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| California Dreamin' was last year's hope, this year's show-off. |
Yesterday the wind seemed to be blowing in a welcome thunderstorm, but we only had falling leaves and swirling clay dust. The soil is really dry when it turns white, the dogs kick up clouds just by barking and pawing the earth, and the water spigots get turned on again.
I watered for the latest rose harvest, which filled the main rose garden with color and prompted several Mr. Lincoln roses to show off their size and fragrance. I put more water on the backyard roses and plants, because the Butterfly Bushes also appreciate extra water.
Many plants have already started their winter sleep. The Crepe Myrtle bush is now a giant bird feeder, packed with large round seeds the Cardinals love to eat. Maple, Sycamore, and Oak leaves are falling on the gardens.
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| I thought I would get $5 roses every year, like Bride's Dream. But that offer did not occur again. |
The roses are not honoring fall. They love cool weather more than most people realize. That gives them a long season in NW Arkansas. New plants bloom one month after digging the bare root roses into the soil. Many common plants take three years to be productive -
- Asparagus
- Gooseberries
- Trumpet Vine
Roses take one month to flower - and bloom again several times the first year. Mature roses produce more flowers and better flowers as the plant gets established in the soil.
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| Fragrant Cloud fills a room with its old fashioned rose perfume. |
