Sultry, I did have Marechal Niel and loved him in a pot. Once I planted him out in the ground, I lost him. I will find another and leave him in a pot. He is gorgeous but delicate.

This is a little perverse lol but I love my

Marechal Niel for the leaves because the leaf cutter bees love them so much. They pick that rose above all others for some reason. The leaves do seem a little softer.

Carol, Sheila,

Yes! Lol! A tainted President! Pretty embarrassing! Jokes abound on him!

Loved your grow lights! They say 300-800 watts. 800w would be better for roses. What plants are you putting under the lights?

Carol,

Thank you regarding my White O’Hara bouquet! I’m pretty amazed at how perfect each rose tall straight thick lovely-fresh green-almost thornless cane! To achieve that perfect a bloom! How many bushes did they use to get such perfect stems & blooms! Wow! Love to do that-suppose they need super pampered in a green house!

So very glad All 4 Cherry Blossom is finally growing! Tiny leaves emerging in next couple days! YES!

-8F ,& -13F seems BRRRRRR! UNREAL! During the day? Do your dogs have longer hair to deal with it? Do you set foot outside?

Your new Asiatic & Oriental liies are going to be so lovely! And -Yay!- You found your Chandis Beauty! She is extraordinary-majestic beautiful creamy blooms ! Sooo easy to order when stuck inside! LOL! Me, too! Still need to order raspberry dahlias!

This is Nuccio’s Pearl (camellia) - blooming now!
[edited to remove the old pics]

Testing now to see if Houzz got those photos out of its system. Last years dahlias:

Kitty -- I DO like dahlias! And so do slugs and snails and gophers and rabbits...so these were grown in pots this year.

Echo - thanks, Echo!! I'm very excited that I found this rose. :) :)

Trish - thanks, Trish about my photos!! This was the only rose that I've ever had that I would cut a bloom and take it around in the yard while I was visiting my roses. I only cut roses in the fall when the blooms would freeze over. The fragrance is wonderful!!! They're not quite a replacement for Palatine (yet...they may grow) as they don't offer very many roses...but definitely one I will order from again. :) :) Dream Chaser is one that I'd like to get. I love hearing how pets/people contact us after they've died. One of my cousins sees dead people. And my grandmother would know that people had died before anyone told her. I think that's wonderful that your children saw Honey after she had died. That would really relieve their minds about what happens after death. My goodness, you saw your husband's face...that's incredible!! What was his expression like? Peaceful, happy? Sespe Sunrise/Sunrise Parfuma...oooh!!!! So the color goes from pinkish to peachy? Those blooms are really full looking...so beautiful!! Thanks, I hope I can get it too. :) :)

Sultry - I love hearing about unexplainable stuff. :) :) I've never heard of this Japanese method of preserving wood. Interesting! And I loooove the look of guinea fowl!! They are so pretty! Wouldn't it be interesting to have a hybrid between the hens and the guinea fowl. So, do you find that your orange hens are tamer and more friendly like orange cats are supposed to be? I'm wondering if there's a cross-species color genetic marker for tameness...barring tigers, of course. lol Oh, my goodness!!! She truly looks dead! I guess they do that to get rid of bugs in their feathers?? You are a superhero for the chicks!! :) :) Uh, oh...barn cats and chicks...I guess the momma has to be very vigilant. Does the rooster make the cats stay away? Your Lavender Orpington hen is beautiful and I can see why the grey guineas like them so much. :) :)

Deborah - beautiful dahlias...my faves are the first and 3rd. :)

Still cold here -23C/-9F.

Jim still hasn't shown up and now where's Diane?

Deborah,

Can you tell me the names of your dahlias and are they dinnerplates or what size! That first dahlia is stunning! but… I love all their colors! Love the lavendar edged one! That’s fabulous that you have a Nuccio’s Pearl camelia! How special! Menagerie’s box is beautiful, too.

Trisha,

Thank you! O’Hara us sooo fragrant! I hope when a grow a bush of her she will have that dreamy fragrance! I’ll look at the dahlias again, today-I love the raspberry colors, too!

Love your Sunrise Parfuma pinks/peaches coming out! Can’t believe that Nuccios sent camelias to Australia! Amazing and generous brothers!

Sultry,

It’s so enjoyable reading you hen stories! I’m into brown eggs daily! Cool! Funny! Those Guinea males want your hens-now that would be a funny egg? So they like to spy on you! Good luck with your burnt door for raised beds. You’ll have to let us know how it works? Happy dirt bathing hens! LOL! Feels good!

Today is 27F High-snowed an inch only on ground. Tomorrow will be 41F YAY!!!!!!!!!!

Staying inside! Watered 1/2 of my roses-all my smaller roses with fish fertilizer & washed-showered w/ water all roses.

6 blooms at once time on Nymph Amaryllis.

