Celeste, I am really sorry to hear and see that.
This evening, my daughter and I took a walk and when we crossed the median of the street, I heard the crunch of the extremely dry "grass" under our feet.
I saw the ground was beginning to crack in an area of the yard, and turned on the sprinkler a while ago.
So, I am on the other side of the spectrum from you, but can still feel your pain.
I hate that the season for your once bloomers has been messed up this year.
But I know you have some repeat bloomers too (like 'Pretty Jessica', etc) and I look forward to seeing them later when New Hampshire dries out.
Please hang in there!

Randy

Hi Celeste, I was happy when I discovered your were posting again and was thinking that your headline is a kind of teaser...

But I was really shocked, when I saw your photos. This is bad! This must be sooo... disappointing after the long wait for the gorgeous roses to bloom again and all the work that you have put in to grow them!

There is only one thing I can say: I feel REALLY sorry for you!

Celeste, those are heartbreaking photographs. No wonder you're grumpy. You have all my sympathy and strongest hopes that the rest of your rose season will be one of perfection to offset these disappointments. It's such a sad thing to miss a season of bloom with roses you adore. I hope you'll draw solace from the beautiful photos the rest of us are posting. I'll be thinking of you each time I show a rose and sending you good thoughts as well.

Sue

!!!

It's been bad here in the Boston area, but nothing like that!

:-((((

Dear Celeste, I think these are the most shocking pictures of roses I've ever seen. I've never lived in a climate where roses could look like that, and it's like something out of a nightmare. I am so sorry for the beauty you've missed and the endless rain you've had to endure. I know your life is not always easy and to be deprived of this source of solace and joy seems so cruel. I hope the rest of your rose year will in some way make up for what you've lost.

Ingrid

Ouch!

Thats terrible celeste, Ive still been able to get a few pics of individual flowers, but because of my new garden being so immature, I wasnt going to have a huge flush anyways.

One of the worst things out of all this , isnt the ruined flowers, or lack of growth in all my plants, its just the day to day knowledge that there is no sun! NONE! Day after day, after day! I have a gardening friend who is 40 years older than me or so, he said, never in his 50 years of tending gardens has he ever seen anything remotly close to this, maybe a total wash out for a week or two, but never 28 out of 30 days of no sun!!!!!! You keep saying to yourself it will come back, but no... long range forcasts say nope, nope and nope! 10 more glorious days of gloom!

(ok im getting off now!)

Gardeners Epitome (Always next year)

Silverkelt

Oh, Celeste. I'm so sorry. Your photos always capture the beauty of your garden ... these show something completely heart-breaking.

Spring-bloom time was rainy and gloomy here, and I had many, many completely ruined bushes full of flowers ... but nothing like you have experienced.

Here's a big cyber-hug for you. (((HUG)))

Connie

I presume you have very good reasons for staying in NH. I'd be moving if my garden looked like that. There's just so much heartache one can endure.

Looks like my garden. Well, today it is cloudy, but no rain (yet). Things are so wet out there, it is miserable to work in the garden even when it (temporarily) stops raining. I tried to do a little cleaning up, cutting back of flopped roses the other day and it was just miserable, wet, and slimy. I ended up cutting off whole canes that had unopened buds on some otherwise beautiful gallicas, really a shame as we won't see them til next year. I know a lady 97 years old who says she's never seen anything like this. And I am supposed to have the garden club over on Thursday to see my roses.

So sorry Celeste,
Hang on, hopefully some of the spring bloomers will be able to pump out a few blooms once the weather improves a little. Between your beautiful pictures and your equally wonderful prose, you really need to start working on a rose book for growers in the NE- loved your photos and comments about your Zn4 roses. You've been there and done it and it would be a good source for beginners in the area who want to start growing roses.
Jim

This has been the wettest Spring in years those are very sad pictures I'm sorry you haven't had the benfit of their beauty this year.

celeste my heart breaks for you. I have a couple of spring only bloomers and with the late freezes and rain we had in April/May I lost a lot of their blooms, so again, it's wait till next year. And even the repeaters, you lose the first flush to a freeze, then the rain and no sun stops them from blooming, then the thrips, then the japanese beetles. Yes, sometimes I feel like I'm wasting my time. But we can't stop, can we?

We now haven't had a good rain in a week and with the hot sunny weather, everything is drying up. But at least now we can water. I used my sprinklers for the first time in 3 years yesterday.

