Some flowers, some critters and GNOMES! :-(

13 years ago

The roses are hitting their 2nd flush of the year and with all the rain most of the other plants are looking pretty too too.

This is Austin's Scepter'd Isle with Fanick's Phlox. I was just about overcome with their scents when taking this photo as both are very fragrant ...

I dearly love the blended colors of Gruss an Aachen! They are truly this color as they open and fade to almost white in the summer heat. The bush is very healthy and has few thorns ...

This pretty little nymph of an unknown insect is perching on the petals of Gruss. He may be up to no good, but is a pretty little guy. Anybody know what he'll be when he grows up? ...

The black swallowtail caterpillars were doing well on the fennel I planted for them -- until a mini sherman's tank was seen pushing over the plants to get at them. Oh well ...

This is one of the tanks enjoying a bite of mellon for dessert here ...

I was surprised to find no less than three gnomes in the garden! Two of them looking very innocent ...

And this older one with a wheel barrow pretending to do some work so I won't pitch him out ... :-)

It's so much fun when a new plant shows it's first flower! This is a Brazilian Button Bush passed along to me by Patty ...

And for the finale here's the Stripped Beauty Canna. It's a short plant and one of my favorites, but after the drought of 2008 I was down to one plant. Upon moving it to a new spot it multiplied nicely. Since I found out cannas will bloom the same year from seed I'm planning on saving and planting the seeds from this one to trade at the fall SAPS ...

Thanks for looking. Hope you're all enjoying your gardens as much as I am!

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Comments (15)

rcnaylor
13 years ago
Lovely, lovely, LOVELY Roselee. Thanks.
rock_oak_deer
13 years ago
Very pretty, the roses are beautiful.

Those gnomes are cute and so innocent looking in the daytime.
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Thank you both for the compliments. I'm trying to organize the entire yards. I never thought I'd be starting all over again at my age, but I enjoy it as well as learning about new plants. Chena,... that turtle probably came from one of the lakes around my area, or maybe the woods out back which go into the rivers. We have turtles, snakes, raccoons, turkeys, armidillos, deer, gators and quite a few other critters. The birds are awesome here with so many varieties as well as hummers & butterflies at my zinna's. Wildlife here seem to tolerate humans quite well as they show very little concern. We did have a problem with feral cats, but since I've been here, it seems they have finally diminished. The sounds have told us this from the woods unfortuntely. We recently even heard of a black bear in the surrounding vicinity. Wild boar use to inhabit the area, not sure if they do now or not. Karyn, My dwarf poinciana shrubs I had for over 15yrs. at our other home in Pinellas County Fl., and I was smart enough to keep alot of seeds from them, as they were excellent bloomers, and seeders. Next spring, I will start seeding them along the back fence. Hopefully the soil will not be much different here.
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Thank you for the nice comments. I guess I am a 'plant collector' instead of someone who plants with landscaping and such in mind. I like what I like :) I enjoy taking photos and sharing them, Katkin. I especially like taking 'bug on flower' photos. Anna, if you have room for a large, spreading, needs-no-care plant, a calliandra is for you! The bees love it. Hester, thanks for the name of the yellow daisy. I had one last year but it didn't survive the winter, but I had to plant another one. Zackey, I'm happy to share my garden via GW. I know what you mean about getting a lift from seeing others' gardens. Of course, that leads to more plant 'wants!' Wanda, thanks for the compliment. I'm still learning by trial and error. As gardeners know, a plant that dies is another opportunity to try something else! As snowbirds, I have tried to plant some things that I have read will bloom in the fall, winter and spring vs. summertime when we're not here. I think everything you shared with me is still living, DG. I'm grateful for your generosity. I hope you will soon find a sunny place to live that you will enjoy more than your present conditions. Marcia
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I have Hakone All Gold in a couple of spots. Both were planted in spots shaded by trees which later had to come down due to storm damage - the trees were poorly structured and wet snow caused splits that removed major chunks. In 6 hours or so of sun it looks great in spring, but then sunburns in early summer and has tan tops the rest of the season. I really need to move the clump pictured below to a shadier spot; the other clump has a tree rapidly filling in to the west that I think will provide enough shade in a year or two. I think 3-4 hours of morning sun is probably about ideal at my latitude (43.35) and growing conditions, since it develops nice color but doesn't burn. In too little sun it's still a lovely plant but has much more green than gold. Here's a photo of one that gets sun from about 9-3 and you can see the tan scorched leaves. This photo is from mid-July in a year that had good rainfall so it wasn't due to dryness.
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Thanks for the suggestions-- and warnings about the stench of Deer Off ;) We live in a residential area where we have the occasional deer wander through or graze in the fields on the outskirts of the neighborhood, but they've never gotten as far in as our house. I've also never seen groundhogs in our neighborhood, though there are massive prairie dog colonies in the surrounding open fields. We do get voles digging holes (and leaving mountains of dirt where they surface) from time to time, but haven't had a problem with them lately. The squirrels are our biggest garden nuisance, but they're awfully cute and I have a couple that I spoil so they think they own the yard :-/ Rabbits have visited more frequently as our yard has matured, and this is the first year they had babies in our backyard. Unfortunately, our neighbor's cat preys on them and I think she may have killed all of the precious little babies :( I'm going to mix up a batch of the pepper spray this evening and start with that as soon as the remaining buds start pushing out petals. I also don't like the idea of my little squirrel brats getting pepper in their eyes, but hopefully the spray will make the flowers taste bad to them.
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remuda1
13 years ago
Beautiful Roselee :). Love the roses and for someone that "Doesn't like roses", I am sure managing to collect a few of them! I may have to look for that Gruss Achoooo one :)

