High Garden Season

 Well the roses did quite well this year. I’m about to ditch Abraham Darby and Crimson Bouquet because they barely bloom anymore. They’re 16 years old. 

Red Double Knockout

Zephirine Drouhin (Bourbon)

Red Fairy

Red Fairy

Pink Double Knockout

Bonica

Crimson Bouquet (Grandiflora)

Red Fairy

Harlow Carr (David Austen)

Red Fairy

Lady Elsie May

Red Fairy

Lovely Fairy

The hydrangeas were OK. Better than expected.

The back garden is just about perfect, except that I cut the smokebush way down and it didn't come back too well. When will I learn? The Invincibelle Spirit never recovered. About the only thing left to do is plant more phlox and switch around the daylilies by color when I figure out what color they all are.

We're in a drought so this condition is sort of surprising.

The Merry Month Of May

I’m almost ready to start painting my mother’s office. And she asked me to weed and mulch her front garden, which I was happy to do. It looks spectacular and it made her so happy. Consequently I’m way behind on gardening. And my guest room? Fuggedaboutit. Just yesterday I fertilized and put compost on select roses and clematises, about a month late. Most of the roses this year are ginormous and the hydrangeas are looking more promising than I initially thought. The iris did well. Apparently I had divided the front ones, which is why last year's were sparse.  

I'll try to remove the last bit. Got a special primer also.

These are my Gramp's iris.

These came with the house; they were the owner's mother's.

Gramp's again. My fave color.