We're at the end of this dreadful year. Surely, next year will be better. In the meantime, the garden will continue to be a refuge from the stress and anxiety of the world beyond it. Casting aside my feelings of fragility, I try to spend at least a few hours in the garden each day. I no longer have the strength and energy to throw myself into maintaining the garden properly, but I can still enjoy the sights and scents of it, not to mention the sounds of the singing birds and chattering squirrels.

This month's rose is Winter Magic, and the thumbnail photo was taken by NGA member Betja, aka Betty Jacobs, who created this enchanting mauve miniature rose.

zuzu...a Big amen to that... well said!👍
Beautiful boquet of roses. 😊

@zuzu

Love that color of rose (:

Great picture of a great rose! Had this pretty mini for several years and the color is just dreamy.

Winter Magic


I'll add another winter beauty, the Griffith Buck, Winter Sunset


Happy Winter to all the Northern climes! And Happy Summer to the Southern ones! We need your lovely photos to get us through this winter, lol!

This month's choice of a representative rose is perfect!

Oh what a year it's been, dreadful. I had thrown myself into lots of quilt creations as well as mask making, not fond of those but needed but now I am redoing a lot of my garden with some major trimming and some removal of overgrown shrubs and trees and adding lots of rich compost to plants. Hubby is helping with most of that plus some new hardscaping and bringing in a truckload of composted planting mix for a new bed. He's also building me two large rectangular raised bed boxes for a new interest, dahlias. Can't plant directly in the ground because of gophers. I got so discouraged because I used to have big beautiful clumps of iris and lilies and lost most to those darn gophers!

We have almost all the bender boards along the pathways split so are debating what the replace them with. We will be making a trip to the rockery and landscape supply places to look at options.
I am trying to lessen my big maintenance plants and replace with more shrubs for greenery, that means more removal of some less desirable roses. Also taking up interest in creating topiary forms with boxwood, rosemary, myrtle, lemon cypress, euonymus, whatever I can find with a center stem! Like I really need a new hobby!
The older I am getting the more I worry about not keeping up. All this work this past week has me walking like an invalid, I'm taking Tylenol for breakfast and dinner I suspect my left hip has some arthritis setting in, it's been a dull annoying ache for months now but the past two weeks of work in the garden plus some big walking treks through the wholesale nursery fields left me limping and in pain for days now. Getting old is not for sissies! (applying for SS this month, yikes, how did that happen?!!)
So I though to end this yucky year, I would revive some of my favorite past bloom and garden shots to spread some color and cheer, we all can use that! I'll add to this thread throughout the month.

My favorite garden shot from 2015. Click to see all the tagged plants. Working to get back that lush look.


Favorite shots of a favorite rose, Buff Beauty


Sigh, miss that big clump of iris!


Don't have this one anymore but both are some of my favorite photos of an exquisite bloom!

Recent David Austins from the windy Kohala Coast
Ambridge

Carding Mill

Christopher Marlowe

Darcy Bussell


Gentle Hermione


Harlow Carr

James L. Austin

L.D Braithwaite

Mary Rose

Munstead Wood

Queen of Sweden

Tamora

Windermere

On this day 65 years ago, Rosa Parks refused to move to the back of the bus. Seems like a good day to repeat my perennial lament that no one has ever named a rose for Rosa Parks.

Beautiful photos Suzanne. Wow, what a huge variety of flowers. You are really good at designing your garden - arrangements and color schemes. I think you are really going to enjoy the dahlias.

seilMI said: And Happy Summer to the Southern ones! We need your lovely photos to get us through this winter, lol!

