This unusually mild weather has me thinking about what garden projects to take on already.
I know, it's only the end of January and winter can still rear it's ugly head still; I can still do some research, make a few sketches, look through some gardening books and get ideas as to what to accomplish.
I've recently discovered the site 'Pinterest'. it is an online pin board of sorts that you can post, like or even re-pin images, ideas, recipes, etc. Ive have gravitated towards the "garden" board & have found a lot of various ideas and likes. The trick is now to narrow down those ideas and actually incorporate one or two of them into my garden.
Talking to hubby last night after showing him an image I found on Pinterest of a wooden garden bench built within a pergola; we thought it may be a unique task to build it on our own with 'found' wood. Our property has a few acres of woods around it; rather than spending $$$ at a hardware store, why not use what we can from within the woods? I discovered a book I had given my father a few years back called 'Making Rustic Furniture' By Daniel Mack and in it, I found some good ideas for really unique looking garden benches. With some imagination, building a pergola around it might just be doable. I could replant my John Clayton honeysuckle around it, maybe an Iceberg climbing rose....possibilities are endless.
I'm also toying with the idea of putting a container rose or 2 on the deck. We bought some patio furniture last summer with dark orange, almost pumpkin colored cushions included. I like the idea of a similar color or blended color rose on the deck to compliment it. My deck pots usually consist of at least 2 basil plants, sweet, Italian, various pepper varieties, rosemary, thyme, alyssum and a mix of annual flowers (I like to try something new each summer). A large potted rose might be a perfect addition.
On the larger size, I really like 'Benjamin Britten.' A David Austin English rose, this can be planted in a pot, at least a 1/2 barrel size since it can still grow to about 4X4 feet. This is more of a red tone with orange mixed in & has a pear/fruit fragrance. Slightly smaller roses that have caught my eye are 'Tamora', an other David Austin, ideal size for a pot, apricot in color with a scent of myrrh, 'Judy Garland', 'Louis Clements' & 'Painted Moon'.
My to-do list continues...I'll be back soon with more ideas.
"We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses."-- Abraham Lincoln
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Friday, January 20, 2012
a mild winter...maybe...
My roses appear confused.
It's partially my own fault.
I normally wrap each of them in a winter coat of chicken wire filled with mulch and topped off with hay.
I might not have gotten around to completing this entire process this year, however, the mild temperatures thus far have done little damage.
Naturally, now that I've typed this...kablammo, 12 inches of snow. Watch. It'll happen.
While taking the puppeh out for a game of fetch, I did a quick walk-through of the garden. (Quick, meaning, it was 18 degrees Fahrenheit out and the wind was picking up.) I noticed buds on some roses, my Memorial Day hybrid tea and my Lemons and Oranges shrub rose. I believe the unusually mind temperatures for this winter so far have lulled them into a false sense of warmth.
It is almost the end of January & we have very little snow on the ground. There have been maybe 5 really bitterly cold days so far with daily highs quickly rising back into the 40s and 50s. Not normal for these parts.
The almanac calls for a late winter arrival and for a longer duration. Hardly an ideal forecast for a gardener living in the Northeast. Summer is short enough as it is; can we please refrain from having it shortened by Old Man Winter?
A rule of thumb for shedding roses winter coat is to wait for the forsythia to bloom; usually in April.
Who knows when that will occur this year.
"Winter, which, being full of care, makes summer's welcome thrice more wish'd, more rare."
~William Shakespeare, 1564-1616.
It's partially my own fault.
I normally wrap each of them in a winter coat of chicken wire filled with mulch and topped off with hay.
I might not have gotten around to completing this entire process this year, however, the mild temperatures thus far have done little damage.
Naturally, now that I've typed this...kablammo, 12 inches of snow. Watch. It'll happen.
While taking the puppeh out for a game of fetch, I did a quick walk-through of the garden. (Quick, meaning, it was 18 degrees Fahrenheit out and the wind was picking up.) I noticed buds on some roses, my Memorial Day hybrid tea and my Lemons and Oranges shrub rose. I believe the unusually mind temperatures for this winter so far have lulled them into a false sense of warmth.
It is almost the end of January & we have very little snow on the ground. There have been maybe 5 really bitterly cold days so far with daily highs quickly rising back into the 40s and 50s. Not normal for these parts.
The almanac calls for a late winter arrival and for a longer duration. Hardly an ideal forecast for a gardener living in the Northeast. Summer is short enough as it is; can we please refrain from having it shortened by Old Man Winter?
A rule of thumb for shedding roses winter coat is to wait for the forsythia to bloom; usually in April.
Who knows when that will occur this year.
"Winter, which, being full of care, makes summer's welcome thrice more wish'd, more rare."
~William Shakespeare, 1564-1616.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
This is a first....
...my nails are actually clean, filed, spotless!
No really.
They are most of the time, with the exception of time spent in my garden.
Then all bets are off.
The "first" is a blog by yours truly.
2 of the things I enjoy in life: writing and gardening. I have always enjoyed writing and have become a gardening enthusiast since I purchased a house with a front and back garden.
I've decided to blog about my garden, my plants and flowers, my yearly battle with Japanese beetles, my growing collection of roses, my pots of peppers and various herbs, etc.
I may add some photographs of the above and of life in general. I also enjoy taking photographs so you will see some images of the most random subjects to the thought out, well lit and composed subjects.
This should be interesting.
Stay tuned.........
No really.
They are most of the time, with the exception of time spent in my garden.
Then all bets are off.
The "first" is a blog by yours truly.
2 of the things I enjoy in life: writing and gardening. I have always enjoyed writing and have become a gardening enthusiast since I purchased a house with a front and back garden.
I've decided to blog about my garden, my plants and flowers, my yearly battle with Japanese beetles, my growing collection of roses, my pots of peppers and various herbs, etc.
I may add some photographs of the above and of life in general. I also enjoy taking photographs so you will see some images of the most random subjects to the thought out, well lit and composed subjects.
This should be interesting.
Stay tuned.........
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