This was the first full weekend we have been at the farm in months. The weather was wet and cool on Saturday, but Sunday was one of those glorious days of Autumn. You don't want the day to end, it's so beautiful. The sunshine is special on an autumn day. It always fills me with a sense of well being in a way that a sunny spring day does not. I don't know why.
- We went to dinner Friday night in Roundtop with Jeff and Amy.
- Saturday morning I drove to the Antique Rose Emporium and bought 15 rose shrubs to replace all the ones I've lost.
- I planted two Iceberg roses in the bed where the remnants of my Butterpat mums are struggling to stay alive. I made a monumental effort a month or so ago to eradicate the dayflower weed from that bed. It had almost completely choked out my mums. I've done some eradication in several beds (which is a fancy word for pulling up weeds with a determined effort). It's time to swing back around and go through a second effort. I am determined to get rid of it. Such a scourge. I chose Icebergs because they are good bloomers. I have several white roses (one of my Noisettes is white and Ducher is white), but Iceberg is pure white. Really unusual.
- I planted Mrs. Dudley Cross in one of my empty beds. I had no rose in that bed last summer. She is a yellow and pink blend globular flower. I already have one and I really like her. New foliage is bright red, and it can really be a standout as well.
- I planted Mrs Antoine Mari next to Caldwell Pink. At one time I had three of these wonderful roses, but over time they all died. The flowers are a light pink / dark pink blend. I wanted another one. She was a pretty good bloomer.
- I planted two Carefree Beauty roses in the bed right at the entrance to the Rose Garden. I had one Carefree Beauty there and it died. I replaced it with two. This is a very good blooming rose. Hot pink semi-double.
- I realized I left one of my wagons of roses at the Antique Rose Emporium, so I had to drive all the way back and get them. That killed an hour and a half. Frustrating.
- Saturday night we went to a party at Connie Gwynn's house. Very nice. We prayed before the meal. Country parties are special. The local judge and local police officer were there, so it was good to meet them. You never know!
- Sunday. I pulled up a huge armload of white Four O 'Clocks in the back flowerbed. Because of the heavy rainfall we have been having, most of them pulled out really easily with the huge bulb intact. I threw them in the fire pit because the only way those things will die is if you kill the bulb - and those bulbs have a strong urge to live.
- I walked the meadow to survey the progress of my wildflower seedlings that I sowed last month. The are coming along nicely thanks to all the rain we have had. Rain right at the time they are germinating is critical. If you don't have wet weather their little feathery starter-roots will dry up and die. So the weather really has been cooperating. I sowed a pound of Texas / Oklahoma wildflower mix as I walked along - scraping the dirt and stamping in handfuls of seeds.
- I planted a Veilchenblau by the arbor to the Rose Garden entrance. My white Lady Banks died this summer. I went to the Rose Emporium intending to buy another, but they only had the yellow one. The yellow one has no scent, so I decided against it. Also, Lady Banks blooms really early in the season. It is completely done blooming by the time we have our crawfish boil, and Veilchenblau is right at the height of bloom-time. It will make more of a statement. Both of them are once-blooming roses. It took some time to get her in the ground. I had to dig up the dead rose and cut the canes away from the old metal box springs that we have attached to the arbor. Once I got the dead rose dug up I had to turn over the soil and look for nasty Four O'clock bulbs that are still lurking in the soil ready to be a nuisance next spring.
- I planted two Belinda's Dream shrubs next to the one lone survivor still gamely hanging on. And I put one where the Mrs. B.R. Cant used to be. Belinda's Dream is a great, full pink rose with healthy green substantial foliage. It is the rose that I would recommend to people if they were only going to grow one rose. It's not my personal favorite, but it's a great rose.
- I planted a Louis Philippe next to one I already have growing. This is a red rose with a little white in the throat. In the spring it has a heavy flush which is quite spectacular. It blooms throughout the growing season as well, mine is in full bloom right now.
- I planted Heritage next to Duchess de Brabant. These two roses are in the hinterlands of the Rose Garden. Hard to keep them well-watered. I'll try my best. Heritage is one of the best-smelling roses I've ever grown. Chrysler Imperial is the other one. I don't have a Chrysler Imperial in my garden right now. It has a knobby-kneed appearance, like a hybrid tea. I like the big shrubby roses, so when it died I replaced it with Marie van Houtte.
- I planted Cecile Brunner next to Mrs Dudley Cross. She is also known as the Sweetheart rose, exquisite little buds that open to tiny, perfectly formed roses. I had one growing years ago in my Houston garden and I really liked her.
- I planted a Maggie in the bed where the Americrinums were growing. I dug out about 15 Americrinums from the bed and the surrounding area (they spread and become a complete nuisance) and planted Maggie in that spot. I left the americrinums laying on the ground, didn't even bother to find a spot for them. They will be there when I return, no doubt already re-rooting in the spot where I dropped them. Their will to survive is a lot like that of Four O'Clocks. I asked the lady at the Rose Emporium what her favorite rose was and she said Maggie. I actually already have a Maggie growing in the Orchard, and she has been a so-so bloomer but she is still young and sometimes they take a few years to mature into their true character. So I bought another one at her recommendation.
- I planted Mlle. Franziska Kreuger where my Heritage used to be. She is my favorite rose. It's hard to have a favorite rose, but she wins my heart. She is a great bloomer, and her color is a peach / pink blend. New foliage is red. I'll be interested to see how she does in the Rose Garden. The one I have had for years that made me fall in love with her is growing in the front flower bed with plenty of water. "Right Place" is usually the trick to having a lot of success with a plant.
- I fertilized all my new roses and some of the mature ones and mulched around all of them.
- I spent lots of time pulling up dayflower weed in my three most afflicted beds. It looked great in there by the time I left for the day, so clean and organized. The most important thing for me to do that will help these roses the most is to resist the urge to fill up all the flowerbeds with wildflowers! I completely smother them with wildflowers, and that weakens them. Not only are they crowded, but the tall plants around them block them from getting ample water. Then they head in to the torturous summer feeling puny. I can't seem to hold myself back from doing that! I'm really going to try to stay committed to their survival.
- I dug up some more of my wonderful, genuine southern Lycoris (Hurricane Lilies), about 25, and planted them in the area where my Fortune's Double rose is growing on the fence. That area doesn't get a lot of water. They should be happy there, and it will put on a good show. It's the perfect place for them.
- I weeded in the shady part of Star Garden next to the Hydrangea. What a mess it was. I've been walking by it for several months. It's been so hot that I couldn't face it. But Sunday was glorious and I was full of energy. I cleared out several armloads of debris and threw them in the woods.
- Sprinkled Sevin Dust on my collards. The bugs are devouring them, but they aren't touching the mustard green growing right next to them. Interesting. I read once that bad insect / caterpillar infestations happen when you plant something out of season. Perhaps I was too eager planting collards right now, perhaps it's too early still.
- Adjusted the sprinklers in the Rose Garden.
- Headed home about 5:00.
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