Thank you Seil! As for photos, please a bit of patience from this end...I'm just overcoming a unexpected late spring freeze that wiped quite a few of the first buds in some of my bushes . I really don't know about second flush comeback enough so as to predict if I'll get any!
Anyway mine is a very busy time of the year with a lot of extra chores added onto my not so young back. I'm helping my godson with the veggie farm operation since we are unable to hire seasonal hands caused by the intricacies the COVID has placed to everyone, including waves of restrictions and then liberation of movements of people... So that boils down to less available time to ornamental gardening and more to transplanting, potting , tomato tie ups spent in the commercial side of our otherwise very happy simple everyday life. Meanwhile weeds (mainly quackgrass here) take the lead and sneer at me...I just give them a sideglance and keep on with my buisiness...
Surprisingly, I was able to visit a few days ago two nurseries and some additions were found for my collection: 'Seven Sisters' climber , a few Austins ( 'The Poet's Wife', 'Olivia Rose Austin'; 'Lichfield Angel') and a few replacements. If time allows I will give that outing a second try. This second nursery carries about 50 different clematis. ... those photos by CalifSue with wonderful rose-clematis combinations have been lurking in the back of my imaginary dream garden for quite some time!. Out of dire need I'm expanding my rose garden to a new side garden which implies designing, new beds , hauling soil etc. Yes, this during my heavy workload summer... , but given my circumstances, I'm only grateful that at least I'm able to tackle it without being pushed back by the sheer magnitude of my enterprise...
Yes a very difficult year for anyone everywhere...I just pray that in our near future, things will improve...even if only slightly. My garden, is really my solace in so many ways, that I can't imagine living away from the land any longer. I don't mind aging, with a sore back caused by the work and toil that my garden generates!

A warm to everyone at this RF

Arturo

Zuzu
You're absolutely right. Maybe, by February 4, someone will do that.
David

Arturo, Seven Sisters is a wonderful rose - good choice!

Ahhh Arturo, your work load made my back start aching with sympathy but as my husband said to me the other day, being sore for doing some good old fashioned physical labor is preferable at this point in our home ownership life as opposed to not being able to do much at all.
My Mom is still an avid gardener and last week had a large oak tree removed from her front yard that was a danger to her house. She is so thrilled that it opened up more opportunities for sun loving plants now, but at 86, she can't physically do the building of new beds and paths but she has in mind and wants to hire a landscaper for creating her idea. She can then still plant but really needs to pace herself, her arthritis prevents her from doing too much. She is excited though and is compiling her list of future plants, gardening is her joy and keeps her going!

So since Arturo mentioned roses and clematis combos, I think those would be good photos to add today.

Ashva with Autumn Sunset rose


Click to see tagged combo


Blues and purples with anything peach and yellow are my favorite color combos! Clematis 'Haku Ookan' with Rose (Rosa 'Sweet Dream') in the background.
Even iris can play well with the shorter roses, here a color echo with the beard.


Clematis 'Ramona' was planted with Graham Thomas but she disappeared this year and needs replacing


My rose Floribunda Rose (Rosa 'Cafe') is planted in front of Clematis 'Romantika'. I'll have to get more photos of them together.


My Rose (Rosa 'Aloha') is big enough to host two clematis, Clematis 'Jackmanii Superba' and

Calif_Sue said:Oh what a year it's been, dreadful. I had thrown myself into lots of quilt creations as well as mask making, not fond of those but needed but now I am redoing a lot of my garden with some major trimming and some removal of overgrown shrubs and trees and adding lots of rich compost to plants. Hubby is helping with most of that plus some new hardscaping and bringing in a truckload of composted planting mix for a new bed. He's also building me two large rectangular raised bed boxes for a new interest, dahlias. Can't plant directly in the ground because of gophers. I got so discouraged because I used to have big beautiful clumps of iris and lilies and lost most to those darn gophers!

We have almost all the bender boards along the pathways split so are debating what the replace them with. We will be making a trip to the rockery and landscape supply places to look at options.
I am trying to lessen my big maintenance plants and replace with more shrubs for greenery, that means more removal of some less desirable roses. Also taking up interest in creating topiary forms with boxwood, rosemary, myrtle, lemon cypress, euonymus, whatever I can find with a center stem! Like I really need a new hobby!
The older I am getting the more I worry about not keeping up. All this work this past week has me walking like an invalid, I'm taking Tylenol for breakfast and dinner I suspect my left hip has some arthritis setting in, it's been a dull annoying ache for months now but the past two weeks of work in the garden plus some big walking treks through the wholesale nursery fields left me limping and in pain for days now. Getting old is not for sissies! (applying for SS this month, yikes, how did that happen?!!)
So I though to end this yucky year, I would revive some of my favorite past bloom and garden shots to spread some color and cheer, we all can use that! I'll add to this thread throughout the month.

