January 12
The old house: Delphinum and ‘Georges Vibert’ Both were left behind, with Georges going to a former teacher of our daughter’s. He took a bunch of our container roses, actually! I brought a cutting of this Georges with us to new garden and he’s planted out. We’ll see how it does…
Well here we are in 2016! I don’t know about you, but even though this winter has been mild, I’ve had quite enough of it. I can’t wait for all the wonderful-ness that spring brings, my favorite being the time spent with a cup of coffee and loads of sunshine, potting up the baby roses and planting out the seedling annuals. I’ve noticed that there are lots of birds singing in the morning these days, and there is more sunshine for longer, so I feel like spring really must be right around the corner.
Remember my monthlong Celebration of Roses in 2015? I really tried to do that again this year, because I think we all could use some rosy goodness in January, but sadly, with the move and such I simply didn’t have enough new content to go around. I will shout it from the rooftops: I cannot wait to have my garden and this blog finally get back to normal!
The old house: I don’t think it gets much more “real” than this photo. Garbage cans/recycling bins, compost buckets, misc pots, and other not so pinterest-worthy nonsense. But wait, there’s a really cute bunny! That pink rose waving hello is “Arcata Pink Globe”, also one that was left behind. I did manage to get some rooted cuttings from it for the new garden.
There has been much going on over here in our neck of the woods, on a personal level, which has been keeping me busy. I don’t talk much about that stuff, as you all know, but I can’t help but say how excited I am that our daughter, who has been living in State College on her own since we left (attending PSU) has decided to transfer down here to Asheville. She was having a real rough go and it’s been difficult for everyone. All you moms out there, I’m sure you can understand how relieved I am that she’ll be nearby. So! The mister is back in our old neighborhood right now collecting her and it got me thinking about the old garden and how I’m long overdue for a blog post. Combine those two thoughts and you’ve got a bit of a hodge-podge of stray photos that I’m pretty sure never got shared here. Hold onto your hats, folks, it’s a lot!
Let’s start with some of the annuals that I grew in SC that did particularly well in 2014, like these seashell Cosmos. If you were one of the handful that got seeds from me, they may look like this….
…or white, like this! Cosmos are such happy flowers, aren’t they? Super easy to grow, just don’t give them too rich of a soil or you’ll get more foliage than flowers.
In a nearby bed were these Persian Carpet Zinnias. The butterflies went nutso over them and they bloomed right up to frost. I haven’t purchased my zinnia seeds for this year, yet, but I certainly won’t be doing the scabious kind again. (I’m still leaning towards these but haven’t committed yet. This is serious stuff!) Have you decided which Zinnias you’ll be growing this year?
Speaking of Scabiosa, that summer I grew this delicious “chocolate” variety, aka ‘Black Knight’. They would have grown straighter stems, I’m sure, had I planted them in a full sun location, but they still looked lovely in arrangements.
Recognize those little doily-like blossoms planted with the Scabiosa? Those, of course, are the Orlaya grandiflora flowers I’ve talked about. If you got some of those seeds from me, too, try growing them in containers. We had a little grouping on our porch last summer that looked so pretty!
The fact is, I love white flowers in the garden, especially the delicate-looking types. One year I picked up some Valerian from a local garden club sale. I planted it by the old shed in a dappled sun location that got a bit more moisture and boy did it take off. When it bloomed, you could smell the fragrance from across the yard and the bees loved it. Valerian root is often used by herbalists, of course, but I just enjoyed the flowers. Wish I thought to bring some of this with me!
Scent in the garden is a must, and I’ve had a lot of success with fragrant stocks which I grow from seed. I’ve grown this mix for so many seasons now, that I’m kind of bored with them, though. I’d love some in shades of peach. Maybe these?
And while we’re on the subject of purply/scented flowers, I found this old photo of the violets from our old garden. Did I show you this already? Gosh, this photo makes me miss spring. Here in our NC garden, we have violets, but they’re the “Confederate Violets” and look quite different. I don’t mind that they’re spreading in a mossy section of our garden. In fact, I have some fun plans for that area…think primroses, fairytales, secret gardens.
Here is another photo of the Delphiniums we planted in our old garden. I took this when we visited last June for our daughter’s HS graduation. This little clump loved the raised bed/part sun area I planted them in. This year, I purchased some Delphinium seeds that I’m going to try growing–I’ve never done that before so wish me luck!
Some people call Larkspur “poor man’s Delphinium” and I guess I can see their point, but I think Larkspur are a treat unto themselves. Sure, they’re ridiculously easy to grow (scatter the seeds, that’s basically it), but that shouldn’t make them any less desirable. I love the blue kinds which we have a plethora of every year….