Much growth on many roses & Amaryllises.

Goung to order a couple dahlias.

Carol, it was the morning of the day of his funeral. I had just woken. His face was hovering about 2' above mine and his expression I thought was "Does she see me? Does she see me?"

South Africa/Golden Beauty It is more golden than the camera shows

Sunrise Parfuma/Sespe Sunrise A little past its prime

Schone Maid (no photo) appears to want to be a climber. One cane is now around 8' and several others seem to be trying to beat it. Another rose to move...........

Trish, Schone Maid is stunningly gorgeous. She's a keeper, you lucky thing. She's a ringer for Augusta Luise when AL is light pink in my garden. This doesn't surprise me since Hans Evers bred them both. More pics please. Diane

Trish, your Schone Maid photo is better than those on HMF. You need this up on HMF, which has underestimated its height. But the size of the blooms is very large they state. What do you think? Diane

Carol -- remind me -- what are you going to grow under those lights? Or are those for the roses in your garage? What's the difference between Asiatic and Oriental lillies? I'm so excited you found Chandos Beauty! I've read that's a great rose. I have had good experiences with Harkness roses -- now harder to find, but still carried by Heirloom Roses in Oregon.

Titian - I'm growing Roald Dahl -- planted last summer, so this will be his first real year in the garden. So far still a small bush, but a good bloomer.Your Sunrise Parfuma/Sespe Sunrise looks gorgeous. What caught my eye about this rose last year was seeing the new foliage -- it was really stunning. Have you seen that on yours? Since I got it last fall, and just pruned and planted it in the garden, I haven't seen that on mine yet. But I'm hoping mine looks as good as Otto's -- though my roses never seem to look as good as Otto's or Diane's! I see two photos on your last post -- but you list 3 roses...the peachy one with 5 blooms and a bud -- is that Sespe or Schone? There are some things we just can't explain, right? Someone told me of a culture (or religion?) that believes that souls don't "leave" for a few days...Obviously I don't know anything about anything -- but sometimes we feel like we've felt/seen/known our loved ones (including pets) are nearby -- and it's not explainable, and doesn't match up with what I know from science or what I believe faith-wise. And yet, there are somethings that we know that we know that we know.

Sultry -- you never know. Maybe reach out, just in case! Now I have to read up on Shou Sugi Ban. Though if I tried it you might read about the next big CA wildfire... I think you need to start your own youtube series or make a film about life on your farm! I love reading your posts and seeing all the denizens of your yard. I remember you posting (a couple of years ago now?) photos of little frogs snug inside your flowers!

Kitty -- a friend and former student grows flowers on her farm (she sells arrangements and does some special events). She told me that a lot of the dahlia tubers being sold are virused -- which I guess doesn't really hurt the flowers, but can make something else difficult -- maybe dividing/reproducing? Anyway -- she said to be careful of where I buy them! When I named 3 go-to sources, she said NO! Yikes. Anyway -- she also told me about KA Dahlias -- a very ethical and conscientious breeder of dahlias, and I'm in love with some of hers -- but apparently her dahlias are hard to come by and the places that sell them (and some other new fabulous ones) sell out pretty quickly. Who knew?! Apparently, people get as much into dahlias as I get into roses! This is one I would really love to grow: https://www.santacruzdahlias.com/shop-2/screenshot2023-07-10at43627pm-66

We got 1.5" of rain starting yesterday into today. As it started to lightly rain yesterday, I was finishing my yard work and tossing seeds with abandon -- CA poppies out in the natives area, CA bluebells and baby blue eyes and phacelia and orlaya and agrostemma ocean pearls in the roses area. Plus the last of my lauren's grape poppies from Nanadoll and a small pack of larkspur smokey eyes...oh, and about 10 madame butterfly snaps. Today after the rains I saw a bunch of little birdies having the time of their lives in the garden. Maybe they'll poop out good little seedlings. A bit more rain on the way! Finally, we get rain! Maybe Jim is doing his rain dance for us.

Sultry -- my search for Marechal Niel rose led me to this site -- interesting!

https://www.potomacrose.org/Blog/12144597

Deborah, hopefully, the little birds weren't eating your snaps seeds. Yikes. About the first flowers I grew from seed at my previous home were Baby Blue Eyes. I hope yours do well. I loved those pretty things. Sadly, I tried growing Phacelia on the slope to help with erosion, and the quail ate up all the seed but one, I guess. The one germinated into a tiny seedling and was gone in a couple of hours. I hope you show us photos of all these flowers you are growing from seed. I want to mention that Hidden Springs, where I now live out in the hills, had two very successful fund raisers for the victims of the Cal wild fires. My daughter, the events coordinator, worked hard on this. But, you know, she's a California native. That's interesting to read about virused dahlias. I would buy mine only from Edwards. Years before you younguns were born, my step dad grew the most beautiful dahlias I've ever seen. This was when they had fallen out of favor, but boy, are they back in again. English Garden magazine had a great article about dahilas and a woman who has a wonderful dahlia farm. They do great features on selected plants, including a good one on penstemon. Penstemon are a US native, so why do the English grow better penstemon, in such wonderful varieties, than we do here in the US?