My favorite garden shot from 2015. Click to see all the tagged plants. Working to get back that lush look.

Plant Combination by Calif_Sue

Favorite shots of a favorite rose, Buff Beauty

Plant Combination by Calif_Sue

Plant Combination by Calif_Sue

Sigh, miss that big clump of iris!

Plant Combination by Calif_Sue

Don't have this one anymore but both are some of my favorite photos of an exquisite bloom!

• Rose (Rosa 'Chicago Peace')
• Uploaded by Calif_Sue

• Rose (Rosa 'Chicago Peace')
• Uploaded by Calif_Sue

• Rose (Rosa 'Brass Band')
• Uploaded by Calif_Sue

• Rose (Rosa 'Bouquet Parfait')
• Uploaded by Calif_Sue

• Rose (Rosa 'Caramella')
• Uploaded by Calif_Sue

• Rose (Rosa 'Caramella')
• Uploaded by Calif_Sue

Hi, Sue,
What beautiful gardens and rises you have! Love your combinations. I hope you are feeling better. Take it easy and let others help you. I have a neighbor who carries dirt, racks leaves, digs holes for plants and a gardener who trims, anything I need help with I ask. I planted 30 roses this summer and dozens of other plants and all new back yard grass. I really needed help. Sometimes I over did it, too. But I hope to keep it simpler in future and enjoy my roses!!!

BTW, I can't find mjy/our November 2020 posts. I searched and can't find it. So I'll start new and try to keep this thread.

Have a lovely Holiday,
Rosy

Hi Rosy, just click on 'Roses forum' found at the bottom of the last post in a thread or at the very top of this thread. Once on there, just scroll down a bit to find the November thread. Also, you can click on your profile page and click to see posts you have made and where you posted.

I will do all my own gardening until I can't physically do it anymore. Not there yet. Hubby does the heavy duty stuff, thank goodness for him, he's a keeper and I still have lots of projects for him, inside and out.

kohala said:Recent David Austins from the windy Kohala Coast
Ambridge

Carding Mill

Christopher Marlowe

Darcy Bussell




Gentle Hermione


Harlow Carr

James L. Austin

L.D Braithwaite

Mary Rose

Munstead Wood

Queen of Sweden

Tamora

Windermere

Hi, Kohola,
Your roses are stunning! Makes me want to order another 20 English roses in spring. I have ordered already:these which I can't wait to see bloom:
Princess Anne
Princess Alexander of Kent
Eglantyne
Anne Boleyn
I have 6 other English, 10 climbers and a little variety of Knock outs, Drifts, Meilland, Kordes, and more. It's so exciting to learn about different varieties but just love those English roses!

Thanks for sharing!
Rosy

zuzu said:On this day 65 years ago, Rosa Parks refused to move to the back of the bus. Seems like a good day to repeat my perennial lament that no one has ever named a rose for Rosa Parks.

Hi, Zuzu,
You are so kind! You know you can order test roses and name one Rosa Parks in your own garden. I had some test rises Zi named once after my children. Fun!
Rosy

BigAppleRoseGuy said:Zuzu
You're absolutely right. Maybe, by February 4, someone will do that.
David

Hi, David,

How are your roses in this weather?
I had a light snow today, covered my roses leaves. Some still blooming. I hope they will be ok. It's supposed to melt tomorrow. I'm putting burlap finally on a few tomorrow and I have mulch by their trunks.
Rosy

Calif_Sue said:Hi Rosy, just click on 'Roses forum' found at the bottom of the last post in a thread or at the very top of this thread. Once on there, just scroll down a bit to find the November thread. Also, you can click on your profile page and click to see posts you have made and where you posted.

I will do all my own gardening until I can't physically do it anymore. Not there yet. Hubby does the heavy duty stuff, thank goodness for him, he's a keeper and I still have lots of projects for him, inside and out.

Sounds like you have it all worked out and your hubby is there fir the big stuff. Thanks for the tips. I'm going to look into it.
Rosy

Rosykittycat said:

Sounds like you have it all worked out and your hubby is there for the big stuff. Thanks for the tips, I was able to read Nov posts and feel finished. Ready to start the holiday season.
Rosy