John Cabot Roses

 John Cabot: A rose by any other name is not in the budget this year.

With May Day signaling the bright beginning of all things warm, I got online and placed an order with one of my favorite nurseries. It tallied up to $106 ~ for which they demanded $26 for shipping.

Does that seem excessive? Or, am I a cheapskate?

It's not like I was ordering a 10 foot tall Wisteria or anything remotely that grand. These are eensy, teensy seedlings that fit neatly into one, small box.

I heart John Cabot Roses. I've never met such a profuse, low maintenance, kind of water-wise, all-summer bloomer. They look particularly cool if you plant Baby's Breath nearby.

Cranky over the shipping charges, I doubled down on the Cabots and nixed most everything else, tearing flower pictures out of that catalog and adding them to the other shopping list.

That 'other list' being a picture file, of sorts, filled with the perennials I discovered in that catalog, though I'll buy locally because I can get plants twice the size, for about half the price.

Such a hot-cha-cha pink color it's kind of blinding. 

Just one more reason why I love 'em. :)

I suppose that's cheating. But, what's a gal on a budget supposed to do? And, when will online nurseries get with the program? Every other website offers free shipping. (My shoe tree is overflowing ever since I discovered Zappos.) Why can't flower shops do me the same favor??

So, that's my rant. And, here's my rave:

As in rave reviews for the John Cabot Roses who'll show off their stuff in the very last garden I plan to plant. Once this one is done, then I'll be done.

Are you chuckling? Me, too. As if a garden is ever done...

* John Cabot Roses: USDA Zone 3, he's kind of a big bruiser. 4 foot spread by about 6 feet high. 

My This and That Garden

"The greatest gift of the garden is the restoration of the five senses." ~ Hanna Rion

Jupiter's Beard & Catmint

A hot wind turns the dry ground into swirling dust devils. I water by hand, inspecting the flowers. For me, watering by hand is very therapeutic.

More Jupiter's Beard. This time with Salvia.

John Cabot Roses bloom all summer:

Goofing around outside is a good excuse not to answer the phone. Because.... I'm gonna lose it if I have one more conversation with little Ms. Annoying:

"We need some super compelling headlines! This is some of the most crucial copy as it is the first impression and can make or break their desire to read the ad!"

Oh, Good Lord, do I look like a blithering idiot?

I've been doing this job for 10 years. Little Ms. Annoying has been doing it for 3 whole months. Yet, she feels I need to be educated. I think I should cut the new girl some slack though I gotta tell ya...

That's getting harder with each passing day.

Salvia & Peonies

So, I did what I always do when I have to come up with a 'super compelling headline!' I went outside to water the flowers. I always get my best ideas in the garden. When I'm hiding amongst the blossoms in a quiet place where I can think.

Pink Evening Primrose & Johnson's Blue Geraniums

"That one is a weed." So states my most annoying neighbor as she walks past with her horrid, little dog. I glared at her for a moment wondering who gave her permission to talk. She kept pointing at the weedy culprit getting a big drink of water from my hose.

Yeah, yeah, I replied and moved the hose. This one's a weed, too.

"Well aren't you gonna...?"

Pull 'em? I interrupted, snarling a bit. No. I like 'em. Besides I'm done with this garden. I want the weeds to fill in all the blank spots.

Climbing Clematis graces me with flowers all summer long.

Just 'tween you and me: I'm not really done with that garden. I just say those things to torment her. And, I've been in an ornery mood, lately, so I was kind of glad she walked by.

* It generally takes me 2 summers to figure out a garden. I simply don't have the brainpower to plan it perfectly then sit back and relax ~ the way you normal people do things.

* The first year I plant This & That, the half dozen or so long-blooming perennials I know will grow and get beastly large as time goes on. The following summer I squeeze the special stuff into the mix.

(Now promise me you won't spill those beans to my most annoying neighbor.)

Dense Pack: Squish 'em close together and weeds don't have much of a chance.