November is Native American Heritage Month, so our thumbnail for the month is Apache Tears.



This will be a busy month for me. I'll be planting at least 16 roses in the garden and I'll also be digging up many small roses to move into pots. Some of those are temperamental and will be easier to coddle when they're in containers, and others are so small that they get lost in the landscape.

I hope to get that done in the first half of this month because I'm probably going to have cataract surgery sometime in the second half of this month. The post-op recovery will entail about a week of virtual inactivity: no bending over or lifting heavy objects, which will be impossible unless I stay inside.

Beautiful choice, Zuzu.
Don't cataracts affect color perception? It will be interesting to hear if your perception of subtle colors on the roses changes after the surgery.
Twenty years ago, I had surgery that took me from legally blind to near perfect vision, and I was thrilled to see so many new colors, shades of color I had never seen. Picture going from an 8 color computer to one with 16 million. Overwhelming!
I hope you have your helper with you digging all those holes. Someone commented that they relocate roses if they are not growing well, so i am trying that with a few. Daylilies and iris that are encroaching on rose root zones are on the hit list this week, even though it is kind of late in the season. Our temps are still in the 80s, and the soil is moist from a recent 2" rain. My K&M order is on the way, and I am tempted to plant them out.

I am looking forward to the surgery, Cindi. It's the first age-related problem I've encountered that could improve my life instead of making it worse.

Best wishes! Everyone I know who has had cataract surgery has been very happy with the results.

Luckily, Cindi, I don't need a helper to dig holes. I have really good soil, sandy loam with no rocks or clay, and the recent rain will reduce the usual 5-minute job per hole to 2 or 3 minutes.

Thank you, Porkpal. I'm still in suspense because I have to have some blood tests to see how much clotting factor I'm producing. I'm a bleeder, and even in this kind of virtually bloodless surgery, there's a chance that the risk is too great. It's a bad place for prolonged bleeding.

Zuzu, my thoughts will be with you for the upcoming surgery - trusting all will go well!

the usual 5-minute! I would love to have you soil!!!

CindiKS said:Beautiful choice, Zuzu.
Don't cataracts affect color perception? It will be interesting to hear if your perception of subtle colors on the roses changes after the surgery.
Twenty years ago, I had surgery that took me from legally blind to near perfect vision, and I was thrilled to see so many new colors, shades of color I had never seen. Picture going from an 8 color computer to one with 16 million. Overwhelming!
I hope you have your helper with you digging all those holes. Someone commented that they relocate roses if they are not growing well, so i am trying that with a few. Daylilies and iris that are encroaching on rose root zones are on the hit list this week, even though it is kind of late in the season. Our temps are still in the 80s, and the soil is moist from a recent 2" rain. My K&M order is on the way, and I am tempted to plant them out.

Cindi ... I am probably the person who wrote about re-siting a rose. Often a rose can do well in your climate, but for some reason just isn't happy where you have originially sited it. But you can move it just a few feet or just to another bed and it's almost like having a new plant. The rose just takes off.

That's what happened with my 'Sweet Chariot'. I had it in the same spot for three years and it just limped along. I moved it to another bed ... maybe about six feet away from where I originally sited the plant and it is almost jumping out of the ground. I am caring for it in exactly the same way as I was before.

The only difference I can see is that it is further away from the juniper slope. On the other hand, it is closer to a larger spieria and has to contend with more full sun.

It's always something. The plant just handles the full sun better ...

Today was a really gloomy, windy autumn day. Around 10C not too cold but they have forecast snow for next week, probably/hopefully only a few flakes, so I thought it best to start winterising my roses. Still have quite a few to go but its a start

I am glad that we never have enough winter to require protection for roses - or much of anything else. In fact, this year we don't seem to be having autumn. It is still in the upper 80s with high humidity - fully 10 degrees warmer than typical. We had a dry October, but rain is predicted this week - maybe.

Zuzu, wishing you a speedy recovery and renewed vision! I imagine next spring your garden will be particularly wonderful to see!

