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10 June Favorites

Magnolia 'Kay Parris' With so much going on in the garden in June, it is hard to choose only ten favorites. I challenged myself and have done just that. These are plants that look good around the midway point in June, specifically from June 15-20.  I begin with Magnolia 'Kay Parris'. Believe it or not, having spent the majority of my life in the South, I never grew a magnolia. They are emblematic of the South, where magnificent specimens grace old plantation homes and stately homes in older neighborhoods. I always thought of magnolias as huge trees, not suited to a small garden, but things have changed, and more varieties are now available that are not supposed to grow as large.  We now have two magnolias in our garden, both of which were added recently. When one of the old photinias that line our back property line died, it left a gaping hole. I had been looking at magnolias at the nursery and decided a smaller one might make a good backdrop and create a good privacy s...

Rose Balling

'Double Delight' rose suffering from rose balling

It is not a pretty sight and can be alarming to wake up one day and find your roses looking like this. However, it is not the end of the world (or in this case, your roses). 

"Rose balling" is a disfiguring condition that is caused by cool, wet weather. Flower buds fail to open properly and turn dingy in appearance. This is caused by rain which saturates the bud and is followed by hot sun which dries and scorches the bloom. 

There isn't a remedy for this with the exception of cutting off the offending eyesore. The future flowers should be fine (unless the exact conditions happen again). Placing roses in full sun locations helps (although my rose is in full sun) and good air circulation is also beneficial. 

Hopefully, the next flush of blooms will look more like this -



Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Comments

  1. Some of my white rose blooms have this. I wondered what was the problem. We have had so much rain lately. Now we are drying out. I hope not too much. That last rose photo is yummy.

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  2. The flower in the second picture is breathtaking!

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  3. This happens a lot in the fall. It's really disappointing. But nothing is perfect.

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