Kristi
roselee z8b S.W. Texas
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks for your comments folks!

Kristi, the name of that rose does sound like a sneeze ... hahaha!
roselee z8b S.W. Texas
Original Author
13 years ago
I posted the picture of the insect above poised on the rose petal and got this reply:

Posted by hortster (My Page) on Tue, Jun 8, 10 at 19:31

This is a good one, most likely assassin bug. Comes up frequently. Chomps on those we would rather not have in the garden.
ibheri
13 years ago
Hi Roselle, Beautiful. Inspired by your roses I subscribed to the Houston Rose Society to learn more about growing roses locally. There were times when I bought plants without paying much attention to what kind of rose it is but now i am learning more through this forum. Thanks much for sharing.
remuda1
13 years ago
Sigh.....I have emailed Weston Gardens to see if they have the Achoooo in stock and also an EarthKind rose named Penelope that was absolutely breathtaking in the rose trial garden at the Demonstration garden this year.

The trial roses are not watered, deadheaded, fertilized or in any way altered or "helped" by humans. They are planted and left on their own other than maintaining the mulch in the beds. It has been so interesting to see which of the earthkind roses perform the best. Detailed records are made each month on the health and appearance of the roses. It's a great project but dang it......"I don't like roses". LOL, I'll be the only gardener I know with a garden full of plants that "I don't like"!

Kristi
bossjim1
13 years ago
Very pretty, Roselee. I really like the first rose and phlox. It won't be long before you will have Brazilian Buttons to share with all your garden friends. Ha!Ha! Don't worry, the ones you don't want are very easy to pull up.
Jim
carrie751
13 years ago
I was thinking the same thing about the Brazilian Button, Jim.............and they ARE easy to pull up except when they are in the cracks of the concrete. Just ask Lin, who tried and tried to get one here at my house, and we finally just gave up. It grew, bloomed beautifully, but decided one year was enough.
Your garden is beautiful and looks so healthy ........as compared to the many bugs and worms infesting my area.
roselee z8b S.W. Texas
Original Author
13 years ago
So Brazilian Button Bush is one of those kind, huh Jim? Well, some of us with oak/rock/deer need plants that that ... LOL!

Ibheri, I really enjoyed attending the meetings at the local Rose Society here in San Antonio. I met some very good friends there. Most rose clubs, even though formed mainly for hybrid tea rose exhibition, have members who are primarily interested in shrub and antique roses. You might want to seek them out.

Kristi, there is just something about having roses in a flower garden that adds a certain elegance and warmth, even if you don't like them, at first, that is. They 'grow' on you!

Carrie, I'm surprised myself that I don't have more bugs. It seems that after a few years of mostly organic gardening the good bugs are keeping the baddies in check. I don't even have thrips right now, and plus they say that organic fertilizer builds healthier plants that are able to develop strong defenses again bug attacks. Not that I don't have a few. Squash bugs have already killed the squash plants. I should have used row covers. Next time I will.
bossjim1
13 years ago
Oh, don't misunderstand, Roselee. I like my Brazilian Buttons. Just giving you a heads up that it is prolific.
Jim
roselee z8b S.W. Texas
Original Author
13 years ago
Okay thanks Jim. I was kind of wondering where I should place it and even if I should plant it out at all. Does it get bushy? Do you happen to have any pictures of it handy?
rock_oak_deer
13 years ago
I definitely resemble Roselee's remark! Yep, I'm the one who actually wants invasives, spreaders, and "nuisance" plants.
bossjim1
13 years ago
Roselee, checking my files, I only found pictures of single blooms, nothing that shows the plants form. Yes it does grow into a small bush. I only have it in one bed. It comes up kind of late. I usually leave 2 or 3 plants and they will pretty well fill in the mid height level in that bed.
Jim
roselee z8b S.W. Texas
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks Jim!

For anyone looking for Gruss an Aachen rose there is a sport, Pink Gruss an Aachen, aka Irene Watts, that is very good! It's just a little darker pink and looks like the original Gruss when it first opens for a longer period of time.

Some flowers, some critters and GNOMES! :-(

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Some flowers, some critters and GNOMES! :-(

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