My Goodness, What a lot of color in your garden! I hope you are very pleased.
Here, Day Breaker is making its last flush. Firefighter is behaving as if it will bloom before frost, but at least it is ahead of the last flush from a few other roses. Oranges 'n' Lemons made two roses the size of a quarter in very bright colors. Winter Sunset and Golden Celebration are blooming with Dolly's Forever and Belle Epoque, though it's a bit of an anemic show right now. Scarlet Knight is losing its last darkening blooms. Parade and Dicky bloom in close proximity and make a handsome pair. Cupcake and Winsome keep company with Toscana Vigorosa, all in bloom. Tess of the d'Ubervilles which is now six feet high and eight feet wide has three blooms. Double Delight continues to bloom and yet somehow fails to meet modest expectations. Blush Noisette prepares to make another great volley of pinkish blooms which will clash mightily with the coreopsis behind them. They must be moved.. but to where? Duftzuaber 84 prepares three fresh red blossoms on its four- foot frame. The star of the fall garden next year will be Young Lycidas if the rose grows another two feet in each direction and blooms as well as it is doing now. Handel made its first climbing shoot - one that towers eight feet high and begs for an arch.
Bambi has begun deadheading my roses (and rose buds) for me. I've been ignoring it because I know the foliage will be going away soon enough thanks to frost. I've been concentrating so much on killing aphids and powdery mildew and on how to arrange the garden this winter in preparation for next year's new roses, that I haven't had time to spray for deer. I wrote a note to myself to spray with Freeze Pruf soon so that the fresh growth from the last three weeks is not killed unexpectedly on the first frost in October. I think if the foliage can continue to produce sugars for the plant well into November all the roses with new growth right now will be much better off in spring.
Again, thanks for the show. I'm afraid that I cannot post a rose photo to the web without cropping it and tweaking the curves just a tad. And maybe sharpening it. It's just a habit. I've been admiring your candid approach and have been wondering whether I should try to break my bad habit, but I'm afraid I'm addicted to eye candy.
