The Waiting Game.....Pictures to pass the time!

15 years ago

This time of year is tough, and those of you in the cold zones know what I'm feeling. God bless those who already have roses blooming so that they can show us new and exciting photos to drool over while all I can offer now are last June's images. I really do like you folks. I try so hard not to feel jealousy, but honestly....I am green with envy. The problem is my roses aren't. They're not green at all.

Just twigs, and for the modern roses, brown or black twigs with a few inches of green at the very bottom after I un-mound them, which I can't do yet since those darn forsythias aren't blooming yet. My crocus are just barely popping up. Lucky for me, my sweethearts, the gallicas, albas, damasks, mosses, centifolias, and scotch roses are alive to the tips but right now you wouldn't know it to look at them. They're just bare, with no leaf buds in sight except for on the rugosas who are showing the teensiest bit of green life. The thing about these old roses is they are smart.

Yes, my roses are intelligent. They know better than to start leafing out when just yesterday there were snow squalls and its below freezing at night. They aren't fooled by the 55-degree "heat" us northerners shed our

coats for to pull on t-shirts and shorts. YES...that's all it takes after a long winter. Once it hits 65 people are heading to the beach to try to get their tans on.

We are a desperate folk, hungry for sunshine, green lawns, streams and lakes that aren't covered in ice, dirt you can dig in that's finally thawed, the chirping of birds that went south for the winter, the smell of fresh air after being cooped up inside for the winter, being able to go outside without taking 15 minutes to 'bundle up'. And though it always seems to take forever, spring is here.

Everyday there is another revelation. I have been able to finally get outside and pick up all the branches that fell over the winter thanks to the big ice storm. And rake leaves and pinecones, courtesy of the woods that surround my entire 1-acre yard. (Thanks, trees.) My back is killing me. Oh, and I forgot to mention the two new rosegardens I'm putting in and the rock walls I'm building...and the 50 new bareroots coming at the end of the week which will require digging 50 holes containing 500,000 rocks and stumps (thanks again, trees). I'm a glutton for punishment! Just today my wheelbarrow got stuck in the mud (from the melted snow) but I wasn't cursing about it, because it was sweet, wonderful DIRT...at long last.

This rambling may all sound like I'm complaining but really I'm ecstatic. Its been a long winter and I'm out in my garden at long last!!! Today I got my first rose-thorn slashes....and that made my happy too......

rose season is officially here!!

Here are more of my roses (obviously from last June) in

my continuing series of roses that I miss. Its getting closer. Chins up, fellow cold-zoners!

Celeste

CHLORIS....She's tall, sweetly fragrant, healthy &

hardy in the Alba tradition. They are the most regal

of roses.

ROSERAIE DE L'HAY.....She and the other rugosas are the

first to bloom in June....and what FRAGRANCE.

(check out the bumblebee's little 'butt' sticking out....he's enjoying himself in that bloom!)

BALTIMORE BELLE.....a vision of purest loveliness! Mine

grows over a wrought iron arch with a seat below. Makes for a secret hiding place!

ROSE DE RESCHT....Compact, fragrant & cute-as-a-button blooms that sit atop the leaves. Cute at the front of the garden.

GROS CHOUX D'HOLLANDE.....Loves to bloom and arches over

from the weight of the flowers, which are many and always

perfect.

PETITE DE HOLLANDE....(another centifolia, also with the word 'Hollande' in it, but much smaller in both stature and bloom size.) Petite, just like it says! A real cutie-pie.

AMELIE GRAVEREAUX....This french beauty isn't often mentioned but should be. In my opinion, of the loveliest

of the rugosas.

MME. LEGRAS DE ST.GERMAIN.....Another perfect Alba....(is there any other kind?) Purest white snowballs adorn a bushy shrub clad in blue-gray leaves.

BARON GIROD DE L'AIN.....Sometimes he can be difficult, but usually he cooperates and blesses me with these unique blooms possessing a most strong & pleasing scent.

THE APOTHECARY'S ROSE....Simple, wonderful, reliable, hardy and ancient. Gallica. Enough said.

BELLE DORIA....Another gallica. Bright and cheery!

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Comments (14)

Martina DeLuca
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Very pretty!! I love the blooms on BARON GIROD DE L'AIN.

Tina
veilchen
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Ditto from another northerner! I am never able to wait until the forsythia blooms (I clipped some branches and put them in a vase inside, and now they're in bloom--does that count?). I did start preliminary pruning yesterday. About half of my Austins show me clearly how far down they're dead and I pruned them back. Others are not so apparent, and for those I cut back the bulk of the obviously dead stuff to await them to tell me where to cut once they start to bud more. The OGRs are a blessing as there is hardly anything to cut.

Pruning after winter is a lot of hard work!
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Kay,Blackie stays close to me when I am outside,and I really have to watch where my feet are going,as she will walk a few steps in front of me,and suddenly just lay down right in front of my feet,wanting my attention.She the cat that came here about 7 -8 years ago,so skinny and starving, and I went in the house to see what I could find her to eat, and I gave her some sliced ham.I didnt have cat food.She decided to stay and make this her home, so after she had some kittens,I had her fixed.I have one of her babies in the house,its the one that got hit by a car and lost a hind leg.I tell you what tho, that cat can move with 3 legs. Thank you Rita.Its not too hard to get a good picture of the Hummingbirds.Just have to stand still for a few minutes.They are pretty use to me out there watching them. Debbie, Mine are gone too., now.I will have to go out and bring the feeders in and get them washed up and put away for next sping.Like you, I miss them ,too, already. Julia,Thats a bummer, to have snow already.I can handle the snow, but,I hate the ice storms we usually get every winter. Val, Thank you for that nice comment. Thanks, Cindy. The hummingbirds here are now gone, too.It will seem like forever, waiting for spring again and the birds come back.I some times sit on the front porch a hour just watching the Hummingbirds fight over the feeders, when there is enough for all of them. Jean
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greybird
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Celeste, your garden makes me green with envy... I love your magnificent garden, you have some of the most beautiful flowers I have seen, love the old Europeans!

