Tail Winds For 2010

Your feathers would be messed up too in
this tail wind.






How many of you looked like this this morning. LOL
My hair is generally standing out like this every morning.






We are into a new year where we can start fresh if
we choose and start new projects or finish old ones.
Going into to it with an attitude that 'all things are
possible', and add some laughter to each day.
Laughter makes a heart fill lighter no matter what
else may be going on around you.

I spend New Year's Eve like any other day yesterday.
I am not a party person and in fact could not even
keep my eyes open to see the new day come in,
but it managed to come anyway without me watching
for it. I even missed the 'once in a blue moon' event
and forgot to look for the full moon.
But with the fog, drizzling rain and and back to snow
it was probably well hidden.






After a final run through of the seed catalogs
yesterday I did manage to get my seed orders
made. I saw a color theme running through the
order. It looks like shades of burgundy were the
main colors. I will share those purchased and
the hopes of new container flowers in another
posting.





The 'Ragtime' amaryllis is putting on its final
blooms for this winter so I wanted to show it off one
more time.
I promise not to bore you with it anymore this winter.

Four other amaryllis bulbs are still in different
stages of either almost ready to bloom, showing
promise of blooming or at the stage of " well do
something, anything, just don't set there" stage.
Since I fell in love with them this year I got
two more from 'Brent and Becky's Bulbs'
as they were half off.
I think I am well fixed for amaryllis bulbs now.
Oh, well I am probably fibbing so I better take
that line back.right now.






I hope that you all are as anxious as I am to start
those new plants and looking ahead to Spring.

The tulip bulbs in the fridge are ready to be set
in a flowerpot. Fressia's 'Corona' and Dwarf Iris
'Harmony" are sprouting so there will be color this
winter.
And miracles of miracles the orchid that I just told
a blogger was another gardening fiasco in my hands
is starting to sprout some new growth.
Maybe it thought it was destined for the compost heap
and feared for its poor existence.




Happy Gardening in 2010 Everyone!

Everything Is Coming Up Roses

" Ebb Tide'


I just had to do a posting on Roses for the New
Year. It is in the low 20's with a wind chill reading
that I do not even want to think about.
And snow upon the ground once more so
all I want to think about are flowers and Spring. LOL!

So instead of groaning about the weather I decided
to dig into the ole flower vault and bring out some
of the roses I am missing so much right now and
do a posting on 'coming up roses'.





'Scentimental' reminds me of peppermint candy or
candy canes but the naming it Scentimental is a
little deceiving because it has such a light
fragrance.





' Double Delight' is bound to perk up anyone.





As 'Double Delight's' blooms age the petals
take on a neon pink tinge all over, which I for one
like less than when it first opens.
It has a mild fragrance.






'New Dawn' loves to climb all over my old garden
building but her blooms fall away fast and it usually
only blooms for me in a massive burst in June and
just a few blooms in August.
It has a very mild fragrance.





'New Blaze Improved ' is a climber that grows over a trellis
that helps hide an air conditioner. The new
improved variety is still a disappointment to
me because it only blooms once for me so I am
looking for a replacement that will bloom more
than once. If anyone has any great climbing
rose selections for zone 5 please let me know.
New Blaze will be demoted to the garden shed
with New Dawn.
Maybe I should stay away from any
roses with the word new or improved in the name.





'Lavender Simplicity' rose has been moved a few
times and has taken it in stride but other than being
proven tough by my handling and Ohio's cold winter's
the poor thing hasn't had much of a chance to just set
and grow so I will not pass judgment on it just yet.

'Almost Black' is new and although a very deep
red it is not even almost black. It was moved twice
in its first season after my evaluation of the flower
beds in the fall and the moving of a lot of flowers so
they would compliment each other and undo the
random sticking in of plants that were bought on a
whim.
The final decision was made to create a rose
garden bed and add in some different colors of roses
especially after the Ebb Tide rose took over the side
of the garage and the Irish Yellow roses nearby decided
to put on red blooms last summer, which was a
great unwanted surprise.
So the bed beside the garage will become a rose
garden bed next Spring. I will use all of those new
gardening catalogs to find some roses for it this
winter and envision a lovely rose garden.

I am looking for a white rose, another yellow one
and even some orange or peach ones to add to the
rose garden. The new ' Cinco de mayo ' Floribunda
rose looks like a possible addition.





The Knockout roses have become some of my
favorite roses. They have no fragrance to speak of
but they give me blooms all summer and into fall
until a freeze claims them, so any rose that will give
me continuous bloom is a winner to me and I can look
to other flowers like the phlox's to give
me some fragrance in the garden.





' Rainbow ' knockout has flowers ranging from
color shades of pink into yellow and even a touch
of orange at stages in the blooming.
It looked just a wonderful in September as it did
in June.






Knockout Red 'Rosa Radrazz'

Knockout pink 'Rosa Radcon'

A double bloom pink Knockout
A new yellow knockout will be one of the ones
added to the rose garden next spring.

The last rose is one that I have had for many years
and has put up with many moves, ice storms and freezes.
The ' Crimson Bouquet' a Grandiflora rose puts
on a big show of beautiful shaped blooms in June
and also in September with a few blooms in between.
It has a very strong fragrance and is just perfect for

those of you who like to dry rose blooms for potpourri.




This has been a wonderful year and I have made
many friends on Blotanical and on gardening blogs.
I would like to thank you all for making my year a
much better one. Thank you for your friendship
and sharing your gardens and your generous advice
throughout the year. If I needed an answer to a
gardening question or a problem I knew I could count
on your help to provide me with the answers.
Thank you for sharing your frienship, pictures and
your seeds.
My wish to you all is a New Year filled with love,
good health, family, friends, and many flowers.
I wish a New Year for you filled with all that your
heart desires.
I am looking forward to a New Year with
you and meeting even more wonderful friends.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL
AND HAPPY GARDENING IN A NEW YEAR !

And by the way another reason for my posting
about 'Coming Up Roses'
Ohio State is in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on
New Year's day so............

GO BUCKS !!!!

A New Year

It seems the New Year has decided to come in with a vengeance
here in the Hocking Hills. There may have only been a few inches
of snow, but with the fierce winds that few inches has become large
snow drifts blocking paths, sidewalks, and roadways. The wind chill
makes one grit their teeth as they step outside. Living here upon the
hill-tops, looks can be deceiving. Up here it can look as though a
blizzard is raging and as you travel down off of the hills into the valley
it can seem mild by comparison. The snow starts sticking here first,
so we always have more snow and of course more wind with the
storms. It is a different climate zone all together.
Since the great outdoors is not calling my name (if it is, this girl
is not listening) and not luring me to come out of the house, so the
last two days have been spent in my other addiction, Genealogy.
Tired of dreaming over the many Seed catalogs and Springs planning,
I turned my attention to searching through old newspaper archives.
When happened upon this 1928 ad from the now non-existing
Cussins & Fearn Store, I had to smile and, yes, once again my
attention was brought right back to gardening.
The old Cussins & Fearn Stores were local hardware stores that were
patronized by many in their day.
This particular ad is a gardeners dream come true. If only we could
get the same products today for the same prices. (Sigh)
Back then the prices were most likely high, for the wages one was paid
and for the farmer trying to feed and raise a family.
The products would be antiques today, bringing good prices on Ebay.

To get four Roses for a dollar, shrubs for twenty-nine cents, and since
handles in hoes and shovels do not hold up to my prying, fifty-
six cents would be very welcome.