Thursday, March 21, 2013

New Blooms and A New Goal

The reason I love roses so is because of their long bloom time.  In my garden, they bloom from March through November.  In fact, the first rose has begun to bloom.  This year, Carefree Beauty:

Carefree Beauty

and Sweet Drift:

Sweet Drift

tied for first bloom of the year.

It took me a long time to appreciate blooms that only last for a few days or weeks.  I wanted every plant to bloom as long as my roses!  But I have slowly begun to appreciate the short season of blooms from other plants.  A garden where every plant is in bloom every season is just not feasible!

I now love seeing the different blooms as the seasons change, and how that changes my garden.  For instance, this phlox that's blooming along with the muscari is, in my opinion, perfect.


The muscari would be nice on its own, and the phlox would be nice on its own, too.  But together, they make this area a masterpiece of beauty for a small amount of time.


Seeing this area has given me a new goal:  To make each area of my garden perfectly beautiful - no matter how short that time may last.

I'm joining Tootsie Time for Fertilizer Friday.



51 comments:

  1. I wish they all could bloom as long as Roses also but find there is not a lot that does that. I just count on the Roses no matter what.
    Cher Sunray Gardens

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    1. I do, too, Cher. That's why I have so many of them!

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  2. I love your phlox and muscari together, a lovely combination.

    FlowerLady

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    1. It really is a pretty sight right now. Seems every spring has some new surprise!

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  3. And what a lovely goal! The muscari and phlox together does look great :)

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    1. I'm really trying to tweak my gardens. I'm sure it'll be a never-ending process, but one that it very satisfying, and delightful.

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  4. That's a great goal! You are so lucky to have those beautiful roses. I'm looking forward to seeing more of your gardens!

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    1. And I'm looking forward to seeing more of my garden blooming! Soon, very soon! :)

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  5. A noble goal! Sometimes the most ephemeral combinations are also the most enjoyed. My garden looks great for 15 minutes in early July at night when nobody can see it. The rest of the year, meh. Happy weekend!

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    1. Haha - that's about when mine looks good, too. I've decided to try to turn meh into yeah. Wish me luck!

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  6. Beautiful combinations!
    *hugs*deb

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  7. A very good goal. I wish roses would bloom for me from March thru November! But our growing season is shorter. Your new blooms are beautiful and seem to say, "Hope springs eternal!"

    Keri

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    1. Well, in the heat of the summer, my garden never looks very good, so at least your garden looks great the entire time it's blooming!

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  8. The Phlox with the Muscari are a beautiful combination and the roses, yes I should wish they had such a long flowering season over here. End of May at the earliest till October is our flowering period of roses. Moreover, I love the old fashioned French roses most, which are only flowering once in June/July.

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    1. Even May through October is a long flowering period! I don't grow many of the one-bloomers. Most need more winter chill than we have here. But, I've heard they're much more glorious in bloom than the repeat blooming roses!

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  9. Love your pictures! I can not wait for mine to start blooming again which should be very soon.

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    1. Should be - but this spring has been odd! Hopefully spring will arrive soon for us all! :)

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  10. Our Roses in this climate only bloom from May-Oct ---but they are gorgeous!!! Our Phlox won't bloom either 'til end of April or May.. We just have to wait longer than you do.. I'm envious!!! ha

    Have a great weekend.
    Hugs,
    Betsy

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    1. I'm always thankful that we have a short winter. But, we pay for it when the heat hits mid-summer! I look forward to hearing more about your roses this summer!

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  11. I can not get over your flowers and the
    header photo is wonderful.. I don't have
    very good soil here in Florida.. I've
    amended it with the expensive stuff but
    the roses are small and slow to grow..
    Thanks for your visit and Happy Spring!
    Sandy

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    1. You are right about the soil in Florida - the soil there has harmful nematodes. I think having the roses grafted on Fortuniana rootstock is supposed to help. Good luck with them!

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  12. There's something, when you create that perfect combination, that you want it to last all season. I'm learning to appreciate though the combinations in small doses. there's something to be said for plants that bloom and fade into the next faze of flowers.

