Back months ago, I got a very good deal on two miniature roses in pots. They were on the deep discount rack at the supermarket, I think probably left-overs from Christmas. I can't remember exactly what the price was, but it was cheap and the roses looked healthy. One is a peach flowered variety; the other might be pink flowered. I've kept them in their original pots. At first, when we had very bitter weather into the teens at night, I kept them in the basement. Then, when it got a bit milder I moved them onto the south-facing deck and I've left them there ever since, letting them get acclimated to being outdoors (their labels said "Indoor/Outdoor", so they are winter hardy but greenhouse grown and forced). They've been doing very well, going nicely into dormancy but retaining their leaves. I decided I'd use them in the Pot Corral so today I wanted to transfer them to bigger pots. Surprise! They weren't TWO miniature roses. They were TEN miniature roses! When I popped them out of their pots, they divided up into five and five, all well-rooted and healthy. I potted one set up two in one big pot in the Pot Corral and three in another. The other one I divided up into five smaller pots and have them set down next to the greenhouse. If they all continue to do as well separately as they have been, I will be over the moon.
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I'm trying to keep making progress. But things keep going off track. Yesterday, we were supposed to get rain in the afternoon, so I did not want to start working with concrete. I have got to get those posts in for the hen run, but I thought since we were getting rain, I'd wait and do that today. Instead, yesterday, I spent the morning getting a lot of routine things done and then spent an enjoyable half-hour "liberating" winter aconites from along the road in front of that abandoned old house. I thought this would be perfect: get the aconites back home, planted, and then the rain will water them in.
Well, the rain never came. So I got up this morning intending to do the hen run posts. But because I did not buy the concrete mix yesterday (can't haul that home in the truck in the rain!), I had to go to Lowe's today. But got off to late start because it was way too cold to start concrete early, then the stores/highways were crowded and what should have been a quick trip took two hours. Got home cranky and hungry and decided it was too late to start with the hen run. So did the Pot Corral instead, getting the pots topped off with good potting soil. In addition to the mini roses, I also planted two pots with tiger lily bulbs and then moved the "christmas tree" shaped rosemary and lavender into bigger pots as well. I got those on discount after christmas and they've done well on the deck. Hope they continue to thrive in their new bigger pots.
Then I had to haul water down into the Glade to water in the newly planted aconites. I brought home a lot of them! I decided that instead of planting some here, some there, as I've been doing for the past few years, I'd concentrate on getting a big swath of them established. The Glade in the Pine Gap is perfect and there is already a small patch established there. But I'm not stopping there; I've got another small patch doing well up in the Storybook Garden and next week I'm going back to "liberate" a bunch more to spread around in there. And if I feel really energetic, I'll go back and get more to increase the patch in the Asian Garden.
AND if I get the gumption (I love that word), I'm going to take a drive into Maryland and see if I can find that little back road where I got some lovely pale purple New England Asters a few years ago and I might "liberate" a few more clumps of those! I really should have a pirate flag flying from my pickup truck's antenna. Arr....
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