Friday, August 30, 2013

Rose of the Week...Peach Drift

This week's rose of the week is Peach Drift.  Or at least, I think that it's kind.  Conard Pyle (maker of Knockouts) has a drift series.  This shrub is low growing and profuse.  They are excellent for borders and to "fill in" rose gardens.  Though not a cutting rose (in my opinion) they are beautiful and hardy like the knockouts.  Even though the roses are small..they aren't delicate.
Deadheading is a little harder because they are small.  It may be self cleaning but I have discovered to just use shears to clip them.  I don't notice pest on them as I do others.  This is  recent planting but the bush is beautiful.



 You'll notice spots but that is due to spraying.
 You'll see some petals that have been eaten..but overall a healthy bush.

For more information on the Peach Drift or the Drift series, click HERE.

Journal Notes...  Other roses of note

Fragrant Clou

Weed I neglected to cut down but I like the little yellow balls.

Electron Rose

Queen Elizabeth

Knockouts




Saturday, August 24, 2013

Roses of the Week.. Black Bacarra and Pinata...(I missed last week)

I missed last week so I'm doubling up.  The first one is Black Bacarra.  I have started posting my newer roses so bear in mind..I don't have a lot of experience with them and they aren't established but faring well.

Black Bacarra is a velvety dark rose.  It does not fade and very similar to the color of Memphis Music.  It's not a huge rose but I would think it would be excellent for boutonnieres.  The rose does seem fairly pest resistant. 


According to the web, it prefers a lot of sun and does not tolerate cold.



Leaves are a normal green but this rose has fared pretty well.  According to the sellers, it isn't disease resistant but has stood up pretty well for me.  


Just a beautiful dark rose.  For more information on Black Bacarra...click HERE.  

The next rose I want to mention is Pinata.  It's a climbing rose.  Some people hate orange roses.  I don't particularly care for the color in and of itself but the rose is beautiful.  It's one of those roses that will change colors.


It is on the corner of the house and eventually I will peg it to the house somehow.

Once I put an irrigation system on it, it took off.  Now, logic dictates it probably does not look good next a red house but it's so distracting, I don't notice a house.  And it's at the back of the house.

 
It make tons of clusters that contrast with each other

I want to get masquerade rose to..It makes multiple colors as well.  Colors you will see are orange, yellow, pink, peach and variations of those.

I really love this rose.  For more information on Pinata, Click HERE

My camera does not do justice to the variety of colors I see.


Friday, August 23, 2013

Journal Notes..Garden Guilt, Seed Packs & Project

 
 Garden guilt is a phrase I thought I contrived but I googled it and it exists.  It's when you feel guilty about haven't worked in your garden....(I know that it's probably self explanatory).  I had been feeling guilty this past week...but then decided a garden is like a vacation....it's supposed to be fun.  This week it finally rained here....a lot....  About 9 inches.  So I have been camped out on my backporch.  Not to admire the flowers...but the unending performance of hummingbirds, butterflies, cardinals, blue jays, moths, dragonflies.  What a delightful surprise to this newbie gardener.  It has been fantastic...so I let the guilt subside and decided this is why I have it in the first place.

I did do a little on the backyard project.  I screened the trench that housed the irrigation pipe.  I did use weedkiller but did not pull the weeds....there is no limit to my laziness sometimes.  I even rationalized it by thinking the weeds will act like a bumper to stop the erosion of mulch down hill.

My wonderful, loving husband has done so much for me this year..and now the gardens are starting to pay off.  I do think I will delay the garden party until next year.  This project was so ambitious that I have neglected the front gardens.  Next year will be prettier, because the peacock will be installed.  The blacksmith agreed to build it for me.  It will be my ONLY project next year...swear.

I am going to make this a path to irrigated the last zone and be able to run hoses through it.  I haven't fed the roses lately and with fall fast approaching I wonder if the well broken down compost in the bin would help?

This is the other section that has to be done.  It needs to be weeded, screened, mulched and irrigated but there is no end to my procrastination on it.

I am very happy about the screen.  I know clean up is a pain but it does slow down the weeds a great deal..by about 85%

The irrigation is also bringing the roses to life.

I have to be careful not to walk on the tubing that is partially hidden by the mulch.



I have to fix the pool fountain as well...garden guilt kicking in...

JFK rose....I recommend buying these potted vs bare root but they are lovely roses.


The zinnia fell over due to the rain and have some kind of black spot on them.  I also saw these orange looking ant things on them.  I tried to restake them but I soon discovered that the way they are laying it's an impossibility.  They have to stay where they lie.  I was going to deeply pruned them but with the hummingbirds constantly visiting ...I couldn't do it.

Pinata rose.  I normally hate the color orange but not when it comes to roses.



My pumpkins are not doing well.  There is a wierd oily film on the water...I can't figure out where it's coming from....there is no apparent oil source anywhere near.

Well, maybe next year.

I went to dollar general and bought 58 packs of flowers.....I was dismayed to finally find Mexican sunflowers.  They were 9 cents a pack.  I was going to scatter them around the edges of the property but I really wanted them for next year.  The packs read that they expire in December.  I would prefer to plant them in the spring.  Someone told me to put them in the refrigerator.  I think I may do that.

Thursday, August 15, 2013

August Bloom Day

It's August Bloom Day!  If you don't know what that is, for those who garden blog, we post what is blooming in our garden on the 15th of each month.  Then we post the link on May Dreams Gardens.  The easiest way to look at the pictures is to click on the first picture and it slide shows.  I didn't take a picture of every bloom because this is picture heavy enough.  I try to post the flowers that are different or unique, etc....I hope you have tons of blooms, too!

Back Porch
 Zinnia, coleus, roses, and hydrangeas.