Keep Smiling

Keep Smiling

Monday, May 9, 2016

Roses & Picket Fences


My roses are blooming
&
 I'm so excited!
 This will be our third summer here 
in our little country home.
Each year I've planted more roses.
I just think that picket fences
and roses go together,
like America and apple pie :)

I've counted 18 rose plants . . .
I think it is time to stop planting 
and start enjoying.
I cannot wait until they grow to a place
where our fences are covered. 
That will probably be a couple more years from now. 
The ones that I planted in 2014,
our first year here,
are looking gorgeous this spring.
One of my favorite things,
is to pick my own bouquets.
I think it stems from my childhood 
in Indiana and all the wild flowers 
I picked for my Momma :)
Some of you have asked to see my paintings.
This is one that I did of my Sweet Steve,
at the helm of our sailboat, Wazapan. 
 Here's wishing you all a lovely week.
~~~*******~~~ 
I'm joining the party 
Share Your Cup
and linking up with 
Jo, Jann & Carol.
Join the fun here:
http://artandsand.blogspot.com/2016/05/welcome-to-share-your-cup-197.html 
  
~~~*******~~~
Keep Smiling!
~~~*******~~~ 
Your blogging sister,
Connie :)


62 comments:

  1. Your roses are simply gorgeous!

    Jane

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    1. Thank you so much . . . I am getting so much enjoyment from them. Two years ago when we bought this place there were lovely Lilacs growing around the yard, but that was all. It takes a few years to get a yard and garden established, but it is work that I enjoy and the rewards are a delight :)

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    2. Good Morning Connie, Seeing your blog was a perfect start to my day. Your roses are simply lovely, such bright vibrant colors and of course there has to be a picket fence. :) I didn't realize that with all your many other artistic talents that you are a painter as well. That is a wonderful painting of your husband. You are amazing and you add so much beauty to everything around you. Have a happy day.

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    3. What a lovely thing to say . . . you in fact have made my day, too. Thank you :)

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  2. Beautiful roses, such vibrant colours well worth the wait for them to establish themselves.

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    1. The rose in the photo with the picket fence is called Joseph's Coat. It goes from a soft yellow to a brilliant dark pink and everything in between. Last year it didn't even have a bud on it, so I researched it and started watering it with Epson's salts and water and look at it this year! It is planted in a spot where I can see it out my kitchen window and brings me much joy :)

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  3. Gosh, the colors of your roses are just gorgeous! I swear I could smell their sweetness from Ohio. So lovely.

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    1. Good Morning! I have planted many roses in our yard, but didn't know until this year that the hybrid roses have no smell. Mine are a mixture of heirloom (very nice rose smell) and hybrid. I choose mine by the photos on the pots rather than knowing the differences. The nice thing about the hybrids is that they bloom from spring to fall, so there are benefits to having both :) The best benefit being . . . they make me happy.
      Thanks for stopping by to visit . . . I love company :)

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  4. Connie, your roses are so beautiful! How nice to be able to enjoy them inside your home. xxx Maria

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    1. Hello Maria, thanks so much for stopping by . . . I have never grown roses before, but then I never had a yard as big as this one before, or so many sunny spots to grow things. It's an adventure . . . I am on a journey to develop a green thumb. I hope that I can succeed, LOL.

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  5. Replies
    1. Good Morning Linda, thank you so much . . . they are bringing me much enjoyment :)

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  6. I was just telling my Hubs the other day that I would like some rose bushes. We will see if they materialize!Yours are gorgeous.

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    1. What I didn't know when I purchased mine is: That the hybrid roses have no smell. Mine are a mixture of heirloom (very nice rose smell) and hybrid. I choose mine by the photos on the pots rather than knowing the differences. The nice thing about the hybrids is that they bloom from spring to fall, so there are benefits to having both :) I just thought you might want to know this before you purchase yours. It depends on lasting blooms or sweet smells. I'm glad that I have both :)

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  7. Hi Connie, You did a great job of painting Steve on the sailboat! Such talent you have! Your roses are beautiful!!!!!! They must be tea roses. We had knock out roses in our rosebush circle but had to take it out to make life easier. I will miss them. We still have one little climbing rose bush on the arbor so will enjoy that! Have a good week! Nancy

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    1. Hi Nancy, actually I have planted a huge mixture of roses. Some heirloom and some hybrid. The ones that I planted this year are the red knock outs, but I've planted tea roses behind the house under the bedroom windows and climbers and bushes along the fence. I told Steve that the day someone drives in the hitch admiring my roses will be the day I know I've planted enough, LOL. I just have a dream of roses blooming along the picket fence in such glorious beauty that it takes your breath away . . . so far it's just a dream, but maybe someday.
