Rose Cottage Ltd

I’m enjoying flower #4 on my Hibiscus:

But this morning I focused on the little micro-world also going on during the plant’s bloom process:

While all this was going on I had another little visitor:

You can see on the pole the remains of the ants I managed to destroy yesterday. Ants can quickly make a Hummingbird feeder all but useless since they get in the mixture and gum up access for the Hummingbirds. A little spray on the pole and some Sevin Dust at the ground seems to have done the trick – for now. This will have to be repeated in a day or three…just follow the ant’s trail and make sure you treat all the way back to the source.

Every once and awhile you buy a plant that is supposed to bloom more than one season – and it actually does!

Such is the case with this Hibiscus I bought at the Lowes garden center July 2012:

This was the first of potentially many blooms to come on this showy little plant. If you’re looking for something that is low maintenance, grab one of these and just ignore it over winter. A little sun, water, and a top-off of some good potting soil in the spring will all but guarantee results like these.

It does seem a bit prone to white fly so a sprinkle of Sevin dust is also a good idea.

Dreary day in North Carolina but we can always use the rain and all my yard work was completed yesterday so let it pour!

Nice color around the yard this time of year though. Here’s a shot of the Clematis providing its show a bit later than last year:

Congratulations to Oxbow – who won the Preakness Stakes yesterday. I actually picked the winner this year – who won against 15-1 odds – but I had no money in the deal so just enjoyed the victory!

Happy Sunday…

After about 6 years of trying to “hatch” an Iris on this property I’ve finally been successful – and it was worth the wait!

Every year the darn squirrels seem to have “Iris radar” and somehow steal nearly every bulb I’ve planted. This one Iris stalk that made it was actually from an initial group of 6 bulbs I planted. Score one for me…

Happy Friday!

While out walking yesterday, noticed these three daffodils almost ready to open. Knowing there was a day of rain coming today, I decided to bring them in last night and this morning – here they are!

Just a hair over 3 weeks until the first day of Spring – we can do this!

I’m amazed at the display this plant keeps producing:

Hibiscus moscheutos Luna Series

Not my greatest photo ever – the sun is just too bright, but these blooms are nearly 6 inches from side-to-side. This one plant has already produced nearly a dozen blooms this size and from the look of things – many more are to come soon! I’m moving it off the dock during the hottest, (100 degree) part of the day but it is otherwise obviously thriving and not particularly “demanding” regarding care and maintenance.

I love it when a “plant” comes together…

As a child, I remember being worried about that old saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”

Having the doctor “away” sounded fine to me, but I was worried about how he knew about the apple AND, if this meant he also knew about other things like Halloween candy. My mother eventually explained the meaning of this quotation to me – probably saving me from a potential bout of anorexia!

I’m hoping that seeing a new rose per day would cause no trauma for anyone – so here’s today’s image…

Here’s the first bloom of my favorite rose bush at Rose Cottage for 2012. Incredible scent and I love the color!

Look for all your Spring and Summer garden supplies at Garden.com. First day of Summer 2012 is June 20.

I noticed a lot of people searching this blog for “ketchup mustard rose.” I figured since I wrote an article on the preferences of most people for either ketchup or mustard on National Mustard Day 2010, combined with the title of the blog – “Rose Cottage Ltd,” that Google was just confused.

Apparently not.

Here is an image of the 2012 “Ketchup and Mustard Rose” – photo from Regan Nursery:

I guess if you look at this image and squint a bit, this pile of color could be found sitting on a hamburger – somewhere…but I’d need more mustard!

I noticed about a 50/50 split between those searching for “Ketchup Mustard Rose” versus those searching for “Mustard Ketchup Rose.” The initial condiment controversy apparently continues…