Plants have been slowly making their way onto the back patio, waiting for me to begin digging holes, a task which was in turn waiting for temperatures to drop.
I have had a busy week, Amy, so am very late seeing this for which I apologise. I am delighted to hear your new garden is beginning to take shape, albeit slowly, and it is a delight to see your pottery in action again. That's such an interesting rose and so different from the English shrub roses which seem to be what I choose here. I like the way it holds itself in the vase, which makes for a well-balanced vase with the salvia and rosemary. Hot Lips can be variable, with all red or all white blooms sometimes as well as the usual bi-colours, possibly dependent on temperatures or light levels
And I'm afraid I am even later replying, Cathy--not so much busy here as chaotic!
I had grown Paradise once upon a time and always kept it in my "roses-I-would-grow-again" list, so I was happy to locate this one. I don't know whether it was ever grown commercially in the UK.
I found that the big, ever-blooming Austin roses have some difficulty with the seasonal rhythms in the desert, which almost demands a twice-yearly near-dormancy. Smaller DAs like The Alnwick Rose did better for me. But I have every intention of trying some of the antique teas and chinas this time too, as I think I'm finally in a climate that will favour them.
I've been keeping an eye on the Salvia. It's been planted out and is settling in well, but still shows no signs of white on those blooms!
You're off to a great start with your new garden, Amy. The rose is lovely and I hope its name signifies what you've found in your new home. I was looking at Catharanthus in my local garden center just yesterday, a plant that always makes me think of you as, unlike me, you had such success growing it.
I'm still surprised that the Catharanthus doesn't appreciate your climate, Kris. But it does do particularly well in Arizona, and I seem to remember reading that a lot of the new color developments have come from the growers here. Luckily--as it's one of the few reliable summer-flowering bedding annuals in the low desert!
There is much to love in that one small vase Amy! The rose, of course, but a red Vinca which is new to me and that lovely salvia. Rosemary rarely flowers for me and I have always assumed I was doing something wrong with mine, but perhaps I just haven't had the right plant over the years. The vase itself is pretty too. I do hope you plan to start making them again. Happy gardening!
Beautiful. I enjoyed reading about gathering these materials together and their meaning to you. The rose is lovely. I really like the rosemary too. Your garden is well on the way!
Thanks very much, Susie! I keep referring to memory to help me select the right plants for the climate, and it seems to be encouraging a lot of reminiscing somehow. :)
I love adding herbs to my plantings, so the rosemary is only a start!
Thank you so much for the kind wishes, Noelle. I am so enjoying even the bare beginnings of this garden.
Paradise is an older (1975) US variety, only occasionally available here now, but luckily even the general suppliers still seem to keep it in production. I have no idea whether it ever made it across the pond. The red- (or pink) edged lavender color is rather unusual!
I thought the rose attractive not just for its name. As we continue to have warmer summers, I wonder whether some of the heat resistant varieties will migrate over here? Through in a Vase on Monday and Six on Saturday I was very much enjoyed seeing what happens in other countries.
I have had a busy week, Amy, so am very late seeing this for which I apologise. I am delighted to hear your new garden is beginning to take shape, albeit slowly, and it is a delight to see your pottery in action again. That's such an interesting rose and so different from the English shrub roses which seem to be what I choose here. I like the way it holds itself in the vase, which makes for a well-balanced vase with the salvia and rosemary. Hot Lips can be variable, with all red or all white blooms sometimes as well as the usual bi-colours, possibly dependent on temperatures or light levels
And I'm afraid I am even later replying, Cathy--not so much busy here as chaotic!
I had grown Paradise once upon a time and always kept it in my "roses-I-would-grow-again" list, so I was happy to locate this one. I don't know whether it was ever grown commercially in the UK.
I found that the big, ever-blooming Austin roses have some difficulty with the seasonal rhythms in the desert, which almost demands a twice-yearly near-dormancy. Smaller DAs like The Alnwick Rose did better for me. But I have every intention of trying some of the antique teas and chinas this time too, as I think I'm finally in a climate that will favour them.
I've been keeping an eye on the Salvia. It's been planted out and is settling in well, but still shows no signs of white on those blooms!
A rose in a garden says, this, is home.
Very true, Diana--truth to tell, I almost cried as I drove home with it.
You're off to a great start with your new garden, Amy. The rose is lovely and I hope its name signifies what you've found in your new home. I was looking at Catharanthus in my local garden center just yesterday, a plant that always makes me think of you as, unlike me, you had such success growing it.
I'm still surprised that the Catharanthus doesn't appreciate your climate, Kris. But it does do particularly well in Arizona, and I seem to remember reading that a lot of the new color developments have come from the growers here. Luckily--as it's one of the few reliable summer-flowering bedding annuals in the low desert!
There is much to love in that one small vase Amy! The rose, of course, but a red Vinca which is new to me and that lovely salvia. Rosemary rarely flowers for me and I have always assumed I was doing something wrong with mine, but perhaps I just haven't had the right plant over the years. The vase itself is pretty too. I do hope you plan to start making them again. Happy gardening!
It's looking fabulous already, Amy, you'll have the hanging gardens of Arizona in no time at all!
Hmm... I'm already thinking about roses over the patio roof! Thanks, Lynda! :)
Beautiful. I enjoyed reading about gathering these materials together and their meaning to you. The rose is lovely. I really like the rosemary too. Your garden is well on the way!
Thanks very much, Susie! I keep referring to memory to help me select the right plants for the climate, and it seems to be encouraging a lot of reminiscing somehow. :)
I love adding herbs to my plantings, so the rosemary is only a start!
What a beautiful rose, not one which I have seen in the UK. May your paradise suit it, and may you enjoy your new garden.
Thank you so much for the kind wishes, Noelle. I am so enjoying even the bare beginnings of this garden.
Paradise is an older (1975) US variety, only occasionally available here now, but luckily even the general suppliers still seem to keep it in production. I have no idea whether it ever made it across the pond. The red- (or pink) edged lavender color is rather unusual!
I thought the rose attractive not just for its name. As we continue to have warmer summers, I wonder whether some of the heat resistant varieties will migrate over here? Through in a Vase on Monday and Six on Saturday I was very much enjoyed seeing what happens in other countries.