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The 2024 Garden Year

January 19, 2024 January Our year started with snow, ice and frigid temperatures in mid-January. Our temperatures stayed below freezing for almost a week. I think it was the most consistent cold that we've experienced since moving here. Fortunately, it was a dry snow so there wasn't too much damage. Once again, we almost lost the azara and I'm afraid there would have been some breakage if I had not kept knocking the ice off. February 14, 2024 February In past years, it seems that inclement weather seems to hit around Michael's birthday in mid-February. After the January snow and ice, this month was actually quite tame. Nothing exciting to report - mostly birdwatching . Early flowers like hellebores, cyclamen and crocus begin to bloom in mid month. March 3, 2024 March I got into a walking routine which I'm happy to report I am continuing this year. You get to the point where you feel guilty if you miss a day. I do miss days occasionally but I'm learning that ...

Early roses



An exciting time for sure - the roses are starting to bloom! Roses dominate our garden so the month of May is prime time. The photo above shows one of my favorite roses, "Buff Beauty". Underneath is some type of wild daisy that I don't have the heart to pull out. Michael thinks they look weedy but I think they compliment the rose quite nicely. In the following photo, you can see the magnificent Beauty Bush (Kolkwitzia amabilis), a shrub that I would not be without in the garden. I love it!




"Lamarque" on the arch is a sumptuous white climber. It took years before this rose started blooming profusely. I had almost reached the point to shovel prune it when all of a sudden, it took off. Perhaps she was reading my thoughts? The pink rose next to it is "Carefree Wonder" and the red is blooms from the rootstock.


Another archway rose is the classic "Blaze". I've moved this rose countless times over the years so I'm amazed that it still survives. A workhorse for sure but the growth is a tad puny. I would like to see it fill out more.


"Climbing American Beauty" and "Sombreuil" on yet another archway. This is on the north side of the house and gets limited sun but the roses bloom nicely.


"Climbing American Beauty" obviously prefers the other side of the arch.


"Climbing Cecile Brunner" is one of the very first roses we planted. We built this structure over the back door when it became obvious that this monster could not handle a smaller support. At one time, a silver lace vine accompanied it but the mess it made was such a headache that we finally gave it the heave-ho.


You have to remember to look up to see the rose but it is so spectacular when in bloom. Sadly, the show is over all too soon. I cannot capture the delicate pink shades of the blooms with my camera.

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Comments

  1. Really wonderful pictures. Thanx for sharing.

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  2. love that photo of the north side of the house - the rose covered arch and the cool mossy brick path - beautiful!

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  3. You have such a romantic spring garden. I imagine young lovers wooing under your rose arbors. It's all very beautiful, and beautifully photographed.

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  4. Phillip, your roses and archways are simply lovely. Beautiful!

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  5. All of your roses are so pretty. We used to have Ceclile Brunner but it just got so huge I finally dug it up and gave it to my friend.

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  6. Absolutely lovely! I love the arch with 'Climbing American Beauty' - The color is really eye-catching.

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  7. You have several nice climbers. I have one that has taken years to get any where near as tall as yours. It is under an apple tree. I have always hoped it would climb up the tree. Maybe one day it will make it. It is also an early bloomer. Not blooming quite yet but it will be soon.

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  8. Phillip my gosh, this looks like something straight from the botanical gardens... but even better!

    All of these roses are stunning. I love that you didn't pull up the "wild daisies" :)

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  9. I love all the bright color accents you have amongst the splendor of pastel roses.

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  10. If you visit my place with the shoals master gardeners later, I hope you'll give me some input for some landscaping improvements. I'd like to plant some things around back.....

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  11. I'm guessing you've had some rain over there, everything looks so lush.

    I'm taken with the Ivy column next to American Beauty.

    Climbing Cecile Brunner looks wonderful; any chance of a macro?

    Your roses are always worth waiting for.

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  12. Your roses look wonderful!! The Beautybush too, it's just a huge fountain of blooms.

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  13. Wow! Your roses look awesome. I just planted "Buff Beauty" a few weeks ago. Yours looks huge. How old is your rose? From the looks of yours, I may have planted mine in the wrong spot. Ouch.....

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  14. Oh!! Your roses are lovely! Very inspiring. I need to plant more climbing and shrub roses to get magnificent displays like you have!

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  15. So happy to see a mature Beauty Bush. I've never planted one, but this photo definitely tells me I need to do so. Looks almost like the Bridal Wreath Spirea once it matures.

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  16. I came by to see if your 'Veilchenblau' was blooming. I felt so inspired by the sight of it on your blog, I added it to my own garden last year. It's growing vigorously, and loaded with buds. The first bloom just opened today, and there are tons more on the way. Exciting!

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  17. Wow! so many! I love your roses and I've been wanting to buy fragrant ones myself but find it difficult as most nurseries have only the showy ones with no fragrance...
    BTW, was the issue with the n/w car in ur desktop? got it fixed now?

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  18. Chuck, it is just beginning to bloom. I love it, it is one of my favorites.

    Mouli, it was the ethernet port - I had to have a new one installed.

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  19. Good morning. I love them all. Here in the north it is impossible to grow a rose over 8 feet tall and those are the super hardy Canadian roses. How I envy you in the south with your huge climbers and ramblers. Beautiful photos.
    Marnie

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  20. What beautiful, beautiful pictures! So they are flowering in your gorgeous garden now - here in Hamburg they just shyly enroll their tiny leaves. "She chose her colours with carefulness, she dressed slowly, she arranged her petals one after the other. She didn't want to come out like the poppies, creased and crinkled. (..) Well: she wanted to please". (My rough translation from The little Prince - he only had one rose on his planet "because at my home everything is so tiny"). Britta

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  21. I could look at your blog all day. Beautiful!

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  22. My garden is also rose heavy so I understand about the months of May. In June, the daylilies take over, but for now, the roses are the Queens of May. I love your Cl. American Beauty. Is it prone to blackspot?

    I bought a rose marked Cl. Pinkie,and it turned out to Cl. Cecile. I like Cecile just as well.~~Dee

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