…but the pinks are extra special. 🙂
Can you really have enough pink flowers? I submit that you cannot. When it came time to add Anemones to our new garden, I picked up this charming ‘Pretty Lady Diana’ variety and it bloomed for months!
I do miss this one, ‘Honorine Jobert’ seen here in the old garden. Another one I’m kicking myself for not bringing.
Oh, more white flowers! Here is a Nicotiana I grew from seed. Once you get them established in your garden, they’ll pop up everywhere so beware. The candelabra-like blossoms were at the tip top of a very large plant, probably close to 5 feet or more. The scent is intoxicating at night. I like to grow this type of Nicotiana for the moths. They need all the help we can give them!
This white form of Dicentra in bloom was one of my favorite bits of spring. One year I dug up some roots and sent them to a Twitter follower. I wonder if it ever bloomed for her. I remember taking this photo after we had painted the old shed and now I look at it and think look at all those forget-me-nots! Heaven!
The poppies were the real showstoppers, though. When we were leaving, I had several neighbors tell me how much they enjoyed seeing them in bloom and how much they’ll miss them. In fact, one time I looked out my window and some guy with a camera was standing in the middle of my garden taking photos. I was kinda like, OK this is weird but I totally understand. But anyways, I don’t think I ever showed these photos of the ‘Hungarian Blue’ variety I grew. They were just as pretty as the Lauren’s Grape, and the pods were ginormous!
The old house: Petite Lisette, Apothecary’s Rose, Comte de Champagne
The old house: Comte de Champagne, Apothecary’s Rose, Blaze, Petite Lisette, Henri Martin
The old house: the front walk leading to the container garden
The old house: Clematis ‘Niobe’ and R. ‘Flower Carpet Pink Supreme’ “Arcata Pink Globe” in background
The old house: Mme Hardy in foreground, Darcey Bussell and Princess Alexandra of Kent in background. A little baby bunny was living in that cedar tuteur, by the way. Really, really adorable.
Looking at these photos and seeing our old rental in the background, gives me such mixed emotions! I miss the garden something fierce. Rumor also has it that much of the garden was recently destroyed but I can’t even think about that it’s too painful. I don’t miss the house, though, even though I am grateful we had a roof over our heads during those years.
You might have noticed some bearded iris ‘Best Bet’ coming up in the photo above of the old house. I took just a tiny piece with me, but it’s still establishing itself here in the new garden. That is a stellar Iris so I hope it works out here. I did pick up some new ones at the plant sale last spring including this one seen above called ‘Rio Vista’. (Those raised beds finally got painted!)
Well that’s all she wrote! If you made it this far, thanks for sticking with me and I hope you enjoyed the flowers. Here’s a pretty peach foxglove for you and I wish you a wonderful week!
♡
Awesome! The new garden brings so many new opportunities!
Yes! Also it’s good to start fresh so you can avoid the same mistakes. 😉
Beautiful pictures! I grew the Lauren Grape poppy in 2015 for the first time, after I saw your pictures. The flower were pretty and but my seeds pods were very small. I think my soil was to blame (not enough compost and fertilizer). I plan to try Orlaya this spring to add to my cutting garden. It looks like Queen’s Ann lace but with a softer texture. I can’t wait till spring!! 🙂
I think you’ll really love the Orlaya. Oh and the Lauren’s Grape poppy pods are very small…I’d say about the size of a dime? Sounds like yours were just fine! 🙂
Wow, what a treat to my eyes, thank you for sharing, I love all the photos! Your garden is so lovely, it makes me sad you had to leave it. And my heart broke when you said about the rumor that much of the garden was recently destroyed 🙁
On the other hand, I can’t wait to see your new garden this spring!
*sigh* yes I heard that the lilac and old roses hedge that I put in was taken out and heaven knows what else was removed. I’m super bummed, too, because so many of those roses were purchased at Vintage before they closed and besides I wonder, what did they do with them? Throw them out? The lilacs were gorgeous, too. OK, I’ll stop thinking about it! Yes, spring! I can’t wait for it. With the mild winter we are having, so many of the bulbs I planted came about halfway up (some actually bloomed a little) and it’s a bit of a tease. 😉 Thank you for stopping and I’m glad you enjoyed the photos!
Oh, how lovely!
I’ve been so good this January, focusing on home renovation projects and not thinking too much about the garden yet. Now I’m itching to get out there! At least that’s the only itch I’ve got this week– we had mosquitoes up through Christmas. SO WRONG. That’s never happened before. Most of my perennials didn’t die back this winter and are still very much above ground, so I’m curious how early they’ll start blooming.
