can also be grown as rose trees.  Scentimental is definitely one of my favorites.  With its multiple shades of pink and white, it pairs well with other flowers for display.

Succeeding with Scentimental inspired me to go for yet more striped roses.  The hunt for more continued - leading me to new nurseries and a big order of new friends!  Next time - get Hypnotized!

Oranges and Lemons - The First of my Striped Roses

I found this beauty in Home Depot.  Remember what I said about not finding striped roses there?  Turns out I was wrong, but so far, only this one time.  I was looking for a rose to try out.  I checked out all the banded roses, but didn't see anything I wanted; too many common roses, and I wanted something unusual.

No two blooms are alike!

I proceeded to the gallon roses.  I never buy those, so I wasn't really thinking I'd see anything I wanted, but there it was!  I got super-excited and snatched it up.  I think my enthusiasm may have startled my hubby a little.

A bud on the plant

My Oranges and Lemons has turned out to be a wonderful grower.  I get repeat blooms in clusters; I often cut off the center bud to encourage strong growth from the surrounding buds.  Oranges and Lemons develops suckers and has a climbing habit, so after peeling it of my wall, I set it up with a trellis.  It has seemed pretty happy since then.

Paired with Lavender and Pink Knockouts in the vase

Originally, I potted the rose; it grew right through my cheap plastic pot (ooops!) and sent some mighty powerful roots into the ground.  Kind of a bummer that I can't take her with me if I ever move.  Maybe by then I will have learned to propagate?

The blooms are very colorful and bright, tend to be ruffly, and have a light citrus scent.  They last around four to seven days in the vase.  Blooms are usually 2 - 3 inches across, though I've gotten both slightly larger and smaller.  Canes are tall and arching, about 6 to 8 feet high, with a fountainous habit.  I attach them to the trellis to keep growth upright.  Petal count is 30 - 35.  The rose was developed by McGreedy and debuted in 1995.

With some JFK, Pink Knockout, and lavender

I have some problems with black spot on this rose, which kills the foliage fast.  It's important to keep after the affected leaves and dispose of them away from any other roses you may have, in order to stop the spread.  The poor thing got very skeletal before I got the problem under control!   Keeping the rose aired also helps.  It's a bit of work, but it will pay off when the new shoots come in.  New foliage comes in a lovely burgundy and matures to a dark green.  This rose is very thorny, so handle with care and some good gloves.  I use some heavy suede garden gloves to avoid getting pricked.  Like most roses, Oranges and Lemons likes lots of water and should be fertilized to keep blooms coming.  I like to feed my roses crushed eggshells, worked into the dirt, for a nutritious boost.

Little bud, big color!

Overall, I'm delighted with this charming striped rose.  The purity of the yellow and the eye-popping orange make for a real attention-getter.  It pairs well with other blooms of all colors to make for pretty bouquets and vases full of color.  

My success with Oranges and Lemons encouraged me to look for more striped roses.  By now, that JFK I mentioned was producing some stunning blooms, and of course the pink knockout was putting forth plenty.  Paired with some lavender, I had a summer of very happy-looking bouquets!  Determined to keep the party going, I started looking into more striped roses - and found Scentimental.  Soon, my affinity for stripey goodness would deepen.

July 9, 2013

Hi.  My name is Holly, and I'm addicted to striped roses.

There, I said it.  

I got started with striped roses on my wedding day.  I had ordered a kissing ball for my daughter to carry, and on it, I noticed this nifty yellow-and-burgundy striped rose.  I'd never seen such a thing before and was immediately fascinated.  You can see it here, on the right side under that big orange lily.  (There's another hiding on the left, but it's obscured by other flowers.)  I thought they were amazing - I immediately wanted some.  

I couldn't for the life of me find any.  Being newly married and busy with a gajillion things, it never occurred to me to just ask the florist.

Time went by and I didn't give much of a thought to the stripey goodness for a little while.  I was living in a condo and trying to figure out how to grow anything, much less something as complicated as I perceived roses would be.  I think the only thing I really did manage were some impatiens and too much mint.  I had the shaded yard from hell.

When we bought our current home, our townhouse, it came with a small garden plot in the backyard and another in the front.  I wanted to show off out front, make things pretty for the neighborhood and look kinda cool doing it.  There is, however, one problem: my house faces northeast.  The front gets mostly shade.  I resigned myself to shade-lovers like petunias and more impatiens, and dug myself in.  Soon, I had plenty blooming and even a few showy flowers.  Neighbors stopped by to see what I was up to every now and again.

Eventually I noticed the backyard.

It gets sun.

A lot of sun.  Like, eleven or twelve hours a day of sun, in the summer.

I can't show it off that much, true.  It's not going to get noticed when folks drive by.  My show-off Leo heart overlooked it at first for that very reason.  Somewhere along the lines, I started to appreciate the thought of a more private garden; one that I could love because it was mine-all-mine.  I started thinking about those striped roses again.

I had no idea what name the rose I wanted had, but I had Google and was willing to hunt the thing down.  

Couldn't find it.

In looking, though, I found lots of striped roses.  Hey, there is more than one kind of these! I was immediately enchanted.  I started learning.  I read up on taking care of roses, bought a book or two, and found myself watching the garden stores for rose bushes.

It's surely not easy to find striped roses at Home Depot or Lowe's.  Even my local nurseries didn't seem to have them.  A little bummed, but undaunted, I picked up a JFK and a pink knockout and stuck 'em in the dirt.  That was year one.  They're both huge now; the JFK is easily 10 feet tall, and the knockout has probably quintupled in size.  I'm crazy about the blooms off the JFK.  They're huge, sometimes more than 5 inches across.  I have some problems with red spotting and curling on the petals that I haven't yet managed to cure, but if I pick those off, they're dandy.

In year two, I found the Oranges and Lemons.