July was all about food and travel. I made a divine fresh cherry pie from my tart ‘Montmorency’ cherry tree. Stephen and Laurie from my daylily club finally convinced me to attend my first daylily regional. If you’ve ever wanted to see what happens when people are passionate (obsessed) about a flower, join a club and get yourself to a regional or national tour. I came home with lots of flowers, design ideas and plans for more even daylilies. Wherever will I put them?
On to Buffalo where I got to see the most beautiful and creative, small, urban gardens and Niagara Falls. What a fair city, my friend Elizabeth from Gardening While Intoxicated and Garden Rant lives in. She and Jim from Art of Gardening worked very hard to make sure all of the bloggers had a wonderful time, and we did. Did you hear? This summer we’re going to Seattle. I wonder how many of you will join me there.
High summer was celebrated for Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day in July. Then, expounding the blessings of natives in the garden, I explored their pretty side.
In August, the vegetable garden kept growing and producing until my fingers were raw from putting away food. A nice problem to have for sure. The roses were hot, tired (as was I) and jealous at my lack of care, so they sang the blues. In their travels, butterflies stopped to feast upon the nectar of zinnias and black-eyed Susans. They didn’t seem to mind if I snapped their photos endlessly. August Bloom Day saw temperatures of over 100F which continued throughout much of the month. At that heat, the tomatoes shut down production and sulked. Who could blame them?
A lady in waiting finished up the end of the month. The winds may blow, and temperatures may rise and fall, but her egg sac still rests on the gutter where she put it. You gotta love nature even when it crawls.
Thinking ahead in September, I planted another new evergreen. Whoever gets our house after I’m gone (I’m praying it’s a gardener) will get a treasure trove of great plants. The Garden Writers Association national symposium was in uber hot Dallas, but I enjoyed traveling much closer to home for a change. We had fun at the Dallas Arboretum (already dressed for fall), the Ft. Worth Botanic Gardens, and lots of lovely gardeners opened their beautiful homes to us. On the final day, I made a new friend. If you haven’t heard, the 2011 symposium is in Indianapolis. Back home, the Oklahoma Horticulture Society had its annual fundraiser, and I worked in one of my favorite gardens (which I profiled in the Feb/March issue of Oklahoma Gardener. At the end of the month, our sweet and destructive new pup, Tap, joined our family. He is a force to be reckoned with and hell on gardens, but we love him anyway.
I also reviewed the test David Austin roses after their first year in the garden although it will be several seasons before I know for sure whether they will stay.
October is one of my favorite months, but it also means gardening season is nearly over, and change was in the air. The terrible sickness, rose rosette, showed its ugly face, and Rosa ‘New Dawn’ died because of it. As I said before, I’ve lost several roses to this type of rose AIDS, and I can’t imagine the garden without roses. However, I have no control over it, and only time will show if they are resistant to it, and if I caught it early enough.
Japanese maples are probably my second favorite plant and a close contender to my beloved roses so I took time to write about those which perform best in Oklahoma. Splendor in the fall garden begins in spring, and I spoke about it to a local club.
November quickly came, and due to the mild weather, I still had roses blooming, but there wasn’t much fall color. However, death in the garden is still beautiful, and with bulbs, spring will again come all in good time.
So, my friends this brings us to December, and 2011 is near. I wish you all a Happy New Year full of blessings, especially of the garden variety. Cheers!
love your celebration of the new year! japanese maples are one of my favorites, too!
Thanks for the shout out. Glad to have even had a small part in the enjoyment of your year. Come back to Buffalo anytime. Happy New Year.
Jim, no problem. You guys worked yourselves to the max for us, and I appreciate it.
You certainly had an eventful year, Dee! Best wishes for another great gardening year, one where there are no rose viruses and the temperatures never reach three digits.
Ah Rose, that’s a good Irish blessing. We can all hope can’t we?
It is the really weird orb spider that I remember most from your 2010 posts.
Hope you have a wonderful 2011, Dee, and that, one day, we will meet! Do you have any active plans to visit Britain?
Esther
Esther, that’s so funny. She was one pregnant spider wasn’t she?
I can’t come to England yet, but I will someday. I will, and we will meet.
Yes Dee, I am alredy thinking about what will happen in the garden this spring and summer. Looking forward to the new year. I wish you and yours a Great Year.
Me too Lisa. Dreaming is part of the fun. Much love to you and yours.
I loved reading both of your posts on your year in the garden. It sounds like it was so successful (except for that nasty rose rosette; knock on wood, I will never experience that). Some day I will visit your lovely garden my friend! Hope you have a wonderful 2011.
Jean, it was a good garden year except for the rosette. We could have used a bit more water, but I’m not complaining. Come and visit whenever you’d like.