That bleeding-heart is stupendous! I am always staggered by how large they can get up north. I once saw a picture of one in a book about Tasha Tudor’s garden which was nearly four feet tall and round. They’ll reach a goodly size around here, too; I planted a whole bunch last year and hope they’ll be happy this spring.
I’m sorry to hear about your old garden. That’s the worst thing about moving! Do you live on a larger lot, now?
Mosquitos in December? Yuck! It’s bad enough we have to live with them all summer. What a strange winter we’re all having…
We had a bunch of perennials still up and about up until about a week ago and then they crisped up when we got into the teens. I wonder about how spring will go, too, as we’ve already even had some bulbs in bloom (like muscari and galanthus.)
The bleeding heart we in our old garden was insane. They popped up all over the place, too, and I was constantly either weeding out or relocating. They must have really liked the soil! I hope you get lots of flowers from yours this spring. They’re such a joy, aren’t they? Yes, we live on a larger piece of property–it’s about 1 acre versus the .25 that we were on before. However, most of it is wooded, so it’s been a bit of a challenge finding the sunny places while still respecting the trees and what’s already here. 🙂 Good luck with your reno projects!!
Love love the pictures with the wider angle. Don’t know if I’ve ever seen the full garden beds of the old house before. Helps me in my planning/placement!
Awesome! I’ll let you in on a secret: I didn’t do many of those wide shots because of the neighborhood we lived in–the photos would have always included their houses/trucks/yard nonsense and distracted from the flowers. Also, I didn’t really care for the exterior of our house but it was a rental so we were kind of stuck with it. I like seeing the big picture, too, when I visit other gardening blogs so I’ll try to do more of those in future!
Your gardens are spectacular and so far beyond anything I think I’m capable of. You have me dreaming of Anemones now though! And Poppies. I’m sure I need some of those!
Hi Jen, thank you that is so kind!
I hope these photos don’t ever discourage you. I try to make this blog a pretty place so what you’re not seeing in the photos are all the failed experiments, plants I’ve killed, and all the nasty bits that are cropped out. 🙂 I’m sure your garden is lovely and at the end of day it’s about having fun! BTW if you’re thinking about getting an Honorine Jobert I see that Bluestone Perennials has them in stock. It just got named Perennial of the Year!
Thanks so much for the pictures! I had decided this was going to be a very low key gardening year, now you have me thinking of improvements. Spring just can’t come fast enough!
You’re not kidding, I’m getting the spring-crazies over here! 🙂
Congrats on having your daughter near again. I can tell you from experience that is very special indeed.
Thanks for all the amazing photos.
It’s a long way to spring in SW Wisconsin and when it comes it will be the first for the rose bed I planted last May. I am so looking forward to seeing them.
Oooh that is so exciting, Sharon! You planted a bunch of David Austin roses, right? I’d love to hear more about them!
What a beautiful post. Perfect for days like this when we are still in the dead of winter. You always grown beautiful gardens and I know you will do it again!
Thanks Mom! And thank you for giving me so many opportunities to grow my own plants all those years!
Oooh, that was just what I needed. So much loveliness!! And now you’ve got me thinking of all the additional flower seeds I’ll need to buy. 🙂
I’m doing ok with winter so far, not pining for spring just yet (but I never say no to flowers). We’ve finally gotten the cold here and I don’t want to ever go outside. Right now it’s nine degrees and tonight it’s supposed to go down to negative seventeen.
I totally know what you mean about being in that in between state. I still miss my old garden and my new garden (a temporary garden, but a temporary that seems like it will go on for quite some time) is still lacking in many ways. We haven’t really had the cash to devote to it, either. Ah, well, flowers are flowers and as long as there are plenty blooming and I get to eat my tomatoes and herbs and cucumbers and peppers and peas and lettuces (and, and, and), I’m happy. Yes, I miss my roses, but I’ll have roses again (and might have to grab some cuttings from my mom’s new plants… yes, she planted Austins and they did wonderfully last year).
Thanks for the loveliness and all the inspiration.
And congrats on getting to have your daughter nearby again! I’m glad that worked out!
Hi Anne! YES I know exactly what you mean about in-between states and cash to throw down on a dream garden. As you know we went through all of that at our old rental and I was forking over hundreds for compost for the beds, plants etc. Now, we’re finally in our own home and it’s like, ummm, wish I could have brought all that good stuff with me. Starting all over on a very tight budget is hard. Ah, well. I’d love to send you some cuttings this year if our roses mature up enough. And on that note, I’ve been toying with the idea of doing a cutting exchange here on the blog. I know that there are cutting exchanges on all kinds of forums and stuff but thought maybe it would be fun to do something here with our small readership. (Anyone reading this have some thoughts on that please do chime in!)