      Thanks for stopping by to visit, sweet friend :)

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  8. Connie, your roses are beautiful...and especially on that picket fence. I did not know that you are an artist...along with all your other talents! The painting of Steve is amazing. You asked about my little gardening bench...well it is padded on both sides, to kneel on and to turn over and sit on. It's not super soft, but very comfortable to me. My knees bother me too and the bench felt very comfortable. I'm really glad I ordered it.

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    1. I'm glad you did too . . . it would be a shame to stop doing the things you love, if there is a way to make it possible to be more comfortable, I say, do it :) Wishing you a wonderful day!

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  9. The colours of the roses in the vase are beautiful, I particularly like the orange coloured one. You really are a very talented lady, the painting is very good xxx

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    1. Hi Fran, that painting was a surprise for Steve. I didn't let him know that I was painting it, because although I had painted people before, they were never real people and I didn't know if I would be able to get a good likeness. He did know that I was up to something though, because I was sketching him at the helm and taking lots of photos :) Thanks for stopping by to visit. I value our blogging friendship, you are one of my first followers and it has been a joy getting to know you and your Pete.

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  10. Replies
    1. Good Morning Cindy, thank you . . . I have to say that I am truly enjoying them, I've never grown roses before, because our home before this one had a very small yard that was in full shade by 2:00. Now I have plenty of sunny space to grown just about anything I choose . . . it's opened up a gardening side to me, that I never knew I had, LOL.

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  11. I am relating to many things in this post. I love all your roses.. I adore mine too. I did not know you have a sailboat.. I'd love to know more about it and how you came up with that name. I have a similar photo of Dayle at the helm of our sailboat, Stargazer. I should do a painting of him, too! Which is your best smelling rose? ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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    1. Good Morning Teresa, as far as by best smelling rose, I will have to answer that after they all bloom, some still only have buds. The sailboat that we have now is named Gypsy Rose and we are trying to sell her, but Wazapan was our dream boat. We sold her about 10 years ago, and still miss her. My Sweet Steve had a restored older Harley Davidson Pan-head . . . we sold it to purchase Wazapan. Therefore; the name Was A Pan, get it, LOL.

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  12. I have a bunch of new roses on order this year, also - I put in a few last year when I moved in but, like you, I want to see roses everywhere I look on my property!!! The first one arrived yesterday, a yellow climber. No idea where I'm planting it yet....stay tuned!

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    1. I know that feeling well . . . I buy plants because they look so pretty at the nursery and then I get home and think . . . where am I going to put this :)

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  13. I agree, I love flowers against a picket fence and love to pick a bouquet and bring it in to enjoy! Your painting looks great, your so talented!

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    1. Hi Connie, I've never been big on bouquets from the florist, I'd rather had home picked ones or wildflowers. The problem with living in a desert area is that our wildflowers are home to so many tiny bugs. When our daughter was a little girl she picked me a bouquet of our desert wildflowers. I notice a couple small bugs so I took the bouquet outside and gave it a quick spray and then bought it in and set it on the counter. The next day my counter was literally covered with tiny dead bugs. That was the end of our wildflower picking around here, LOL. Thank you for your sweet and very kind words :)

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  14. Roses are such a lovely flower and you've got a great selection of colours here.
    I agree picket fences and roses just go so well together!

    All the best Jan

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    1. Good Morning Jan, I have so many sunny spots on this property to plant flowers that i've gone a little bit crazy . . . they just put a smile on my face and I like having enough that I don't mine cutting them and bringing some inside :)

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  15. You have such lovely Roses...in so many colours. I love Roses but have best luck with the Rugosas and my pink Bonica. DH loves red ones so I'm giving it another try but in the past they have not done well mainly because of Blackspot.

