I never promised you a rose garden

[dancinghorse]

...but one way and another, we ended up with one.

It's been a while. I've been reading and posting elsewhere on lj, but the blogging Muse has been persistently AWOL (probably on the beach with Aruba where my fiction Muse has been known to hole up when it's work time)(the pina colada bill for those two is off the charts).

We have had a very nice, almost-ten-day Camp. There have been Adventures with Family in Hospitals (OK now, and should continue OK, we hope). But! Pooka finally got his needles, and is finally doing better. And the rose population is exploding.



Pooka gets his needles:



And he is HAPPY about it:



And as for the roses...

Blue Girl, a little crisped around the edges but determined to prevail (this one survived a snowstorm, among other things):



Chicago Peace in April, big as my hand:



The garden, located where I remember to water it on my way to the barn (rosemary and Aleppo pine awaiting transplant...someday):



Today's crop, away up out of cat reach (mmmm rose-petal salad):



Featuring Tropicana, Chicago Peace, and Blue Girl:

Comments

[adriannem.livejournal.com]

I think you have all of my favorite colors! I need to do some research. I want to plant 3 more rose bushes. I like roses with a heady bouquet, but all the roses I've sniffed lately have been duds.

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

I'm into the fragrants, too. Chicago Peace can be iffy--mine is light but sweet. Tropicana has a lightish scent as well, but definitely there. Almost spicy--and the color is stunning. Blue Girl has it all. Beautiful hybrid tea fragrance.

The two that are resting this week are both deep plum/lavenders (though one comes in pink in hot weather): Melody Parfumee (rich, strong old-fashioned damask scent) and Heirloom (my favorite: gorgeous, pure old rose scent--that's my Rescue Rose, $7.98 at Home Despot, nearly dead in the pot, and starting to come back now it's got proper potting and nutrition).

My mom has some wonderful ones for fragrance. Neptune (blue/lavender/silver) and Henry Fonda (clear yellow). Also Pope John Paul (pure white), which has a lovely citrusy scent.

I would love to have a black rose that's fragrant, but haven't found one.

[stlscape.livejournal.com]

I can attest to the Tropicana scent (don't know the other roses.) I like the Tropicana - it's definitely there, but not overpowering at all.

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

Melody Parfumee is definitely a heady scent. Real old damask, knocks you down at thirty paces. Almost too much for me, but I love the color--in the garden photo, it's the two blossoms in the foreground. Heirloom is my definition of perfect rose scent. Plus, bonus plum color.

[adriannem.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the tips! I'll look them up.

[monder.livejournal.com]

If you can still find them, Simplicity (pink rose many options) and Double Delight (red and white) are wonderful smelling roses. Unfortunately some of the lovely old hybrid-tea roses I knew aren't sold anymore, Peace and Mr.Lincoln were some of my grandfather's favorites and smelled wonderful.

If you wanted to try a miniature rose you could see if they have Black Jade, it's not a true black, but it was very dark and lovely fragrance.

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

Mr. Lincoln and Peace are still available here--saw them at Home Despot last month. My mom has both. They're beautiful. Double Delight's another one we see a lot of.

Black Jade. Will make a note. Thank you!

[badgermirlacca.livejournal.com]

Oh, gorgeous. I really like your garden!

We get wild roses here--or we did before the new neighbors tried to mow them all down, boy aren't THEY in for a shock, heh heh heh--but you don't often see domestic roses, probably because they'd be deer lunch. I have rosemary to burn, though. And honeysuckle is taking over the barn fence, smells heavenly.

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

We used to have honeysuckle by the porch of our old house in Maine. Lovely. Also over 100 feet of lilacs--now that's my favorite.

[birdhousefrog.livejournal.com]

chicago peace is one of my favorites.

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

It's going great guns now--more flowers than green--but I'm hoping there will be some blossoms while you're here. The heat makes them smaller, and they fade. But they're still pretty.

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

I am delighted to see such a happy Pooka. I hope he stays happy.
Blue Girl is the most beautiful colour. Most roses are lovely, but the ones that shade into that soft mauve are my absolute favourites.

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

I am thrilled with Blue Girl. I bought the plant last fall from the local organic nursery, on faith--it was nearly ready to winter over, had one somewhat blown blossom, but was big and sturdy at the root and the nurseryman assured me it was both lavender and fragrant. This spring it came out with guns blazing, and is now three feet high and blooming like a blooming thing. It got somewhat blasted in our monster heat wave, regrouped, and is now coping admirably.

I love the lavender roses. This is the most beautiful I've found.

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

She sounds like a real beauty.
The National Rose Collection is about 45 miles away from me, and their roses... I have never seen such beautiful colours or so many lovely scents.

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

I call her "she," too. :)

I can imagine what the collection is like. England being so in love with its roses and all.

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

Those roses are wonderful! I have some similar color combos, and just adore them.

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

:)

[sea-pony.livejournal.com]

I love roses!

Just planted two Peter Beale rosebushes last week. Kind of a wild looking red, continual blooming variety. Supposed to be fragrant and hardy too. I have to opt for the rugged types. I cannot give the delicate ones the care they require right now. Someday I would love a courtyard garden filled with all kinds.

But anyway... omigosh! Pooka looks so little in that picture! Mr. Cutie-Patootie!!