Gardening

[Silver City Heritage Farmstead]

Kimbalina, if you could share some pictures of buds, leaves, and canes, I can try to help identify it.

Also, where is it growing? What size are the flowers, as well as the height and width. Sandy or rich soil and things like that. Since there are no native Australian roses (though "Boronia serrulata" sounds lovely, with it's pretty flowers and scented leaves!), we should be able to scrounge up a name for you. If it smells half as nice as it looks, you've gotten a very lucky find indeed.

 

[kimbalina]

Kimbalina, if you could share some pictures of buds, leaves, and canes, I can try to help identify it.

Also, where is it growing? What size are the flowers, as well as the height and width. Sandy or rich soil and things like that. Since there are no native Australian roses (though "Boronia serrulata" sounds lovely, with it's pretty flowers and scented leaves!), we should be able to scrounge up a name for you. If it smells half as nice as it looks, you've gotten a very lucky find indeed.

Thanks for the offer in some help IDing this rose! I’m sad to report that that rose died a week ago (my picture was a week or two old) and so I cannot measure it. I could say it was medium size width and maybe small to medium depth?? It seems to be enjoying the soil my chickens most adore dust bathing in so I’m guessing it’s pretty sandy… but kinda rich too?? I feel like I’m failing at providing any really useful info. Here are some photos!

 

[kimbalina]

I also have this monster!! Also deeply fragrant. Many clusters that have now fruited. It’s much taller than me. My chickens jumped in to give a sense of scale.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I get a little discouraged about gardening any more. I did pick some green beans, a couple of ice cabbages, and kale. The squash are growing--hope we get fruit before the squash bugs find them. My brown cotton is looking vigorous. But for the time and money expended, it is disappointing.
A beautiful flower popped out on one of my cacti this morning! I had to run for the camera. The blooms only last a day. And one of the mountain boomer lizards is getting bigger; he posed while basking this morning.

 

[HersheyMint]

I get a little discouraged about gardening any more. I did pick some green beans, a couple of ice cabbages, and kale. The squash are growing--hope we get fruit before the squash bugs find them. My brown cotton is looking vigorous. But for the time and money expended, it is disappointing.
A beautiful flower popped out on one of my cacti this morning! I had to run for the camera. The blooms only last a day. And one of the mountain boomer lizards is getting bigger; he posed while basking this morning.View attachment 47644View attachment 47645

Boomer sure has a long tail Pretty flower too.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Boomer sure has a long tail Pretty flower too.

I know! It's hard to get the whole lizard in a photo without missing some tail.
I was watering pots this morning and a plain garden lizard came onto the patio and was sipping in the spilled water. I've never seen a lizard drink before.

 

[chandab]

I'm not much of a gardener, so haven't really followed this thread very closely, but...
I've been trying to raise potatoes in a "container" for a couple years. My container is an old leaky stock tank, it might be a 100 gallon tank, but I'm not sure. In 2020, I got a late start, so only got like 3 potatoes. Last year, nothing but weeds came up; severe drought. Both those years I just used grocery store potatoes. This year I bought seed potatoes, and as far as I can tell, every one I planted has sprouted. Here's hoping, mid-August I can start digging potatoes.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I'm not much of a gardener, so haven't really followed this thread very closely, but...
I've been trying to raise potatoes in a "container" for a couple years. My container is an old leaky stock tank, it might be a 100 gallon tank, but I'm not sure. In 2020, I got a late start, so only got like 3 potatoes. Last year, nothing but weeds came up; severe drought. Both those years I just used grocery store potatoes. This year I bought seed potatoes, and as far as I can tell, every one I planted has sprouted. Here's hoping, mid-August I can start digging potatoes.

Whoo hoo!
I'm going to try potatoes next year in a bucket. I had them in my tractor tire raised beds for a few years, and then they got scab. I read that once the soil in infected with that, it never goes away. I don't want to empty those giant tires! I've read of people have good luck growing them in buckets.

 

[chandab]

Whoo hoo!
I'm going to try potatoes next year in a bucket. I had them in my tractor tire raised beds for a few years, and then they got scab. I read that once the soil in infected with that, it never goes away. I don't want to empty those giant tires! I've read of people have good luck growing them in buckets.

Sounds worth trying, and a large bucket could be dumped and refilled if scab became an issue.

 

[Silver City Heritage Farmstead]

Kimbalina, I'm afraid I'm not much help with your roses. I'm going to keep searching, because that fragrant, lavender bush rose with those SPECTACULAR hips is exactly what I'm looking for!! Wish you were closer so I could buy a big bunch of them from you and grow them out.

Not much for gardening news here. Though overall it's been a cooler-ish year, we have record-breaking heat and humidity for 12-14 days, then rain a day or two with cool nights, then right back to heat.

What little I've done this year, I'm struggling to adjust my caretaking to these wonky weather patterns. What I CAN say is this: full sun plants now sunburn if they have more than 6 hours a day of full sun. They prefer no more than 4-6 hours, with dappled light in afternoons. Semi-shade lovers want dappled light all day. Anything touched by sun, sunburns. Full shade plants want the darkest spots possible.

This applies to my vegetables as well. Even the sunflowers and roses are struggling. It's definitely a different world.

 

[Silver City Heritage Farmstead]

Kimbalina these look similar:

https://eu.davidaustinroses.com/products/blue-for-you
The description doesn't say anything about hips. I think yours is taller. The semi-double petals, pale/white throat withe yellow stamens and pistols, as well as the petal shape, seemed the closest match though.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Pod corn has begun to tassel! Really hoping I can harvest enough to use for autumn decorating. Yard long green beans bearing now. I've harvested most of the onions.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Wee ears forming. Whoo hoo! And definitely as high as an elephant's eye now. Squash blooming; I like to plant late as sometimes it avoids being doomed by squash bugs and borers. I think there are more pollinators this year. Maybe because we have fewer chickens??? One more cabbage to pull; I think I'd better do it in this heat.
Also enjoying lemon thyme and lemon verbena in the garden. So nice to run my hands over the stems.
I was pretty discouraged earlier, but I'm feeling better about the garden now.

 

[Capriole]

Went to the nursery the other day and found this Regal Geranium 'Bermuda Rose' Pink. I've never seen one with flowers like this. After a search it looks like they might have a red version...

 

[Marsha Cassada]

That is a gorgeous geranium! How could you resist?

 

[Marsha Cassada]

My cactus is loving this hot dry weather. Today three blooms opened! Too bad they only last one day.

 

[Dragon Hill]

Wow! Just gorgeous! Kinda other worldly.

 

[Silver City Heritage Farmstead]

I agree, Dragon Hill! I wonder what they'd look like under a black light at night??

 

[Willow Flats]

We are getting a really good harvest this year! We also have eggplant, strawberries, cantaloupe and honeydew melons. Even though I thinned our peach tree it still snapped with all the fruit. Ate so much pie and cobbler I can't look at a peach for a while! And plums galore! Now I need to start making tomato sauce. I just freeze it flat in ziplock bags.

I got one random tomato plant this year for the full size tomato and can't remember what it's calle so I'm kicking myself because they are delicious and prolific! I do compost my chicken manure and use that and the plants get huge.

 

[Silver City Heritage Farmstead]

What a lovely harvest, Willow Flats! I know your family must be enjoying it.

As far as the tomatoes go, you could keep some seed to grow out for next year. If it's a heritage variety, or not a hybrid variety, you might be pleasantly surprised. I generally get one or two volunteers every year and they're always delicious.