We're experiencing a particularly dry autumn here, which seems strange after such a wet summer. Haven't even seen frost yet, which is also unusual (typically we see frost in mid to late October). I haven't clipped a faded rose off since September, but many are still cranking out the blooms.

Sharlene, did you mention you've ordered Buff Beauty? I was working on attaching mine to a support yesterday and thought of you- be sure to give it plenty of room! Mine has a cane over 8' tall now, and others about 6' tall, and it is an own root plant from a gallon pot planted this spring. It seems to be forming a wide, arching shrub, but I'm trying to train it more upright in order to weed underneath.

Today is Culture Day in Japan. It was a major holiday when I lived in Japan. We used to spend the whole day visiting our friends' schools to watch parades and performances (my sisters and I went to a French school that didn't celebrate the day, but did give us the day off). On this day the schools hold festivals, the emperor awards prizes for the arts and science, museums and art galleries waive their entrance fees, and orchestras present free concerts. The Rose of the Day is Concerto.

A lovely rose and an interesting holiday - new to me. Thanks, Zuzu.

@gemini_sage
Neal, you are right I have ordered Buff Beauty and you mentioned previously how big yours got. I am really in two minds about the spot I have selected not only because of your comment on the size but also the conflicting comments I have read elsewhere. A reputable vendor here in Switzerland gives the size at 80-100cm (typo??) another in Germany 100-150cm, and yet another 150-200cm. Been reading up on some of the German forums and quite a few people have mentioned Buff Beauty is not that winter hardy and requires protection?? I am wondering if the smaller size mentioned by the Swiss vendor takes into consideration the winter dieback???
Still have time to reconsider because my order hasn't arrived yet - hopefully next week

Zuzu, I looked up Concerto and was wondering why I have never considered ordering such a beautiful rose! I think it was because it is reported to be only slightly fragrant. Might have to think about it for next year ....

Cane hardiness may indeed lessen the overall size of Buff Beauty, which I would be fine with. I have mine situated where it is protected from winter winds, blocked by the house and the lay of the land, so it may not be too badly effected by winter cold.

Sharlene, I love the way you train your roses so nicely and end up with such a nicely formed plant overall. I think you'll use that talent to create a real show stopper with Buff Beauty. I'm considering trying some sort of obelisk trellis for it- even if it does experience a lot of winter die back, such a young plant growing so large so quickly makes me think it will fill out a trellis either way.

Today is National Candy Day. Apricot Candy is our Rose of the Day.



It's a large and vigorous hybrid tea, a non-stop bloomer with a nice fragrance.

Neal, I like your suggestion! If Buff Beauty gets too big in the spot I have selected, training it up an obelisk of sorts will work in the spot I have selected

By the way I cannot take full credit for the way I train my roses. It is based on the 'sissinghurst rose pruning technique'. Sort of similar to pegging but working upwards. I have found that using four posts instead of an obelisk makes it easier when you are working with the long canes.

This is National Love Your Red Hair Day. 'Ginger' is the Rose of the Day.

Brilliant choice Zuzu
Living here in Switzerland, Ginger is a nickname I haven't heard in years! I had a school friend who had the brightest red hair I have ever seen and freckles galore who everybody called Ginger!
Nice rose BTW but one which seems to be quite uncommon.

PS - was wondering which holiday you would choose for today. I thought it would be a toss-up between National Love Your Red Hair Day and National Wine Tasting Day.
I cannot celebrate red hair day, or brunette for that matter, but I will celebrate Wine Tasting Day by opening a bottle of 'Chianti' (Austin 1965)
Cheers all

I am intrigued by some of the special days and wonder whoever thought of celebrating such things as an appreciation of one's hair color? And who approves its recognition? How does a day become a "day"?

No idea how they come about but they are really intriguing and some are very funny!

Today is also Guy Fawkes Day or Gunpowder Day which commemorates the plot to blow up the English Parliament. It used to be celebrated in most of the common wealth countries. Growing up in South Africa, it was a day, as kids, we always looked forward to.
There is actually a rose registered under the name 'Guy Fawkes' (HMF) but no pics.

@cliftoncat Mika, is Guy Fawkes still a big celebration in the UK with fireworks and all?