Hershey Botanical Gardens

Julia Childs.

While at the botanical gardens, one of the things I like to do is evaulate the roses for ones that might do well in my garden. There were several I found this year that I have put on the list for this year or next. One of the most impressive was Julia Childs. I've seen this one in pictures but never in person. I have to admit to being very impressed and the clusters are wonderfully large and full for cutting.

Others I found were:





Golden Showers













French Perfume















Duet - Another floribunda that has large beautiful clusters for cutting and vases.

I need more rose gardens!!!!!

The Company Party

Yesterday was the company picnic. Each year they hold this at the Amusement park at Hershey. It's always a fun time for the employees of the newspaper and their families as well as a rare occasion that it is also affordable. I love to go each year. However, you can keep the roller coaster, which the park has quite a few and I'll stick to the more tame rides. I've always had problems with getting sick on those wild rides.



So each year, we go, get on a few rides and stop in for the catered lunch and door prizes. We never stay long enough to hear who wins the door prizes. This year we stopped at the chocolate attraction. I was curious because it is common knowledge around here that Hershey (the home of the Hershey's Chocolate) had revamped the attraction and I wanted to see it. Besides, it is free admission there, though the factory fresh chocolates are a bit expensive. Still, to get fresh chocolate from Hershey is well worth it.


From there we went to the nearby Hershey Botanical Gardens. It's been a year since we've been there and they too, have made a few changes. They revamped the gardens and added some whimsey, garden bugs made out of bamboo and placed in different places around the garden. the botanical gardens at Hershey are well known for their work with the rose, hence we get in for free being members of the American Rose Society.




It was a really fun day all around. We just got done looking around at the gardens when it started to rain. It held off just for us! I even got some chocolate for friends. It was a nice day as it usually is when the newspaper holds it's company party.

Finally!!

Finally!! The patio is now considered finished. All the furniture is on for it and we can now use it. In the center is the firepit. The bowl of this is turned upside down right now because it's been raining lately and we want to keep it nice. These are the before pictures that were taken earlier this year and the after pictures which were taken Saturday. The only thing left is to decide which plants we want climbing the new arbor. Right now I'm thinking the rose Golden Showers but that could change until next year.





























This has been a very difficult project and I'm glad it's the last of the major hardscape for this yard. Yet, it seems the house really called for this. Even the dog loves it. Thankyou for listening to all this.

We still have the path to put around the house to the work patio and driveway, but that will be another year. And no, it won't be as much work as this was.

A Mystery

It's close to 10 years ago when Husband bought me a Valentine's Day gift of a little "throw-away" rose that we found at a local nursery. It was so pretty that I put it under growth lights until I was able to plant it outside. It did quite well there so when we built the house, I took it with me knowing that I may never know the variety name should there be one. Once here, it again settled in and is now about 2½' tall and about as wide. My guess is that after 4 years here and 5 years at the other house, this is a mature plant. The leaves are a dark leathery green, very disease resistant and reminds me a lot of the leaves on Playboy but maybe not quite as big. Each spring it covers itself with these lovely orange and mauve 2" blooms. The buds are very ovate and a deep orange. My guess is, it is a miniature especially since that is what is so often cultivated for these special occasions; thus considered what I've heard termed as "throw-away" roses. It is possible that this rose has no variety name at all; just simply one of those cultivators that just didn't seem to have what it takes to be named and go into production. Since then a number of people tried to tell me it was Gold Medal but I drag my feet on this. I even had the nursery check for a variety name. They called the supplier who had no name for it. Yet, for me, this little rose has done better than some and each year it improves on itself. It's ashame that I don't know what the variety name is or even if it has one. This bush is so photogentic.

More Garden Shots

As you can tell, I've been busy outside. This is the look from the driveway to the back for the property.
















Romantic Evening tall bearded iris












The new patio and some furniture









Gypsy Dancer tall bearded iris



















Gnus Flash tall bearded iris

Fimbriata hybrid rugosa rose




















Blanc Double de Coupert hybrid rugosa rose

In Comparison

This is the house when we moved in July of 2002.

This is the house today! Only a slight difference.

