First of all I would like to wish all of my dear readers a happy, healthy, prosperous, and rosy New Year 2014! Hopefully it will be a good one for the gardens as well!
For me it is a nice thing to start the New Year with talking about roses and I hope you feel the same.
The unusual warm weather that we were having in November continued throughout most of the December as well. As much as I enjoyed the warm and sunny days I am worried about the absence of the winter rains and wonder if they will come at all. The roses, of course, don't know any worries of that kind and many were still blooming beautifully last month, even though others have completely shut down. I guess, it all depends on the genetic disposition of the variety, how much sun the rose is getting, and if I have watered and fertilized it well.
I was amazed and at the same time very pleased, that I was able to pick the bouquet above for Christmas. It contains 'Pope John Paul II', the white roses, one bloom of 'Yolande d'Aragon', the very filled pink one to the left, and 'Grandmother's Hat', the remaining lighter pink flowers.
All roses used in this bouquet are very fragrant and they are able to perfume a room. It was so enjoyable to have rose fragrance in the house for Christmas.
'Yolande d'Aragon' is one of my favorite Old Garden Roses. I only wish she would flower more often. Basically last year she was a once bloomer in my garden.
I fertilized 'Pope John Paul II' in late October with the intention to coax him into giving me a sumptuous bouquet of white roses on time for Christmas. That didn't work out, though. He didn't have enough blooms on Christmas Eve morning to cut for a full bouquet, but right now he is really pumping out flowers. I can't say enough good things about this rose, except that he isn't compliant to the bloom schedule that I had set up for him.
'Grandmother's Hat' really surprised me by starting to bloom last month, again, and also put me to shame at the same time. I have planted her in a bed without irrigation, so I need to hand water it. It seemed to be the case that with my busy life I neglected this chore the previous months quite a bit, but in late autumn my life slowed down somewhat and I started to water more. Low and behold, this rose pumped out some very lovely winter roses. Note to the gardener: Never plant roses in an area where there is no irrigation, never ever!
Here is the same bouquet photographed from the back. Even though this is a small vase, I think I cut eleven roses for it. I am always astonished how many roses are needed for a bouquet to look full and lush. If I want that effect seven fully open big roses seem to be the absolute minimum.
Decorating for Christmas didn't stop in the house, but the garden got some embellishment as well. 'Georgetown Tea' is flirting with the giant Christmas ornaments.
The blooms of 'Georgetown Tea' aren't tiny, but they appear like that when they are close to the ornaments. I found them many years ago at one of the big box stores and they were gathering dust in the garage. I am so glad I got them out for this Christmas, again.
Here is a close-up shot of 'Georgetown Tea' from early December, when it was slightly cooler. The lower temperatures brought out her darker colors. I just love that Tea roses are so changeable. You never get bored with them!
This is 'Madame Alfred Carriere', which I had planted out from a container into the ground last summer. She grew and grew and grew, but no blooms. That was a little disappointing since I remember in December 2012 she was one of my most prolific flowering roses. Just a few days ago she started to produce, again. I can't wait to see what will happen in spring!
'Pierre de Ronsard' was just opening a bloom here and there, but boy, were they gorgeous and big.
This is 'Moonlight Scentsation', a rose with a very lovely subtle coloration. Unfortunately, it blackspots in my garden, which is rare for roses here and I was thinking of getting rid off it for that reason. It is still growing in a container, though, and might be a little stressed by its living conditions. Because of the beautiful color I will probably plant it out into the ground and give it one more chance and see if its health improves.
Here is another shot of 'Moonlight Scentsation' fully open. I do like the bright yellow stamens a lot.
My 'Climbing Iceberg' rose in the front yard by the garage had decided to produce a full flush of blooms. It mildews a little bit in that location, but who can resist these cheerful blooms?
'Our Lady of Guadalupe', also residing in the front yard, churned out a full flush as well. Unfortunately she has problems with powdery mildew, too. With this rose I have the impression that the susceptibility for powdery mildew has become stronger over the years.
On the other hand 'Old Fashioned Girl', also growing in the front yard in a very trying location, is healthy as one can wish a rose would be. In summer and even in autumn it becomes very hot where I have the rose planted and she stopped blooming for that reason. But now she has started again and seems to enjoy the cooler temperatures.
See you in the garden!
Christina
