Not fresh May blooms, but the tough old girls who hold on past the freeze. Other than aphids and thrips, it’s easy to be a May ingenue. November girls laugh at cold temperatures and tell late fall to “bring it” with a come on flutter of their cold speckled petals and leaves.
Roses, who know what it’s like to suffer and come on through. Not unlike some beautiful people I’ve known.
These are the roses which now grace the garden.
After tomorrow’s cold front, they will only be a memory, but still . . . I’m grateful for them now.
Note to self and everyone else. If you have container plants which stay outside, but need some protection, move them in close up against the east side of your home. I’ve saved many plants by doing this simple thing. Also any evergreens in containers you haven’t yet planted, those can go in the garage for a day or so while the cold front lashes us.
My roses are more protected than yours, so even the cold blast didn’t take them down. Penelope, Jefferson, the knockouts, Pinata, Dame de Coeur, Footloose, Dortmund, Sally Holmes, the mystery rose, and Linda Campbell are still hanging on, some still in bud, others nearly spent. Linda Campbell just finished a big bloom, and I’m waiting to see if more come on. The potted roses are trying to go dormant, probably because they aren’t getting enough water these brisk, blustery days. Our long, mild autumns always make me question the old advice against feeding in September.
Delicate hybrid teas may be beautiful, but these tougher varieties are the type I’d like to grow! The cold has settled in for good in Illinois, so no more blooms for me, but I hope a few of yours have survived this past week. A speaker at our MG banquet last week also suggested turning containers on their sides and mulching them, even wrapping them with landscape fabric to protect them during the winter.
Hope you and your family had a wonderful Thanksgiving, Dee!
Hi Rose, I like you need the strong landscape roses or floribundas which don’t mind our adverse growing conditions. I hope you had a beautiful Thanksgiving too.
Dee, It was nice to see your pretty roses. Just yesterday my hubby said we have a pretty rose outside our (bedroom) window. Sure enough, there it was all alone. I haven’t looked out today to see how it fared after that big freeze last night.
I hope you and your family had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Looking forward to all the Christmas fun now!
Kelly
Thanks Kelly. I’m glad you had a few roses left too. Hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful.
Love the roses, Dee. I always have a few blooms left in the front bed by the house on the south side. Very protected. I am loving the changing of seasons here in NW Edmond and have really enjoyed being outside by the light of the moon and a warm porch fire. A blessed Thanksgiving to you and all of yours.
Yes, in the more protected areas right next to the house, some years my roses don’t even lose their leaves. Blessings to you and yours too.
I love the title of your post Dee, as well as your lovely pretty rosies – there are still a few left even in Connecticut, quite the worse for wear though…
Thank you Cyndy.
… and you are blessed, dear Dee! Frost has hit the pumpkins here and the gardens are put to bed. Thanksgiving blessings.
Hi Joey, many blessings to you and yours too. I hope you have a beautiful day.
I have no roses at present but I have a primrose which has decided to flower unseasonably. It must be exhausted. It started off in spring (as it was supposed too) and carried on quite into the summer. It has had a brief rest and now it’s back again. Come the spring, I wonder whether it will have enough oomph left for falling back in line with expectations.
Esther
Hi Esther, I bet if your primrose gets a tiny bit of rest, she’ll be refreshed for spring. We’ll wait and see won’t we? Thanks for visiting.~~Dee
I have one which always have one or two late flowers which hang on in there for ages
Hi Helen, thanks so much for stopping by. I can’t wait to see what you’re up to across the pond.~~Dee
Those are some tough old girls like me 🙂 Even if its just one fleeting moment or a day their beauty is appreciated more for their very endurance.
My knockout rose has buds waiting to break but I have a feeling that they’ll soon be covered with snow. I think I just heard the fat lady sing.
Hi Carolyn, you’re not old silly. I know that. I’ve met you. I think endurance is one of the best qualities both people and plants can have.~~Dee
Pretty chilly here now too. I adore the last of the roses blooming. They do seem to have that indominable character.
Lisa, I bet it is very chilly there. Goodness. I hope you have a beautiful Thanksgiving and enjoy the sun you have.~~Dee
The roses still look pretty, even though they are a little worn. It’s remarkably convenient that my house faces west, so that the back of the house, where I can hide those pots, faces east. I’ve been doing that with them for several years.
MMD, my house also faces west, and I’m so glad. I pull get to see the sunrise from my kitchen window every morning, and watch the sun set among the trees. It’s nice to know we have the same view if not the same climate.~~Dee
Hi,
Glad to see you still have so much colour, especially Roses.
I still have some white, pink and yellow ones too, very strange. Some just seem to be so very hardy, some were flowering last year even when we had the worst snow in 30 years!
Hi Liz, thanks for stopping by. I appreciate it. I think that snow cover must have helped your roses. When we have snow cover, everything in the garden performs better.~~Dee
It’s still warm here with ‘Lovely Fairy’ rose blooming her heart out~I am thankful there are roses to enjoy over there in OK! Have a sweet day~gail
Gail, mmmm, as you know, ‘The Fairy’ is among my favorite roses. She is such a sweet darling, but tough as nails. I think tomorrow will be the roses’ swan song, and I’m okay with that. They need a rest too.~~Dee
Our cold front is already here – several inches of snow and temps down below zero tonight – brrr! I have a large pot that I should move, but it’s so cold that I’m hesitating. Thanks for sharing your tough ole gals with us today!
Brrr indeed! I can’tmagine it being that cold. I’ll have to go take a look see at your lilies.~~Dee