More roses

My "Charlie Brown" rose (ya know, like the Charlie Brown Christmas tree?) is finally getting its day in the sun (literally and figuratively). While 2 of my 3 roses I bought together got great spots in the front of the house, the 3rd one I stuck in a pot and neglected in the back yard. The first year, it was pathetic. It had giant holes in the leaves, never bloomed, and was super stumpy. Last year I left it in the pot and at least moved it out front. But it was still a sad specimen.

Last fall I planted it in the front yard, and this spring I gave it a beautiful trellis (yay for garden sales). It has paid me back in spades.

Now I'm tempted to buy more...

Everything's coming up roses

Despite deer, a groundhog (living under the neighbor's porch!), various insects, and an exterminator who sprayed something that killed ladybugs, our roses are thriving.

We have 3 climbers. Make that 4, but I keep forgetting about the one I just tossed in the front yard. 2 of the climbers are slowly making their way up the pillars on our front porch. I got a giant trellis for the one I finally put in a good spot. J asked why I got such a tall trellis for something that wasn't going to grow very high. It's now over halfway up the thing. Guess I showed him.

The 2 climbers on either side of the porch are blooming away right now, and they're blooming in giant clusters. Which makes it easy to cut them for the table.

I apologize for the less than ideal picture. I should have used natural light.



These are from the climber called Irish Heartbreaker. A few days later, I took cuttings from Dublin Bay. The roses are larger, and a slightly darker red. They all opened up while they were sitting on the table, and they look gorgeous.

Roses!

My roses are doing great this year.

I have 3 climbers. 2 are growing up the pillars on the front porch, and one has its own trellis. The blooms are beautiful, and a thoughtful deer comes and eats the dead blooms. How nice...

More roses, and a knitting update

My pink roses are popping!







And for the first time in a long while, I finished a knitting pattern! It's called the meandering rib scarf from Lion Brand Yarn.



I used this yummy yarn I bought at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival.



It's a luscious merino wool, but it's has a nice heavy cotton feel. And the color--the pictures don't do it justice. I still have one ball left, so I'm searching for another good pattern.

A rose by any other name

Way back when, I posted about receiving new roses for the yard. I planted them, treated them with tender loving care (and a lot of rose spray), and hoped for the best. They didn't bloom much the first year, but I was confident they would overwinter and come back strong.

And then we had a winter from hell. I'm still waiting for consistently warm temperatures. We had a frost warning on June 1. June 1!

But the roses survived, and then some!

Here are the first blooms of the year.

Even Hobbes got in on the act. For a cat who usually begs to go outside, this little adventure required a lot of coaxing. This was his first stop on the way to check out grass.

My roses are here!

We have a white house. Even the neighbors call it the white house. Off white exterior, off-white walls, off white carpet and linoleum--well, you get the picture. I've been slowly adding color both inside and out, and I wanted a punch of color in the landscape. So I ordered 3 climbing rose bushes--2 for the pillars on our front porch, and one for the railing off the back porch. They came today:

They may not be much to look at (yet), but give them time. The 2 going in front are a beautiful red, and have Irish names that we love (Dublin Bay and Irish Heartbreaker), and the one going in back is a multicolor rose called Joseph's Coat. I can't wait for summer!