The Rose Whisperer: Summer surprises
We had a surprisingly wet spring and early summer this year, which led me to become overconfident about the state of my garden. Everything from my roses to my husband鈥檚 tomato seedlings looked lush and healthy. I even bragged that our grass resembled the luxurious lawns pictured in home beautification magazines.
Now that we are about to turn the calendar from July to August, the once impressive grass is brown and crunchy. The roses are listless from the humidity and fighting Japanese beetles. The catmints desperately need a haircut. And a few of my newly planted shrubs and perennials suddenly turned black and expired without notice.
Still, there are bright spots, the unexpected little surprises that keep gardeners from throwing in the trowel at this time of year.
First and foremost is the floribunda rose, Julia Child. (See photo above.) It was one of four in 2006 and was chosen by the herself.聽 According to the A.A.R.S description, the rose combines old-fashioned style with a delicious fragrance rarely found in a free-flowering plant. It is also said to exude a 鈥渟weet licorice perfume.鈥�
I surely couldn鈥檛 testify that it smells like licorice. In fact, it doesn鈥檛 have much of a fragrance at all as far as I am concerned. But the foliage is bright green and unblemished. The perky yellow flowers apparently don鈥檛 appeal to the dreaded beetles. And it is sporting 29 buds (I counted them!) as of this morning 鈥� pretty impressive for a first-year bush.
I鈥檝e read that a friend of the award-winning chef reported that Julia thought the blooms smelled like butter. The color definitely looks like butter, even in 90-plus-degree weather. Perhaps the combination of aroma and eye appeal is what she found so delectable.
My Baby Blanket tree roses (second photo above) have also been an unexpected treat. All three have glossy foliage that seems to laugh at , and they are, by far, the most dependable bloomers in the garden. I can cut a spray or two to bring in the house just about any day of the week.
I鈥檓 always looking for a good pair of sturdy, durable garden gloves and seldom find anything to write home about. This summer though, I can rave about from Wendy of聽 at a recent American Rose Society convention. They are triple layered goatskin gauntlet gloves designed by a hand surgeon that protect my arms up to the elbows.
I鈥檓 particularly grateful that the gloves feature reinforced padding on the palm, thumb, and fingers. Last week I was digging out some alfalfa pellets from a bag I鈥檇 purchased at the local feed and seed when I encountered .
Now that鈥檚 surprise I can do without any time of the year.
PSSSSST: Believe it not, we should be thinking about our final rose feeding of the year, which for most areas of the country will be in late August. As Julia would say, bon app茅tit!
Find more posts from The Rose Whisperer, Lynn Hunt, at our .
More Monitor gardening: The main Monitor gardening page. Our .
You may also want to visit . If you join the group (it's free), you can upload your garden photos and possibly win a prize. This month's photo contest is veggies. Feel free to join and get answers to your gardening questions.
