Gardenia Veitchii

Also known as Gardenia jasminoides ‘Veitchii‘, I purchased yesterday three of the last remaining small plants from a local gardening center. The soil in the containers was very dry so I rushed home, dug holes, planted them, and soaked the soil. I’ll be doing the same again within the hour.
I’ve not had success in the past [...]

Silverado Rose in My Autumn Garden

Certainly there are many pink-colored roses, but the Silverado rose has a color that echoes the Spring season to me, so vibrant and also very fragrant, a truly wonderful member of my backyard garden, especially in the autumn and winter months!

Succulent Garden with Wildflowers!

It’s been about two months since I planted my succulent garden and sprinkled wildflower seeds around it. The seeds have exploded with life, peacefully co-existing with the succulents. Over the next several weeks, more of these wildflower seedlings will be in flower, making for an even more dramatic display. I can’t wait!

Autumn Garden: A Season of Review

I just finished watering my front and back yards. The front looks fine, lawn is still green and my various bushes and plants are thriving. That’s the good news.
The bad news? My back yard had a combination of hits and misses.
The hits:  Most of my roses (primarily hybrid tea) are standing strong (a few perished), [...]

Lantana Replaced with Wildflowers

That’s what I hope will be the result! Sadly, my lantana plants looked like they were stricken by some type of disease. To prevent potential risk for spread to surrounding plants, I removed the lantana. It’s a necessary part of routine garden maintenance.
In their place, I sprinkled wildflower seeds. I purchased a plastic bucket of seeds [...]

Rose Hips

My Sunblest rose is producing an impressive amount of rose hips! Here is one example. I’m hopeful that it will ripen into a shade of red or orange because I’m curious about using them in tea and possibly making jam (if I have enough for the latter, that is!).  An added benefit is that rose hips are [...]

Roses: To Cut or Not?

I just finished this round of deadheading my roses. I have several roses blooming, all beautiful. But for me, it’s a bit painful (and I don’t mean the thorns this time!) to cut my roses in order to have cut flowers in my home. I have some roses that would look great in a vase, [...]

My Backyard Spring Garden

Oh, this is the reason I enjoy gardening so much! This section of my backyard consists primarily of roses, but also features alstromeria (Peruvian lily), lantana, and French lavender. A bit of maintenance and patience pays off during these days!
CONSUMER ALERT UPDATE: There have been reports that alstromeria or Peruvian lily plant is poisonous if it is [...]

Golden Celebration Rose, in Bloom!

This rose is simply divine.  My rose garden is in various stages of bloom, which ensures color every day! I snapped this photo about an hour ago, just after sniffing its oh-so-sweet fragrance. Notice the stunning red color of the flower bud that is destined to bloom into this golden loveliness!

I Support Roses!

Two canes of my Sunblest Rose plant have grown very tall, very quickly. It’s been windy here for the past few days also, so to reduce the likelihood of  canes snapping in half from the frequent swaying, I tied each tall cane to a bamboo support, using green plastic tape. It just takes a few careful minutes to [...]