Carol

Great to see you posting again! Felicia is a new to me , a blue flower with gold buttons that blooms Oct-May here, including all winter!

Diane

I must tell you that I had a chance to chat with Tom C, and I beiieve he read your comment that Double Easy Orange was one of his kids! (Of course, he already knew that). He mentioned that Perfume Factory and Golden Opportunity are two of his latest intros that he’s most proud of, and J&P will introduce the last of his roses next year. Now I feel I must get a Golden Opportunity.

I agree, the hardier tougher camellias (sasquanas) aren’t quite as pretty as the big fluffy tender ones (japonicas). But maybe a japonica could be pushed into a zone 7 sheltered spot.

SoCal

Ducks are so awkwardly cute, my ducks with fancy hats were at a public garden. They were super friendly, and no doubt well fed. Roots are all over my yard too, sometimes I can’t even tell their origin.

Kitty,

I started my cutting maybe 2 or 3 months ago, under lights and indoors. But I’ve grown plenty of bands too, and eventually they look very nice.

Juliet, band at end of year 2 with me.

Blue for You, band at beginning of year 3 with me:

Ben, did you tell Tom Carruth I was a big fan of his? And did you get an autograph? Where did you chat with him? Don't answer if it reveals secrets. I think some of his roses are the greatest among American bred roses. Julia Child!!! And for me, Twilight Zone is the purple tops. And Wild Blue Yonder's wonderful quirks, and Ebb Tide, also quirky. Oh, and Love Song, my favorite lavender. I grow multiples of all but one of these excellent roses. And I think you should go into the hybridizing business. Also, I really admire all the cuttings you have so nicely grown. You are a very talented gardener. Blue for You is so cute, and look at those buds. Diane

My favorite WBY pic. He is my favorite when he plays the Clown Prince. I'd love another one.

@Diane Brakefield, i love his roses too. next year if I do go to Huntington Library to pick up roses, i might get to talk to him. i booked an appointment this year but got too lazy, so i didnt go.

Ebb Tide today, the blooms are facing my daughter’s window, hard to take a good picture. I think the color is deeper in real life.

blue anemone and white lace orlaya, seeds from Botanical Interest

sea shell peony today, it’s lasting pretty long for a peony, fading nicely

here is a nice bud of tree peony that is going to open anyday now, it could be Joan Gilbert

another blue delphinium

volunteer crystal palace

cyclamen, in the shade, next to a BBQ

last but not least, my graft of BNR fig is emerging, grafting for fig is harder than rooting them, so this is a nice surprise

Gorjus Ebby, SoCal, and exquisite blue anemone. I love orlaya, too, and my original seeds were from the very much missed Lisa Adams (I hope you are well and happy, Lisa). Now I gather the stickery seeds, plus they reseed, too. I had a weird very tall orlaya, over 6 feet last year. Just one, and it was later than the others. After it bloomed, I kept forgetting to remove the plant, so I suppose I'll have lots of six footers this spring. Diane

On its way up.

Ben, that Juliet is amazing. My sister says Golden Opportunity is one of the nicest climbers they sell .at her nursery

Hate to be that person Diane, but I think your freak orlaya was so tall because it was actually perhaps poison hemlock... It's on the Idaho noxious weed list @Diane Brakefield

Those Juliet blooms ARE so beautiful!! Lovely, Ben.

Librarian, I had ordered Golden Opportunity but then chickened out and switched it for something else. I need to see reports from cold zoners first before I take the plunge on that one, I think.

Upon further inspection, not only are some of my roses extending/breaking buds and 2 have baby leaves, but my clematis also have leaf buds forming and my lilac buds are greening up too! It's so early in the year I feel, but what do I know? The plants probably know better than I do. Do I prune based on the general schedule I know, or do I prune each rose as it starts growth? I think this spring is going to be a weird one. The timing seems to be several weeks off from last year, earlier for some (like my crocus) and later for some (like my hellebore).

