this could be the last of the roses
For this season I mean.
I noticed a few blooms on the bushes near my front door, so went out to cut them for my kitchen.
That half open bud was already full blown. Top heavy and drooping downwards. I had to get down on my knees and aim upward for this shot. But it was worth it, don't you think?
The white one...which began as a bud tinged beautifully with pink,
I noticed a few blooms on the bushes near my front door, so went out to cut them for my kitchen.
Beautiful aren't they? I love the yellows and oranges that remind me of sunrises and sunsets.
But two days later?
The white one...which began as a bud tinged beautifully with pink,
was faded and overblown, ready to drop the petals, yet still holding on to them.
But the red......already fading when I cut the bloom,
the red was gone.
As I moved the bottle to top up the water, the petals fell.
Soon, the bushes will be empty of blooms.
They're ready for pruning now.
I have no idea how to do this properly, but I'll do some trimming (and hope that I don't kill them off), maybe over the years, they'll become less straggly and more bushy.
I have a bag of rose food, another of blood and bone, and in the spring I'll sprinkle a bit of both around each bush and I'll watch for aphids too.
The other thing to watch for is thrips, those tiny, tiny black wrigglers that infest the blooms....how the heck do I get rid of those?
Gardening websites, here I come.
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Our roses are fading, too, River. Even so i still see signs of thrip on warmer days, but i imagine they'll disappear when the cold sets in. Now, as you say, it's time to start thinking about pruning. Gorgeous roses, here. Isn't there a song?
ReplyDelete'tis the last rose of summer left blooming all alone...
Or words to that effect.
MAID RIVER
ReplyDeleteThou art a rose seasonless
My ardour reasonless
Through winter rain
Thy bloom remain.
-Rochester.
Do you get frosts? Too early to prune if you do. While I don't have any rose bushes now, I still do my mother's and I usually do them in late July or August. Sharp secateurs, clean angled cut, just above an outward facing bud. Finding an outward facing bud in the spot you want to cut can be problematic. Just trimming them probably won't help their straggliness. If you are a bit ruthless at times, you will get much better spring growth and ultimately a better shape and better flowers. I welcome being corrected by an other knowledgeable person.
ReplyDeleteBonza photos and roses. Your method for removing egg shells worked like a charm, i'll be doing it that way from now. The recipe for your spinach, ricotta and pasta sauce worked really well to :-).
ReplyDeleteI won't be pruning mine until July or August. And am chicken so I probably need to be much more ruthless.
ReplyDeleteLoved your rose photos - lovely even for a day. Do you have recipes for a potpourri? That might be one use for those last blooms.
Rochester!
ReplyDeleteWooh!!!
Passions arousing in public housing.
Lord Rochester; that's so sweet, thank you.
ReplyDeleteAndrew; I'm not sure about frosts in this area, that's why I thought a light trim would be okay, but I think I'll wait until the first week in August and do a proper prune.
Windsmoke; I'm glad I'm helping feed the nation.
EC; I don't have potpourri recipes, maybe I should google search for some.
R.H. Wooh indeed!
Dishwashing liquid mixed with water in a spray bottle will nuke the thrips.
ReplyDeleteThey are beautiful. Can you get Safer Soap where you are?
ReplyDeleteI love roses and used to have them. The deer ate them to the ground, and then nosed up the roots and ate them, too.
ReplyDeleteI'm so jealous. I don't have a green thumb.
ReplyDeleteKimmie; thank you. Do I spray it on the open blooms or on the unopened buds?
ReplyDeleteDelortes; I've never heard of Safer Soap. i'll google it and see what the Australian equivalent might be.
Joanne; pesky deer. Maybe you should eat more venisonsteaks, then word would get around through the herds. "Pssst, don't go there, she'll eat you..."
Stunning roses. When we had roses we pruned them to 30 cm above ground. They grew large and thick every year. But maybe look up the type of rose online if you know the name and see what the nurseries recommend. Roses are tough though. And they like a good prune!
ReplyDeleteLOVE the photos!