Sultry, I second what others have said about your great posts on the farm. I had to laugh/cry when I saw the photo of the chickens in their dust bowls. The quail do the same thing and make a terrific mess. They are particularly hard on roses when they start to excavate the rose roses while they make those bowl go deeper next to the plant. They also get flying dirt all over our sidewalks. Could I interest you in a few boxes of quail sent express? Diane

DD, I can verify that A Reverence for Roses is a great nursery. I have a photo somewhere of Madame Alfred Carriere (prob spelled that wrong lol) rose I got from them. It was huge! I like their shipping and packaging too. In FL we are lucky with the antique rose nurseries.

I like that painting. I think it would be fun to collect all the named antique rose paintings.

For those who might not have seen daisy's Marechal Niel.

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5275682/marechal-niel-arbour

ETA...found it MAC -own root from A Reverence for Roses..this is large when ordering own root antique roses.

Diane, that photo is of Sunrise Parfuma/Sespe Sunrise. The blooms are a generous 4". Schone Maid isn't blooming just now but it's blooms have been a little over 3" I would think, so far. I notice that a Melbourne gardener on HMF says hers are larger in Winter. Good for Sam about the fund raising.

Deborah, the new growth on my Sunrise Parfuma is lush and bronze. I agree, it's striking. I'll see if it still looks like that next time I'm down there and take a photo if it is. Lucky birdies, though unlucky Deborah.

sultry, wasn't Daisy's MN something. I miss seeing her beautiful garden. I'm another who would love to follow life on your farm.

Trish

Good grief, Trish. Why is Sespe Sunrise so pink in that photo? I swear it doesn't at all like SS. OK, I'm an idiot, but it's still a beautiful photo of a gorgeous rose, which SS is also. Now back to HMF to look again at SS photos. Diane

Diane, it probably is peachier in reality. You'll find i just loaded it on HMF! Trish

Trish, I just looked at HMF Sespe Sunrise, and there was your beautiful photo at the top. I checked every page of photos, and found just four photos that showed some pink, mostly in the center of a rose or two. Your rose looks so consistently pink, but that was probably the camera, and as you said, the rose is probably peachy. But what a lovely rose. Glad you posted that photo on HMF. Diane

Trisha,

I am very surprised to see Sunrose Parfuma can have a yellow-peach center and also a pastel oink color. That is actually very common with rosrs of tgese colors. Georgia Peach has similar coloring as do many of my peach roses.

Deborah,

I hope my dahlias are healthy after hearing what you said. I researched dahlias all over and came up with a few new ones for this year.

DAHLIAS

I ordered my dahlias by looking for discounts this year for specific varieties:I ordered from Bluestone Perrenials, Gurney’s, Triple Wren Farm, & Holland Bulbs. Bluestone has dalias for $6.95 & coupons. All tubers were on sale.

I limited it to 8 new dahlias., but may add another pink. Tgey are all dinnerplates ir large 6” blooms, but the 2 pom poms are small.

Pom Pom Moore Place

& Creme de Cassis (Water Lily dahlia)

Creme de Cassis,

Marble Doll Dahlia Pom Pom

Layrinth Dinnerplate, Decorative dahlia

Pinelands Princess Dinnerplate, Fimbriata Dahlia (means fringed.)

Cafe au Lait, Dinnerplate, Decorative
6-8” bloom

Que Sera, Anemone dahlia, 6” bloom, lilac (Deborah, It’s similar to your lavendar dahlia.)

Bahama Mama,, 6” blooms, Decorative Dahlia

Can turn purple

I had Pom Pom Moore Place, Cafe au Lait, Labyrinth, & Pinelands Princess last season 2025- and love them-must repeats for this season! I should have kept tubers.

UPDATE: I purchased Emory Paul Dahlia this morning -Tulip World! . (I had her last year.) 40% off sale + reward ooints really reduced orice!

Sultry, I so love your farm stories and pics. I read your description of them sometimes looking dead during their dirt baths, and then literally laughed out loud when I saw the pic... you weren't kidding about the look!

The Nuccio brothers are quite elderly, and were planning on retiring in 2025, long before the recent fire happened in Altadena. They have a long-standing relationship with Descanso Gardens in La Canada (very close to them), and Descanso has one of the premier camellia collections. I think they were just trying to have one more season to sell what they'd already produced. In addition to the article I linked previously, there was another nice LA Times article from this past summer about their retirement and history. It should be find-able if you're interested.