Magpie, the tall orlaya bloomed just like the shorter kind and produced the same kind of seeds. I think it's orlaya. Diane

Hm, the blooms do look a bit different. I hope you're right! Probably, since you saw it up close :) it is in the same family as orlaya so seeds should look pretty similar

Magpie, at first when I checked on google, I thought you were right about the orlaya, but mine looked just like this above which is identical to the orlaya in the orlaya images. I also checked the hemlock, which pulled up easily the same way the shorter orlaya did. I didn't save any of its seeds, so I can't compare them now. I guess I'll have to wait and see if any of the tall stuff, about 6 feet, comes back. Pretty weird. Diane

These two photos from my garden are both definitely orlaya. There is a spirea at the back above. It's going to be interesting this spring. Diane

I wonder what made it grow so tall? Interesting!

Maybe I've got the hemlock and orlaya both. Oh, lovely. But the tall was just one plant, and there were many of the shorter ones. Next year, who knows. Why do I always get the aliens? I need you in residence. Diane

I just read your post about things popping at your place, and you're ahead of here, at least roses and clematis. What was your high temp today? It was about 54F here, but we had some rain and later cold breeze, which made working outside not doable for me, anyway. I need to prune Rosemoor clematis right now about down to 12 inches. That works best here. Same for all my butterfly bushes. Diane

Oh, My My, Have you all been writing all day?There’s a Gazillion comnents & photos this afternoon/evening! Lovely roses & flowers everyone!

SoCalGardenNut

I love Clotilde Soupert-I may get another. You need to giver her a sunny spot & enriched soil & room for her roots. She’s a delicate beauty! Wondering how big she could get if nurtured.

Carol, Freezing wind -chills the canes and breaks canes, too. I have a few black/brown canes on rose that tge wind hits in the open. They need more protection. I’m so glad your machine is helping you to sleep better.

Magpie, I think freezes can effect any rose if it’s small & not ready to endure freezes. I am surprised that my 12 OGRs have all green canes except one part black cane on one. I’m going to look closer at them ….Are OGRs really more hardy for winter? My Kordes seem to fo just as well.

Diane, My Munstead was bare-root & after 1st winter it didn’t weather well, but 2nd winter it’s canes are now a few inches green left. I thought about your winters & mine which seem similar in cold, but your roses due to sun temps during the season grow so huge that they would be stronger than my roses which get less sun. That may be the reason I loose some roses during winter as they never grew strong enough to make it.

Brother Cad was on front hill which I was hoing to move him, but he didnt make it. He never grew well on that hill-I should only have shrub roses there. He was an own root, too. However However, only the strongest roses can make it on that hill.

Ben, Amazing, you’re growing rises from cuttings! They are beautiful and doibg very well!

It was 52° here today, Diane. We go back to 40° for three days this weekend but then it goes back up to low 50's. Each night is still below freezing but the ground seems to be all thawed out now. I guess maybe I should prune the clematis too? I truly don't know, they're so new for me.

@KittyNYz6, here’s a picture of Clotilde Soupert, i think mine is a climbing version.

Kitty, I don't think as a rule OGRs are more hardy than moderns... I think it just depends on what the lineage of the rose is. There are many OGRs that are far too tender to grow here. OGR is just a general term for a group of roses hybridized before a certain date, and doesn't have anything to do with hardiness.

Magpie, our temps are fairly similar with more high twenties coming for several days as the low. Our ground has never been frozen, but it's muddy. I can remember winters where it didn't snow or rain all winter, but this wasn't one of them. I'm afraid to advise you on the clem. Is it type 3? If so, you could probably prune it right now. Edwards says my Rosemoor can be pruned as a type 2 or 3. I like the type 3 approach best because it delays blooming a bit, so my clem is blooming at the very same time as when the roses open for the most part.

Kitty, my whole garden is on the top of a hill--and windy. It doesn't affect the roses very much, but our springs aren't nice. However, the roses planted on a slope are more precarious and prone to splatting, or having the front half of the plant fall forward. I almost always have to put stakes and long twistie around the front of Augusta Luise to keep that part of the rose from tilting forward. It's such a pain. As for losing roses in the winter (I have never lost one due to cold), I think burying the bud union is what keeps them safe. Only two of my roses are own root, and one is the weenie Abe Darby. But he seems to have come through winter OK. I hope you get some time off to do some serious gardening. I'm just sitting around most days because of the weather--so frustrating. Diane

Ben: I do so admire your charming garden and witty band-er! How’s that for a bad pun? It’s so interesting to hear Tom Carruth’s opinions about his own recent rose intros.

