For years, my passion, 2nd only to food, has been gardening. I think I was born with a love of soil from my farming ancestors. Crops, flowers, trees, it doesn't matter to me. When John and I purchased our house and 2 1/2 acres of property, there were only a couple trees, peonies and lots of grass. We have worked together to create a lovely property with so many memories. John gave me a Magnolia tree for our 10th wedding anniversary and I gave him a pear and cherry tree for his birthday and fathers day, the list goes on. Even our girls have given, or been given trees and flowers as gifts. It truly lasts a lifetime and are memories that resurface each season.
It is always a bit bittersweet to clip the last roses of the season. This is my David Austin Rose by the name of Abraham Darby. It is an absolute treasure of a rose, fragrant, beautiful and blooms all summer right up to frost. The blooms are quite apricot with yellow as buds and new blossoms, as the bloom ages it turns into a lovely pink. Abraham Darby is a climber and mine regularly reaches 7 feet with modest pruning. If you are in the market for a more carefree rose, you should consider a David Austin. I do spray for pests and disease, but fairly little compared to a tea rose. I also give a couple scoops of compost and bone meal, as well as a good mulching in the fall. I have planted lambs ear and clematis nearby for a wonderfully romantic garden spot.
All winter I will plot and plan new garden places, a bare spot near the shed (hollyhocks?) a new type of grape, a better system for weed control...