Celeste, I am so sorry. I know what this is like. It is a whole year of working and waiting. Last year was for me almost this bad. Strangely enough this year I was rewarded with the most beautiful perfect spring that I've ever seen here. I hope that will happen for you.

The others have said it so much better, but I know what desolation feels like, and I'm so very sorry. And with all the other problems, it's almost overwhelming. I'm glad folks are so supportive here.

I've never seen anything quite that bad with roses either, although the rains have affected mine with balling and other plants this year in ways I hadn't seen yet, nothing that compares to what you are going through. At least I got my spring flush, and some of the excessive rain has been good for us, some not so good.

My ancestors migrated to northern Illinois from northern New Hampshire. I think I understand why they did, but it wasn't over roses. I always thought New Hampshire was such a beautiful state, well still do but not when it's like what you have now. I can't remember who the one with the beautiful purple roses is but wonder how his/hers are faring this year in NH. I'd never seen anything like that either in beauty, something about the soil.

That is truly the pits what you are forced to endure there, plus that standing water invites other problems later on.

I really can't advise you what to do other than try not to give up and hope for a better time. I think there was one historic year in NH when all the crops froze; there was no summer.

I hope you can at least get your roof fixed and house aired out if it ever quits raining.

Oh my dear Celeste----My heart aches for you---We all know how much you have been going through in the past couple of years (other than rose problems) . I was so hoping that you would have a glorious spring to lift your spirits.

It has been very wet here in Pa.also----even my very sturdy MacCartney rose had many brown petals--

Clotilde Soupert was just a mass of brown balls----

We've had a few days of sunshine lately with a few more predicted--

My morning glories always grow like weeds but they are also stunted this year.

You know how much I love your roses and stories and I agree with Jim--YOU SHOULD COMPILE A BOOK !!!!I would be first in line to buy it--

Waiting for the few pictures you were able to capture.

Keep the faith--you are young and there is always next year---
On a positive note---we have a nest in Albertine--right outside our window --that precious mommie Cardinal remained on the nest during those torrential downpours--

"Hope springs eternal"

Love you,

Florence

I am so sorry for your weeks of rose blooms lost.

Do you remember the late Easter Freeze two years ago. Everyone in the southeastern US can feel sympathy with your loss. And we can give you something to cling to. Your roses and trees are getting rain! Rain IS good for building tree strength and rose strength.

You (and others in the wet) may find that you'll get a fall repeat that you normally (drier-ly) don't get.

Your in ground grub population has been depleated by drowing.

Hang in there. Your roses will hang in, even with very wet roots

Oh Celeste, how terrible!! I really can't imagine losing the whole first flush like that. I know your winters are long and cold like mine are and part of what gets people through it is the excitement of what's to come in the garden. And now you have to miss the best part of the growing season.

I really do hope your area dries out soon so you can try to enjoy the repeat bloomers (and the summer sun for that matter). We have had a very dry spring so I really wish some of that moisture would come my way.

Hugs to you Celeste!

Hello Everybody!

I woke up today to another cloudy day but when I came here I was SO comforted by all of your warm thoughts that I do
feel much better. THANKS for listening....and for caring.
I knew you all would understand. There is still a chance of rain & thunderstorms today, but the sky is brighter and I heard that the sun 'may' make an appearance in the next couple days.

aliska....I was the one who shared pictures last year of my really purple gallicas. Sadly, there won't be many pics this year of them but I did get a few.

It is an interesting sidenote that this past Tuesday, I went down to Hartford, Connecticut to Elizabeth Park Rose Garden and the sun was shining and it was 90 degrees. You would have thought I had travelled down to Florida, not 4 hours away! Once we got back into NH it was cloudy and raining. I think it was just that one day that it was sunny there because the roses looked pretty beat too, but nowhere as badly as mine.

I am hoping that all this constant moisture means the japanese beetle population will be down. They always arrive the first week of July but I haven't seen any just yet. Maybe they drowned? Or maybe they are waiting for the sun like the rest of us? There has to be a silver lining somewhere....please!

As soon as the ground dries up some I will start the process of cleaning up. There are busted canes and balled, rotting buds everywhere and days of deadheading
in the future. I have never seen anything like this.
The saddest part is that this spring there was so much
promise....my roses never looked better. They had put
out so many buds it was astounding. The winter had been
hard because of a severe ice storm we had that had broken
many of them to where I had to prune them back drastically
but they were rallying and growing nicely. Then June came!
I keep a rose diary and I have noticed that the past 3 Junes have been very rainy. But never as bad as this.
In someone's post on the rose forum, I mentioned about last Saturday when there was a thunderstorm situated over my town (and nowhere else) that washed out some roads
around us. My brother has a house a few miles away up on a mountain and he called because he could see a dark cloud and lightening right over me, but it was sunny at his house and they were in the pool. That was the one sunny
day in NH, and I still got hit with torrential rain!