DD, we got 1.2 inches here in Goleta overnight. I was surprised when I read that this morning on the county website, since the rain seemed so light, but when I went outside, a bunch of things with no hole had a lot of rainwater in them :-D

Spectacular dahlias Kitty, just incredible.

I'm so whupped from shoveling snow my fingers don't want to move. Photo is from a friend's back yard today. Goodnight everybody.

Kitty -- I grew cafe au lait last year -- and it was gorgeous! I should go out and divde the tubers. I'll see if I can find the labels from the pics I loaded.

Susan -- I have 2 rain gauges, and they both said 1.5 -- I think we get a little more being on the "south facing slopes" when these warmer systems come through.

Trish -- BRONZE! I was trying to think of the word, and just couldn't, earlier!

Kitty -- one was XXL Sunrise, and one was Serenity. In trying to find the tags with photos, I uncovered some from this past late summer/early fall. Get ready for some posts!

Diane -- I also found a scentuous bloom and my digiplexis for you. Plus some Sespe Sunrise:

Deborah, all your photos are gorgeous, but I especially love the rose photos. How do I choose between Scentuous (looks like you're growing Etain below Scentuous-a favorite viola) and Eustacia? You grow them so well. Sespe Sunrise is perfect. You got these photos at just the right time. That digiplexis is very interesting and big. How long have you grown it? Your dahlias are lovely, too. So which is your favorite rose of these three and why? Diane

Kitty - So good that it's getting warmer for you. :) We're finally getting warmer here too. Going to be -10C/14F. We're really looking forward to it. My goodness, that's a really good Amaryllis you have!

Trish - that sounds very startling at first and then reassuring. I'm so glad he found you in the quiet of your morning. :) Oh, GASP on your Sunrise Parfuma....what a stunner of a rose...I totally love those blooms!!

Deborah - yeah, maybe Jim is doing a rain dance, but I'm worried since he had that prostate scare. I'm going to grow my lithops under those lights. Which came already...just one, there was supposed to be 2 in the package. After looking at Windowsill's lithops, I thought mine could do better. We changed the lights in my system a while ago, and I don't think the lights my husband chose were the right ones. There are a lot of differences between Asiatic and Oriental lilies: in size (Asiatic: smaller and more numerous blooms), when they bloom (Asiatic bloom earlier), fragrance (Asiatic have less fragrance) and some other differences too. Thanks, me too!!!! Wahoo!!! I'm really surprised that this smaller place has Chandos Beauty...a real Hail Mary pass. Sounds like your rain came at the exact right time...you had finished your yard work and were tossing seeds. Perfect! Argh...were the birds eating your seeds. :) Hopefully they'll leave a few to grow.

Diane - Well done for your daughter!! You raised her well. :) :) That's a great ideal...send your quail to Sultry!!

Sultry - that is a good quality own root rose!

Kitty - oh, those are such beautiful dahlias...Marble Doll is my fave!! So do you have to dig up all these bulbs in the fall? I'm too lazy for that. I actually had a dahlia one year and then in the fall, I was too lazy to dig it up...so I don't deserve any more...I'll just do the same thing again. Know thyself, Carol. lol

Peachy - we have to shovel soon, too. With the weather being -25C/-13F we weren't in any hurry to get it done. lol That's a lovely deer/snow picture...so peaceful.

Deborah - lovely Dahlias...my faves are the first and the third. :) I'm guessing you don't have to dig up your dahlias in the fall? :) Oh my!!! Your roses are SWOOON-worthy!! Scentuous looks like you put luster dust on the petals. Sespe Sunrise is my kind of rose...absolutely glorious!!!! SWOON!!!

Deborah, your digiplexus is my kind of flower. Can you tell me which one you have? It isn’t pink enough for Berry Canary, so is it Illumination Flame?

Busy this morning…. Updated photos above, added purchase Emory Paul Dahlia & I have all I need now. (All from online sales, too-better shopping!) Also, added added:

Tulip Wrld & Holland Bulb Sales purchases:

Don Quichotte tulips (repeats!) &

Stargazer lilies pack.

w/ sales & reward points

Carol,

Thank you! Warming to 40F today!

I didnt dig up bulbs/tubers last fall-join the lazy club! Me, too! . May dig up dahliias next fall. But I bought ALL on sales/reward points this year. Better savings!

Deborah, Loving gazing at your dahlia collection! Beautiful!

Peachy, Sweet snowy deer! Thank you for the lovely photo!

Shall read…chat more this evening.

Walking Anastasia now & errands today… see you later!

(Now will put D Quichotte tulip in fridge for 12 weeks hibernation until May 1st -but it a repeater yearly-ON SUPER SALE. 15 bulbs for $3.50.LOL! )

Kitty - a tulip that repeats...good find!! So you're treating your Dahlias as annuals. And you got them cheaply...so why not? :)

Carol,

Thank you! I need more rebloom bulbs!