We got our first snowfall this morning and looking out the window I can see that it’s already melting. It was beautiful while it lasted! 😉 Thank you for the kind comments about our daughter coming to NC. I feel such a spring in my step since she arrived! 🙂
I grew purple queen zinnias in my backyard in 2014 and in my front yard in 2015. One grew as tall as my porch roof and they bloomed and bloomed. I made bouquet after bouquet and the butterflies still had plenty of flowers to pose on.
Thank you for sharing your zinnias experience! I’m always keen to try new varieties. I couldn’t find purple queen but I did find photos of violet queen–that’s probably the same thing, right? That’s a really pretty one!
Funny – Yes, I just looked at my seed packet and it indeed does say Violet Queen. Now you know how all my friends feel when I say, “You know – the rose that was growing two stories high up that historic house where we went to learn how to take rose cuttings? The one the gardener called, ‘a monster.’ It’s that one.” Then, I’m forced to sift through my messy pile of tags, packets, and Popsicle sticks and look up how to spell Aviateur Bleriot.
Haha! Oh my gosh that really made me laugh! I have done that on so many occasions…and I’m pretty sure my box of of tags and packets looks just as crazy. 😉 Aviateur Bleriot…that’s a real doozy!
Laurie, it’s easy to see why you miss your old garden! You must have been the talk of the neighborhood. As for zinnias, Benary is the way to go. I hear. That’s what I’m planting this year. I had peach stock once and have not been able to find any since, but they were yummy!! Well, I didn’t eat them, but they looked good enough to. They mix well with old fashioned roses. In reply to the suggestion of a cutting exchange – count me in! There’s something special about roses that have passed through our gardening friend’s hands, and no better way to make new friends than through sharing our plants. Truly happy you have your daughter near by! I’d be giddy.
Thank you for all the great info, Andrea! I think you’ve helped me make my mind up–Benary’s it is. 🙂
If I ever find those peach stocks I’ll be sure to let you know…I can only imagine how pretty they are with roses. *sigh* Is it spring yet?! And thank you for your input on the cutting exchange. The idea has me all aflutter so we’ll see what I can put together! Oh and I’m sure I was the talk of the neighborhood, like “oh my gosh have you seen that totally weird lady who’s outside all the time and has, like, a million pots in her driveway?” 😉
hahahaha! That’s NOT what I meant. You are too cute!
😉
I’m brand new to your blog (this is my first post!) via way of your Etsy store, from a pin that came up in my feed of some bee earrings that you made.
I am SO glad I came over to your blog!
I am determined to grow more flowers than ever this year. Your pictures are very much what I’m hoping to achieve! Your photos answered the question I had of growing blue delphiniums and larkspur near pink roses. I am thinking they will look beautiful together now that I have seen the combination! I have ordered seeds of both, and the roses are supposed to come later. I always planned roses in this spot and after 9 years they will finally be going in. I’m also expanding my larkspur colors, as I have been growing purple for years. I’ve planted white larkspur in my white garden, but I’m redoing the area where the purple grows and putting in 4 French Lace floribunda roses.
A couple of places to check out for seeds: Wildseed Farms. I recommend shirley poppies and zinnias from them. They sell in HUGE quantities for a great price. I tried some from Johnny’s last year and very few grew, but my 3-year-old sees from Wildseed Farms came up just fine. They have lots of separate color choices; I really like the white ones in my white garden, and so do my neighbors. For the price, you get about 10 times what you get from Johnny’s.
I also recommend Outside Pride. They sell packets of 5000 seeds for $4.99 (depending on type; packets are the same amount but amounts may vary depending on the flowers). I also grow their white Vesca alpine strawberries in my white garden.
I love the peach stock you linked to; that is very pretty!
I stand corrected–this is the SECOND time I’ve been to your blog–within a week! Your rose propagation post is what had me starting another Pinterest board. I’ve got some roses I want to propagate soon.
I’m not sure what zone you’re in there, but Honorine Jobert is only recommended through zone 7. I have been comparing prices all over and I saw this early this morning. I’m a zone 9a, so even though I wanted to add it to my white garden, it’s out (but if you’re good for growing it there, I found it at Holland Bulb Farms, half off right now).