I look forward to more photos so I can turn green and drool some more! Thanks for sharing.
cincy_city_garden
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Wonderful pictures Celeste...you are like our Luanne of the North :)

And of course you listed one that's on it's way to me...Rose de Rescht. If I wasn't already out of room, I'd get a Chloris too. You're lucky to have an acre!

Eric
teeandcee
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
These are beautiful, and thanks for including full shrub shots. We've had such a cold, wet spring....bah humbug.
jeff_zephyr
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Your beautiful roses are worth waiting for. Thank you for those beautifully shot photos. I am always slightly startled to see roses blooming in Southern California, while up here in the mountains, we still have sub-freezing temperatures. And yet, we are only a couple of hours away from Los Angeles! However, I always tell myself that my weather allows me to plant the old roses that need winter chill.
tampafred
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Your roses are just stunning Celeste! I'm green with envy and I NEED RdR.
zeffyrose
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Celeste---I am always so happy when I see your name because I know I'm in for a treat .

And I'm never disappointed !

thanks again-----they are all gorgeous

The Forsythia is blooming here but it is also pouring rain-

I can only prune a little at a time but it does make me happy to get out in the yard

Hang in there-----soon your long wait will be over and all your babies will reward you with their beauty.

Florence-
organicgardendreams
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Hi Celeste, hopefully your waiting game is over soon and your roses are starting to leave out. On the other hand for us Gardenwebbers it's not a bad thing, that you are posting pictures of your beautiful roses to pass the time until then ;-). I bet when you really can go out and work in your garden with so many projects and roses to care for you are busy like a bee!

All of the roses you have posted are very lovely, but of course I have some favorites:

I love white roses and Baltimore Belle seems to be so beautiful. It must be very nice to sit underneath her!

Gros Choux d'Hollande has a perfect flowers shape and I love the button eye.

Baron Girod de L'ain is incredible pretty with his beautiful color with the white edge, nice flower shape and strong fragrance. I think that this is a very special rose and unusual rose. I am eying BGdL for quite a while and may have to figure out if I am able to grow him here.

I kept Rose de Rescht for the last, because she is the most admired rose by me of the once that you have posted this time. You have a very beautiful bush and your photo captured the essence of this rose very well (both the bush shot and the single flower). I find that her fragrance is to die for. The best thing for me is: I HAVE this rose already. I got her as a very teeny tiny band this winter and just yesterday she opened her first flower for me. I am looking so much forward for her to mature and just cross my fingers that she likes my garden and wants to develop her full potential, here. I am also very anxious to see how large this rose gets in SoCa!

Thanks for posting! I am looking forward to more photos of your incredible garden!
kinglemuelswife
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
What beautiful pictures! It's so nice to see the beauty that can be grown in the colder climates.

After seeing "Chloris", I went looking for her in Canada, but can't seem to find a source. Where did you get yours?
celeste/NH
Original Author
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
THANK YOU, ALL....
I greatly enjoyed your comments! This forum has the BEST people! You all are why I love coming here and why I enjoy sharing my stories & photos.

kinglemuelswife....I got my Chloris from Pickering Nurseries in Canada. (Not sure if they still have any left but its still listed on their website.) Hortico in Canada also lists it in their catalog but it seems not to be available at this late a date, since its removed from their website.

Celeste
texaslynn
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I looked at your beautiful pictures and realized that, sadly, probably not one will grow here (someone correct me if I'm wrong and I'll put that one on my list!). I loved all of them but I especially was drawn to Chloris (don't like that name at all - sounds like a condition that you DON'T want your plants to have :)).

My garden is in full swing, yes......I cannot imagine still being under snow or cold. BUT it will soon be hotter and more humid than heck here - we have only 5 minutes of nice Spring weather here - and it will stay that way until November. I can't tell you how many times I have been putting Christmas lights outside, dressed in shorts and sweating (grumping the entire time: "why DO we live here?").

I just went back and looked at the pictures again and I also really love the rugosa, Amalie. I wonder if that one would grow here?

Lynn
teeandcee
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Lynn, you have my deepest sympathy. Your conditions sound exactly like Florida, which is why I moved to Missouri and love the seasons, although I do miss all the teas and chinas I could grow down south.

But I've yet to wear shorts in November here. I remember being mad about that too. It was November, for Pete's sake!!
AnneCecilia z5 MI
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Celeste, thank you for reminding me that while I wade through post after post of folks excitedly talking about roses they've already planted and blooms they're currently enjoying that I am not really alone in waiting (im-)patiently for my garden to wake up. I love to read your posts - so eloquently worded. And as always, your photos are to sigh over. I really love those wide open blooms of Amelie Gravereaux; must look into that one.
You are such an enabler. ;-)

The Waiting Game.....Pictures to pass the time!

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Martina DeLuca

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