Did you get the same Oriental lilies-Stargazers? I’d olant lots of lilies with your garden! Tgecasuastic do best for me, but I love the Orientals, too! I have cages to keep the squirrels from eating them this year-LOL! Planting lilies in late April.

Even on double discounts/reward points can be $$$ than if I dig ’em up!-free-and those varieties are really SPECIAL-like to keep them! Next fall I will try to dig ‘em up & save ’em I like that they have no diseases & insects avoid them-easy to grow. They bloom when roses are sleeping between blooms. So blooms all summer! However, I am not having dahlias in the house this year. Starting them outside or maybe in green house, April. They need dry until growing well-so need to keep them from rain.

Debirah,

I think you had many dahlias? As I see your photos come forth …. so beautiful! My faves are your pink-yellow Cactus dahlia and the pink Pom Pom variety! And Cafe au Lait if you find her! I should maybe post some of my dahlias from 2024-I had a ton. And my other fave rose is your Sunrise Parfuma! Lovely rose photos! Thank you for taking the time to post so many beautiies! So much fun to peruse! Yes, divide Cafe au Lait!

Hiw many large or Dinnerplate dahlias do you have? I love them the most-they are so showy-really spice up the garden in middle of rose beds or at ends/corners.

Carol,

Yay for warmer days coming! 14F for you! 40F for me! It is 40F today, but feels freezing! (forecast correct?) Snow turned to icey-crunchy. Staying warm insude and had hot lunch & hot Lava cake! Marble doll almost looks wine-purple & white-spicy! I need spicy!

A little inside ”warm cozy” gardening today!

Nymph Amaryllis has so many blooms on one stem (7 blooms open) -she’s pretty confused!

7 blooms & 2 buds all on one stem!

Fantabulous!

2 Lady Jane Amaryllis 1 1/2 weeks started…

2 buds on baby, Loli Spray!

Surprise!

Loli has baby tiny leaves-so surprised she has 2 rosie buds! I should call her ”Loli -Pop! She’s just a baby!

Just as I thought, Asiatic lilies are native to the far east, such as China. Oriental lilies are a hybrid, bred in Japan and are more recent. Diane

Got some pics of Miss Penelope and her little friend today. They had been playing in the mud behind the turkey pen.

Miss Penelope's friend Pork Chop

She has the longest piggy eyelashes ever

I'll respond later. Such cute piggies!!

I'll start a new thread tonight unless someone else has a deep desire to do so. :) :)

Sultry,

Ha, ha! Sweet piggies! Love their little nosey photos! Those cuties! Miss Penelope is a darling! Mud is so much fun! Lol!

Diane,

Wonderful research… “Asiatics from Asia(China.)… Orientals from Japan.” Good to know. How‘s your weather & any gardening? Snow did melt a tad at 40F today, but tomorrow 25F. Must go out tomorrow! Praying our weather improves. How does hot lava cake sound?

Carol,

Thank you about a new thread. It’s still winter for me. Ha, ha! I see CA is enjoying soring! Lol!

SEASON 2024-A few of my old garden dahlias photos below… . Mainly Dinnerplates & large dahlias except Pom Pom:

Emory Paul, 2024

Labyrinth

Pineland Princess

Grand Finale

Cafe au Lait

Labyrinth

Mero Star

Cafe au Lait, summer end photo brings out cool pinks-coffee colors. Exquisite!

@Kristine LeGault 8a pnw

Ottos Thrill, for you!

Thinking if my 2 green buds on Loli spray and Cafe au Lait dahlia…… hmmmm. I llove Cafe au Lait’s cream-coffee & pink tones. Loli has to bloom beautifully, too! Soon I will see!!!

Found this Loli spray internet photo….. love the color in buds…antique mauve-peach-tan.

My Cafe au Lait Dahlia 2024 (Almost same colors as Loli spray , end of summer! )

They’d be beautiful in a vase together!

May be my fave colors this year! How about you?

Sultry, I'm obsessed with Miss Penelope and her adorable eyes and smile. And those two little teeth! You may have answered this before, but what type of pig is she? Your chickens are beautiful, as well.

Carol, I'm so excited for you that you found Chandos Beauty. It looks beautiful and the descriptions of the fragrance make it sound amazing. I really should try some grow lights. I'm planning to start some Red Robin dwarf tomato seeds soon. I last grew them several years ago, and I found I liked the flavor better than other dwarf tomatoes I've tried. If I remember correctly, they had a very savory flavor that reminded me more of a full-sized tomato rather than a cherry tomato.

Kitty, your dahlias are incredible! And I look forward to seeing your Loli rose when those buds open. And those swirling Nymph amaryllis blooms are beyond words. I definitely want to try that variety next year. Lady Jane started blooming, and it reminded me how much I like this variety. The photo doesn't really capture the color, but it's a striking salmon-coral.

