May Days

"The country ever has a lagging Spring,
Waiting for May to call its violets forth,
And June its roses--showers and sunshine bring,
Slowly, the deepening verdure o'er the earth;
To put their foliage out, the woods are slack,
And one by one the singing-birds come back.

Within the city's bounds the time of flowers
Comes earlier. Let a mild and sunny day,
Such as full often, for a few bright hours,
Breathes through the sky of March the airs of May,
Shine on our roofs and chase the wintry gloom--
And lo! our borders glow with sudden bloom."
- William Cullen Bryant, Spring in Town, 1850

Here Come The Roses

I'd rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck.- Emma Goldman

I planted several roses this spring and they are blooming already, of course the ones I've had around are in full force as well. Here are a few:

L.D. Braithwaite
(David Austin Roses)
Planted this spring.




Unknown yellow rose
3 years old











Pat Austin
(David Austin Roses)
Planted this spring

Unknown pink rose - age unknown

Altissimo
1 year old (first year bloom)












Mountain Music
(Griffith Buck Roses)
Planted this spring










My Grandmother's rose, my favorite and here is the history of this rose. I dug up this rose from my grandmother's garden last year after she passed away. According to my father this rose was transplanted from my grandparents farm to the house that they had lived in for about 35 - 40 years. (Mom if you're reading this correct me if I'm wrong) I planted it in the fall and it was looking pretty pitiful, I even checked on it through out the winter, I didn't think it would make it. I contacted the local nursery and they recommended feeding it some superthrive and I believe it paid off. Even though the bush is tiny this year the buds and flowers aren't. These pictures don't do it justice, the rose opens yellow, then turns pinkish and finally cream colored. I have never seen anything like it before.



Unknown cream/yellow/pink - 40 years old












I have some other roses that are just starting to bud and will post them at a later date. I just love roses more and more each day! Sunday I walked outside in the morning onto my deck and most of the roses are close by and let me tell you it smelled heavenly!

What's Growing?

When one of my plants dies, I die a little inside, too. ~Linda Solegato

Here's what's been growing in my garden the last couple of weeks , most of which I planted last fall.

I especially am excited about my clematis (I think it is "Dawn"), this is the third year and it has exceeded it's growth from last year already. It has four times more buds and it's still April!