ROSES, ROSES, ROSES

Growing roses for years it never seems to amaze me on how beautiful they are.
The fragrance, the colours, the different sizes and forms. There really is something for everyone.

Here are some fun facts about Roses.

The oldest living rose is said to be over 1000 years old and is on the wall of
Hildeshiem Catherdral in Germany

The Worlds Largest Tree Rose is located in Tombstone, Arizona (USA). It's canopy spread across more than 8,000 square feet and has a trunk diameter of approximately 12 feet.

When in bloom it's calculated to have over a million flowers.

Roses belong obviously to the rose family. But did you know that many fruits and nuts we eat also belong to that same family.
Almonds, Apples, Pears, Peaches, Nectarines, Apricots, Berries, and Plums to name a few.

Currently there are over 16,000 varieties of roses available in commerce.

The worlds largest Rose garden is located in Cavriglia, Italy.
It has over 7,500 different varieties of roses.

The rose hip contain more vitamin C than just about any other vegetable or fruit.

Although Roses do take a little extra time and care, to me they are worth it.
I hope you have a place in your garden for some.

What does this mean?
ramulosus --- twiggy
Plants with this name, Olearia ramulosa

BRACHYCOME

This year I decided to start more of my annuals. It was not only because it is very cost effective but also because I truly enjoy starting something from seed and seeing it through to maturity.
I figured I'd give a try at a few new plants that I haven't started from seed in the past. It's always good to try something new and for the nominal cost of a few dollars for a seed packet, I thought I really had nothing to lose. One of the new plants I tried was Brachycome.


Brachycome is a plant that I purchased before and used in mixed hanging baskets. I wanted to try it as border edging. This plants common name is Swan River Daisy and is native to Australia. A member of the Asteraceae family it covers itself with a myriad of 1 inch (2.5cm) daisy like flowers and blooms profusely until the first frost. It is not a tall grower topping out at 9 to 12 inches (23-30cm). It requires very little care other than full sun and occasional water.
The hybrid I grew was "Purple Splendor". I would recommend it, with only one small reservation. It had inconsistent colour ranging from periwinkle to orchid purple (you can see by the two photos above). I didn't mind the different colours but do know some gardeners when planting in large drift preferring one colour.


What does this mean?
eburneus --- ivory white
Plants with this name: Eryngium eburneus

DELIGHTFUL DAZZLING DAHLIAS

Earlier this year I removed all my dahlias, gave them away, and replaced them with new dwarf varieties. The old types that I had were beautiful but required staking and some extra work. I'm, at times, a lazy gardener and got tired of the maintenance. So the new dahlia bed is fill dwarf hybrids that top out at a max of 36 inches and come in a rainbow of colours. The flowers are all standard sizes, many with long enough stems for cutting, but they require no staking. It's wonderful! In the raised bed with the dahlias I've also planted cactus flowing Zinnias to round out the display. Once the the bed fills out I'll share a picture.


What does this mean?
laevis --- soft
plants with this term; Aster laevis, Escallonia laevis






vis

RETURNING

It's been way to long since my last post. My new job keeps me very busy in the Spring and early Summer, and now that business is starting to slow down I can return to blogging and share the goings on in the garden.

Since I have a lot of photos saved up over the last six month, my posts will feature plants currently of interest or in bloom in the garden, as well as some that have long since finished from their peak.

In addition, at the end of every post I plan on adding a fact on botanical names or nomenclature. I find this sort of thing interesting and educational. I hope you do too!

I look forward to posting again and as always feel free to comment or ask questions.

Happy Gardening, BOB