To do

[msmemory_archive]

And who's this going to interest, besides me?


Unpack and stow luggage
Swap polos and turtlenecks out/into storage
Frugal Fannie's if they have any more Miraclesuits in stock
Patri's memorial
Prune forsythia
Trim box hedge and that green bush out front
Buy a rosebush. Never had one before. (damascene, jdulac, that's a hint for advice!)
Get tomato plants if not already too late
Hunt up mail from last two+ weeks and deal, esp. bills
Lochleven guest meeting
Laundry, ironing, laundry, ironing
Do we know anybody who wants to do garden work for pay?
Organize receipts for expense report
Change bed linens, wash sheets & towels
Clean downstairs shower
Amazon order
Compile (or find!) list of electrician tasks; call electrician.
Hair appointment?
Freecyle list entry for old couch
15 minutes of sorting old paperwork in office (baby steps)

Comments

Re: requirements gathering...

[msmemory.livejournal.com]

Mahoney's is where I head for any plants. Bought the herbs there earlier this year, will be there Sat-Sun or some such for the tomatoes. I'll check out the roses while I'm there.

Tell me more about once-bloomers vs. perennials?

Re: requirements gathering...

[msmemory.livejournal.com]

that is, once-bloomers vs perpetual?

Re: requirements gathering...

[jdulac.livejournal.com]

Wild European roses are normally bloom once per year -- their season is early summer. They produce hips from the roses and that's it for the year. Remontancy (re-blooming) was introduced into rose breeding stock from southern Chinese roses, which are normally not hardy in our climate. The first re-blooming European roses were produced in the 19th c. "Rebloom" can mean several things -- if they rebloom, Old Garden Roses typically bloom in flushes, a wave of roses, then a rest, then another wave. There may be only 2 waves, early summer and autumn. Usually the early bloom is the most abundant and subsequent bloom is sporadic.

Some modern roses have been bred to be almost constantly blooming. That takes a lot of energy from a plant. They typically don't make a lot of hips, and they like a lot of plant food (but who doesn't?) People generally expect roses to be reblooming nowadays. But many antique roses are not. I just mention this because Cynthia had suggested antique roses as being hardier (generally true), but one reason they aren't easily found in garden centers is that they are very different from what people expect.

Re: requirements gathering...

[jdulac.livejournal.com]

I should clarify: it is not once-blooming vs perennial, it is once-blooming vs. re-blooming. Roses are perennial, although some are not reliably hardy in our climate (although you won't generally find those on sale here).

One reason the David Austen English roses are so popular is that they have the look of old-fashioned roses, but the re-bloom of modern roses. Right now my Abraham Darby and Othello and Graham Thomas are to die for.

Re: requirements gathering...

[cvirtue.livejournal.com]

(drools over roses, off in a corner by herself)