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    1. So far I haven't had any problems with mine . . . knock on wood :)

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  16. Happy week to you, Connie. Your painting of Steve is a lovely thing and I'm sure he loves it. When the roses bloom, it really feels like summer has arrived. Yours are gorgeous!

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    1. Hi Lorrie, thank you and yes Steve does love that painting. Being at the helm of Wazapan was one of his absolute favorite places on earth to be. We sold her about ten years ago and have truly missed her.

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  17. Gorgeous! I love the colors of the roses in your arrangements. SO pretty! I noticed that painting of Steve before I even read that you painted it. I've said it before, and I'm saying it again....you are one talented lady! You can paint, sew, garden, cook, and the list goes on I am sure! Thanks for sharing your lovely roses...:) Hugs to you!

    Blessings, Vicky

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    1. Hi Vicky, every time I see that you have left a comment, it gives me a warm friendly feeling. Why is it that some blogging sisters seem to become more, like a long lost cousin or something. I know it seems crazy but I have about 12 or so blogging sisters that seem like that to me and you sweet girl are one of them. Am I weird or do others feel this way too? Maybe I don't want an answer to that, because I probably am a little bit weird. Then again, what is normal?

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  18. Connie, you are a terrific artist. What can't you do????

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    1. Oh, so very many things, but thank you very much . . . you're a sweetie :)

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  19. Love that painting of Steve, Connie. Your roses are so beautiful. I plan on putting in some rose bushes, but I have to put them behind fencing because deer love to eat them. Isn't that crazy? I guess they eat the buds. . .staying away from the thorns. Hurumph! Enjoy your lovely home ~ hugs, Nancy

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    1. Good Morning Nancy, I do hope that your day is going to be a lovely one, with pretty weather and nice company :) We are so surprised that we do not have a dear problem. We really thought with that alfalfa field across the road that it would draw dear into our little neighborhood. I'm delighted that we don't or it would be hard to raise a garden . . . I didn't know that they ate roses. Brave boogers aren't they? Steve was going out to check on a job one morning (he is the safety director for a concrete construction company) in a new housing area down by the lake. He said he watched this lady chase this dear out of her yard that was eating her flowers. The dear would run off, stop and wait for her to go back in and then return to the flowers, only to be chased off again. I'm sure that she was beyond frustrated.

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  20. Beautiful painting! I love the bold colors. And your roses! I am fairly new to growing roses. But I am trying! Andrea

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    1. Hi Andrea, I am new to growing them, too, but I'm enjoying the journey :) That bush that is growing on the picket fence didn't have a single bud on it last year, then I read on-line to water it with Epson's Salts. So twice this spring I filled a dish pan with a 1/2 cup of Epson's Salts and water and took it out and watered the roses. It's a little trick that rose growers use . . . just thought you might like to try it. Roses need Magnesium Sulfate. Here is a great site http://www.heirloomroses.com/info/care/how-to/fertilize/ I'm trying to learn all that I can :) It's going to take a few more years, but I want my little country home to be a country garden show stopper :)

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    2. Thank you Connie! I will bookmark that site. I'm not the best gardener...once I heard acid, which vinegar has, helps make the blue hydrangea blue instead of pinkish....so I poured it on. The results were dead hydrangea...ha...it seems you only mix a little vinegar with a lot of water instead of straight! Andrea

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  21. Your roses are gorgeous! Love your painting, too. :-)

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  22. Hi Connie - I love, love, love your roses! The picket fence is great too, and as you say, a wonderful combination! Thank you for your visit and your lovely comment - yes, it was fun watching the kitties with the kitty castle. It was quite obvious that they remembered their own one from when they were little. This kitty castle is going to its new home tomorrow and we are hoping the new little kitties will enjoy playing in it! I had my follow-up appointment with the surgeon yesterday and he was pleased with my progress. Oncology appointment on 2nd June and another CT scan at the end of the year. I am feeling very well these days!

    Have a great weekend.