Diane: Apparently, April 28 and 29, Tom Carruth will be on hand at the Huntington Gardens’ spring plant sale to answer any questions (eg, should I impulse buy Golden Opportunity even though I don’t have a space for another climber?). Just in case you’re looking for a rosy excuse to visit So Cal …

Desert Rose, thanks for tempting me but I know I'll be waist deep in chores about then. I do really want to visit the Huntington, though, and the San Jose Municipal Rose Garden, too. I'm still wanting Double Easy Orange, and I have no idea what Golden Opportunity looks like. It's a climber? That's even worse for my space scarce garden. Diane

Magpie - yeah, that's what I thought...that wind chill wouldn't affect roses...but I've been wrong many, many times before. LOL

Diane - I agree...the rose just has to put more energy into growing new buds. I never pinch buds.

Ben - oh, yes! I love your Felicia...I wish it were hardy here. The pretties blooms never are...except for peonies. :) That's really interesting (fan-girl here) of hearing what Tom Carruth is thinking rose-wise. :) Ah, so the ducks weren't yours. :) Oh, your Juliet is stunning and I love your Blue For You even more. It's got to be one of the most beautiful roses ever.

Diane - I gasped when I saw your WBY picture...I really, really want mine to be like yours....totally gorgeous and out of this world! Mine will be in it's 2nd summer in my yard this summer. Exciting!

GardenNut - that WBY is really luscious...I love that color! I would love to be able to grow anemones...they are so beautiful. It's gratifying to see your graft setting...well done!

DesertRose - I love puns...the worse the better. :)

Diane,

Well, I think growing roses iin Northeast states needs a little TLC for winter. I have noticed most people’s roses are shorter here in NY than the sunny states like your area and CA tall roses. So our roses with less sun in summers are not as strong/hardy for winter as the tall ones like yours. I find my bigger caned roses weather winter pretty well or if they are considered a winter hardy rose. I’m actually finding out which roses like my climate better. I bury all grafts. Some get burlap-which did better. Roses planted south side & near home helps during winter. Front hill roses need to be very hardy shrubs-strong canes, too. Enough saga! Time to enjoy soring. I’ll be happy when they are all pruned, soil spread & fertilized! Nice!

I am surprised you still have 20sF at night. And surprised ground not freezing for you? What’s your temps during day low 40s? But I think your warmth is coming-I saw accuweather forecast for Boise. Then you’ll have real warmth-always warmer than me come summer. For now we wait & invent things to do. Lol!

My weather is now 44-48F this week & coldest nights 30F, no freezing here. It’s raining tiny bit occassionally-good for poppies.

Magpie, I am surprised at your weather & plants growing! You are having some 50sF-little higher today than my 44F. But my lowest night is 30F on 2 days, mainly above freezing now.

What are your night temps? You say below freezing still. And you are having ”breaking buds & 2 with leaves-Wow! Can you show photos of your breaking buds, nodes, leaves, any more bulbs coming out if ground photos? Sounds like your garden is awake and it’s spring gardening time! Lol! Pretty cool!

Oh, yes, not all OGRs are hardy, esp. Clotilde Soupert, Lol! She’s pretty small & fragile-but pretty. I think I just have hardy OGRsArdoise de Lyon & Jacque Cartier were out in the open yard & all green canes now. The rest of my OGRs are on south side of home & have all green 2-3 ft canes. La Reine & Louis Odier buried south side in pots w/ burlap did very well-all green, too.

Desert Rose, Love your ”witty band-er,” too. Lol! Amazing Tom Carruth, curator of the Huntington Rose Gardens. I would love to meet him. He created Life of the Party rose! I loved the HG gardens when I lived in CA. Wonderful memories!

Kitty, my night temps are in the low-to-mid 20's. Tomorrow's low is 17°F. But it should be getting better soon, April is almost here which I'm so happy about. That's when our daffodils get going here!

