You're in CA right now? I am only 45 minutes north of SF.

Well, I am digging up roses. I dig and tossed a GINGERSNAP that had reverted to root stock. Honestly of all my roses, this is the first time I have ever had that happen. And it has been here for years. Then I shovel prunned (dug and tossed) a white climber that has never done anything here. Tired of things I don't like! Out with it! Now I have prunned back another GINGERSNAP shrub that I am going to move today. In fact I am going out after I finish posting and move it.

I think digging three roses is about all I am going to get done today, already tired. The roots were really deep and those roots didn't want to come out. The roses have been there for years anyway.

Rita,
I agree with you. Digging out a rose is really hard work. Way worse than planting a rose, or digging out a tree! People write about moving a rose as if it's nothing and I wonder how they do it. My rose roots get bigger than some tree roots and they go DEEP!
I've learned to be more selective up front about what I buy and where I plant it. It's too big a chore to dig it out later.

I have moved roses plenty of times before and it is really hard. I always forget how hard until I try and dig another one. Planting is much, much easier. At least I got the one moved that I had planned to do today and watered. So one dug and moved, two dug and tossed. I have more to move. Maybe tomorrow.

Here is my big now empty spot where I dug out the white climber yesterday.

ooh, look at all that room.. time to put a new climber there! Last year I was lovin' my Harlequin climber and my Purple Splash was something to be desired. It bloomed, but was bleh & kinda boring.

When I cropped and enlarged the bloom, it lost its whimsical charm, so I thought I'd better show it to you uncropped. Doesn't the bloom on the right look like a hedgehog wearing a fancy ball gown?

It seems to have a little face peering out of its finery.

I've never seen a hedgehog, but now I know what to look for. As long as they're wearing a ball gown.
I do love that color on roses. Your wonderful May parade thread has made me look for roses I had never heard of. The wish list is way too long already!

It's Irish Creme. Here's the cropped photo. You can see that it's almost lacking in whimsy.



On another note, much to my surprise (not!), the William Morris rose Hortico sent me looks like this.



Instead of sending me William Morris, an apricot-blend Austin shrub with cupped blooms with more than 40 petals, they sent me a red hybrid tea with full, high-centered blooms.

And in case you're wondering how I captured that color, the secret's in that white piece of paper. It proved difficult to drag Pepplegoose around the garden with me and force him to pose behind roses while I photographed them, so I used my handy clipboard. Here's how I took a picture of Salita. The bright orange of this rose never photographs well. In addition, it seems to shock the camera into taking only blurry images. The clipboard solved the problem, however.

And a good looking kitty clipboard too!!

I think I am about ready to toss my Irish Creme, it never looks good, is quite spindly and only favors me with a few blooms, none so far this year. I was hoping it would be doing better once I got it in the ground but it didn't.

With a bit of overcast today, I ran around taking a few shots.

Jacob's Robe


Aloha...sigh, what an awesome rose!


The yummy confection of Pompon Flower Circus


Grace


Sunshine Daydream


And a few other garden shots.

A favorite scabiosa


I bought a six pack of larkspur and one is this pretty pink.


Another is this vibrant blue purple as seen with this iris


A penstemon


Penstemon 'Husker Red'


A raspberry arctotis in front of Cinco de Mayo rose, not sure yet if I like this combo. Sure love the arctotis.


Penny enjoying a stroll in the garden

I have two Irish Cremes and they both look lousy. It craves grafting and hates growing on its own roots.

Your garden looks super! And so does Penny!

Sue, your blooms are all gorgeous as usual.

Roses are starting here.

Lemon Drop


front yard rose planters


be bop


greetings


wingding



Just some more rose views-

Very pretty, Rita. Your foliage looks so clean and healthy, too.
Today I bought 4 mini roses and 1 Macho Man. I was surprised and pleased to see Macho Man at the nursery, because it is one that has never shown up locally.
Our database says it is hardy to zones 7 and warmer. Has anyone grown it in zone 6? Toni, do you have it? It's definitely grafted, and there's not a whole lot of growth on it yet, so i hesitated before buying, but that 25% off coupon was burning a hole in my pocket, you know.
I'm kind of surprised that growers are pushing some of the older ones (like MM and Dolly Parton) that are kind of tender for our region. I understand orange is the stylish color this year, but why bring Macho Man back now?
I'm going back tomorrow for more minis. I put 4 in my cart with the intention of asking the price, but my daughter started through the checkout lane before I could ask....what a shock to see they were only 3.99. Charlie Brown, Bambino, Sweet Fairy, Chasin' Rainbows are the mini roses. If I can get more of the Chasin' Rainbows, I'm going to plant them in front of Rainbow's End and Chihuly.

Oh...the nursery also had Michelangelo. I may go back for it, because I love Romanticas. My daughter was shopping with me. She graduated from college 2 weeks ago, so she's just brimming with knowledge. Math whiz. She sees Macho Man sitting next to Michelangelo and suggests I buy both and cross them and name the offspring Mutant Ninja Turtle. Hmmm. I think she has spent too much time playing zombie games on her Iphone.

I like your daughter's idea...

Hey zuzu, I have a number of roses blooming right now and more to come.

Apothecary Rose


Jefferson Rose/Softee


Green Ice

Katherine Ziemet


Debutante


Peggy Martin is in full bloom


NOID wish I knew the name of this one


Purple Splash

I spray so that is why the folliage looks so good. I combine systemic fungicide with Neptunes liquid seaweed or fish fertilizer. The roses love it.

CindiKS said:Very pretty, Rita. Your foliage looks so clean and healthy, too.
Today I bought 4 mini roses and 1 Macho Man. I was surprised and pleased to see Macho Man at the nursery, because it is one that has never shown up locally.
Our database says it is hardy to zones 7 and warmer. Has anyone grown it in zone 6? Toni, do you have it? It's definitely grafted, and there's not a whole lot of growth on it yet, so i hesitated before buying, but that 25% off coupon was burning a hole in my pocket, you know.
I'm kind of surprised that growers are pushing some of the older ones (like MM and Dolly Parton) that are kind of tender for our region. I understand orange is the stylish color this year, but why bring Macho Man back now?
I'm going back tomorrow for more minis. I put 4 in my cart with the intention of asking the price, but my daughter started through the checkout lane before I could ask....what a shock to see they were only 3.99. Charlie Brown, Bambino, Sweet Fairy, Chasin' Rainbows are the mini roses. If I can get more of the Chasin' Rainbows, I'm going to plant them in front of Rainbow's End and Chihuly.

Cindi - Eeyup, picked up Macho Man from Cliff's going-out-of-business sale. I have high hopes for it.. the base of the rose was one of the biggest I had ever seen (it took a hole about 3' around to fit) and it's about 1' tall right now. I don't think I have any buds on it yet, but I haven't looked today. Wintered like a champ for me (I buried it 100% in mulch for the winter as I knew that was going to be almost impossible for me to find again if I lost it, so I wasn't taking any chances with it). I don't pay attention to zones with my roses... mulch mulch mulch mulch mulch. I stop pruning late August/early Sept and just let everything grow wild. That way, winterkill canes won't be as bad 'cuz then I don't have to trim them down to the ground (I do on some.. JFK has to be trimmed usually all the way to the dirt ) You'll love Chasin' Rainbows.. it's a beautiful rose!!