Hello Brandy! I’m so pleased that those little bee earrings brought you here. How neat is that?! Thank you for sharing your seed sources, too, I’ll definitely check those places out. 🙂
Oh wait, I just reread that other comment you posted…so you were here checking out the propagation post, first? That’s so weird to be brought here twice in a week! I hope you have lots of success with your cuttings, but I’ll warn you, it’s addictive! Once you start rooting them it’s hard to stop and you’ll be overrun with rose babies. There are worse things, right? To answer your question about the zone we’re in now, we’re in zone 7, but it’s a cold 7 as we’re also on top of a mountain. I’m still getting the hang of it, because during the day it can be hot as blazes and then the temperature drops out at night. We’re also trying to locate the different “climate pockets” in our garden and plan accordingly. It’s a work in progress! I’ll probably plant more of the Honorine Jobert but I shouldn’t be buying any more plants until the beds are actually laid out and ready for them. We’ll see how that goes. 😉 Thanks again for visiting and for your comments!
Beautiful photos.
What is the pink rose behind the larkspur?
How long will cuttings keep (unpotted) to exchange–it is rose pruning time in California.
Hi Barbara! That rose is ‘Strawberry Hill’, a David Austin.
There’s a fun method to rooting cuttings that you might like to try, which might buy you an extra couple of weeks. The method involves removing all the leaves and keeping the cuttings damp and cool while forming calluses (indication of roots soon to form.) Kim Rupert describes this technique: First check out this post which describes the process, and here is another one which gives further information. While I am definitely putting plans together to do a cutting exchange here on Hedgerow Rose it probably won’t be until early summer here in zone 7–much too late for your pruning time–but I hope those blog posts are helpful! 🙂
Hi Laurie,
Great post…I bought a good handful of new roses this year when I was planning to buy only one. I have too many right now (can a girl have too many roses…???) LOL
I bought the Orlaya seeds and should be getting them any day now, sooo excited! Bought enough to share with my Rose Friend!
Quick question for you…what is the pale pink rose at the top of your Home page for your Blog…and also over to the right, just below the “About” tab? I am ALWAYS on the hunt for the elusive pale pink rose…which I have Souvenir de Malmaison and am trying to order Comtesse de Rocquigney…but am hoping there is another I do not know…
Thanks for all your inspiration…it is VERY helpful for me!!!!!
Much thanks and Happy 2016!
A girl can never have too many roses! There’s always room for one more! 😀
Let me know how you like the Orlaya. I think they are so much prettier in person, especially if you like delicate-looking flowers.
Ok, pink roses: the one in the header is Arcata Pink Globe. I was looking for a rose on a white background in my photo files and so I popped that one up there even though I probably talk about it too much. 😉 The rose on my About tab is the ubiquitous ‘New Dawn’ which I think photographs so well, don’t you? How wonderful that you have SdlM. I tried bringing ours with me and it died. Darn. Also, we used to have CdR and it was fantastic but didn’t survive the Pennsylvania winter (so word to the wise protect that one.) May I ask where you found yours? Mine was purchased from Vintage Gardens and of course they’re closed now. Double darn! My favorite color roses are the pale pink ones, too. Thankfully, there are so many of them! I recently added some pale pink David Austins to the garden that are doing well so far: A Shropshire Lad (sort of more apricot pink), James Galway, St Swithun, The Generous Gardener, and I have on reserve for spring The Albrighton Rambler. Other pale pinks that we have recently added are: Blush Noisette, Elie Beauvillain, Madame Alfred Carriere (sort of a warm blush), Mme Berkeley (more of a copper pink) and then of course my favorites: Celsiana, Strawberry Hill, Cornelia (varying shades of pink), Mme Ernest Calvat (true rose pink). Ok I’d better stop now I’m getting to excited for roses and there are still 51 days until spring!
Hi Laurie,
I have been put on a “wish list” for CdR at both Rose Petals Nursery and also at Greenmantle Nursery. One will not be ready until next spring and the other may have one available later this spring. I hope I am able to get at least one out of the two places…I just LOVED it on your blog.
I also have the Wedgewood Rose which I saw in someone’s garden and loved…you gave me great suggestions for more pale pink roses…YIKES, I am swooning wanting to buy more..!!!!! I may have to think about Arcata Pink Globe and for sure New Dawn…it has been on my list a long long time.
And also Mortimer Sackler is just gorgeous, I saw it at a local nursery.
Hmmmm, I may have to re-think everything….thanks so much for all the info!!!!! : )
Thank you for the info about CdR! I think I’ll pop over and add myself to the wishlist. 🙂
I forgot all about Wedgwood rose. Oh gosh, that one is so pretty, thank you for the reminder! Ooh I also forgot about Queen of Sweden (Austin.) Everyone I’ve talked to that grows it says it’s a real keeper and I’m thinking about picking it up for spring. You’ll love Arcata Pink Globe but it does bloom only once and it can get quite large. Don’t purchase one yet, though, because if ours do well this year I may have cuttings to share. Have a great weekend!