One of the first plants to find a home was a tiny rose that I had ordered while the house was being built. I bought the miniflora for it's name. Sweet Dream. It is actually in the first picture on this post but it had taken a lot of abuse being moved from one location to another until it found it's way home.

This year it is looking quite glorious and now has a companion Sweet Dream as well. Oh, did I tell you that this little rose is blessed with a very sweet fragrance?

A Rose

Sally Holmes Shrub Rose. This bush has given me a number of award winning photographs. More to come later.

Above is the picture in it's entirty. This is a picture of just the stamens. I love this picture with just the stamens blown up like this. It also tells you the kind of sharpness I get out of my camera.

The Rock Garden

The Rock Garden










Total Recall bearded iris














Theresa Bougnet hybrid rugosa rose














Rimpo tree peony














Loving Touch miniature rose











Fimbriata hybrid rugosa rose

Blanc Double de Coupert hybrid rugosa rose

Deep Purple Rhododrendron

Mid Spring Garden Shots

The patio is now finished except for some curing of the cement edging show here with plastic over it to help it cure properly. That will be taken off in about 5 days. Sand will be applied between the cracks of the paver stones for the next 12 weeks or so until it is time to put a sealer on the entire thing. There is an arbor to angle over the curved edge where the urn is and a little bench will sit beneath it. The urn too just where it is. The arbor may not come until autumn. Right now, this project was very heavy, filthy and hard work. With the cement edge it finished to a 15'x21' patio. I swear I will never do this again.

Celestrial Dogwood










Cranesbill


Gilliard Rose ~ Azalea












Josee ~ Dwarf Lilac






Theresa Bugnet ~ Hybrid Rugosa, Rose





Liberty ~ Hosta





Theresa Bugnet bud ~ Rose











Viburnum

Yoshino Gawa ~ tree peony

Zurel tulips

What people think

When I'm outside, usually in the front near the road, people driving or walking by will often stop and tell me what an awesome garden I have. Often they will stop and ask about different plants I have in the garden and what the growing requirements are and how they do as a garden plant. I always answer the questions, discribing each plant and what or how it does for me.

Now when I work on my garden, I usually see it with different eyes than someone just walking by. This is probably due to the fact that I'm up close and personal with each plant, weeding it, pruning it or whatever.

It's nice to see how other people react to my garden. I guess the best compliment of all are the neighbors, all outside in the evenings working on their garden to keep it looking as nice as the Saurbaugh's. The neighbors across the street planted seven purple trees like mine.




I know. This will get old now, so I guess I'll stop. I hope you enjoy the snaps.

Muscles!

I got real close and personal with my muscles today! I can't tell you how much they ache. Today we put down most of the patio except for the decorative paver which still need to be set in. The patio finished out at the 14x20 area that we had designed and with just a few exceptions is pretty much laid out the way I had it drawn up and scaled.

We left two corner bricks out to make little raised flower beds that I will keep steppables in. The little plants thrive on being stepped on and will grow over the hardscape to soften it a little. We decided to go with two sets of decorative pavers instead of four. I think it is still enough to brake up the intense space of stone and still define the fire pit that will sit between them.

These are two of the decorative pavers trimmed and set into their area. So far this is all we have done of these. The pavers are made, but need some small adjustments to fit in the spot. For the next few days, or as long as we have good weather, we'll spend time sweeping sand into the cracks of the patio and washing it down every evening to set the stones.

Each of the flat stones are 24"x24" and weight approximately 84 pounds each. There were a couple of them that I ended up carrying myself. Believe me, they didn't go far! I had no idea I could even lift anything that heavy! My muscles are telling me now that maybe I shouldn't have either.

We started this morning bright and early at 7:00 am and finally finished for the day around 6:30 pm. We were tired, thirsty and covered in cement dust. Who wanted to eat? Not me. I was to tired to cook or even try and not hungry anyway. We ended up running out to the local grocery store to throw together a light salad about an hour or so after we finished putting things away and sweeping in the first round of sand. Afterward we sat on the little bench at the Tulip poplar and looked over our work before finally heading out.

Oh, that plant on the arbor is a two year old New Dawn Rose. That is such an amazing plant.