Dirt Therapy

After the big flurry of roses in early May, there seems to be a lull during the later part of the month just before the hydrangeas explode into bloom. However, there are still lots of blooms to see. Peony 'Raspberry Sundae' Hosta 'Blue Angel' covered by those thingys that fall from the pecan tree St. Joseph's Lily ( Hippeastrum johnsonii) A late blooming rambler named 'Super Dorothy' Rose 'Petite Pink Scotch' growing up into Burning Bush This iris was given to me many years ago and it has multiplied rapidly. The Kousa Dogwood, which blooms later than the more popular dogwood.   This dogwood's blooms appear on top of the leaves and are not as showy as Cornus florida . In many respects though, I think it is a more elegant tree.   This is a variegated dogwood called 'Wolf Eyes' Rose 'Buff Beauty' Rose 'Caldwell Pink' Text and photos ...

Today is Bloom Day at May Dreams (visit Carol's website for links to other bloggers who are participating). We've had two days of rain (I'm not complaining!) but there were periods of relief. I took the following photos yesterday. Florida Jasmine Honeysuckle 'Pink Lemonade' Jerusalem Sage The oakleaf hydrangeas are going to be beautiful this year. Here are three: 'Snow Queen' 'Snowflake' 'Dayspring' And, of course, more roses! 'Gruss an Auchen' 'Tausendschon' 'New Dawn' 'Marjorie Fair' 'Robin Hood' And here's Michael at Bennett's Nursery in Huntsville. We drove up there on Monday. It is worth the hour drive just to shop at this nursery. They have a great selection of plants, many that can't be found except in catalogs. Thank goodness there is not one here in Florence!

This morning I could see a line of thunderstorms on the radar headed our way so I went out to take a few photos before the rain got here. Then, right before I left for work, we were under a tornado watch and severe thunderstorm warning. Is it possible to just have a nice rain or thunderstorm anymore instead of this crap everytime? Ugh! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we don't get strong winds, hail or anything damaging. The roses are really nice right now. I discovered this morning that I really can't get a good wide shot of the pergola, so a close-up will have to suffice. This is the rambling rose 'Francoise Juranville' Everybody always goes nuts over this rose and for good reason - 'Veilchenblau' Here is a close-up of the blooms. You can see they have a really unique color for a rose. It is also known as the 'Blue Rose' which is easier to pronounce. This rose also grabs the attention. It is the hybrid musk rose '...

After my last post, I received a lot of questions about growing roses. I'm not a rosarian but I can share some thoughts on what I've learned from growing roses over the past 20 years. And if that doesn't interest you, enjoy the photos of more roses that I took yesterday afternoon. The climbing rose 'Climbing Pinkie' at the front gate I love roses - when I first started gardening, that was the plant I wanted to grow. Like most beginning rose growers, I bought hybrid tea roses because that is mainly what the local nurseries sell. Mistake number #1! Unless you have a lot of time on your hands (like being retired!), caring for hybrid teas might be a discouraging experience. I realized quickly that I just didn't have time to spray, prune, fertilize and coddle these roses to keep them looking their best. I love spending time in the garden but not doing that. I'm also pretty much an organic gardener - I will use chemicals on occasion but only in extreme si...