Journal Notes...Mother's Day

I like to compare things at holiday's to see how the garden changes...some good , some not.  You will also discover that in my writing my adhd becomes apparent.  Anyway not matter, it's a journal after all.  Here is my Memphis Music rose but it's "sport" is showing here.  Nell, from Secrets of a Seed Scatterer had to explain it to me when one of my azaleas did the same thing.  My guess black bacarra is the sport or black jade.

I have black bacarra and it's a pretty flower

I have three of them and it's my favorite rose.

Hydragengeas are starting to bloom now.

Magnolias have been blooming for a month.  Between them, the elderberry, and the honeysuckle it smells fantastic outside.

I watched a documentary the other day that said magnolias are a probably the derivative of the oldest flower.

I have been gardening about two and half years now.  I think my husband bought me gardenias two years ago for mother's day.  I moved them out of a horrible spot and put them here.  I don't think they bloomed last year after I moved them here...but they are blooming now.

I think they are happier here.

It's amazing how fast plants can grow back that you don't want.  I had this mowed down last year and they grew back again...very fast!

This what my back rose garden looks like now.  I opted to remember what it looked like last year.
Here is the link from last year...roughly...it does look better...HERE

Pool still green but at least it's not brown.  We are getting there.

I heavily pruned the ferns and other plants on the back porch

I can't believe I have yet to finish the back rose garden.  I asked my husband to mow this part down.  It is blocking the drain pipe for the pool.

I need to fill in this trench and finish irrigating zone five.

Gerber daisies are popping back up.  I did not greenhouse them last winter.

I realize why I like orange and yellow roses.  There is so much pink and red, it just stands out more.

Paradise roses along the drive

First year I have seen them "group" like this.

Creek is in bad need of manicuring

Roses along the creek need to be tended to.

My wonderful husband mowed with the tractor the front field.  It has taken this long for the water to dissipate.

Some areas still have standing water.

My husband bushhoged the two areas above

The other area that got mowed that was blocking the pool drain.

Every year I pine to grow a pumpkin and every year I have failed but a pumpkin plant popped up from last year's crop of non pumpkin bearers.

My mother constantly complains that I don't have enough mulch.  She is right but if you had any idea how much mulch I have bought you would think I were crazy.  The slope washes it down during heavy rains.  I may try pine straw just to be economical.

The weeds use the mulch as a medium.  They are easier to pull up.  But sometimes more mulch means more weed medium.

Isabella is blooming a lot.

Fragrant cloud has massive blooms

some parts of the rose garden did not fare as well.

Probably need to straighten the bricks

Bougainvillea is slowing coming back to life

I'm putting this in the ground finally

Almost have things in the ground

While I was pulling up roses I didn't think made it, I find that they did.  This double delight went into a pot until I can revive her.

Marvin the martian (as I call this staghorn fern) is getting hung up back at the creek.

Aunt agnes gave me a lot of canna.  Will find a place to put them.

This pussy willow I thought was a gonner but it seems to have revived.

The Gardens of October ...Is Its Name....One Day

On the 15 acres, that I intend to die on...in a million years...I hope to call the gardens the Gardens of October.  I love the month and there is no more beautiful month here than October.  I did some pics to review what I would like to see in years to come.  I divide the gardens into very large sections.  In front of the house there is 6 acres.  In the back, is nine.  The majority of the gardens are on the front six.

Front Field...approx 2 - 3 acres

This is the driveway entry.  Most characterize as a tunnel.  I would like to put spanish moss through to give it more mystique...

Along the drive at entry are tons of flowers...that I didn't plant.  The driveway is about .2 of a mile and very windy.  There are tons of wild goldenrod, butterfly bush, beauty berry, and these white daisy looking flowers.

I have planted a ton of ornamentals along the front edge...Tulip trees, willow, dogwood, and bradford pears to name a couple.

Willow tree is doing okay, not great but not struggling.

It's funny what visitors notice.  They have made the comment that you come through a tunnel and then you get a surprise after going past.

One day in a gazillion years...I'll have a gate and a paved drive but not in the foreseeable future.  The turns of the driveway aids in dividing my concepts.

Red clay does have erosion issues.

I don't know what this but it's everywhere in the front and I didn't plant nor do I take care of it.  I love plants like that.

This is the spot where the peacock will go.  Probably, next year.

Wild golden rod

These wildflowers I did not plant, this year.  I planted them last year and they reseeded.  We mowed it until June.

Wild beauty berry

Mostly zinnia and sulphur cosmos

Oaks with spanish moss

Can't see it but a golden rain tree and a peach tree.

This kinda of divides this section.  As you go around the curve, you come up to the "arches"

Red Maple

Arches

Wildflowers in front of arches

Crepe myrtles are on this side...not shown.

Juniper arches and wildflowers.  The idea is to actually make a wall.  I may plant something in between the arches to fill in the wall concept.

As you pass the arches, you come to the creekside.

Moss hanging over the driveway along with hanging lanterns.

Zinnias around the arches

I am hoping these will reseed as the other wildflowers did.  I want my cake and eat it to by having tons of flowers that didn't require my care.

Marigolds did very well there.

Celosia

Creekside

Roses in front of the creekside and lots of Spanish Moss.

The creekside is heavily unmanicured....will clean it up soon.

Passing the creekside you see oaks overhang the driveway which has lanterns and spanish moss over the drive.

Staghorn fern.

Birdgirl & Barn

As you drive further, you come to a split.  With Savannah bird girl and a fountain that I need to fix.

Along the drive here you see approximately 7 rose bushes.

Paradise roses that were along the front drive

This barn is in front of the house.  Something that drives me crazy.  I have planted a ton of plants in front of in an effort to one day screen it.

Drive split

Savannah Bird Girl, fountain, and spanish moss.

Front Yard

You begin to see the house.

Alabama beauty camellias and Junipers in front of the barn.

As you pass the split, you drive around to house.  I have cleared the oaks in front because you couldn't see the house before.  I, also, put spanish moss everywhere here.

Encore azaleas and endless summer hydrangeas are the front bed of the house.

Encores never seem to stop blooming.

Perwinkles are just now! coming back from last year.

Hydrangeas

Back Rose Garden

The piece de resistance is in the back rose garden.  I think people were as impressed by my outdoor curtains as they were with the rose gardens that are thousands of feet in area.

I highly recommend outdoor curtains.  They frame the back garden.

The pool is usually a fountain but I have to fix that as well.

Potted plants on the porch.  Mostly begonias.

Screened porch has a mass of ferns.

Jude

Rose garden

Granada rose

Blue girl

Double delight

Ketchup and mustard.  It's red in the front

Yellow in the back

Moonstone

Jfk rose

Don't remember

Double delight

Bougainvilleas starting to bloom

Touch of Class rose

Gold Medal

Europena rose

Fragrant Cloud

View from the L corner of the rose garden towards the house.

I haven't finished this garden but it's close

I am glad that I used the sky pencils because it would have looked too "flat" to me.

Ch-ching rose

Peach Drift

Granada

This rose garden is brand new.  None of this was here at New Years.  It has about 100 roses and 150 other ornamentals.  In a few years, I hope it will be as magnificent I envision.

I planted a mystic haze dahlia in the rose garden and thought it died.  I dug it up and put in a pot and it came back!

A quick tour of the one day...Gardens of October