Some pretties

'Quietness', a Buck rose. I have previously ragged on this rose, but I was stupid. I moved her in the winter to the west side of the house which is pergatory for roses, expecting her to croak, but she fooled me. She loves it and is growing and blooming. And I'm a happy gardener.

'Quietness' - Not only a beautiful face but an exquisite fragrance as well.

A fading flower

Easily a 4-inch bloom

And more coming.

Dianthus chinensis - the brightest, most cheerful flower in the garden

'Maman Cochet' on her way back from the thrips invasion

Same flower the next day

'Sherry Lane Carr' daylily and larkspur

'Capitaine Dyel de Graville', a sport of the Bourbon, 'Souvenir de la Malmaison'. I call him Lady Killer.

'All American Magic' daylily

'Pinkie, Climbing'

'Mary Guthrie'

Again - she just thrills me.

'Marchessa Boccella', one of a few Hybrid Perpetuals that grows well in Florida.

She's fragrant, too.

And seems to enjoy living in a purple pot.

She's a very sweet rose and bush.

'Madame Abel Chatenay', my baby. I would have a whole garden of her if I could.

A close-up of her. The tinge of brown is thrips damage. She fared well against them and never even balled.

Covered with buds

Salvia farinacea aka 'Victoria Blue', a completely wonderful perennial companion plant for Florida

'Lilian Austin' and an immature Purple Coneflower bloom - I like Lilian a lot.

The peahen has paid our neighborhood several evening visits since Saturday. This time when I heard her I followed her voice and caught sight of her just as she flew from the neighbor's front porch roof up to the turret roof. Very regal, don't you think?

A few blooms but no armadillos

I think I ticked off the armadillos. This morning the gardens were more dug up in several places than they’ve been in a long time. The traps were empty. The big trap had sand on the trigger plate, but the door was still open, and one board was pushed over partially. DH thinks the sand was kicked onto the plate and not tracked on. Perhaps the armadillo pulled over the board trying to get back in the tunnel. Just went out and checked the traps. The board was moved again. Guess I have to find a bigger, more hefty board. The one in the back is still empty.

Much nicer view out the back door with the scraggly limbs gone. Feel the cool air in this photo?

The perfect cool air and crystal blue skies are still with us as is the broiling Florida sun. After I cut up and loaded the tree branches into the truck along with other garden debris for tomorrow’s pick-up, I drove around to the front to unload. The truck sat in the dinnertime sun for about 20 minutes while I collected other stuff for the pile. Since I had blocked DH’s space with my ‘yard waste’ pile, I got back in the truck (or should I say oven?) to move it around to the back again. Maximum AC did nothing to relieve my sweating on the two-minute trip but upon opening the door the cool 75-degree air washed over me like air out of a refrigerator. I shivered this morning with temps in the low fifties in my shirt sleeves and bare arms. Tomorrow I’ll wear a jacket. Don’t want to shock you but I dislike being cold. Check out the temps and humidity this afternoon.

Oh, I almost forgot. I bought a plastic sprinkling can on the way home so I could apply the Liquid Karma. I think a rose friend said she used this and it really helped her roses. It’s humic acid and kelp. I recently decided it might help my roses and the native ground under the amended soil. So each rose bush in the front garden got a gallon and a half of humus showered on its leaves and the soil beneath. I think they also need some Milorganite in a week or so and maybe some composted horse manure.

‘Marchesa Boccella’, an 1842 Damask Perpetual, had one small, lovely flower today and some very nice foliage. Surprise, surprise. Oh, my goodness, I forgot to smell the rose.

‘Nur Mahal’, a 1923 Hybrid Musk, had two or three flowers today, and not much foliage. I just cut him back on Sunday in an effort to promote leaves. Maybe he’s just starving. Or maybe my thumb has turned black. Let me check my thumb and get back to you later.


On the other hand ‘Alexander Hill Gray’, a Tea from 1909, had two flowers today and lots of leaves. I’m really liking AHG who just came to the garden last November, but I also like ‘Nur Mahal’, with or without leaves.

Some rain-soaked lovelies

I went for a quick walk in the back garden with camera in hand and found some surprises.

'Indy Snowfall' just starting to bloom with hopefully many more to follow.

Mr. Spider (don't know his real name) lounging and/or lying in wait on 'Souv de la Malmaison'

Rain lilies a little beaten down but still beautiful

'Borderer' getting ready again

'Polonaise' full of new growth and flower buds

'Marchesa Bocella' and benefactor - The rose is a Damask Perpetual from 1842.

Stop the world!  'Jaune Desprez' has her first flower!!  A Noisette climber from 1830 planted here in September, 2009 and said to be slow to get going.  I'll say!

Let me catch my breath! A blooming Foxglove! Quite late but I'm not complaining. Can you see the brown stump of the central stalk courtesy of the stupid  squirrel(s)?

Curly flower stems? The chewed-off stalk is left of center above the flower.

One of my lupines still green and living but small and not a flower in sight.

This is several plants of  'Periwinkle' aka Vinca, a little bowled over by the downpour. Please note that it is not growing in the amended and watered bed but in the 1" deep gravel over weedcloth and only rooted above the cloth. When standing upright, it's almost 2' tall. It reseeds and gets big in this spot every year, blocking the path but that's OK. It used to reseed all over the back garden but not since all the beds are under irrigation. I think it's beautiful, and seedlings are still popping up elsewhere - in the gravel. It has died quickly when I planted it in a bed.

Remember my former eyesore? No longer an eyesore but not blooming either. Maybe 'Penny Mac' doesn't bloom until the second year?

'Duchesse de Brabant' - a Tea rose from 1857

'Blush Noisette' bearing beautiful buds. She's a Noisette from 1814.

 Between the rain and all these surprises I'm just plain flabbergasted but not exactly speechless.