Thursday, March 25, 2010

New Cheap Purchases.....

My garden blog friends are cringing right now but I threw away some small change for a couple of roses at Walmart.   The hybrid tea is a joke as I will have to bury it in dirt this fall with a pile of hay to keep it alive for another year.  I know a guy in a town south of us who has dozens of hybrid T's but he covers them in four feet of straw each fall plus burlap wrap.





When I was a kid on the farm 50 plus years ago, we had the Blaze Climbing Rose.  It is a piece of my past I would like to revisit also.  I plan to get these planted in a protected area very soon so the leaves will stay alive and the roots won't rot inside. It has a very wet packing material  around their roots which I doubt will be very good for them.





They look really healthy as you can see from all the sprouts.  They of course are grafted and in Iowa we bury that graft at least three inches below the soil.







One other thing that I did accomplish this past few days was to work with the birdhouse condo.  The base of it that I had used was made of recycled plywood.  The weather caused it to deteriorate in less than a year.  I had to take it off the pole, take all the houses apart and replace them on a new waterproof plywood. I didn't get any Martins living in the house last summer but if you look closely I must have had a sparrow nest in there. That is better than nothing.





I wanted to put real shingle material on the different roofs while I had it down, but the framing business has become overwhelming and I didn't have time to mess with it.  Maybe I will take it down for the winter and then I can put real shingles on it.

Spring is getting closer around here.  Thanks for stopping by......

6 comments:

The Retired One said...

Love that bird house! Good luck with the roses....I haven't uncovered mine yet this spring...I am too scared to do it yet... ha

Alan Burnett said...

Spring is indeed getting closer and I resolve to plant something this year. You inspire me Larry even though the closest I will probably get to emulating your garden creativity is to acquire a hanging basket and remember to water it.

Kris said...

Good luck with the roses, Larry. I've tried roses over the years and at 2 houses. Never got the knack. Tea, climbing, miniatures - always a bust. I think I give up early, don't try too hard. They seem to need a lot of attention and I have a short supply... LOL

Darla said...

Great Rose purchases..I just ordered, received and planted the Climber Blaze...here's to both of our purchases performing great!

Rae said...

I have several rose bushes, but my Blaze climber is my favorite. It is glorious when it is in full bloom. Good luck with yours.

Far Side of Fifty said...

The Blaze one should be ok..the other one..well we will wait and see..it all depends on how much straw and burlap you want to mess with.. I was not cringing..but I did make a face:)