    Shoshi x

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    1. I am delighted to hear that you are feeling well. I love how you embrace each new day with enthusiasm and a joy for life. You're a brave woman an one to be admired :) Have a Great Day!

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  23. I love roses....yours are beautiful. I have a white, yellow, red and fusia color and one wild rose that is dark red, all that one does is send out feelers, we cut it down and don't take good care of it, wish I could get rid of it. I have given my roses old coffee grains....last year and it seemed to keep the bugs at bay. I shall give them a dusting of coffee again this spring....they must like coffee.

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    1. Good Morning Louise, have you tried feeding them Epson's Salts? The rose in the photo with the picket fence is called Joseph's Coat. Last year it didn't even have a bud on it, but was growing better than any of the others. So, I researched it and started watering it with Epson's Salts and water and look at it this year! I put 1/2 cup into a dishpan of water and stirred it until it dissolved then watered the rose. I did this with each of my roses in the spring, but this one I did it twice in the spring (just because it didn't bloom last year). It is planted in a spot where I can see it out my kitchen window and brings me much joy :)

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  24. Connie, your roses are gorgeous! I love them as well. Mine are just in bud. I created myself a little rose garden a few years ago. Some of them have struggles and had to be replaced, but this year they are looking good. You really ae a talented painter! Thanks for sharing with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

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    1. Good Morning Jann, thank you for stopping by, it is always a pleasure having you visit and an honor to be a guest on SYC.

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  25. Connie your roses are just beautiful. We walk through our neighborhood every single day and my favorite thing is to spy roses covering a picket fence.

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    1. Picket fences just cry out for roses or some sort of vine to be planted on them. I'm doing my best to comply with their needs. Have a sweet day, my friend and thanks for stopping by to say, Hi :)

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  26. Hi Connie! I can't believe it's been four years that you moved to your adorable home! Your roses are beautiful and how great that you make your own bouquets. I bet your home smells wonderful. Last year I planted two peonies and I hope they do well.
    Hugs
    Kay

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    1. Hi Kay, it has only been 2 years since we moved here. I planted some of the roses the first year when we got the keys to this place, then I planted more last year and then more again this spring. In fact our two year anniversary of having it ready to move in is actually next week :) We've done a lot of work on the house and outbuildings, but also to the lawn and garden areas. There are not many days that go by that we don't look at each other and talk about how blessed we feel to have moved here . . . we love our little country home :)

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  27. Hi Connie, I love all your roses, such beautiful colours. You are an amazing artist, what a wonderful job you did with your painting.

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  28. I absolutely LOVE your roses and I can almost smell their wonderful perfume from here as I look at your photos. When I moved house 2 years ago, I gave all my roses to a dear neighbour because I was moving to the edge of a Moor where there's a lot of rain and strong winds - I didn't think the roses would like that sort of weather. But my lovely niece bought me a beautiful rose as a house-warming gift and when I went to buy a large pot for it, I was tempted to buy two more rose shrubs (and two more large pots!)
    But I was proved right - heavy rain and strong winds beat the poor roses down and stripped their petals almost as soon as they appeared. So now I concentrate on sturdy shrubs or low-growing plants to bring some colour to my little garden. But thanks to Blogland, I can always look at yours and other people's pretty gardens.

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    1. I'm sorry to hear that you had to leave all of your roses behind and that you can not grow them there. Hopefully you will find some other plants that grow well and give you beautiful bouquets :)

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  29. I agree, roses and picket fences do go together! Is there ever enough roses??? 18 might not be enough :) I have 6 or 7 knockout rose bushes and only 1 regular yellow rose bush. The knockouts look good from a distance but not so much up close... I've never had much luck raising regular ones... they get black spots and such... maybe I'll try again one day when I have time to tend to them properly.
    I loved seeing the painting of your sweeetie! You are so talented.

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    1. I guess that 18 wasn't enough . . . yesterday I bought two more. I was at Walmart and they had these old fashioned pink roses marked down . . . I couldn't resist, LOL. I put them in the trunk to bring them home and when I opened the trunk the smell was delightful. Some of my hybrid roses don't even have a smell :(

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