Windowsill,

Thank you! Nymph is a blockbuster Amaryllis like no other!!!! Maybe! Pretty impressed!

Wowza! Your Lady Jane is blooming already! Are there 4 blooms? I was wondering if you could have dahlias? I grew them indoors, but you’d need small ones or a big pot for a dinnerplate! Dinnerplate dahlias are fun! Sensational-actually! Spray roses for you would be excellent! I will have a few spray roses…. Misty Bubbles, Loli,, MansfieldcPark Pink, & Chantilly Lace. You may have a spray riose of many blooms w/ adding a grow light & window.

(My indoor roses have minimal light , less bugs, then go outside.) Loli spray has more light so she’s going to bloom a little only inside.) Misty Bubbles is a show stopper-vibrant color! I’d love her in a few bushes for a big blooming extravaganza, but just one bush now coming.

SHIPPED ORDERS:

Misty Bubbles & Sea Anemone were shipped to deliver on Saturday! And now-more roses in the house-Yikes! 🤪🥀⛄️🌺😊 Cafe Latte was shipped coming soon. ! I just can’t help myself!

,

Kitty, the point on the lilies is that Asiatic lilies are not hybrids, but occur naturally in a number of Asian countries, including China. They are an ancient lily. Oriental lilies were hybridized in Japan from several Japanese varieties more recently. They are taller and have larger blooms. I would think the Oriental lilies would be more expensive. I have two clumps of Asian lilies which I've neglected and not divided. They need it and are about 20 years old. They came from two planted pots and were blooming when I got them, and were dirt cheap. When they were through blooming, I planted them in the ground. Now lots larger plants surround them, and you have to be right on top of them almost to see them. One clump is declining because it needs so badly to be divided and is being crowded out by big roses and large perennials. Whew. That's my lily speech for the evening. Diane

I think this is the default color for Asiatic lilies.

With Twilight Zone. All the roses and other large plants block the view of the short lilies in bloom, unless you are standing in the middle of the flower bed. TZ wants to be the center of attention as usual.

Diane,

Yes! Wonderful! Asiatics are native and Orientals are hybrids! Great research! Excellent knowledge! Makes a lot of sense! Asiatics are more hardy! Grow easily! Your yellow asiatics are lovely! I have several yellow asiatics, too! I’m going to work hard to get the new Orientals to grow w/ cages! No squirrels biting & digging them up this year!

Kitty, I'm confused about all the dahlia photos above. Did you grow them last year or are they the sellers' pics (except for Cafe au Lait, which you grew, right? They are gorgeous. Our weather has been warmish with lots of rain and a day of snow which melted as it was falling. Now it's going to get colder with some more rain/snow. The predictions change by the hour, so I won't go into detail. Our high today was in the 40s. We actually got up to about 53F a few days ago. Tomorrow, we start having January weather. I think my favorite of all your plants right now is the Nymph amaryllis. It's incredibly luscious and may make me change my mind about trying amaryllis again.

Windowsill, I'm intrigued by your dwarf tomatoes. Do you mean the size of the plant or of the fruit itself--a cherry type? If it's a true determinate dwarf plant, I would love to grow one in a pot on the patio if I can squeeze it amongst the hot peppers which take over everything. Your amaryllis is beautiful, too, and a most unusual color. Breeders have been doing good things with amaryllis since I last grew one.

Sultry, I love Miss Penelope, too, and I think we should start a fan club. Those cute bottom teeth just make me smile. I've also forgotten what type your pigs are, so please tell us again, and I'll make a note of it. Is Miss Penelope the mom of the little guy next to her? If so, we should call her Mrs Penelope for decorum's sake.

Carol, how wonderful that at long last, you are going to grow Chandos Beauty again. And I must look it up in HMF again. How are your weird creatures the lithops doing? Didn't you improve their lighting, and then they started to bloom, or am I mixed up? I'd like more photos of those fascinating things...... My voler, Finn really hates being cooped up because of the weather, but a couple of days ago, I let him out, though the mud was awful and it was pretty damp. In less than 15 minutes, Finn had his dead vole and was bringing to the patio to play with its carcass, and perhaps chomp the head--ech. So Jemma got the vole away from Finn and disposed of it, while Samantha drove the unhappy hunter into the house. The least we could have done was let the poor guy have the vole head, right? Next installment is the awful deer stomping through the mud. I'll save that for later. Diane

