Rose Panic

 

Roses From My Garden

There is so much to learn about rose gardening.

I feel so often that I am making it up as I go along, and I have so many questions, even though my roses previously grew and bloomed in spite of me.

I wish I could talk to my Grandmother Mills.

She grew all of her plants from cuttings and in coffee cans, and everything grew.

I went to the nursery this morning to look at rose bushes, and they were ALL gone.

I panicked and asked why?

A nice young man said, “M’am, people have already planted their new roses.”

“But it is still cold,” I said.

“M’am, that’s when they like it.”

So I went back home and looked through my giant stack of library gardening books for Southwest gardening (note to self: get ONE book next time), and I quote:

In January, roses transplant easily on cool days. Choose a cool cloudy day. Lift the plant and inspect the roots carefully. Remove any diseased or dead roots.

Dust the roots with sulphur to help heal small lesions and prevent rotting problems.  (Month by Month Gardening in the Desert Southwest)

At which point my roses from our old house shouted across the miles:

“Mister- she’s not going to do all of that!”

Well, I never.

*****

Linking to:

Keep in Touch at Let's Add Sprinkles

Zinnias and Ten on the Tenth

I have written often here at White Spray Paint about my love of zinnias and the connection they create to my farming heritage and my father,

my wonderful friends and the Sisterhood of the Traveling Zinnia Seeds, and to who I am.

If I may be so bold, I want that for YOU.

To that end, below is a simple, direct invitation in honor of our (Ten on the Tenth celebration today) printed here just for you:

You are cordially invited to join the

Sisterhood of the Traveling Zinnia Seeds

Why?  Because all women need a sisterhood and gardening is the best common ground for that.

The guidelines are simple and the cost is low:)

You do not have to have gardening experience.

All you have to do is say I'm in so I can imagine you planting your zinnias this spring .

How do you proceed? It is so simple:)

Step I.       

Buy a packet(s) of zinnia seeds. I buy my seeds at Home Depot, Lowe’s, Wal Mart, and at any small town local nursery or hardware store I drive past.

Small town hardware stores are the best. I love shopping for seeds!  This is usually the point I realize I bought too many packets, and I share them with friends.

Step 2.      

Read the planting information on the back of the packet to determine the best time to plant. If I am ever unsure,  I call  the county extension office and ask them questions (they may be screening my calls at this point).

Step 3.

Find the sunniest area of your yard and prepare your soil. I enjoy planting in raised beds because I need to be able to mow the grass around the bed.

For preparing the soil in a raised bed, I remove as much debris and grass as I physically can, till the soil with my trusty hoe, cover the area with newspaper or light cardboard that I have dampened, and then pour in bags of gardening soil.

Note:  I am not a gardening purist. I am a slinger.  

This imperfect method has worked for me , and I can physically do this myself.

Step 4.

With my index finger or the end of a trowel, I draw in furrows.  If you have a raised bed, make sure you draw the furrow the direction of your bed that is shortest.

You need to be able to reach the zinnias in the middle of the bed.

Step 5.

I sprinkle in the seeds by hand and once dropped, I spread them even further apart. I tend to overplant spaces.

Step 6.

Cover the seeds with soil by moving your hand gently back and forth over the planted row.

Step 7.

Lightly water what you have planted. Do not over water.

Step 8.

Start buying small vases at the flea market to share bouquets of your zinnias with your extended Sisterhood of the Traveling Zinnia Seeds friends and family.

This is a very forgiving kind of gardening, and I promise you will be successful.

Why did I name this the Sisterhood of the Traveling Zinnia Seeds? 

Because after my father passed away in 2015, I took the seeds from my fathers’ dried zinnias that were left in his garden and shared them with friends:)

Today I am virtually sharing them with YOU.

Are you in?  I hope so, and I hope you will tell me all about it as the spring months progress.

 My El Paso Zinnias, Fall 2017

*****

Using Spring as our topic this month, the following bloggers are all sharing spring inspiration today at 

Ten on the Tenth.

As always, visit everyone for wonderful projects and ideas.

    The Purple Hydrangea
At Home With Jemma The Bookdocks Blog Exquisitely Unremarkable
Pandora's Box White Spray Paint
Patina and Paint
Poofing the Pillows
Cottage at the Crossroads
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Daybook Side by Side: Super Bowl Sunday 2013 and Super Bowl Sunday 2018

 (Join me in looking at two Super Bowl Sundays.)

Outside My Window : Super Bowl Sunday 2013…

Mercy.  I have so much to do to get the yard ready for spring, and I am running late.  
Note:  This is the point where I like to act like the farmer’s daughter that I am and I act like- feel like there is a sense of urgency.
As in I need to get my crop in the ground.  
But first I need to clean. Leaves.
Millions of leaves.
Leaves with a sense of humor.
Leaves that laugh behind your back as you sweep and rake and sweep some more.
And so while watching the Super Bowl, I am making my gardening to do list.
Number one on the list?  Leaves :)



Outside My Window: Super Bowl Sunday 2018…
Mercy.  I have so much to do to get the yard ready for spring here in El Paso, and I have no idea yet what I need to do.

I have fallen in love with Casa Golondrina, but I still can not look at photos of our old home.

I think GOD is helping with this by saying, with a Super Bowl reference all HIS own, “Keep your eyes on the ball Laura Ellen.”



From the kitchen our Super Bowl supper 2013 was    
my husband’s brisket,

my husband’s pinto beans,

and salad (my contribution).  

Our appetizer was guacamole and tortilla chips. 



From the kitchen our Super Bowl supper 2018 is
tricky business:)

We are getting ready to remodel our kitchen, prompted by a cooktop that gave up several weeks ago and quirks too numerous to list.

My husband’s beans are cooking in a crockpot.
He is not happy about that , but football is the great distraction:)

But when our oldest daughter Heather asked “can Dad make his beans?”
He thought, of course I can.
Who needs a stove?


I Was Thinking in 2013…

I have become a scaredy cat.
I don’t like being frightened 
at the movies or watching television.

I blame my brother.
Growing up he was always jumping out from behind a door to scare me.
It worked.



I Am Thinking in 2018…
That this afternoon’s super bowl watching at our daughter’s house will be fun.

She has a pork roast in her crockpot, and I am bring Dad’s Beans, guacamole and tortilla chips, artichoke dip, and garlic bread.


I  Was Thankful in 2013 For…  
leaves.
I know.
Everything is a riddle with me.


I Am Thankful in 2018 For …
the reason we moved here.
   



In 2013 I was reading….
blogs.    
You are all so smart and talented. 


and in 2018 I am reading…
blogs.
You are all so smart and talented.