Friday, October 3, 2014

Garden Update, with Rose-a-palooza


Here's the state of the garden at the moment. The lawn needs mowing, but as you can see we still have an abundance of flowers to offset the slightly shaggy, unraked grass. The cosmos are still going strong, and the yellow dahlia between them -- and then there are all the roses. They're like a colorful constellation of stars, scattered across the back yard.

We aren't sure what we've done to make these roses like us so much. Maybe they're blooming despite us. Dave did feed them several weeks ago, and we've given many of them more sunlight, as I've written -- and maybe that's all it takes.


Here's a rose from the side of the garden that we hadn't seen bloom before now. I'm not a huge fan of this one, which is disconcertingly beige. I call it the "flesh rose."


And then there's this little orange number, blooming out on the lawn.

So much variety! And we still have a couple of bushes, heretofore unseen, with buds on the way.

Not everything we've planted has prospered. Some of the salvia is struggling -- I think our soil is too wet and clayey -- and our lilies-of-the-valley look really pathetic. (The jury is still out on whether they're experiencing seasonal or permanent die-back.) Our verbena and speedwell have been dusted by a white powdery blight, although in the verbena's case it doesn't seem to have hurt the plants. Dave plans an attack with garlic spray this weekend.

6 comments:

Reya Mellicker said...

Your roses are fabulous!

Of course they're blooming. What is not to love about all 3 of you? And you fed them, and gave them sunlight. I would bloom, too.

Ms. Moon said...

Just...wow! Look at all those blooms! Just amazing. Roses and England- a long and beautiful tradition. A friend of mine has an English mother and although she and her husband have long lived in the states, they have a little place somewhere in England and they go back every year so that the mama can trim her roses. No one else can do it properly. I love that!

ellen abbott said...

roses like a lot of sun and they don't like to share their space. plus I'm sure the feeding was welcomed. also, some roses bloom continuously and some only bloom in the spring and fall. the yard is looking great.

Sharon said...

Those roses are stunning. What a fantastic garden!

John Going Gently said...

I suddenly felt I was in mrs miniver

The Bug said...

We thought our miniature rose was done for the year & it has started blooming again. Sweet!