Can You Color Coconut Liner?

I have taken a few days off from the gardens and I can't say I haven't enjoyed them.  It is raining off and on, however.  I have currently five "feathers" in the peacock.  The coconut liner has come in and I want it green.  when I considered painting it, I felt that it would not "stick" and the green peacock would turn brown, looking like it was dying.  So I and two other people I asked came to the same conclusion....food coloring.

I have gotten much better at the screening, etc.  I use the henry ford method, if you will....do one concept at a time.  Instead of digging, screening, planting a plant one by one, do one concept at a time...you think I would have learned this by now.

I was looking at pictures online of other peacocks and this will be fine. 

This is more purple than the picture shows.

Lots of Marigolds

I will gradually shorten and widen the feathers.  I was thinking of doing the "outline" of the tail in mexican heather.  This is still the plan.

I think if the coconut liners green sticks it will looked filled in.

I will need to trim the lawn around it shortly.  Still no word on the mower I am wanting to buy.  The pool liner has finally been ordered.  I don't recall when I said I would show the garden...I think a month from the 6th...but I am not sure it will be ready to show...but we will see...I have gotten a lazy bug again lately.

I think it will look good.

Here is the coconut liner roll I bought.  I think it is two feet wide and 33 or 36 feet long.  Don't remember off the top, but I was going to line the inside of the topiary.  I bought four gallons of green food coloring...I am hoping this will work.  I was gonna lay the liner flat on a tarp outside and use a sprayer to stain it.  It's a filament so I am hoping this works....

Mom gave me this rose.  I don't know what it is but it is a pretty orange shade.

Gerbera Daisies are coming up

JFK Rose

Mr. Lincoln

This time of year I think is the worst.  It is typically humid and hot, without any rain in sight.  So I love to see rain this time of year...July is typically much wetter.

Storms are brewing....

Still more to come today...I love a good storm, don't you?

Miniature Roses as Cut Flowers

I have greatly underestimated miniature roses.  They seem dainty, delicate and for use only in the landscape.  I was pleasantly surprised when I noticed that the make GREAT cut flowers for arrangements.  Now my arrangement skills are sorely lacking but flowers are still pretty.  Above is green ice paired with black baccara.  I found this to be quite elegant looking.

While pruning my many roses, I forgot why I grew them in the first place.  To have cut flowers....how could I forget.  My mother asked me if I was burned out from gardens...I said years ago!  When I tell her I haven't been working in the gardens...I mean I don't put in 6 to 8 hours into it.  But on a given day I work one to two hours in the gardens.  In any event, I opted to cut flowers.  When I look for roses, I look for ones partially open.   The great thing about the miniatures is that I don't wait for that.

 Peach drift was another great miniature that blooms in abundance.

 Green ice has become a delight!

Just other roses I opted to use

I had a random lily blooming so I opted to pair it with ivy.

JFK and Mister Lincoln I believe

Today, I will continue to prune the rose bushes.

 You can see green ice blooms in abundance

Peach Drift.

Arrangement I put in the foyer.  I used bottled lemonade as the mixture but I don't care for the color like I do mountain dew and sprite.

I used bottlebrush in some of them.  Again, not the greatest in arrangements but I'll learn.

I did like the ivy with the lily in an old milk bottle.  I thought it looked artistic.

Rose of the Week (and Last Week) Ketchup & Mustard and John F Kennedy Rose

 The roses of the week (& last week) are Ketchup & Mustard and JFK rose.  I'll start with Ketchup & Mustard.  I bought her (I believe from Edmund's) as a bare root and she was planted in late winter.  The unique thing about this rose (and as the name implies) is that she is yellow on the back of the petals and red on the front.
This picture was taken this morning.  But I, also, have previous pictures.  It evidently is a new rose because I can not find much information & my research shows it was introduced last year (2012)

I will rely on Edmund's information.  According to what I read, she will grow 4' x 4'.  This rose is a floribunda.  It's blooms are approximately 3" -4" in size.

It carries no fragrance.  My particular plant will bloom in flushes.  She is not a continuous bloomer...but I am also taking into account that she is young...not to just me but to everyone...so I am inclined to think that she will bloom more profusely in the future.

She is truly a unique rose.

Not the greatest picture of her but this is the plant.  She has many more buds on her about to bloom.

 
 I love weird or unusual roses....  She is not disease resistance but I am inclined to think she likes the cooler weather.

For more information or to purchase this rose...since it was the only real thing I could find, click HERE

JFK I have a lot of  difficulty with.  If you ask this novice, I would say buy him potted vs bare root.  My 2 bare roots of JFK died, so I replaced him with one that I bought at the co-op..that is faring very well.  Even at the co-op I saw one in the trash that did not make it...and if Ms. Dina can't make it grow...no one can.  However, this one that was bought, is a magnificent rose.  I guess I am saying that if you buy it bare root...keep a very close eye on it.  I do think they are worth the trouble.

 I am probably painting a horrible picture for such a beautiful rose.  But I do need to say that the canes could be used as weapons..the thorns are very profound...so my point is (at least, initially) it is not a low maintenance rose.  BUT it makes a magnificent white rose. This one is approximately 5" wide. It is pure white.

