Flowers in the Greenhouse

I'm anxious to get out to the garden to photograph the few early roses that are blooming now ... but it's been really windy and the flowers don't stay still to be photographed.  Windy conditions are NOT a problem in the greenhouse.

Here are a few of the roses that are blooming in there as of this morning.

'Mike's Old Fashioned Pink'

(shrub)

'Cotton Candy'

(rambler)

'Green Ice'

(miniature)

'Pink Ribbon'

(miniature)

I used my finger for perspective to show you how small this flower is.

With some of the roses, these flowers they have now are the first ones I've seen ... and it's really exciting.

This is 'Double Blush Burnet'.  I identified this rose from photos sent by a reader.  She found it in the overgrown garden of her grandparents' homestead in Minnesota.  I am thrilled that she shared some suckers of it with me. 

This next rose has a similar story, but we don't know its identity.  It came to me from a rose friend in Montana, and she got it from an elderly neighbor named Hallie ... she calls it "Hallie's Rose".  It is a vigorous once-blooming rose that I will plant in the Labyrinth Garden, and I will think of Deb every time I see it.

I have no idea what this next rose is.  It's one I bought, but I don't remember where or when, and the writing on that tag is completely faded away.  One day I'll figure out what it is.  In the meantime, these flowers are beautiful, and they smell heavenly!

I don't know what these next two roses are either.  They have tags, but the tags are obviously wrong.

This is supposed to be 'Alice', a pink Polyantha.

... and this is supposed to be 'Shower of Gold', a yellow rambler.

I can't do anything about the first mis-tagged rose, because the nursery where I got it doesn't exist anymore ... and it's really rare and not available anywhere else.  I will contact the nursery where I got the second one and let them know about their mistake.  A reputable nursery will send the correct rose, no questions asked  ... I've had to do it for customers myself on two occasions that I can think of.

GBBD... Flowers in the House

On the 15th of each month, Garden Blogger's Bloom Day, garden bloggers all over the world link up to show whatever is blooming in their neck of the woods.  Here in Hartwood, where we had temperatures in the 20s for three nights last week, the flowers outside are finished.  Here in the house, though, my Christmas Cactus is putting on its annual show.

I searched for years to find a Christmas Cactus with pale flowers ... being more accustomed to seeing the more common bright red or hot pink ones in the store.  Two years ago, tucked in the back of a clearance table at Home Depot, I spotted this pale pink beauty.  It had one lone flower on it at the time, and it looked pretty distressed, but I was thrilled to scoop it up and bring it home.

When the buds began to open last week, I discovered that there are salmon colored flowers among the pale pink.  These plants are created in the nurseries by planting a number of rooted cuttings into the the same pot, and whoever did this one accidently placed two salmon cuttings among the pink ones.  At first, I was a bit disturbed ... but I soon came to appreciate the contrast, and now I'm okay with it.

I don't think I have ever seen a salmon Christmas Cactus for sale, and I haven't seen a pale pink one since I bought this one.  After mine has finished flowering, I plan to root come cuttings from each part of the plant so I will have plants to share.  Unlike the person who produced my plant, I plan to keep to one color per pot.

What I love most about Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day is visiting gardens all over the world to see what's happening there.  So, I'm off now to visit May Dreams Gardens to see who has linked up and what they have for us to see.  You should go, too.

Souvenir de la Malmaisson for GBBD ... and a Winner

Visitors to the garden for the past two weekends have marveled at the performance that Souvenir de la Malmaisson is putting on in one of my front yard rose beds.  While a huge majority of my roses are looking pretty shabby from the neglect that they have suffered this year, SDLM is a beacon of loveliness.

Here is a wide shot, so you can see just how many flowers are on this bush.  You can also see that it's surrounded by weeds, Bermuda grass and Creeping Charlie being the worst offenders.  (The tall rose on the right is Felicia.)

I shot these photos earlier this morning, just as the sun was rising above the trees across the street.  The gentle morning light perfectly showcases the soft pinkness of this beautiful rose.

This grouping of flowers below looks like a ready-made bouquet.  

I wish I could pass along the scent of this rose, as I was experiencing it while standing on my head to get these photos.

On to another matter ...

The winner of the tile tray is:

MarthaVA!!!

Martha said, "I love reading good blogs - it's like reading a book for me. I love hearing about other people's hobbies and lives and crafts.  And considering you don't live that far from me, I find it even MORE interesting.  Oh, and I do love the roses....my first experience with roses was that my mother's name was Rose. And we always had roses in the yard in NY."

(The accuracy and the results of this drawing are certified by the feline firm of Dorothy, Maggie, and Alice.)

What I loved most about this giveaway was getting to know a bit about many of you who spend part of your day here with me, reading what I write and getting involved in my world.  I thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for your generosity.

Since today is the 15th, it's Garden Blogger's Bloom Day!  It has been a while since I have participated, so I think I will head over to May Dreams Gardens to see what everyone else over there has blooming in their yards.  I'm also going to take this post on the road to party over at Fishtail Cottage for Cottage Flora Thursday. 

Fooling Mother Nature for Garden Blogger's Bloom Day

For those of us in northern climates, participating in Garden Blogger's Bloom Day in winter is a bit challenging.  When the weather is cold, we have to dream up unusual and imaginative ways to check in on the 15th of the month with other gardeners to show whatever is blooming at the moment.  This month, I offer forsythia buds that I am forcing in my kitchen window.

These branches have been in the warm house for a week now, and the flower buds are almost ready to open.  This is a good thing, because I am planning to take them to decorate the buffet table at a garden club meeting on Thursday.

This winter seems to have dragged on longer than usual.  Forcing forsythia is my little way to get a taste of spring, when I seem to need it most.

If you've never done this, you MUST give it a try.  Cut a forsythia branch any time after late January, bring it into the house and place it in a vase in a warm window.  You should have flowers in about 10 days. 

I'm linking this post to:

Garden Blogger's Bloom Day at May Dreams Garden

Bokeh Party at Tracy's Trinkets and Treasures