Wordless Wednesday

Oh My, are the Roses Blooming..With or Without My Help...

I have been gardening for a little over two years now so I am not the voice of experience when I say these things.  But unlike last year...the roses have really taken off, despite the fact I have yet to weed, prune, feed, irrigate, or deadhead.  I ponder if it was the rain, or the cold, or the fact they are more established or what?

In looking at this time last year, perhaps they are on time.  The majority of these roses were from bare root last year.

This is the picture of what the back yard looked like in 2012

This is what it looked like in 2013

And the following pictures is what it looks like now.

The knockouts were by far the first one's to take off.  I never have grown them from bare root.

Bottlebrush...I so terribly need to move these

 Pinata rose that I grew from bare root purchased at Dollar General

 Another Dollar General bare root purchase.  Joseph's Coat.

 Yes the garden needs to be weeded terribly.  The next day I cut the tops off of the mexican heather

 Knockouts were the first to take off

Green Ice

Sunny Knockout

Double Knockout

Peach Drift

William Baffin finally bloomed

 Very pretty flower

 Rock N Roll

Not sure

This was a dollar general bare root that was labeled charisma...I don't think that is what this is.

 Ebb Tide

Whatever this Charisma rose imposter it...it has multiple colors and definitely a climber

Don Juan

More Knockouts

Electron

I belive this is Tiffany

I know this does not look like much but this bush is my prettiest read rose.  It was supposed to be a Promise Rose.  I don't think it is.  It maybe Chrysler Imperial.

I don't know what these rose bushes are.  When mom bought them for me it looked like a tree.  They are definitely ogr I think.

I have well over 100 roses in this back rose garden.  So the garden is just getting started.  It's probably only at 40% blooms

Trimmed up around the back porch

Trimmed down the mexican heather

Removed the weeds

 The garden is starting to look nice as I begin weeding it.  After that pruning feeding, etc...

It rained over 3 inches in a few hours last night.

Do I Need to Fill the Peacock Topiary Frame?

Today is my 40th birthday.  I am pretty sore but thankfully not sunburned.  I spent the majority of the day working on the peacock.  I screened the bottom of it.

I planted English Ivy at the very front to give the peacock a darker belly.

In attempts to fill it, I closed of the trunk a bit.

 My mistake was thinking spanghum moss was like coconut lining.  It was not.  It was like fluffy dirt.  It will go right though the chicken wire.  So I got very confused.  I had read topiary books but came to the conclusion that the moss was for potted plants.  Then I pondered.  Do I really need to fill it in at all....the bags inside were fillers of the core.  I considered using pine straw or mulch.  However, I though, why do I remove the bags and leave it open?  I am sure there are other reasons why fillers are good but I am on the verge leaving it open.  I'll put mulch on the screen of course but was wondering what ya'll though.

This morning I saw a black widow on the window next to where I was sitting eating a bug.  I tried to bug spray and it hid.  So then I just used a shoe.