 JFK is a hybrid tea rose.  It is no surprise that it's year of introduction was 1964 after John F. Kennedy.   According the web (thus far) it will grow 4' high x 3 ' wide.  It's 3' now so I am inclined to think it will get higher.  I have roses that are not climbers that are over 6' because of the water (is my guess).

The roses are currently dropping on the stem but I read that it may be because it's an unestablished rose. It also reads moderately thorny..I'm inclined to disagree on the latter part.  

I will say that it has bloomed fairly continuous....& if you can handle the initial maintenance and love big, beautiful, white roses...JFK might be for you but if you are new to roses...wait a bit.  For more information, click HERE.

Journal..Concreting plinths, Digging holes, and Tornado Clouds

This post I realized kinda of showed a day in my life, lately.  Very foggy dawn.

I underestimated how grass is needed and is the backdrop of a garden.  When it is as deadlooking as it is, it really takes away from it.

Rye grass had finally died and the drought kinda of stopped new grass from growing, so watering it.

Mr. Lincoln's flower buds were limp even though the rose to appeared and felt as though it had water.  It was fine in the morning but the heat, humidity and UV makes it horrible.  When I water it it perks up?  Why does it do this?  Sometimes I wonder if the heat makes the water in the roots hot?  I will need to look this up.  My hydras do this too but they perk up in the evening.  Roses typically do not.

My wonderful husband is finishing the stone plinth of the sundial.  Many of my garden ornaments are expensive so I usually insist they be unmovable.  This one is essentially concreted into the ground and at the correct time, no less.  He is smoothing out the rocks underneath the plinth.

Adding water to concrete

He mixes the concrete in the tractor's bucket and then plaster's it onto the plinth. (I think he is so handsome :) )

Anyway, I will not have the rocky look it once had but it will have a smoothe look.  He said let vines grow on it.  I said, "No worries, they will"

Replaced JFK rose.  I did a faux pas by putting the rose in the same hole the old one was.  BUT I did notice something.  This was one of those bare root roses that were in the peat pot.  I noticed I left it in the peat pot when I planted it.  Note to self....don't leave in the peat pot.  I did the same with the Queen Elizabeth roses, and they fared well.....so, moral of the story...don't leave plants in peat pots when planting.  I did cut the edges to the base but apparently not good enough.

The roses are struggling that aren't screen.  They get watered farely often but the heat is incredible.  The weeds are not helping because I do notice that once screen they do better.

 I have decided that the deadline for the backyard project will be August 1.  If you haven't followed this blog, I have been working on this since New Year's Day.  I have planted literally hundreds of plants and I probably have over 100 to go.  July 1 is my deadline to have things in the ground.  If you want to see how much work this all took, I have a pictorial page Building a Large Rose Garden Pictorial

Last fall, I was very burnt out and felt I would never plant another plant again.  But I knew spring fever would get the best of me and it did.  Many times I have thought, "Oh God, what was I thinking!"  In any event, at a certain juncture, I am just digging holes.  It's not that I am lazy or don't know any better, but if I waited for things to be optimal, the plants would die.  The reason I purchased so many is because a nursery closed and I got plants for pennies on the dollar.  The plants would have retailed in the tens of thousands but my plant purchases averaged about a dollar a plant.  The roses (about 80) were purchased with gift cards won from work.  The reason why I am saying all this because I have started digging holes.  I have no choice.  Many will die but most will live.  And one day HOPEFULLY the garden will be beautiful and I will be smarter.

I have tons of ornamentals that need to be planted.  Mostly camellias.  So at the back end of the rose garden, I opted to plant them for several reason.  Wind blockage, frame the garden, winter interest.

Also, at the back of the "future" guard dog pen.

I used the auger that I used to regret purchasing but decided that it was a wise investment.  My husband has to use it, however.  He dug 20 holes for me.

I planted an ailing hibiscus, gardenia, two mystery roses, calla lilies, azaleas, sky pencils, tulip trees and camellias.

 While planting these plants I heard a small plane above, like a Cessna?  I heard it's engines stall out twice!  Then I saw this plane do flips.  Whoever was in that plane ( I thought) was an idiot.  I don't know much about planes but if my engine shut down twice! in mid air, I'd be inclined to land it.  While looking at the plane, I noticed this cloud.  Great! I thought.  I don't know what will get me first, a tornado or a falling airplane.  Forgive my ignorance, if I am being severe, but I refuse to believe that stalling planes is a good thing.

I have learned that if a cloud is tall and shaped like an anvil, this is a potential tornado cloud.  If it has a base (called a Wall Cloud) that is what causes tornadoes.  None occurred.  Sure would love rain though.  I make sure that our safe room is ready to occupy when I see these.

Plinth complete

Need to finishing screening and irrigating.

Mom did not know what kind of rose this was, only that it is a climber and makes small yellow roses.  It is woody but I have learned that can be normal as her mystery roses she gave me this spring were also woody and are faring very well.

This hibiscus was in a pot the did not have enough holes and thus was dying.  It's still alive but I will have to either dig it back up in the fall or let it die during the winter.

I had intended to screen before planting but they need to go in the ground.  Many plants are suffering being in the pots as long as they have.  But I am smart enough to know I will screen them.

Done.

I, also, have been redecorating the interior of the home which is conversely dark (Mom calls the term gloomy) but I consider it the colors rich and classic.  This is my new tapestry in the library.