tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-100239422008-05-21T06:23:42.968-04:00OldRoseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10307114475443602351noreply@blogger.comBlogger717125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10023942.post-70618540630241903472008-04-23T13:14:00.000-04:002008-05-01T01:24:42.729-04:00

I’m glad that I planted so many new tulips last fall. Not all of them turned out as well as I had hoped but I love all the color in my yard. Like most gardeners, I’m already planning what I’ll be planting and where next fall. The white lily flower tulips have opened in the Entry Garden. They are even more underwhelming than the pink. None of the tulips I planted in that bed for last year came

OldRoseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10307114475443602351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10023942.post-51026476503506663312008-04-21T13:59:00.000-04:002008-04-30T02:01:15.369-04:00

We are having one of the driest Aprils ever. The ground is like concrete making it impossible to weed. The Jack Frost Brunnera doesn’t seem to mind. It has come up and is now flowering despite intense competition from weeds. Definitely worth every penny that I paid for it.

OldRoseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10307114475443602351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10023942.post-36878006190851315022008-04-21T13:57:00.000-04:002008-04-30T01:58:49.023-04:00

As you may recall, I have been employing new weapons and tactics in my war against the local squirrels. The squirrels, in turn, have become more sophisticated. Through the use of surveillance, accurate mapping and weather prediction, they were able to completely wipe out a bed of allium. Or were they? This little gem greeted me this morning. As I admired it, I found myself wondering. Did

OldRoseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10307114475443602351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10023942.post-79968307867251742542008-04-21T13:26:00.000-04:002008-04-30T01:56:45.740-04:00

No, I didn’t play with the color in PhotoShop. They really are that intensely red. I loved these last year, their first year in my garden. I love them even more this year after they returned and multiplied. I planted more of them last fall, but not all of them came up. The ones that did are lagging behind the originals. Right next door are the species tulips which also appear to have

OldRoseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10307114475443602351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10023942.post-43167997145105493952008-04-20T13:59:00.000-04:002008-04-24T02:02:28.609-04:00

Join Hiking at Hacklebarney State Park Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in every Sunday, visit As the Garden Grows for more information.

OldRoseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10307114475443602351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10023942.post-23948014934350036222008-04-20T13:33:00.000-04:002008-04-24T01:58:25.281-04:00

The tulips are beginning to bloom. Some disappointing, others breathtaking. Among the disappointing are the first of the lily-flowered tulips. I was hoping for tall and stately. These are nothing to write home about. I’m happy about the little rosebush in the corner. It’s a Therese Bugnet that I though died last year. I left it in place and suddenly it has come back to life. Gotta love

OldRoseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10307114475443602351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10023942.post-78341919008056125922008-04-19T21:58:00.001-04:002008-04-23T02:45:13.299-04:00

I had an opportunity today to explore what was once described as the most beautiful park in New Jersey, Hacklebarney State Park. It had been suggested that I wear my hiking boots. A glance at the website told me that it was no exaggeration. Our hike started out innocuously enough. Um, okay. So where is the steep ravine? The rushing river? The glacial morain? Found it! Click on the above

OldRoseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10307114475443602351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10023942.post-74253804051036472072008-04-18T13:38:00.000-04:002008-04-23T01:56:38.330-04:00

The daffodils seem to be peaking now. More of the Tahiti daffodils have opened. I really like them now that they are fully open. Here’s a disappointment: Geranium daffodils. They are heirlooms from 1930. The cups are supposed to be orange. Never a disappointment, Actaea daffodils. Developed in the 1920’s, this is the flower that turned me on to heirloom flowers. The Thalia daffodils

OldRoseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10307114475443602351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10023942.post-3654203040810686302008-04-16T13:31:00.000-04:002008-04-23T01:32:34.403-04:00

Another of the daffodils I planted last fall has begun to bloom. Named “Tahiti”, it met my requirements of being both yellow and double. It’s close to the Fortissimo daffodils to bring out the orange accents in the blooms. I can’t wait for it to be fully open.

OldRoseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10307114475443602351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10023942.post-51834100851525660792008-04-15T14:12:00.000-04:002008-04-20T20:59:24.855-04:00

Last year we had a very cold spring so I didn’t have a lot of flowers for my first April Bloom Day. It was so cold, in fact, that I posted a picture from 2006 to illustrate what a “normal” spring looks like. This year we have had normal spring weather. April 15, 2006 April 17, 2007 April 15, 2008 Other than the fact that I am way behind in my spring clean-up and edging, 2008 looks very much

OldRoseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10307114475443602351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10023942.post-27929626118400538202008-04-13T17:07:00.000-04:002008-04-20T17:12:17.065-04:00

Join Hiking in Round Valley, April 12 Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in every Sunday, visit As the Garden Grows for more information.

OldRoseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10307114475443602351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10023942.post-70581908337197193632008-04-12T17:05:00.000-04:002008-04-20T17:07:26.851-04:00

In the fall of 2005, I ordered a Martagon lily. It is reputed to need filtered sunlight so I though it would be perfect on the edge of my semi-shady garden. In due course, it came up in the spring of 2006 and was promptly eaten by the squirrels. Or maybe a rabbit. It really doesn’t matter. The end result was the same: no lily. I didn’t bother trying to replace it that fall and I wasn’t at all

OldRoseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10307114475443602351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10023942.post-87699710828110804402008-04-11T13:57:00.000-04:002008-04-20T17:04:08.407-04:00

Hooray! Pineapple Prince is one of those daffodils that changes color as the flowers mature. Aren’t they gorgeous? The first of the new double daffodils opened today. That’s Golden Beauty. Very aptly named. Here’s something unexpected. I was terribly disappointed last year when the Fortissimo daffodils turned out to be plain old yellow instead of yellow petals surrounding dramatic orange

OldRoseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10307114475443602351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10023942.post-39346142331992682582008-04-10T13:55:00.000-04:002008-04-20T16:57:43.058-04:00

I don’t have many hyacinths. Like tulips, they don’t last long. The first time I planted them en masse, was at my last house, an old Victorian. I planted them all around the wrap-around porch. They looked good and at least at first, were wonderfully fragrant. But their perfume grew cloying. I started using my backdoor to avoid the odor. The Purple Garden was originally planted by my daughter.

OldRoseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10307114475443602351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10023942.post-30943842991023242882008-04-10T13:52:00.000-04:002008-04-20T16:54:50.287-04:00

Every year I forget how attractive the Ice Stick tulips are when they are fully open. They are like bright little stars in the spring garden.

OldRoseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10307114475443602351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10023942.post-79722425474167203202008-04-07T13:45:00.000-04:002008-04-20T16:51:45.970-04:00

Last year as I surveyed my daffodils, I realized that most of them were white. I resolved to plant more yellow ones. Not necessarily the traditional King Alfred type. I have a few doubles which are nice and some bicolors. I just needed some in yellow. Last fall, I planted five varieties totaling 26 bulbs. The first of the new ones, Pineapple Prince bloomed today. They were supposed to have pale

OldRoseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10307114475443602351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10023942.post-47684274866567286662008-04-06T13:32:00.000-04:002008-04-11T01:39:53.207-04:00

Join Magnolia Plaza at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in every Sunday, visit As the Garden Grows for more information.

OldRoseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10307114475443602351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10023942.post-89477956320794629532008-04-05T23:18:00.001-04:002008-04-10T11:58:22.943-04:00

The Straw Hat Society accompanied a group of Rutgers Gardens volunteers on an outing to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden which is celebrating Hanami, the Japanese Cherry Blossom Viewing Season. It’s still very early so only a few cherries are in bloom. We were offered tantalizing glimpses of the glory to come in the Japanese Garden. What fascinated me the most was the size of the carp in the pond

OldRoseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10307114475443602351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10023942.post-52648328041600131492008-04-04T14:07:00.000-04:002008-04-09T01:09:27.802-04:00

In all the excitement of the horribly expensive Jack Frost brunnera making it through the winter, I completely forgot that I have another expensive “Jack”, a Jackmanni clematis that I got a good price on last September. Even at $9.99 it was an expensive acquisition for me so I was very happy to see this today: For some reason, its roots are all bare, but that doesn’t seem to be stopping it. I’

OldRoseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10307114475443602351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10023942.post-62653681680998958102008-04-04T13:55:00.000-04:002008-04-09T00:58:25.896-04:00

No April Fools here! The Rose Campion really did sprout. I’ve been waiting for this one. I direct sowed it two years ago but only two plants survived. Undaunted, I direct sowed some more last year and patiently waited for the two plants to grow and bloom amidst all the new seedlings. None of the above happened. Not only did none of the seeds germinate, but the two plants from the prior year

OldRoseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10307114475443602351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10023942.post-2670645027631005012008-04-03T11:01:00.001-04:002008-04-08T11:07:21.536-04:00

The Ice Stick tulips welcomed Spring today. They are a very early variety of tulip, blooming earlier even than most of my daffodils. They are quite small, only 8” tall, but a welcome sight after winter. This is the earliest that they have bloomed since I planted them in the fall of 2005. They bloomed on April 6 in 2006 and on April 11 in 2007. Last year was a particularly cold spring so

OldRoseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10307114475443602351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10023942.post-90981832903015316192008-04-02T12:59:00.000-04:002008-04-05T01:00:56.904-04:00

Yes, I know that it’s a horrible photo, but I’m so hungry for flowers at this time of year that I get excited about a tiny bunch of violets growing in the crack between my driveway and the foundation of my house. Hurry up, Spring!

OldRoseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10307114475443602351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10023942.post-46377028246565946612008-04-01T13:31:00.001-04:002008-04-04T02:19:15.012-04:00

I’m developing a crick in my neck. It’s from constantly looking down. I peer into winter sowing containers. I check the progress of my bulbs. Oh, look. Another bunch of daffs are blooming. I look for perennials coming back to life after a long winter’s sleep. Good. Both heucheras are coming up. How exciting! The Candelabra primrose I bought at Well Sweep Herb Farm last year is coming up

OldRoseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10307114475443602351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10023942.post-4095101782104694782008-04-01T13:21:00.000-04:002008-04-04T01:31:13.644-04:00

Recently, I was asked to write a short article on gardening. I could choose the topic but was urged to make it something I am passionate about. I said “no problem” and promptly went into Procrastination Mode. Less than a week before the deadline, I still had no idea what I was going to write about. Two days before the deadline, I had a topic, theme gardens, but still no clear idea of what I was

OldRoseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10307114475443602351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10023942.post-76801711935180488122008-03-31T13:36:00.001-04:002008-04-03T01:58:54.547-04:00

Before our tour of the Indoor Display Gardens at Duke Farms, we went for a hike at Round Valley. It was a beautiful day with not a cloud in the sky. A bitterly cold wind kept our outing shorter than we would have liked. I love photographing trees in the winter. The lack of foliage allows you to see things that aren’t normally obvious. Like a lone pine tree in amongst all the deciduous trees.

OldRoseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10307114475443602351noreply@blogger.com