Saturday Farmer's Market - More Roses & Fall is Coming

Created by Heather at Capricious Reader, and now hosted by Chris at Stuff as Dreams are Made on.

 
UPDATE from Last Week:     

A while ago I transplanted a creeping rosemary (gift from departing neighbor) from its urn to a spot near the roses, because it wasn't healthy where it was. Now, the yellow has almost completely disappeared, it is spreading out nicely under the roses, and the blooming shows no sign of stopping.

They say that rosemary near your roses helps to keep the pests away from them. That we'll have to see, but I'm glad it's finally happy.

 
UPDATE #2:  
 
I extended and reran the soaker hose in the herb/rose beds this week. That will cut my time watering and make it more efficient. It also means that if I have a bad spell and can't work in the garden for a while, my roses won't pay the price. (The herbs have always been very resilient, but I just can't get them to do the watering.)

The hose actually ended up being too long for the space I had, but the shorter length would have been far too short. After careful consideration, I have decided that the best thing for me to do is increase the size of the bed. What choice do I have, really? There is a plan in my head that I'm working toward, and the expansion will happen over time. (Limited money and energy make the going slow and will help me build my patience. Yippee!) I'll be watering grass for a while, but I can plant new plants as I get them, without major issues; and as long as I keep my low maintenance rule in mind all should be well.

And the secret garden bloomed and bloomed 

and every morning revealed new miracles.

If you look the right way, you can see that

the whole world is a garden.

I watched a rosebud

- Christina Rosetti 

I watched a rosebud very long

Brought on by dew and sun and shower,

Waiting to see the perfect flower:

Then, when I thought it should be strong,

It opened at the matin hour

And fell at evensong.

I watched a nest from day to day,

A green nest full of pleasant shade,

Wherein three speckled eggs were laid:

But when they should have hatched in May,

The two old birds had grown afraid

Or tired, and flew away.

Then in my wrath I broke the bough

That I had tended so with care,

Hoping its scent should fill the air;

I crushed the eggs, not heeding how

Their ancient promise had been fair:

I would have vengeance now.

But the dead branch spoke from the sod,

And the eggs answered me again:

Because we failed dost thou complain?

Is thy wrath just? And what if God,

Who waiteth for thy fruits in vain,

Should also take the rod?

This time of year seems to revolve around harvesting & preserving, and for me, that means mostly herbs. I had a big lavender harvest and a small harvest of my mints earlier, and it looks like I'm going to have second harvest of all of them soon. Right now I am hanging pineapple sage, garden sage, lemon balm, and lemon grass. 

Our summer fruit harvest was short (but sweet) and is just a pleasant memory.

But this fall we will have some oranges, pomegranates, and kumquats. (fingers crossed)

The poms are on the left, and then

 on the right we have oranges on the top

 and kumquats below.

 

It is also rose time. 

This is the time of year that I tend most closely to the needs of my roses. (and will soon be adding to the family) They thank me with blooms through all but the coldest part of winter. Actually, if we don't have many freezes, they will bloom all winter and into spring.

 



Where, you tend a rose, my lad,

 A thistle cannot grow. 

 





I planted my beautiful new birthday rose bushes, and they look lovely even though the bed as a whole looks rather wild and haphazard right now. The pictures of them in the garden didn't turn out well, so maybe at a later date . . .

I also moved my tea rose away from the florabundas so it will have more space to stretch out and not be overshadowed by them.

I'll just leave you with a picture of the urn that previously held the creeping rosemary. I tucked in an aloe and a few hens and chicks. Succulents are a fairly new addition to my garden, so here's hoping they do okay.

"I watched a rosebud" from: Goblin Market, The Prince’s Progress and Other Poems.
Copyright 1879.

Quotes by: Frances Hodgson Burnett,

The Secret Garden (my all time favorite book)