On sunny, almost spring days, I sat in my office feeling like a kid anxious to get out of school. After a day of recycled air in the office, I burst through my front door, dashed up the stairs, and quickly changed out of my work clothes into jeans and a shirt. The forsythia had started to bloom, the air was fresh with the temperature at approximately 60 degrees, and the sun still shined as I grabbed my pruning shears, gloves, and a small stool. I pruned lavender, rose bushes, and pulled some weeds before the sky transitioned from hues of coral to grey. I accomplished more than I anticipated in what remained of today. Feeling energized, I continue to dream of all that will soon bloom.
With spring approaching, I’ve been busy preparing my garden for optimal growth. My shed is packed with numerous bags of pine nugget mulch among a variety of garden tools, and I had a small retaining wall recently built in the corner bed to prevent further erosion from the rain. Additionally, tonight, after getting home from work, I quickly pruned and fertilized what I affectionately refer to as ‘The Pink Patch’. The pink patch is a narrow border bed between my home and my neighbor’s property. It hosts several pink rose bushes including ‘Sweet Drift’ and the narrow bed concludes with the hybrid tea, ‘Chicago Peace’ near the garden’s gate. Essentially, I have created a pink hedge – although, at the moment, there is no pink in the pink patch due to the natural effects of winter dormancy. Unfortunately, a stray cat thinks the pink patch is her litter box, which motivated me to prune and fertilize a tad earlier than I normally would because I am hoping the drift roses will unfurl and expand making it difficult for the neighborhood cat to use the rose bed as a restroom. Then again, the stray cat will likely move onto one of my many other flower beds.
‘Sweet Drift’ roses and ‘Chicago Peace’ on the left make up ‘The Pink Patch’ while the wild cane on the right is ‘Earth Angel’.
This bloom of Chicago Peace is past her prime but still a lovely blend of pinks, apricots, and lilac.
The culprit cat.
During this past Sunday’s beautiful sunshine, I created a new garden bed to house a rose bush that I planted last year but I underestimated her size. After seeing ‘Earth Angel’, a fragrant and romantic floribunda, produce long canes during her first year, I recently researched her size in gardening forums (sometimes the size stated on vendor’s websites is not the reality in all gardening zones). Turns out, this rose can get 5′ by 4′ not 3′ by 3′. Similarly, it’s been my observation from past gardens of mine that Sweet Drift’s height and width grow approximately double what the label claims. So, I dug a new hole elsewhere for Earth Angel, pruned her back, dug her up, and transplanted her, gambling that the weather forecast would continue to remain above freezing. Then I made a new bed around her using cardboard to cover the grass, put dirt on top of the cardboard, and spread a layer of mulch to top it all off. Through it all, I noticed the recently erected small retaining wall for the corner bed partially covered the base of two daisies. I subsequently had to transplant them for optimal growth as well, which reminded me that sometimes that is the case for us humans too. Selah.
What’s happening in your garden and the proverbial, spiritual garden of your heart? Is construction, pruning, fertilizing, transplanting, or all of the above needed for optimal growth this spring? Like, subscribe, and comment below.
Be ever-blooming, rose buds!
In March of 2024, a new flower bed and the small retaining wall in the corner bed “bloomed”.
My crocus and daffodils have burst forth from the wintered layer of earth here in Maryland 7b/8a. The tiny buds on my rose canes are swollen with energy, ready to display glorious green foliage. In just four weeks it will be officially spring! In the coming days, projects in my garden will begin. Subscribe to be a part of Ever-Blooming Roses’ spring evolution!
Although this website is designed to encourage the gardener’s soul to be “ever-blooming”, it’s okay to not always be “ever-blooming”. It’s okay to feel wilted, physically, mentally, and or spiritually. It’s okay to hibernate in dormancy to rest, replenish, and process all that’s happened up to this point. We all have days, weeks, seasons, or even years when the elements of this world seem to drown us in “atmospheric rivers” as gardeners in California may be experiencing this week. Should you find yourself in a challenging proverbial winter, just remember spring always arrives. For the gardeners in the Northern Hemisphere, we have just six weeks to wait. New beginnings will bloom… new life will spring forth… as will you and I.