I feel a lot better 'talking' with you all.
In a few days I will be posting some happier photos of the
roses that bravely bloomed through all of this and looked
rather pretty with raindrops on them. There were a few
salvagable blooms, but not many. I made sure to take LOTS of pictures so I would at least have something!

You guys are great.....MANY THANKS for taking the time to
respond to my misery! My sympathy to all who are in the same boat (note the pun!)....and to those who would love
to have some of this rain.

Celeste

Celeste,
I can't say anything that will take away this crushing disappointment, but as a fellow "short season" grower, I can empathize and do send you ((((Hugs))))
Anne

So sorry, Celeste. Let's hope for a better year in 2010. In fact, let's hope the other plants in your garden will have a glorious year to make up in part for this sad disappointment.

Rosefolly

Tragic

Back in February I was hoping for a cooler summer via lots of rain (think British Isles and Pacific Northwest). I have since learned to be careful what I wish for.

So Sorry,

Patrick

So sorry, Celeste. It's been rainy here as well, lots of soggy blooms...

I hope your repeat bloomers will brighten the summer days still ahead.

Hopefully you will have lots of blooms later on with your repeat bloomers. I still think too much rain is way better than constant drought for roses.

I agree that you should REALLY write a rose book! Not only do you have the experience and the wonderful pictures, you are an AWESOME writer!!!

I just wanted to say all the same things everyone else has already said, Celeste. I don't have once-bloomers, but the ones I do have just aren't blooming without sunshine or heat....despite the constant rain. And our seasons are also short.
Keep your chin up. It will get better.
:0) Phyl

Celeste,
I have been thinking of you as an authoress for some time now and was going to privately email you about it,especially after I saw your long thread on roses for Zn4 with its pics and running commentary and there was another equally good thread you did. With all this rain, start mulling it over; glad to see others agree. Can't get LaBrea to write his big picture coffee table book on his meanderings about NYC either; we ALL know that no one can do it better.

Oh boy...I know just what you are going through...us cold zoners anxiously wait out the long, cold winter, dreaming of roses then something like this happens.
The last few years I've had plague levels of Rose Chafers and Jap Beetles, then this year roses covered with rose slugs to boot and I'm too busy to spray. ~sigh~
We certainly are at the mercy of Mother Nature aren't we?
Not fun.
So sorry.

Wow is all I can say. Those photos made me actually go "gasp". How ironic, you are literally flooded out and we haven't had decent rain in over 2 years. Its just mainly (like you mentioned the thunderstorms) centered over central Texas. My bushes are hanging in there (20 some odd days greater that 105 degrees give or take)...but no blooms at all.

I wish for you a day or two of 90 degrees and please pray for rain for central (Austin) Texas, because I can see as plain as day...we're going to have mandatory water rationing real soon as the lakes are shrinking to nothing.

Ahhh...mother nature, she is fickle isn't she? She plays with us.

Your garden looks stunning, in better times -- I bet its is absolutely beautiful when its not been raining 40 days and 40 nights.

Patty

I am really sorry.
That's the problem with once-bloomers. If it rains exactly when they start blooming, then...

What a pity!
But don't give up!!! You must be brave to grow roses in Z4, keep it up!!

Patty, a friend of mine just returned from a business trip to Austin.
He's said it's kind of "crispy" there, due to lack of rain.
Austin is growing so fast, tall buildings popping up everywhere. I hope the water holds out.
I hope you get some of Celeste's rain soon!

Randy

Oh Celeste, I'm so very sorry! I know what you are going through - its been the same here. So many of my poor beautiful roses just balled and/or rotted. Its particularly rough on those of us who love our once-bloomers! But next year will be better, and you will have some of your repeat bloomers later this season. And I keep telling myself that even though all the rain ruined the blooms, it probably is good for the plants! So hang in there!

You might still need to break out the hose......you wouldn't want them to not get enough water. ;)

Hopefully the roses manage to pull through as the season warms up more. Hopefully, you don't get any root rot and they can survive just fine to come back next year. Next year will make their appearance even that much more anticipated.

