Work, Work, Work....

To Do

I guess I'm a gardening nerd because my idea of celebrating the installation of the mulch and edging was to go out and spend about $150 on plants. Fun! I don't really need a reason to do this, but that's my excuse. I ran across what is supposed to be a compact Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia 'Little Spire' - about 2 feet by 2 feet) that I'm excited about. I got three. I also picked up three 'Longins,' which are supposed to grow more upright (Perovskia atriplicifolia 'Longin'). Along with those I'm delighted to have found Buddleia davidii 'Nanho Purple.' These are supposed to be compact (3-5 foot spread) for a butterfly bush. Do you see a color theme going on here? I'm a sucker for blues and purples. In any case, my gardens need some large-sized shrubby perennials and these fit the bill and will provide some cohesion amongst the beds.

I already have a purple mystery buddleia that got about 8 feet last year. This year I trimmed it to the ground so will see how big it gets. It's just too large in the spot I have it, but the butterflies really do adore it so I'm having a tough time convincing myself to shovel-prune it.

Euphorbia x martinii 'Ascot Rainbow'

I'm also excited to try this euphorbia. I've never grown them before but am tempted each year when they appear in the gardening centers. I decided to take the $4 plunge and try one this year. Yeah, I'm crazy like that. Isn't it gorgeous? Wow!

Roses to plant

Lastly are the roses that have been sitting in this bucket of water for over a month now. The ground here in this section of the Ozarks is incredibly rocky. For this reason I almost always order bare-root roses from Pickering in Canada. They take smaller holes. Last year I told my neighbor to pay no attention if he heard dynamiting. It was just me planting. It's really easier to dig with a rock pick than a shovel and that's no joke.

So, here sit my poor roses awaiting the Hubby. A couple of months ago he made the mistake of asking me what I wanted for my birthday and I asked for holes to be dug. His expression told me he'd rather I'd have said diamonds. In all fairness to him I got sick shortly after these arrived and really didn't care if I died let alone my roses. I'm hoping to get them in the ground this week.

The roses are:

• Quadra - A luscious red climber that is supposed to be incredibly healthy. Repeats all summer.
• Ispahan - A pink Damask, once-bloomer. It's supposed to bloom for an extended period of time. While that may save the blooms from our spring storms, it will keep it blooming during Japanese beetle season. I adore once-bloomers, but the JBs and storms prevent my growing more.
• Tamora - A compact apricot David Austin rose. I'd grow a yard full of David Austin roses, but a lot of them just aren't healthy enough in my no-spray garden. Hopefully this one will be.
• Viking Queen - A big pink climber that's supposed to be very healthy and repeat blooms.