Happy New Year, Dee. I hope you can beat that rose rosette.
Me too Kathy. I don’t hold out much hope though.
You post today was very enjoyable, taking us through your year., and you images lovely as always.
I was not part of the blogging meetup per say but did attend some of the events, plus GardenWalk Buffalo. Our small garden walk in Niagara Falls was part of the National event.
I so want to go to the meet up in Seattle mainly to meet so many of you that have been so wonderful to me through blogging. I will hear about it through our meetings for National Buffalo Garden Festival in January hopefully and actually can not wait. It will be so much fun.
Thank you Donna. I’m so glad you got to come to some of the Fling events. I thought touring the gardens was amazing. I didn’t know how beautiful Buffalo was, but that’s the charm of going somewhere new. I loved Niagara too.
It was indeed a beautiful/memorable year, dear Dee. Wishing you another …. Happy New Year!
It was Joey, and one of the delightful things is I got to know you better.
The Daylily meeting sounds like such fun. I am sure you will find a spot for more lilies. We usually do someway. LOL! A beautiful recap of your gardening year. Happy New Year!
Oh Lona, don’t tempt me. I have too many already. Thanks for stopping by.~~Dee
Dee beautiful review, sentiments and photos..love the idea of finding a flower club..but what flower will I chose? Happy New Year to you and yours in the red Dirt Country!!
Ah, Donna, the beauty of it is you can choose more than one. I’m in the Oklahoma Horticulture Society, The American Hemerocallis Society, the Central Oklahoma Hemerocallis Society, the Edmond Iris and Garden Club, and I may join the Native Plant Society.
I don’t get to every meeting, but I’ve learned so much. Give it a try.
Happy New Year, Dee. What a wonderful review. Gardeners certainly don’t lack for good conversation companions – so many place to meet. I just put Seattle on my calendar – but we are also looking forward to a Texas trip in the spring. I’m sure I will find gardeners there.
So true Pat. I can’t wait to see you again in Seattle my friend.
A very happy 2011 to you dear Dee! You had a busy and exciting 2010, may this year bring new friends and flowers into your life as well. 🙂
xxxooo
Hi Frances, I think you had just as busy a year as I my friend. I wish you all the blessings life has to offer in 2011.
Sounds like a great year! your garden is amazing, and the maple is definitely my favorite.
happy new year!
Hi Fer, thank for your kind words. Doesn’t that maple look gorgeous next to the weathered wood?
Happy New Year Dee! May this new year bring you as many blessings as you had in 2010 and then some. I hope you get more rain! I wonder when the Seattle meet up is? I would love to come but it is my busy season.
Happy New Year to you too Carol. I hope I definitely get more rain. I think the Fling is set for the end of July. They should have the website up soon.
Dee, I will for sure be at the Seattle Fling! Can’t wait to see you. It was sad reading the story this summer of the rose disease and losing some of your favorite roses~Maybe this year will be better~We’ll get enough rain and sunshine! Happy new year, xxoo gail
Gail, I’ve booked my hotel and will use points for my airfare. I really can’t wait to go. Winter just needs to get a move on.
I loved having a reminder of your ‘lady in waiting’ Dee. I’m looking forward to Seattle also.
Best wishes for a wonderful 2011!
Thanks Leslie. I’m so glad you liked her.
It was quite the year – that daylily regional meeting sounds like it was something. Your photos are wonderful, as always, especially the Japanese maple. Happy New Year!
Thanks MMD. The regional was more fun than I could have ever imagined.~~Dee
Dee, the photos are divine! Don’t you just LOVE your raised veg garden beds? What a great thing to have added those. May your garden be abundant in 2011! I’ll see you soon.
Mary Ann, thank you dear. Yes, I’m very glad, and I hope to erect a greenhouse behind the garden next.~~Dee
I certainly plan to be at the garden bloggers meet up in Seattle! Thank you for sharing your garden with us in this post and the last one and Happy New Year!
Carol, I hope you are. It’s my annual visit with you.
I love these year in reviews. It’s a recap of our best selves in garden speak. A celebration, “Yeah!We did it!” and then “Yes we are ready to do it again!”
Thanks Patsy Bell. I love your enthusiasm.
We are both dealing with busy little pups. What will they do to the garden next year. Tucker is 12 while your boy is 13 and Cooper, a yellow lab was born on May 20th. We should get these kids together. Happy new year to you Dee. Love all the photos and the Buffalo revisit. Sea11le next year.
Yes, Layanee, they are both busy and a bit bad. I’m a bit worried about the garden, but just like the flowers and veggies, he will grow out of the infant stage.
Dear Dee, it was a very good year. Happy New Year!