The thumbnail photo for this month is Summer Memories, because memories are all we'll have of this summer soon.



Summer Memories, by the way, is a superb rose. It blooms frequently and profusely, the blooms stand up well to heat and rain and the rose bush itself always looks good.

Lovely rose Zuzu but the furthest thing from my mind are summer memories! I don't want to think about the season coming to an end.

We always take our summer vacation in August and starting today we have three weeks off work.

Also today is Swiss National Day, the 725th to be exact so, if you don't mind, I would like to propose a 'rose of the day' just for today in celebration of Switzerlands Birthday
'Schweizergruss' which means 'Swiss greetings' (aka Red Favorite)

I like the Rose of the Day. Happy Swiss National Day. We should give that some thought on other holidays. Unfortunately, they don't all have roses that fit the occasion. The next holiday I see on the calendar, for example, is International Beer Day this Friday.

After almost a year of dire warnings about landscape changes because of the utility pipe running along my back fence and months and months of conflicting opinions regarding the numbers of plants that would have to be removed from the utility company's easement, the main inspector came here today and informed me that the pipe actually is on the other side of the fence, on my neighbor's property. The only things that will have to be removed on my side are a dogwood tree, a huge Hibiscus syriacus, and just two roses. I had anticipated the loss of at least 47 roses, and possibly more if they had to dig a wider trench, but only two of my roses near that fence have a structure comparable to trees, with canes as large as small tree trunks and roots that most likely have spread beyond my fence line: Climbing Peace and Grimm Brothers Fairy Tale.

It's quite a relief, although I had anticipated the loss of all the plants near the fence, so I neglected that part of my garden shamefully, and now it's almost a weedy wasteland. I'lll be busy for the next few weeks with clean-up work out there. The removal won't happen for another couple of months. Maybe by then I'll find a spot for Brothers Grimm somewhere else in the garden. I already have another Brothers Grimm in another part of the garden, but this one that's slated for removal really is magnificent. Climbing Peace is no great loss. It doesn't bloom as often as the non-climber, and I already have three non-climbing Peace roses, so there will be no shortage of Peace blooms here even after the climber's gone.

Summer Memories is very appealing to me, and its a Kordes hybrid, so it would probably be happy here!

Zuzu, what a relief that you don't have all that work on the horizon!

Happy Swiss National Day Sharlene!

I used to dread winter coming, but the last couple of years I've almost looked forward to the end of the growing season. We've had unusually wet summers the last 2 years and the rapid plant growth gets overwhelming for me at the end of summer, it feels like I could wake up one morning to find the house and vehicles completely obscured by growth! I think as I get older it feels like both the garden and my body would use a break.

With this heat, Neal, I agree. My body could use a break. Oh, yeah ...

However, I truly am looking forward to the fall flush. That will be something.

Did all of the Palatine customers get a nice e-mail from Rahel Schmitz today? It says:

"Although we are in the heat of
summer with record breaking dry spells, we are thinking ahead to the
next rose season. We would like to remind you that our catalogue will
be mailed early September and our shopping cart will open again
September 12, 2016 9:00am EST."

I hate the new time. Now I'll have to place my order at 6:00 in the morning, about 2 hours past my bedtime and 6 hours before I usually wake up.

How inconsiderate of them!

Zuzu, I bet you are relieved that the pipe is on your neighbour's property!
Having a rose for each holiday is a great idea and I am really curious to see what you come up with for 'International Beer Day' - maybe Frothy?

Neal, that tired feeling usually only get's to me October/November when the fall clean-up starts!

As I mentioned in the July post, we always tend to post the 'pretties' - well here are some 'uglies'!
The most disappointing new roses this season .....
Deep Secret, Love and Peace - completely defoliated


Parfum de Grasse and Docteurs Massad - didn't loose all their leaves but almost


Quite a few minis have a reputation for not being that resistant - these two, new this season, confirm that
Diamond Eyes and Baby Jack - completely defoliated but have recovered although BJ is spotting again


Older roses which I keep because I just love the blooms
Purple Tiger - starting to recover and Iris Webb - looking much better


Close up nasties


Just part of growing roses?

Which roses are a disappointment for you??? Please share

I recognize so many of those photos. They could have been taken in my garden at various times. This year's disappointing roses in my garden are being cut down to the ground instead of being dug up and discarded. If they grow back nicely, they'll get another chance.

Frothy (HARfrothy or Pink Abundance) is in our database, but we don't have a picture of it. I think the "commemoratives" should have photos. I have one in mind for International Beer Day. It's quite a stretch, but I'll use it if I can't find anything more appropriate.