Within the month of January, my garden located in Maryland’s gardening zone 8a experienced some wild weather – including a few inches of snow, and minor coastal flooding from relentless rain (Note: My garden was previously zoned as 7b – I just discovered it was upgraded to 8a in 2023 due to climate change). The cold, white flakes arrived after a two-year snow drought, and I delighted in the beauty. I recently learned snow nourishes soil because falling snowflakes capture nitrogen in the atmosphere (as does rain), and deposits the nitrogen into the soil. Nitrogen is required for healthy leaves and abundant blooms. As an added bonus, the layer of snow also insulates the roots of our rose bushes from frigid temperatures, ironically, similar to how mulch insulates our beloved plants. I’ll take those blooming blessings!
Since the snowfall and a brief warm-up, which melted all the snow, I’ve noticed daffodils or crocuses have already broken ground. Clearly, they are just as eager for spring as I am. Have you noticed the sun lingers more and more in the evening, winter sky? In just seven weeks, it will be officially spring! With the added benefit of the snow this winter, may our gardens burst with luscious, vibrant blooms!
Eight weeks till Spring, and rapidly approaching seven! What will you be planting? I’m debating the possibility of adding more flower beds, and more roses to fill the beds, but then the thought of pulling more weeds prompts me to pause. I added three new beds to my garden last year; subsequently, I rotated which bed to weed that particular Sunday. That’s in addition to grocery shopping, laundry, changing the bed linens, and whatever else. Because Saturday is the seventh-day Sabbath, I reserve that for relaxation in or around my garden-themed home. Needless to say, after a busy Sunday, I typically sleep well! Ha! Although I am enjoying the winter weather (pics of my roses buried in snow to come), I enjoy sunny, warm, ever-blooming weather all the more! Eight weeks!
Winter provides the opportunity to dream, plan, and order your roses now for shipping at a later date. Don’t forget to budget for things like mulch, pots, potting soil, garden soil, pruners, and other garden tools you may need. In just a little over nine weeks, it will be officially Spring!
Looking for something relaxing and educational to watch? This free documentary on YouTube known as “Rose, Queen of Flowers” provides excellent information about the rose. Like me, you may learn something new!
After the terrorist attack against Israel on October 7, 2023, I made sachets filled with my homegrown fragrant roses, lavender, and love. I had hoped and prayed that somehow these sachets could reach the hands of those suffering in Israel. There was just one problem: I didn’t know a soul in Israel, nor specific organizations serving those directly impacted. I’ve never even been to Israel. Nevertheless, while pondering sentiments found in Isaiah 35 and listening to the daily news of Israel, I continued to fill the sachets with every last dried petal and lavender bud I harvested in my Maryland rose garden, thinking and praying somehow they could be used for something and someone special.
Many days, many tears, and many prayers pooled while my fragrant sachets awaited purpose in a pink, floral box. Long story short, I learned that a local rabbi would be visiting Israel on a solidarity mission and would be meeting with the families of the hostages. Various donations were welcomed. A smile formed across my face as I realized this could be an answer to my heart’s cry. The rabbi graciously took the remnants of my roses in delicate sachets to Israel. We thought it fitting to deliver my homegrown sachets into the hands of the hurting so that they may be reminded of the promises of God found in Isaiah 35. The promises for the anxious to be strong, to not fear, God is coming for Israel’s eventual requital, recompense, and victory! We talked about how smells and tangible items in our hands help alleviate anxiety and how many of the victims in Israel are from gardening communities (kibbutzim). How fitting to bring them fragrant rose and lavender sachets!
According to news reports, Hamas leaders are calling for a ‘Day of Rage’ / ‘Day of Jihad’ this Shabbat on Friday, October 13, 2023, against all Jews. Authorities worldwide are providing additional security to Jewish communities and synagogues due to heightened tensions.
I photographed this hybrid tea rose known as ‘Love & Peace’ and made this graphic years ago. Indeed, may this Sabbath be full of love and peace.
