Final blooms of the year

             
             God gave us our memories so we might have roses in December. J. M. Barrie  However God gave man the knowledge to invent the camera so I can show you my Roses, that are blooming in December.  Elsie Juanita Avant Sheffield



Dream Come True



The last blooms before the dead of winter.  I know of nothing more gloomy than looking out of my reading room window and seeing dead sticks.  My garden is almost gone but here are the final heartbeats of summer.  Our Dream Come True was not without a bloom all summer,aGrandaflora about six feet tall.

This is All American Beauty and Mr Lincoln. We decided to cut them because Mr.Lincoln looks a little frost bitten on the outside petals.  When we brought it in it was very cold, so I got the water just a little warm, cut the stem off under water.  I think it will open, when I cut flowers I fill a pan with water and place the end in it and cut under the water.  When you  cut a rose from the bush air goes up into the stem.  when you get inside cut the stem under the water you will see tiny bubbles that is the water forcing the air out.  Your flowers will live longer if you do this every day when you change the water.   Almost all of our Gerber Daises are blooming, notice the red one that has 2 blooms on one stem.



The fabulous Va Voom is still blooming.  a florabunda but does not bloom in clusters, however it blooms back quickly.  When you dead head most roses you cut them at a five leaf branch, Va Voom will bloom back at a three leaf branch.

Carrel's house next door to us, he has kept and maintain.  Last year Carrel added another eight feet of flower bed.  He has about seventy feet of roses.  I am going to show Carrel's that are blooming now.  We met in October of 2006.  We became close friends and he brought me Mr. Lincoln.  In fact the Mr Lincoln  I have shown you was his, Carrel moved it to my back yard so it would get more sun.  I know that the Tea Rose, is thought to be the most beautiful.  I like Florabunds or Grandafloras, because you have more color.



Easy Going



Carrel has easy going and gold metal





Gold Metal



Gold Metal







All the roses that I have shown are Forabundas or Grandaflores except Mr.Lincoln (Tea Rose) and  All American Beauty (Bush rose) and has bloomed beautifully.   Hope you have enjoyed watching my garden grow and enlarge this year.  Hope you will grow one of your own. Happy gardening to you from me.  Juanita



12/13/11



12/13/11

 I wanted to show how Mr. Lincoln and All American Beauty open since 12/11/11.  I cut just about one half inch off the bottom in a pan of water and change the water in the vase and be sure to wash the vase because it can have bacteria in it.  My next blog will be "Taking care of your Poinsettia"
















First Rose

"It will never rain roses.  If we want more roses, we will have to plant more roses."

                                                                                                                  George Elirt

First Rose

My son, Frank Murphy, built this flower bed for me.  I call it the A bed. Frank built five beds that year and tilled three more.  My neighbor, Carrel Sheffield, now my husband, came over to watch.  Two roses were left behind for me when I bought this house.  Carrel said  they  had only  two or three blooms a year on them, because they were  in deep shade.  It was July, the hottest and driest  part of the summer, when we moved the  roses.    Frank dug a deep hole around the rose and when he lifted the shovel, all the dirt fell off!  Bare root roses can be difficult in the spring, but July is very difficult.   Carrel Sheffield said  "It will not live."  Carrel did not know me.  Frank  watered it well, no fertilizer, could burn roots at this time.  The same thing happened to the other one.  I now had two bare root roses.  I was not worried.  Carrel shook his head

I have rooted many plants before, anytime of the year. So  I thought at least these 2 rose bushes do have  roots.  I filled  two one gallon milk jugs with water, let them stand over night and watered both roses, everyday.  Anytime you root or plant anything, water daily until the plant gets a good start.  Everyday Carrel would come over and check on the two roses.  One day he told me it needed cutting back; that it was too tall. He asked, "May I cut it for me?" ( We should have cut it back when we planted it.)  "Sure," I said "Go ahead."  I need to tell you now Carrel had a line of roses across his yard.  They were beautiful.  So he cut them back, but he also started spraying them.  My boss and niece called wanting me to work every other week, to care for her Mother.  I asked Carrel if he would water the Roses while I was gone.  This started a wonderful friend and a new love.

We were married on December 27, 2007.
 
Roses have been with us 35 million years according to fossil evidence.   They have been symbols of love, beauty, war, and politics.  Garden cultivation of roses began 5,000  years ago, probably in China.   The Romans planted large public rose gardens in the south of Rome.  After the fall of Rome the popularity of roses would rise and fall with the trends of the times.

                                                                                                         

                                                                                                                      

Floribunda

.      There are many types of roses. I  will show and  tell you about them as my blog goes along.  I hope you will follow and read my future pages on my blog.  The  floribunda Rose is  medium height and rounded growing habit. They make great hedge rows and bloom in clusters of many medium blooms.  Grandaflora roses are a  combination of the floribunda and the tea rose. They are tall and slender, with fewer blooms on each stem.  Both the floribunda and the grandafloras are repeat bloomers.  The tea rose is tall and slender with only one bloom on long slender limbs. Tea roses are repeat bloomers but are slower to bloom  again and are more subject to disease.  I plant mostly floribundas because they bloom more abundantly and are easier to maintain.  We fertilize 3 times a year early spring, summer, and fall. Our leaves are usually bright green and healthy; but if they start to yellow or began to dull, we give them iron.  Do not use too much iron. Usually an eighth of a cup will be enough on a fully developed rose.  Hope you will watch my garden grow.  Happy gardening to you from me.  Juanita