Here are Himmelsauge and then Therese Bugnet pushing out baby leaves. A few others are close behind, like John Cabot and Great Maiden's Blush.

Another photo of Juliet since folks like her. She’s a terrific rose, so of course DA doesn’t want to offer her.

Here’s her wilder sister, Beatrice

Kitty

Check out DA and see if they have own root Munstead, I got one from them last October as a 2 quart. I put mine in a sheltered place and it has put on some really nice growth.

Librarian

Must be nice to have a sister informant in the nursery business!

Desert Rose

I wish I could attend that plant sale maybe I will make the drive.

Magpie

Daffodils are the best and most reliable harbinger of spring, plant them and they greet you every spring forever.

SoCal

Beautiful early spring blooms. Tell me more about that Lobelia Crystal Palace, how long does it bloom for you? I have always admired blue lobelias, but they were very short lived in hot humid Texas, I’m in a bit more hospitable place now.

Diane

Tom had contacted me about a crazy good career opportunity. I was floored and humbled that he thought I could or should do it. It was a real life Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory moment. Alas I really couldnt move with all my family settled in NorCal, plus I’d just bought a forever house and planted 140 roses and lots of other stuff. A different time in my life I would have grabbed it in a heartbeat.

@BenT (9B Sunset 14), my lobellia does bloom for a few months, they are volunteer in my garden. I really don’t do anything.

British Gamble daffodil, this is my replacement from Hollandbulb farms, they sent me something else but I persisted and demanded the right color.

Alexander Woollcott peony, it has 3 big buds, i cant wait

Another healthy peony bush, I'm not sure what it is until it blooms, all the peony tags are fading and this year I have to see what they are and re-tag.

Augusta Louise, very healthy looking plant

Good grief, Ben, you have your rose connections, That's so interesting about the career opportunity--no, it's amazing. So you must know Tom Carruth pretty well then. But, I certainly don't blame you for staying in place, a place you're making into a top garden. Juliet is just wonderful, surely my kind of rose, and yet I'd never heard of her. I need better connections, or to lose some years.

Himmelsauge better pull in its feelers, Magpie, if your next low is 17F. We have snow on the ground right now, but it's melting fairly fast. Below normal temps are ahead for us. I'm still floored about the hemlock, and think I should start a poisonous garden with Datura, hemlock, foxglove, morning glory, brugmansia, and of course, delphinium. It wouldn't deter the quail, but it might flummox the deer.

Kitty, I think one big reason roses grow so large here is the lack of black spot and so many insect pests. And places at higher altitudes like Magpie's Colorado garden, show a wider fluctuation between day time temps and night time temps (twenty miles up the road here, a friend has much colder nights). Also, dry air doesn't hold the cold the way humid air does. This is especially true in summer here, where our nights are almost always pleasant in. Diane

BenT: If you do end up going to the Huntington plant sale, it would be fun to say hi to you and anyone else from this lovely group who is planning to attend!

Diane: Here are a few photos of Golden Opportunity at the Huntington Gardens. It is a climber, and … an offspring of the great Julia Child! (I’m not enabling you. The ROSE is enabling you!)

More deliveries….. Yesterday Veranda Pompom came & I had to pot her & put her in bay window area. I could put her outside??? I put Nicole & a few iris in pots outside. There are still a few nights in March that will be 30F & maybe 2 nights at 28F. . I think the other plants & roses I will keep inside until April all frosts are gone. In the bay window-they are growing well!

Ooh, Diane, I like your poisonous garden idea haha. The seeds of 4 o'clocks are poisonous too, so they'll fit right in. Ooh, and grow some nicotiana.

Kitty, Diane is right about my temps. Not only am I in a very arid climate, but I'm high altitude, too. Temperature swings get pretty wild over here. We have very strong sun even in winter which helps warm it up in the daytime and thaw the soil around now, but our nights will stay cold for quite a while. I think the warmed soil is what spurs on the early growth in the garden even when the air temps are still below freezing at night.

