Roses and Rain
We have had more than 3 inches of rain in the past week. And here is the new rain gauge to prove it. On a post in the veg garden.
I’ve planted several roses from the Antique Rose Emporium this month. Two ‘Zephirine Drouhin’: one to climb up the yaupon holly and onto the pergola, and I don’t now remember where the other one is! One ‘Souvenir de la Malmaison’ by the small live oak in front. It can grow up the tree as the tree grows. I know ARE doesn’t recommend letting either of these get as tall as they will have to in these locations, but I fell in love with John McEllen’s ‘Souvenir de la Malmaison’ at the Ships of the Sea Museum, which drips down from a fairly large tree. The other climber is Thom’s favorite Cherokee rose, which is at the base of the big pine in front and I hope will grow up it among the confederate jasmine. I shall have to keep an eye on this, because the confederate jasmine is well established and liable to smother a baby rose.
The smaller roses are ‘Blush Noisette,’ ‘Champney’s Pink Cluster,’ ‘Ducher,’ and ‘Mutabilis,’ which I’ve planted around the pond. I am not real fond of the color(s) of ‘Mutabilis,’ but it does have the great virtue of flowering over an amazingly long period in this part of the world.
I’m sure you’ll enjoy your new roses. I also have Zephirine Drouhin, Souvenir de la Malmaison (it is a bit delicate here) and Blush Noisette and I like all of them very much. Here the soil is still to hard (due to frost and ice) for planting new roses. But there are also some new ones on my list for this Spring.
Comment by Barbara — January 24, 2008 @ 2:45 pm
I thin it’s funny that you forgot where you planted one of your roses. I can relate! I plant things just knowing I’ll remember what & where in the spring but am always surprised each year!
Comment by jim — January 24, 2008 @ 3:22 pm
Oh my goodness. Your blog is lovely. And, I love this rain guage. In fact, we gave my Dad one for Christmas a few years ago!
Comment by christy — January 25, 2008 @ 1:41 pm
Whoops, Barbara, you’re right. I can’t spell ‘Zephirine Drouhin.’ It doesn’t seem right without the e. Off to correct it. What other roses are you going to plant this spring?
Thank you, Jim. I am so happy to learn that you too forget where you have planted things. I find it plumb embarrassing, but I figure a gardening blog is no use unless you confess to the warts and all.
Christy, thank you so much. But there are lots of garden bloggers who are infinitely better photographers than I am. Check out Digging and Gardening Gone Wild. And Jim, at ArtofGardening, is no mean photographer, for all his protestations. (Although I confess I could live without the sound on your site, Jim. It’s probably absolutely appropriate garden music and that is merely my tone-deaf ear speaking.)
Comment by karen — January 25, 2008 @ 4:44 pm
Thanks for including my photography in the same sentence as Digging and Gardening Gone Wild.
Sorry you don’t like the music. The web, being an audio medium, I wanted to add some sound (I hate clicking sounds and mouse-over noises, their novelty wears off quickly). But Music is subjective, I may just take it out because it might be slowing the loading of the site.
Hey, maybe I’ll add the sounds of birds & crickets for that outdoor feeling! Who can object to that?
Comment by Jim/ArtofGardening — January 26, 2008 @ 12:42 pm
Love the idea of bird songs! Frog songs are also big in our garden for about 5 months of the year. The breeding season seems more spread out than it was when I lived in upstate NY (Ithaca). There, you’d get an intense breeding season in the spring–with the various species breeding at various times right after each other. Here, I think there are more opportunistic breeders. If we get a storm in September, you’ll find tadpoles in a roadside puddle.
Comment by karen — January 27, 2008 @ 8:04 am
Just for you Karen. Visit http://web.mac.com/charlierj/ArtOfGardening/About.html
You lived in Ithaca? I’m originally from Binghamton and have family from Ithaca to Binghamton.
Comment by Jim/ArtofGardening — January 27, 2008 @ 9:06 pm
Oh, Jim, the bird songs are lovely. Thank you!
Yes, I lived in Ithaca for 17 years and have loads of friends and relatives there. In fact we just spent a hard-partying Christmas there.
Comment by karen — January 28, 2008 @ 7:42 am
Souvenir de la Malmaison is my favorite rose, despite her tendency to ball when the weather’s wet. I can forgive her anything because she is just so beautiful. She’s proven quite tough in my Austin garden, too–thriving when lesser roses have bitten the dust.
Comment by mss @ Zanthan Gardens — February 16, 2008 @ 12:28 pm
Thank you for that good news. I’m delighted. I too have lesser roses that have bitten the dust. Our climate is pretty unforgiving.
Comment by karen — February 18, 2008 @ 10:39 am