The roses already look really pretty. After it gets done and they grow in to fill it will be especially nice. You sure are getting lots and lots of work done. I love the garden shots, especially that first one. It looks really great in your garden.

Both daylily blooms look great but Hot Lava looks especially great and gets my vote for favorite.

Thanks Rita,

That first shot is just to the left of the zinnia row from this year. I will plant tulips in the fall, and then zinnias again in the spring.

I am enjoying this retirement tremendously. DH keeps telling me "You're retired. It (whatever) doesn't have to be done today, but I am very task oriented! I know you know what I mean...when I start a project, I want to finish it.

And I like the idea of having the rose blooms supported. In that first rose bed photo, you didn't even notice Abe Darby blooms, but now that the first two rebar supports are up, you can see it:

And if Jean looks at this, she wanted to see Midnight Blue, It's blooming, so Jean, this is for you.

I took pictures of a bouquet of roses from my garden that I cut today, so I thought I would share them with anyone who looks at this:

kay

kay, That bouquet is gorgeous and so is HOT LAVA daylily. I like the coloring on the other one, but not the form too well, but the color is gorgeous. and so is MIDNIGHT BLUE. thats a beautiful rose.Thank you for posting it.you sure are working hard since you retired.for once the weather man was right this time, when he said we would get storms after midnight, as it started up raing at 12;30 last night,and we got a inch and a half of rain.I have 3 daylilies with scapes on them and they grew nearly 4 inches between last night and this evening, so i Guess they loved the rain water better then my city water with all the clorine in it.hope the deer dont come tonight and eat up all my plants in this one flower bed.It was misting most of the day so I couldnt respray the stinky stuff on them to stop the deer from eating up everything.

jean

Hot Lava looks really good today, I'm really hoping mine will bloom before frost. I see some color on the buds, so maybe...
Your rose garden is really looking good, I can't wait to see pictures of it next summer. You've really been putting a lot of work in the garden, it is really going to be great.

Jean,
We just got a drizzle out of it, not the half inch forecast. And I agree they love rain. You should get to see more blooms, but you may have to cover a plant to see them. tonight and tomorrow night will threaten frost. Rita is the one who posted The bush Midnight Blue, and I bought two of them. They are still quite small, but they do bloom nicely.

ngraham, I hope you Hot Lava opens too, it is a pretty bloom. I do hope the roses are pretty next year. I have been reading on the rose forum that some growers are claiming that not using nirtrogen fertilizer greatly reduces the number of grubs and resultant Japanese Beetles.

kay

Kay, both those daylilies are really lovely. And they opened so well. I wish I had ordered 'Hot Lava' with one of my Maryott orders, now that I see your picture of it. Your garden is coming along nicely...I can tell you are enjoying your 'retirement' although being at home you will find countless new projects to do now! But isn't it wonderful that you can do whatever you want now?
That bouquet is lovely and picture-perfect.

Kay, I really like Midnight Blue because of the color. To me it is the bluest of the "blue" roses so has the best color. Much bluer than say, Wild Blue Yonder. The blooms are small but I really don't mind that at all. Glad you are enjoying yours :-)

Everything is looking so good Kay. My goodness you are working soooo hard. Would be nice if we could get paid for working out in our gardens wouldn't it?? lol!! Are you expecting your roses to flop over or get extra tall? I know I don't support any of mine except for the climbers. I guess since we have such a long growing season our plants get so much taller than the other folks and would probably like some support. I know I cut mine back pretty hard after their spring flush to keep some of my taller ones at bay. Works sometimes, sometimes not. haha!! I am trying to figure out the best way to support my dahlias. I love those babies.

In another post you commented on someones Alstromeria. I grow a few of them too. I have picked all mine up at Lowes and Home Depot. Mostly Lowes though. They come back every year and look so pretty in bouquets. They last forever too. Just giving you the heads up in case you see any next summer. I am going to try to feed mine better to see if they bloom better. They really bloom good in the early summer but once the heat kicks up they seem to sit there. I am really in need of more sun and I know they would benefit from more but I can only work with what I am given since my DH wants his trees so bad. OK, sorry to ramble on and on but its raining outside and sooooo cold, in the 40's so I am on here blabbing away. lol!! Take care, Judy

Looks like you've been very busy Kay. Enjoying your pics.
Keep them coming.

Julia

Thanks Celeste,
I am really spending a lot of time in the garden since there is so much I need to do. It is really cool today, by far the coolest day we've had, so I spent about four hours out working. My little Souvenir de la Malmaison bush that I planted in the spring was being whipped by the wind, so I put a fence section behind it, and I think it will work fine for now, and I will replace it or just remove it as the bush grows.

Rita, I always liked that one when you posted it, and it is a nice purple (which is why I like it).

Judy, It has been very cool here, especially with the wind. I managed to spend a good bit of time out there anyway. This section I've been putting up supports in was planted in spring of 2010. a couple of the bushes are already 8 feet tall...at least a foot taller than it is supposed to get, so I figure a little support is needed. The main enrichment they get is manure or alfalfa, so no nitrogen blast here, but they are growing anyway. And the abraham Darby and Polka were already flopping to a degree...now they have support. I kepp reading that bushes like this get taller with support, but I've read Polka can get 12 feet tall...if that is so it will need support. I know it has beautiful blooms. And I love to read your "ramblings", don't apoligize.

Thanks Julia,

Here is Man of Sorrows from today:

kay