All the Snow is Gone

As a result there is nothing but dead looking grass and mud all around the garden. What a dreary time of year. Of course, all this brown has me thinking of the spring. I want a new rose this year, called Earth Song. It is the lovely pink one shown on the left? (it is on the left now, but after playful blogger posts this it may end up at the bottom). I have a thing about pink roses.
My first attempts were with some gorgeous french ones. Celeste and Comte de Chambord both of which did not appreciate harsh Canadian winters. Not to mention they were not recurring and I only want those now as the blooming season is so short. They were also very prone to aphids which are a constant nuisance here because of the hot, humid summers.
So lately I have chosen roses that are a bit more hardy, more than one bloom, but still pink and rosy. I don't really care for the hybrids, I tend to lean towards the more old fashioned looking varieties. The William Baffin and John Cabot are both from the Explorer Series and have done very well in my garden. They were developed here in Canada so they are very happy here. The tiny pale pink rose is The Fairy. What a trooper. It blooms here til November and is extremely hardy. I don't know if you are aware of our temperature fluctuations here but it can be down to -25 C in the winter and up to +40 C with humidity in the summer. A wonderful resource for these and many roses is Pickering Nurseries. They have an extensive selection and an online catalogue.

But for the truly dedicated you must visit Hortico. They are also available online and really are a super supplier of all things floral. My mother is a fan of Glen Echo, and has used their landscaping services and has been quite happy with them. I haven't been there but perhaps I can take a jaunt up there one day and meet my bloggy friend, Elizabeth. She has just moved to a new rural home and I am sure gardening will be on her to do list come spring time.

Oh, and the blue morning glory? That was from my garden a year or two ago and thought it might just put a smile on your face.

Well, that is the plan anyhow.