True, Magpie, about the warm soil. Ours warms up fast in the day. How could I forget nicotiana? And of course, potatoes and tomatoes are relatives of the nicotiana. Deer here like to eat my tomato plants, so they would probably like the occasional puff on a ciggy--at least my depraved deer. Four O'Clocks don't seen as toxic as morning glory, since the quail will nibble on them when the plants are really small and sample the seed. My quail are high, too, I guess. There are some more woodland plants that are very toxic. Magpie, that is your assignment today. Report to us about the poisonous woodland plants, please.

Desert Rose, your photos of Golden Opportunity are the best I've seen. I love the rich color and puffy blooms which show the best of Julia Child in its genetic background. Thanks for posting those photos. Diane

Well Diane, you could always try to set up an environment for some very poisonous mushrooms to grow ;) off to research poisonous plants I goooooo (after all my errands, waaah).

Magpie, I do think we have some poisonous shrooms that occasionally grow in our yard. Hope your errands were exciting. I was thinking along the lines of poisonous plants that like shade and are grown by gardeners with the right environment. Ah! Deadly Nightshade. Going to look that one up. Diane

I know Diane, but all your talk about poisonous plants reminded me of mushrooms in the garden. My mother took a tiny bite of a shroom growing in her garden once and was in the hospital shortly after. My errands got sidetracked because my kids reminded me that I promised to take them to the pool today. I hate swimming 😭

I hope it was an indoor pool if your weather is anything like ours. It's still just 39F out, And I hope you managed some fun, and I'm sure your kids did. That's terrible about your mother. The amanitas family of toadstools is extremely poisonous. I found a ton of info on Deadly Nightshade or Atropa belladonna. I'll share later. But we forgot opium poppies, monkshood, and castor bean plant. What struck me is how many poisonous plants are in the Solanaceae family, including our old friends the potato, tomato, eggplant, and tobacco plant. And they are all related to my pal the Datura. So, I've grown Datura, opium poppies. delphiniums, foxglove, morning glory, and Four O'Clocks, as well as daffodils, which are toxic, too. I will post later about Flying Ointment for you witches out there. Diane

Oleander is poisonous

How did we get from rose gardens to poison gardens? Is it for the gophers or just people we don’t like? I hope your plantings don’t result in bodies strewn all over your yards. i love to watch Dateline but hope none of my friends are featured!

One more bad band pun:

If Carol grew a band, she’d be the leader of a ’Garage Band!’

Ben, sometimes us cold zoners get pretty bored waiting for the season to get going I guess :) We find many topics to entertain ourselves with.

Okay, here's me getting back on the topic of Spring Gardens: I'm so happy to see that my clematis made it through our brutal winter temps! The President, Etoile Violette, what is supposed to be Asao (remains to be seen if it's correctly labelled), and Jan Lindmark are all alive! The only bad news (I guess it's not really BAD) is that 2 seasons ago I planted clematis "Ilka" on a trellis beside my lilac, and the following year it got wilt in spring and had to be cut back to the ground, and it never regrew for the whole rest of the season so I assumed it had died. I bought a William Lobb to plant in that spot instead this spring. However, when digging down a bit today, I discovered that the clem was in fact still alive under the soil. Hmmmmmm.

Magpie, yes clematis are sneaky, I think. Just after I planted Rosemoor, years ago, it died right back to the ground, and it disappeared. Some clem experts on the old Garden Web told me to wait it out, and that the clematis was most likely resting or something--can't remember, but before the season was over, it made a brief appearance, and it was back in full force the next season. Rosemoor was a pretty good sized plant when it did that. So, you probably should wait it out on Ilka. She's just playing with you.

Just another brief digression about Atropa belladonna, Beautiful Lady, or otherwise known as Deadly Nightshade. All parts of this plant are poisonous, and it has been used throughout history as a poison, medicine, and cosmetic. The Roman Emperor, Augustus, was poisoned by his wife with Deadly Nightshade. During the Renaissance and later, the juice of the berries of Belladonna was made into eyedrops, and the atropine in the drops dilated the lady's pupils, a sign of beauty. The Belladonna also caused her skin to whiten. Our doctors today sometimes dilate the pupils of the eye during an exam using atropine. My favorite use of Deadly Nightshade, or Belladonna, was in the making of Flying Ointment for witches. The ointment included the ingredients: Nightshade, opium poppy seed, Monkshood, and poisonous hemlock. Now that would get anyone flying. And Magpie has informed me that one of my plants looks like poisonous hemlock, not its relatives nearby, the innocent Orlaya grandiflora. We shall see what returns next year in that flower bed. Poisonous hemlock is an invasive weed in Idaho that happens to be deadly. Diane

Possible poison hemlock that grew to six feet and looked like a gangly form of my pretty orlaya. Magpie identified this.

alien Mullein that invaded my garden in 2020, otherwise known as Audrey 3.

