Tuesday, October 31, 2017

The flowers from 2017

Darcey Bussell

All in all the flowers did great this year.  There will be some moving around of things that are too big for their spots and things that aren´t thriving, but that will have to wait for colder weather.  William Morris just hung his head and looked pathetic all summer, so he´ll need some shade.  Darcey Bussell bloomed well, as did Munstead Wood who needs and deserves a better spot.  Falstaff lost his leaves in September, he may be tired of being in a pot.

The Roses

Comtesse
Don Juan
Roses old and new all did well.  It was a hot, dry summer so foliage suffered.  Blackspot arrived and stayed. 
Bremer Stadtmusikanten

Apricot Nectar

Special note to Eden (Pierre de Ronsard), famously stingy and slow growing, who pumped out no less than 4 flushes from his pot.  To be planted on a yet to be built arbor around the veg patch.

Eden
 
A new problem appeared, in some beetles, first irridescent green, then black that started eating the light colored, fragrant roses.  First spotted on the unknown white in June.

unknown
 

They then hit Sharifa Asma and Molineaux, leaving the blooms half eaten.  By that time, the giant white dahlia  My Love was blooming and acted like a beetle magnet.  Since it´s too big for it´s spot, and I´d rather not have the roses chomped, it will get moved.  Fortunately, it´s also very attractive for all kinds of bees and butterflies.

The Dahlias

Dahlia Cactus ¨My Love¨

Dahlia Decorativa ¨Duet¨


Dahlia ¨Black Prince¨

Planted some bulbs from the Ag coop.  Two of the three came up - Pompom was a no-show.  Also, since I loved Black Prince from last year, I dug up the roots, separated and stored them for spring and then planted them around the place.  They mostly survived OK, but are very floppy.  I love that burgundy color.  I don´t believe I´ll bother digging this year, except for the giant white beetle attractor.

Others

Indigo bloomed, despite suffering from the drought.  Now waiting to see when I should harvest for seeds for next year.


Some surprise fall-blooming gladiolas showed up.


The marigolds were crazy this year.  I´m gathering flower heads to try some experiments with natural dyeing.

I have to note that I´m really having a hard time working up any enthusiasm for the long list of redoing beds or moving things around.  I need to put up some more wires to tie the climbing roses who are actually climbing.  The iris need digging and separating and several other things moved but that can´t happen until I free up some bed space somewhere else.  We have the number of a guy with a tractor to till up a section of the pasture for veg next year, but that area will then have to be amended and turned into beds.  There will be leaves to be gathered and spread.  I have to get more manure from the horsey place, which will then need deep mulching to keep grass from sprouting.  I´m tired thinking about it.

And, Breo went back for surgery on his other knee and is now hobbling around the house needing attention.  He had a bad first night, but since then has cheered up and started showing some more spark.  It helps that we´ve been through the procedure before and know a little more what to expect, but we still stress out about his welfare.  Keeping him relatively still is nigh unto impossible.

So, blogging may be haphazard until the new year.  But in any case, I wish everyone a Happy Halloween, Blessed Samhain and fall season.

10 comments:

  1. What a lovely flower garden you have, and which I envy. But a lot of my time is being spent on getting the vegetable gardens sorted out. Hopefully next year will give me more time to get the flower beds sorted out.

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  2. I use the excuse that flowers bring polinators to the veg. But really, it helps to have flowers to delight the eye.

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  3. I have a Munstead Wood, bought this year..fantastic perfume, and the Comte de Chambord is still blooming and smelling fantastic now!

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  4. Hi GZ,
    MW is a really, really good rose. CdChambord is a classic, but I don´t especially care for pink. Which is such a shame, since so many roses are!

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    1. It is a dusky pink..I'm not too keen on pink...but just shut your eyes and taste the perfume of C de C.....

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  5. Hi, Coco!

    So many different rose varieties! So beautiful! I had a lot of blackspot, too. For once the Japanese beetles ate everything BUT the roses. Your beetle is something different, though it's about the same size. How gorgeous your dahlias are. Is one supposed to dig them up every fall and store them inside?

    Poor Breo - and poor you. I hope he feels better really quickly; no, maybe not - he'll just get into more trouble. Are you now through with the surgeries?

    Pam

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  6. Hi Coco,

    The roses look really beautiful despite the black spot. And the Dahlia's were amazing, I've never seen one like the 'Duet" before. I have no idea what the beetle is. Thanks for sharing the photos.

    Chris

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  7. Hi Pam,

    Yep, surgery was about 10 days ago. Now I´m schlepping him to the vet every few days for new bandages. The last time, he managed to get the whole thing off in the car on the way there. They say he´s healing well.

    You´re supposed to dig the tubers if you get freezes. But it´s really time consuming, and then half the tubers don´t have eyes, which are kind of hard to find. I´ve decided life is too short and winters here are normally too mild to bother.

    Hi Chris,

    I´ve never seen these beetles before either, first green and then black. Can´t seem to find them online either. Drowned quite a few and then gave up, since they were all heading straight to the dahlia.

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  8. Take a whiff of the beans to 'reset' your nose before smelling the next perfume - it's a trick that works. Keep going and you should be able to narrow down your search to perhaps just three or four fragrances. Parfum femme pas cher

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