As a native New Englander, I enjoy the four distinct seasons we have and take pleasure in each one. But, I have become very, very weary of this winter. Weary of the snow canyon that my driveway has become and weary of the unusually bitter, subzero cold. And I’m weary of staring at the heavy snow still piled high in the gardens even though I realize that snow provides ideal insulation for roses from the frigid cold and wintery winds we had throughout February.
Meanwhile, I continue my winter morning routine, which includes the daily crossword puzzle in the newspaper, marking time until the snow melts enough for me to get started with spring clean-ups. (What is a five letter word for rock debris?) Then comes my favorite early spring activity – spring pruning!
So, as my gardening mojo rises and as I patiently wait for winter to break, I consider the ambitious plans that Angelina and I have made for the 2015 gardening season. We have settled on several new rose varieties to put in and evaluate: Campfire is a tough little red and yellow blend floribunda from the Morden Experimental Farm in Manitoba Canada. New to the US market, this latest introduction to the Canadian Artists Series is hardy to USDA zone 3. Another is an attractive apricot climber called Della Balfour that we saw last summer in the garden of our friends, Dacia and Clive. I’ll grow Della as bush as we have no room for another climber. The last variety on this season’s wish-list is David Austin’s The Lady Gardener, a fragrant, pure apricot shrub rose new in 2015. (See photo in previous post.)
Because of our success last year with sunflowers, garlic, and assorted vegetables, Angelina and I have selected more seeds to plant this spring with an eye towards the creation of a cottage garden. Along with three varieties of sunflowers, each a different height, we’ll add larkspur and aubretia. We had seen great clusters of purple/blue aubretia growing in Ireland last May both as cultivated plants as well as feral flowers sprouting from nooks, cracks, and crannies everywhere. Larkspur is an annual form of delphinium and our plan is to sprinkle seeds in the middle of the bed and see how that works out as companions to roses. Add a small veggie bed with two tomato plants, two eggplants and two rows of string beans planted along side a small bed of hard neck garlic planted last October. Eclectic gardening for sure.
More plans include a full garden restoration in 2015 – a major project – as well as a trip to Seattle and Vancouver this spring. We’re even are thinking ahead to 2016 and a journey by car throughout France into Belgium and The Netherlands.
It’s a good thing we have the perfect journal, Rose Gardening Season by Season: A Journal for Passionate Gardeners, to keep track of everything we have planned.
(A five letter word for rock debris? Why Scree, of course.)
Yes I also am very weary of winter and ready to get out and photograph all the buds and bulbs that will shortly spring forth. I too want The Lady Gardener. I look forward to hearing how you do with Larkspur. I have not had great luck with it.
Thanks Robin.
We’re just going to sprinkle the seeds and wish them well. I’m hoping to get some blue into the rose garden this way.