Cute li'l opium poppy.

Early Morning & I see your topics to discuss are hysterical, Diane, Magpie, and hope the deer are fed other healthy plants far far away from Diane’s property! Diane, Love your poppies!!!

Magpie, Your climate is very interesting! It’s really wonderful that you have sun in winter. I can see it warming the soil! How wonderful! Look at those baby leaves opening on your roses…. They look a little more awake than my nodes on my roses, maybe. I’ll have to check my roses today.

FINGERLAKES, NY WEATHER:

Yesterday was 51F surprised forecasters! I think it’s going to be warmer than they are projecting!!

Today is supposed to be 47F , but prefer 50F!!! 50Fs are coming up! Nights are 37F-47F & one at 29F.

Diane, I am so surprised you are getting any snow, but maybe it will promote for you a cooler summer….🥀😊🥀

@BenT (9B Sunset 14)

, Where did you get to know Tom Carruth? Nice connection & career oppottunity! Thanks for heads up in Munstead…. I have been looking at DA’s possibility to purchase an own root. Aso, Chamblees has an own root Munstead W, & they said they’d give me one if anyone cancels their order. Everyone is sold out on Munstead W right now.

@Desert Rose (10a Sunset 19)

Golden Opportunity is gorgeous-lush ruffles!

@SoCalGardenNut

Augusta Louise, and peonies are growing nicely! Lovely daffodil! You have some beauties starting this spring! My daffodils will bloom in a first week of April, soon I think!

LANDSCAPING:

In a week I am having a front yard cement walk platform removed & soil brought in to replace & putting more soil on front yard hill & replanting grass seed there. The front yard will be reseeded! Overhauling front yard! Hopefully new soil spread in beds, finished too! Then installing new mail box & setting out porch & front yard pots & ornamentals! I’ll do stone pathway & brick border beds later April.

New Bronze Mail Box

Diane, I thought you were joking about the Flying Ointment for witches!

Snowing hard!!

@Diane Brakefield, you are so right, clematis is very sneaky. This weekend I removed a dead Rouge Cardinal, today i found this clematis sneaking up behind the roses, not sure what it is, if it‘s purple, it‘s Jackmanii, if it‘s red, it‘s another Rouge Cardinal.

Belinda’s Dream today, this is my most dependable rose in my garden, it’s planted in a tight corner, surrounding by perennials from my compost. I finally saw a red snapdragon, which was hidden until now, and a few campanulas

Golden Celebration, in a few weeks this areawill be loaded with flowers, i cant wait

Grandmother’s hat

Kristine,

Wow! Your weather is fluctuating from snow, rain, 48F-28F & 60F this week!, says accuweather. Is that right? 60F sounds nice. Can’t believe you have freezes now…. but they’ll be gone in couple days! That’s good! My weather is still gradually warming-I just see spring emerging. You have had spring for awhile! Have you received all your new roses & plants yet & planted them?

I received a couple iris plastic pots & potting soil today. My Pomegranate tree from N Carolina, and my Good Omen Japanese Iris are shipped!

I had some clematis-a pink one last summer. I wonder if she is still alive?

@SoCalGardenNut

Beautiful blooms emerging! Belinda’s Dream is a scentous blossom! Golden Celebration is very popular-she’s going to be heavenly!

Trish, Flying Ointment? Lol!

Yes, Flying Ointment, Kitty. I use it all the time to get to town. That's why I grow so many of its ingredients. We had hail this morning, and it's 35F right now. I'm sick of this, being a desert person. Kitty, I love your letterbox which is quite elegant, and all your projects have my heading spinning (or maybe that's the flying ointment). You have got to show us photos of your front yard when all of this is done. You are singlehandedly raising the property values of the whole area.

