Thursday, May 6, 2010

Five Years In The Making...

I've waited five years for this bloom....
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Do you see the fairy face in the petals?

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I live too far south for peonies to be really happy. For five years, I've cheered as this plant fought valiantly to live and grow in Texas temps. The first year in my yard, the poor thing completely disappeared during the heat of August. But come spring, there it was, trying again. Each summer for the past five, this peony has grown a little bigger every year and lasted longer each summer. If our summer's weren't enough, our winters are too warm for peonies also.

Last spring, this plant sent out two BB sized buds which never opened. This year, though...this year is a peony year. Our winter was cold and wet. Lots of snow and rain. Our spring has been late and long. (It's May and I haven't yet turned on the house AC system. Usually, the AC goes on in April.)

There are five buds on the shrub, but this is the first. It only goes to show good things happen when you wait and grow.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Some Spring Rose Photos

I took the camera on a walk around the place today. The roses are busting out in exuberant bloom.

Sombrieul (I never know if I've spelled that correctly!) The flowers are beautiful and complex, the plant is less than pretty, and the thorns are wicked.
Sombrieul Rose

Foreground: Republic of Texas Heritage Rose. The red rose behind it is Valentine. Republic of Texas is a medium sized shrub about three feet high and at least that wide. Bullet proof. Valentine is a smallish shrub staying two feet high and wide. V gets a touch of blackspot, but never goes bare.
Republic of Texas Rose

Old Blush--another bullet proof old rose. No black spot issues and blooms even in the heat. This one is six feet high and wide.
Old Blush

Rival de Paestum and Ducher in the white garden--beautiful and tough.
Ducher and the Greek Rose in Amy's Garden

Ducher--a slight lemony scent
Ducher rose

Mutabilis Rose aka 'the butterfly rose'
The buds open orange-salmon and fade to pink so the effect is multi-colored fun. This rose is well over six feet tall and nine feet wide. A big beauty!
Mutablis Rose aka the butterfly Rose

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

A Garden Dream

Welcome to Creative Soil, a gardening blog. Roses, tulips, sunflowers, and all kinds of other flowers plus shrubs, veggies, herbs, and trees. If it concerns plants growing outside, we'll be talking about it.