Kitty - Yes, I think I have Stargazers. I do love lilies, but the only drawback they have is that they don't bloom for very long (not like my Shasta Daisies), but maybe that was just because they were new last year? Cages are a great idea for you...keep those squirrels away from your bulbs. I've never had squirrels come and dig up bulbs as far as I know. Oh, for sure, digging up is better...which is why I avoid planting bulbs I have to overwinter inside. I know I won't dig them up. lol We had -10C/14F today!!! It was wonderful!! I took my coat off. :) Good idea to stay inside if you have ice outside and no cleats. Mmmm...lava cake! I toasted some marshmallows over the stove this evening. YUM. Yes, Marble Doll does look spicy...so unique! Your Nymph Amaryllis is really something special!! You did really good with that one!! Those are wonderful dahlias!! My faves are the top two...wowza! Oh, you are SO right...they would look great together in a vase!!! I agree...peach may be my favorite color for this year...Caramel Kisses, Evelyn, Chandos Beauty, Lady Capri. :) :) Do you remember when you said you wouldn't have a Jumanji kitchen this year? lol :) :) Hey, we just can't help it...I have a whole garage full of roses and I'm getting lots more. lol

Diane - China really has a lot of wonderful plants....roses, peonies, lilies, azaleas, etc. Right? :) :) They've added a lot to the world of gardening. :) :) Those are such sweet and bright lilies!! I love them!! I've always thought of Tiger Lilies as being the default lily...here that's about the only lily you'll see growing in people's yards.

Sultry - awwww...Miss Penelope and friend are adorable!! Oh, those eyelashes!!! They're extra long like camel lashes. :)

Windowsill - thanks!!! I'm really chuffed (I love that British word)!! Growing tomatoes from seed...I don't bother with our short season, but if you have grow lights...your season can be as long as you want...great idea! Your Amaryllis is really doing well...and the color is so cheerful. :)

Diane - yes, after long last!! Chandos Beauty's fragrance was world class...as I said, I would snip off a bloom and carry it around the yard with me. I can't wait!! My lithops are waiting for Don to bring them up from downstairs and then I'll use the grow light that came. Yes, they did bloom once in the fall...but I think they should do better under lights with more of a spectrum range. The light I bought was only $25 or something like that...so it's worth it to see if they'll look better. Your weather is so much warmer than ours right now for you to have mud. lol We're going down to -21C/-6F in a few days. Blech. Yeah!! Finn was robbed of his vole head!! And he's doing such a good job with getting rid of the voles!! Good kitty. On to the deer and the mud. :) :)

We had the two dogs together with no muzzle on Teddy today for about 5 minutes. It went well. Slowly but surely. :)

Here's the link to the new Seasonal thread:

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/6482731/roses-no-matter-the-weather-seasonal-thread

I guess this will be last post for me on this thread -- thanks, Carol, for starting a new one! You are so good at this, and we are all grateful.

Diane -- good eye, spotting the Etain! I wish I could fill a bed with that one, but no matter how well it starts off, something gets it later in the season, so now only in pots. You asked which rose -- well, I've said some place else that when I first grew Scentuous, I loved it and ran out and bought a second one. But...in summer both of mine looked poopy. I replaced one with something else, but babied the original one. Last summer it looked so bad, I pulled it out, but didn't throw it away - put it in one of my huge costco pots. And it recovered and has been looking great. Granted, last winter/spring was unusually wet, and our May Gray and June Gloom created a lot of ugly rose bushes for summer -- tons of rust, and the mildew. I had to totally defoliate about five rose bushes and spray (and I don't usually spray other than a dormant spray after pruning). But right now, Scentuous is blooming her head off, and everything looks glorious. As for Sespe Sunrise, I've only seen it in the Otto & Sons demonstration garden -- and everything they grow is on steroids, so .... This will be SS's first year in my garden. Jury is still out. That leaves Eustacia Vye. She was one of the superstars in the garden last year, always healthy, no problem with buds not opening, always attractive. The stems are strong enough to support the weight of the flowers (not always so with Scentuous). Smells lovely. Looks lovely. That rose made me so happy I have another one coming from DA soon. My only complaint would be that EV doesn't re-bloom as quickly as I'd like, but to be fair, she's on the East side of my house and only gets morning sun. She might be short of the full 6 hours. Especially true if we have a marine layer in the morning. So...my new EV will go in a sunnier spot. Whew. Long answer to your question!

Re my dahlias -- I'm very new to dahlias -- but as I said, I'm growing most in pots. So this year I moved my pots to the north side of the house under the eaves so they can avoid getting watered in winter, but not get too dried out by the sun/winds. We shall see how that works out! Even if I pull them out, I'm not sure how to tell which tubers are "good" for dividing...I pulled some out of a pot, and some looked like yams without roots. Are those tubers that didn't grow last year? Is this how they look when they're dormant? That doesn't seem right.

Judi -- I think the digiplexis is illumination flame -- but I can't be 100% sure, as I got that one from the nursery. It was in a pile of plants they were about to get rid of. (Susan, this was Terra Sol). So I got it for 50 cents or free or something, cut off all the dead foliage, planted it, and voila! Alas, no tag. I also have a berry canary and one labeled apricot something, but the flowers show on the tag were not apricot (more pink or purple, as if they took a photo of a berry canary and labeled it apricot something). ANYWAY - I have more planted this year. My berry canary was gorgeous for 2 years, then looked terrible last year, and then something got to it, so I took it out. I don't know if that's normal or not (lasting 2 years). The one in the photo above will be going into its 3rd year, and I cut it way back to one big stump. There are a lot of green nodules on it now.

