The Holy Grail ... of Nasturtiums

At last! A red one!

Mahogany Velvet. We found the seeds at Target (of all places). When we went back for more, they were sold out. [Boo hoo.]

The color of the actual flower (fresh blood red) looks nothing like what was pictured on the seed packet (maroonish, dried blood red), but we aren't complaining.

Red, red flowers; happy, happy, happy!

A Bloomin' Onion

The real deal. One that got away by going soft and sprouting before we could use it. Stuck it in a pot, and here's what we got.

Who's Your Daddy?

[Pardon the title; we just couldn't resist ...]

A request was made that we discuss a peculiar phenomenon noted by a fellow rose gardener. His query:

Why are the second generation of blooms sometimes 1/3 of the size of the first blooms of the season?

The short and very general answer is that a rosebush is not a widget factory. Blooms will vary not only in size, but also strength of scent and, depending on the rose variety, color.

As an example, below are photos of two roses from the same shrub, a hybrid tea called Sterling Silver. The plant is about 6 ft. tall. The larger bloom came from the top of the plant; the smaller, from the midsection.




The smaller flower has suffered quite a bit of insect damage which, in addition to its more shaded position on the plant, may have contributed to its reduced size.

What is stranger still, none of the flowers currently open on this particular shrub have the signature citrusy scent which, apart from the lavender/pale mauve color, is the selling point for this variety. Perhaps the scent evaporated in the recent heat wave?

Getting back to the original query, it is our belief that environmental factors are the cause of a consistent difference in bloom size. The rose bush in question had a nice rest over the winter, enjoyed some spring rain followed by balmy temperatures, and then put out its best blooms first. As the weather became hotter and drier, the plant suffered some stress, so the later blooms were smaller.

This is our conjecture; any “rose whisperers” in the blogsphere are welcome to ring in with their thoughts on the issue.

Neighbor Blight

From the amazing to the annoying:

We recently discovered that one of our neighbors had several branches of our mulberry[?] tree cut. We would have been much less upset about this development if he had not
(1) tossed some of the cuttings back into our yard for us to dispose of, and
(2) reached over and made cuts on our side of the property line.

While it is quite easy to get carried away with a pruning saw, let us all try to be good neighbors and remember:

If thy neighbor's green growing things offend thee, thou mayest cut them back up to the property line.

Thou mayest not reach over the property line and lop off another 5-6 inches.

Once you cut, the cuttings are your problem.

And, for heaven's sake, don't botch it up like this wanker did (see photo).

Here endeth the lesson for today.

Oh, For a Honking Great Telephoto Lens!

We were sitting on the stoop this afternoon, getting ready to pack it in after photographing small birds around the feeder, when a commotion drew our eyes to the Chinese Elm that covers the front patio. A hawk (or falcon?) had landed on one of the near horizontal trunks with a smaller bird (a jay?) clutched in one claw. The parent or mate of the captured bird then swooped in to harass the raptor, shrieking all the while. We got one so-so shot before the raptor took off with its lunch.

Something Unusual

Have you ever seen mushrooms growing between bricks? We hadn't, until now.

Nightmare in Pink (A Cautionary Tale)

If you plant a rose that dies and then resurrects with new growth unlike that which went before, forget the cross and the holy water and go straight for the shovel. The rose you sought to grow has shuffled off its mortal coil, and the rootstock plant has taken its place.

Many, if not all, of the roses to be found at local nurseries, home improvement stores, and the discount store garden department are grafts. This means that canes of the desired variety are grafted onto the rootstock of a more robust rose plant.

There are those who claim that many rose varieties grow better/faster/stronger when grafted onto foreign rootstock. The problem is that if the grafted portions of the plant die back--due to disease, insect attack, or extreme weather--the desired variety is toast and the rootstock takes over.

Sometimes a robust rootstock doesn't wait for the grafts to die before attempting a hostile takeover. Beware of speedy growth from below the bud union (the lumpy base where the canes meet the rootstock). For example, if you're trying to grow a shrub rose and new canes shoot for the sky, get out the pruners and cut the new growth back to where its base meets the rootstock. Give the rootstock an inch, and it'll take half the backyard (see example below).