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    1. That's exactly what I am learning! I have come to realize that all those fabulous photos of gardens are made at just the right time - maybe only a week or two, and that it doesn't look that way all the time!

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  13. I have the same combo in my phlox bed. They go perfectly together and make a nice vignette.

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  14. I love that colour combination! A good idea to focus on "moments"!

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    1. I figured if I can get enough 'moments' of perfection in my garden, then it will look good all year long - even though each plant isn't blooming all of that time!

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  15. Sounds like a good goal to me, and that phlox is beautiful by itself, but really contrasts well with the muscari, even though I am not a fan of the latter.

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    1. I really do like this combination. And although I generally like the blue phlox, I love this pink color with the blue muscari.

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  16. I love moss phlox too, but now I think I need some grape hyacinth with it.

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  17. 2 of my favorite flowers that make a stunning pair.

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    1. They really are a sweet combination. I am now wondering if I could put even more spring blooms in this area!

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  18. the phlox and the muscari really look dramatic and nice.

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    1. Plus, I've never cared for the foliage of the muscari, and the phlox helps hide it a bit!

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  19. I like long-blooming plants as well, though there are quite a few long-blooming perennials, such as Heliopsis, Monarda, and Agastache. I like to get a good mix of the long-bloomers with some of the plants that have spectacular blooms for shorter periods. Phlox divaritica and subulata are good examples of these, as well as the Oriental Lilies.

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    1. Yes, one can't help but love those spectacular blooms! But it's the long blooming plants that I really appreciate. Those hard workers are the best!

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  20. I love it when a plan comes together - phlox and muscari are looking good. I brought in my first rose of spring - the kitchen smells wonderful. Stay warm.

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    1. How wonderful! I can't wait for the weather to warm just a bit - and for spring to finally arrive. I know there are lots of blooms just waiting for that, too!

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  21. Holley, the phlox and muscari are a beautiful combination. I would do well to emulate your goal of having diversity in the gardens, too. In winter it's hard to have much of anything other than snowbanks, lol, but I should look into more spring and early summer interest. And I need to incorporate more roses here, too. But I don't think mine will ever look like yours!

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    1. You have such a hard climate to garden in. And you garden is always so beautiful, Karen. I can't imagine that you need to do anything different! I hope spring comes to you soon!

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  22. Holley, I this variety of phlox, nice bright color and I grow it in my small rocky garden. You have a great goal, have a nice weekend!

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    1. I do love the color of this phlox. It is very cheerful!

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  23. Nice photos today. Here along the shores of Lake Michigan, the roses start late in May so I have a couple of months to wait. Enjoyed your.

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    1. I sometimes wonder what it would be like to live in California, where the roses bloom all year! I think I would miss the break we get in winter. And I bet you would very much miss your winter!

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  24. I have phlox. I have muscari. But in different places. Thanks for showing me how special they would be as a combination. For me, it's an easy fix!

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    1. From now on, when I plant muscari, I'll plant phlox, too!

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  25. Hello
    Yes, roses are gorgeous. There is a rose in Australia that you might like called Lorraine Lee. She is evergreen and flowers in winter if you live in a temperate zone. Don't think she works in snow covered zones. Check out Mistydowns roses and perennials in Victoria, Australia. You might be able to order one over the internet if you are interested.

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    1. I don't know that rose, but I'll look it up! I do love evergreen roses, and flowering in winter sounds wonderful! Of course, I'll have to find a spot for her first! :)

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  26. I love roses...but don't know much about them! Might need a few in my gardens this year as new additions!
    Thanks for linking in this week...I hope to see you again soon!
    I am sharing this post on Tootsie Time facebook page!
    (¯`v´¯)
    `*.¸.*´Glenda/Tootsie
    ¸.•´¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨)
    (¸.•´ (¸.•´ .•´ ¸¸.•¨¯`•.

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    1. If you get an old garden rose, they are usually much easier to care for! I hope you do add one or two to your garden! Thanks for sharing this on your facebook page!

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