Kitty -- I think all of the dhalias I purchased were the big ones -- but I grew some from seed from Floret -- but those were all small, open dahlias. Some were pretty, but not enough for me to cede rose space to them!

Thanks for explanation of Asiatic v. Oriental lillies!

Sultry -- I LOVE YOUR PIGS!!!! They look like they're smiling all the time!!! Please keep us posted on Penelope and friend!

Kitty -- you obviously can grow anything!

Windowsill -- I'm amazed you can grow so much without a big outdoor garden.

Diane -- how did Jemma get the vole away from the cat? My first dog had a gopher, and he would not let go of it to save his life. We walked the whole loop around my house, and he walked up to two neighbors to show them his gopher! One joked he should get out the shofar horn!

Carol -- so glad Teddy is making progress! :-D

Thanks, Deborah. :) :) That's funny about your dog and the vole. He was so proud of his work!! Thanks about Teddy and Sugar!!! :) :) :)

Thank you. Penelope is a New Zealand variety of pig named Kunekune. It literally means fat and round lol. Very docile sweet pigs.Even the boars which can get 400 lbs. The meat is red like beef and makes the most awesome bacon you ever had. Its very expensive meat that chefs like to use. Like I said before Penelope wont be going to freezer camp lol. She is a mascot here. So is her mother. Her little friend is a boy but too young to breed and too closely related to her. He's a nice boy and will be going to another home. We will be getting another unrelated registered boar this spring. Kunekune pigs don't typically breed until 15-18 mos. Our first pair was 18 mos. This little friend piggy is in Penelope's pen because he thinks he can get more special treats and has been getting out of his pen and running around the yard. I'm glad he likes her pen and is no longer getting out lol. Penelope was one of my bottle baby pigs.

Diane,

Thank you! Yes, those are my dahlia photos.

OOPS! Sorry for the confusion! Yesterdays dahlias posted photos are ”My Garden Photos-2024 Season dahlias.” Some of them I have reordered for this 2025 season. I corrected my post above- to labeling them my dahlia photos.“ Do you remember them from last season? Mero Star was your favorite. Oh, how wonder 50sF! Mud & rain-Oops-not so good! I can only wish for warmer weather! Todays 30F & sun shi i g in myvwindow over the icy snow was nice. Poor Finn-he wanted his vole head! Lol! And deer in the mud stiries coming, can’t wait!

Deborah,

Thank you about my dahlias!

Your dahlias were lovely! Your dinnerplates & large dahlias are very showy! Dividing the big tubers with roots that mutiplied is a great idea. There are you tube videos that show best how to divide them.

When you dig up dahlia tubers they should have roots. If they have no roots after growing all summer then the tuber is no good. If the tuber was too damp over winter the roots may rot & fall off leaving tuber bare.

Keep tubers with roots.

Dahlias to dig up, divide and save shouod look like this…Can you see the stems/mutiple tubers & roots? Send us cute kitties, doggies, & piggies, instead!

Carol,

Thank you regarding my dahlias & Loli spray-my little dreamy rose! Stargazer lilies will be fun for us both! Carrying Chandos B around and smelling her-what a scentsational rose! I would do that with Mme Anisette-love the licorice scent! Yay! A few minutes of enjoyment fir Teddy & Sugar together yesterday!!! Woohoo! Mmmmm, the 2 roses both sound yummy! And so do roasted marshmeklows to warm us up! Now I want more hot lava cake! At least 14F is better than below zeroes! Yep! I remember! Well Jumanji this year, but never again! Hope! I’m glad you’re enjoying new roses….. where will you put them? Lol! Peaches are our faves this year! I love those bi-colored peaches and subtle peaches!

Gardening roses just lights up our days as long as voles, squirrels and deer don’t interriupt!!! LOL! ! ————————————————-

2 new roses coming in mail Saturday-tomorrow! More to pot in kitchen! Sea Anemone & Misty Bubbles spray! 29F today!

Time for hot lunch!!

Sultry - I love hearing about your animals. :) :)

Kitty - I should try to find a Mme Anisette. Although I do have a yummy licorice scent with my White Licorice. I love this rose. Where will I put my new r oses, lol, in my Jumanji garden...pots everywhere. :) :) What 2 new roses are you getting? So fun!

Carol,

I’ll answer on your new thread today!

Happy ”Pots Everywhere,” Gardening! My Jumanji Indoor garden is growing! Yikes!

To us both-🤪🤪🥀🥀😊😊