When is International Beer Day? I am not sure I can stand the suspense...

It's coming up this Friday. The only reason for the suspense is that I can't find a rose with beer in its name, so I'm still looking for variations that might fit.

Zuzu ...

How about 'Applejack' ?

Rose (Rosa 'Applejack')

"Applejack was historically made by concentrating cider through the traditional method of freeze distillation: The alcoholic fruit beer produced after the fall harvest was left outside during the winter. Periodically the frozen chunks of ice which had formed were removed, thus concentrating the unfrozen alcohol in the remaining liquid.[3] Starting with the fermented juice, with an alcohol content of less than 10 %, the concentrated result can contain 25-40 % alcohol.[3]"

From:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...)

The BOLD emphasis is mine.

Good one, Lyn. Probaby the closest we'll come to any rose with a beer connection. It shall be our rose of the day for International Beer Day.

Certainly beats my candidates: BREWood Belle, HOPScotch, MALTon, or HEAD Over Heels!

And my candidate: LAGERfeld.

Clever ideas for beer day!

Sharlene, I have several that look like your photos right now- constant heat and humidity along with daily rains has made black spot particularly bad this year. Twilight Zone, Ebb Tide, and a mauve Kordes no id were all completely naked but are producing some new leaves and buds. I expected the 2 plum varieties to be susceptible to bs, so I'm not disappointed with them. And the good thing is once they've defoliated they aren't much of an eye sore because there are other plants blooming around them- they are somewhat camouflaged.

Forgot to mention I also received the email from Rachel at Palatine. I'm glad for the reminder, they open for orders earlier than I expected! I'm considering fall shipment and planting this time; I will have more time to spend in the garden and I'm thinking it may be a bit easier to squeeze a few more in at that time of year without damaging other plants.

Cindi, your success with fall planting inspired me- do you think you will plant in fall again?

Oh man, I haven't finished planting all my spring purchases, Neal!
I broke my own rule and widened 2 beds this morning so I could plant one of my new iris orders. I have 2 more iris orders to plant and the Schreiner order that isn't here yet. The daylilies all need to be divided, but I have no clue where they will go, and same with the poor peonies that are getting crowded by lilacs and evergreens. The roses I ordered from A Reverence For Roses are in pots, doing well, but they will need to go into the ground in a month or so. Four of them did get planted in the ground, I guess, and they are really growing fast! Some of the OGR's will need SPACE, and I don't have time to clear land just yet! I hate planting anything in a temporary spot. It's been so hot here for 2 weeks that I can only work in the garden in the mornings, and much of that time is spent watering.
Sharlene, you made me feel so much better by posting those pics of sad roses. That is what so many of mine look like right now. Like Neal, we had so much rain that the weeds just took off, and then I was awol from the garden for 3 weeks with my traveling and pneumonia. I'm looking forward to fall so I can take a break! I don't know how you warm climate people do it.
Neal, I will most likely make another fall order from Palatine. The fall planted ones from last year look like 5 year old established plants now. The Regan delivery from this spring is struggling, and I lost 4 that just never broke dormancy. The weather was ideal both last winter and this spring, so it's hard to say which way is best. For me, it's easier to cover them in the winter than it is to protect them from freak spring heat or freeze, and then hot summer winds. In the fall, there are fewer gardening chores, so I tend to do a better job with the planting then too.

Cindi, which vendors did you order irises from? I've got trays of rhizomes laying all over the living room right now, separated by color groupings destined for certain beds. The frequent rains and heat have made for slow progress getting garden space prepped for them and getting them planted. I ordered from Superstition and Winterberry, and have been receiving some buddy boxes along the way too.

A little while ago I checked a weather site, the temperature was 86F, but the heat index (what they call "real feel") was 104F

Neal, I can only confirm Cindi's comment that fall planted bare root roses do much better that spring planted. The vendors here start sending out their bare root roses mid-end of October which gives them enough time to start producing roots before winter starts in earnest. Come spring they take off whereas the spring planted still have to grow roots and in most cases need a full season to catch up.

Cindi, glad I cheered you up We are all in the same boat and experience both the good and the BAD side of growing roses even if we tend only to share the nice things.
Like Zuzu, I just cut down the bad ones if they are two big to remove all the leaves. I had to cut down my three NOID hybrid perpetuals because they had terrible rust this year - just broke my heart because they looked beautiful in June (see pic) but they have already put out new basal stems and are looking much better now.