Trish, I wasn't joking at all. You should try the stuff sometime. Reminds me of when I ate morning glory seeds at age 17 on purpose, hoping for an LSD reaction, and got nothing. So much for toxic morning glory seed. Still, I know of no pest that will eat morning glories.

SoCal, your Grandmother's Hat is scrumptious, and just look at all those buds. Golden Celebration is lovely and it's my second favorite Austin. Let us know which clematis you ended up with. At least Rosemoor has stayed in one place. Diane

Golden C

Diane, Lol! Flying ointment! Weird weather!

Rain drizzle for me. Thank you! In a couple months front yard should look good. Your front of home us gorgeous. Someday mine will be nicely finished, too. Enjoying thinking about prohects to get me there…. pruning roses on Monday, again! Need to do a little pruning daily. Your Golden Celebration is the best!

@Diane Brakefield, Golden Celebration is becoming one of my favorite climbers, i finally trained it to look like one.

Here’s another view of this rose a few hours later

scabosia with a bee

Magpie - I love seeing new growth push out. :) :) So pretty :) :)

Ben - I'm absolutely floored that Tom Carruth would offer you a job in the rose industry!!!! Your roses are incredible...so it's not a surprise that way...but HOW COOL!!!!! If anyone deserves this honor...you do! Your Juliet and Beatrice are great...I love both of them. Which one do you like better?

Diane - we're having below normal temps too...I'm wondering if my roses will go out before May. Ugh. Last year it was the middle of March when they started their in/out ventures. LOL on " so they would probably like the occasional puff on a ciggy--at least my depraved deer. " I knew that about lady's eyes...but I didn't know about Augustus' wife killing him with the stuff. Oh yeah...Audrey 3!! What a giant thing she was!

DesertRose - oh swoon!!! Golden Opportunity is so beautiful...I like those blooms even better than Julia's. Shhhh...don't tell Diane. LOL

Kitty that is SO good that you're getting plant deliveries already. :) :) Although, like you said...it would be nice if the night temps were above freezing.

Magpie - oh your poor mom. Eating mushrooms found in the yard? Eeek! I laughed when you said that your kids want you to take them swimming. I hate swimming too and I'm glad we're past all of that stuff. It's not the swimming that I hate but the getting out of the wet bathing suit and changing into normal clothes. You get so cold. And it's so much worse with kids. But they love it so much. You're a good mama. Do you have a different place to plant your new clem?

Ben - Leader of the Band (pack...Shangri-Las.) Cue motorcycle revving. :) :) I love watching Dateline too. I love seeing the bad 'uns getting their comeuppance.

Kitty - I love that mailbox! Great choice.

Kristine - you've got lots of snow falling. Drat! Go away snow. This is our hopeful season. :)

GardenNut - beautiful roses...my fave is your Grandmother's Hat. :) Oooh...that last pic of GC is wonderful!! She's a beauty!! I love your scabiosa...so does the bee.

Diane - LOL...you do not fly to town on a broom. Maybe feed this brew to your deer and they can fly away to the North Pole and get a job with Santa. :) Ooooh!!! I love your GC...sublime!

It snowed for hours this morning but by 10 it was gone. Every hour or so we are getting another flurry ( sadly not a Mcflurry )

I recieved myself daylily orders, one yesterday and another one today . They are basically roots wrapped in plastic so between flurries and the rain I planted them temporarily 1 gallon pots until they can go in the ground.

I planted 9

Gilbert h Wild had a lot of BOGO deals . Who would have thought that when I ordered in February that this is the weather that we would have ?

Magpie, swimming is one of my favorite things but stuffing in to a suit is frightening unless it is

Plus peeling off the wet suit is a pain but swimming is so therapeutic.

@SoCalGardenNut wow, South california, your fruit trees are so beautiful! thatis my goal. I want to plant them this year, what variety they are? i need to check if they can live in zone 6b. I do spray my roses plants and the I worried about meds get into fruit tree system. but I have not find a isolated place to plant fruit tree.

Kimberly. Thanks for the new thread. this year I am growing star of republic and koko loko, buff beauty, peggy martin. summer romance,