Well, its been thunderstorming the past 2 days since I started this thread so I still haven't been able to get out there and start the cleanup. Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, DH pointed out to me that my entire newly-planted lily bed (of over 300 bulbs) had been ravaged by deer. These lilies were only a couple weeks away from blooming and were chewed right down to stubs.
As many of you know, true lilies from bulbs will only put out one flowering stalk per year and if it is cut there will be no flowers that year. I spent a fortune on bulbs in the fall, not to mention the backbreaking labor and was so close to enjoying their long-awaited blooms. The deer have been a problem this year with munching on my roses but at least that rosebed are all modern roses that can bloom again....the lilies are done for.
It's getting more and more difficult to not give up.
Beetle season will be arriving as soon as the sun returns.
But as DH pointed out, no matter what, I could never stop being a gardener. Its in my blood and in my heart, for better or worse. This year has certainly seen the worst!
(sigh)

Celeste

Lily stalks chewed down by deer.....

{{gwi:298419}}
{{gwi:298420}}

Oh no!! The worst thing about that with the lilies is that they must have their foliage to stay strong for the following year!

Celeste,

I am so sorry about your garden. I hope it will redeem itself in fall. I can't imagine gardening under your conditions. I am very lucky here in this climate, though water will be a problem down the road. Too bad you can't send some of your rain here.

I have some roses and hydrangeas in the front of my house, which the local deer love to feast upon. I put up some deer/bird fencing around each planting bed and so far, it seems to be keeping them at bay. It is not a perfect solution, because even though the fencing is not obtrusive, you still take note of it. However, I can forgive the look as I now have many uneaten flowers.

Wishing you the best,
Joanne

Celeste,
Those pics are heartbreaking, and geesh, just when you thought it couldn't get worse, friggin' deer. I'm so sorry you are having an awful year. If the beetles do come in full force, I hope by then, you can just find some humor in it all like my husband and I do when everything goes horribly wrong and there's nothing you can do but watch it happen. Like the time the garage caught fire because my husband was being nice and mowing the 85 year old neighbor's lawn. It August and was so dry that year a spark lit the grass on fire, then my garden mulch, then the garage. By the time the firemen were there sawing through our garage all we could do is laugh and say things like "no good deed goes unpunished."
Remy

That is bad when that happens. I know the feeling. All it takes is one bad storm at the wrong time, and it is over for the once-bloomers. Can you or do you have the ability to mix in some Austins, Romanticas, or old-looking Kordes hybrids to carry the look on later in the season? Some of the hybrid perpetuals, bourbons, and Portlands might work also, but sometimes they are iffy. I hope next year goes better for you. This is the first year for me since that Easter freeze two years ago that my garden was looking more normal, and we still had some late, hard freezes, but they were not as long-lasting, and my plants were not leafed out and almost in flower like they were two years ago.

Oh Celeste i'm so sorry for your disappointment. But i have to say that i see a lot of beauty in your garden still, the kind that goes a little beyond skin deep.

Wishing you rainbows!

AH! BIG (((HUGS)))
I am sorry to see all of your devastation!
I too have the same problem going on, however
I got lucky with Belle De Crecy, I think because she is planted under a tree...
Here is the rainbow (s) mauirose wished for you and Belle, not at her best but bloomin' none the less

{{gwi:298421}}{{gwi:298422}}

Lioness

Celeste,
I hope you cheer up, even if that takes something quite unconnected with the garden. One year in Olympia I had my entire spring flowering wiped out by a single intense rain. I was driving up from southwest Washington and it was raining so hard I couldn't see the traffic markings on the asphalt. Took one look at my roses when I got home and knew that was it for the year for the once bloomers. Fortunately it hasn't happened since, and I hope that this will be an unusually bad year for you, too: one that won't repeat itself for a very long time. You have such beautiful roses and photograph them so well! And the forum does benefit from the knowledge of a person who grows roses in such a cold zone.
I have several roses that have been sodden for months, and it doesn't appear to have done them a bit of damage. As long as your roses aren't sitting in holes, I doubt all that water will harm them.
Melissa

Sorry for sending you our weather. A spring so cold it froze my lilacs, then hail got the Iris. Some made it. For 2 years in a row, the roses are two weeks late. They are just now blooming. Every day it is beautiful all morning. By the time I get off work, I drive out of town and see a black cloud out west. Most of the time, it doesn't rain, just a cold wind.
I don't know what happened to that good old-fashioned global warming, but it is nice not to be hitting 90 by now.
We shall overcome, right? I think you should go to lunch, then get a new gardening book.