New Rose Varieties for 2013

Winter is the time of the year to prune the rose bushes and also the time plant bare root roses. There are several new varieties worth looking at.

There are thousands of rose varieties available out there every year, but we still get excited to hear about the new roses that are come out each year.

Here are some of my favorite new varieties that are available this year:

 England’s Rose

It is hardy and reliable medium-sized English tea rose Flowers are bright pink Blooms from June to November Fragrance is strong, warm and spicy  This rose is available at David Austin Roses, www.davidaustinroses.com

Diamond Eyes

• Miniature rose variety, grows about 14-18 inches tall
• The flower is a gorgeous dark, velvety purple with white eye double bloom rose
• The color will be darken in cooler conditions
• Flower has a petal count of about 18-22 petals
• Flower scent is strong clove and spice

This rose is available at SW Greenhouse, www.sw-greenhouse.com



Dark Knight

• Hybrid tea variety
• Flower is dark velvety red and creamy yellow
• Flower size is large with about of 25 petal count
• Foliage is glossy and dark green
• Slightly fragrant

This rose is available at SW Greenhouse, www.sw-greenhouse.com




Meitroni

• Hybrid tea variety
• Plant size is about 6 feet
• Flower is shell pink which turns white as it ages
• Flower size is large, high centered, and cuplike
• Petal count is about 60 – 65 petals
• Fragrance is strong, fruity and citrusy

This rose is available at Meilland International, www.meilland.com

Fall Color in Southern California

Places like New England and most of the northern East Coast are famous for fall color. Fall color is not restricted to these places; there will be fall color where there are deciduous trees including Southern California. 

Japanese Maple Leaves Turning Red

Fall color in Southern California though is not as spectacular as in the Northeast. There are not enough deciduous trees in the region to give the spectacular fall color. Most of the trees in So Cal are evergreens including pine trees and oaks. Lower elevation in the region also does not have the cold of frost. The cold of frost during fall makes the colors brighter and more intense.

Ornamental Wild Cherry With Yellow Leaves

When I bought my house about 10 years ago, there are no deciduous trees in the property. To have some fall color I planted a Japanese maple, ornamental wild cherry in the backyard and crepe myrtle in the front yard. Now every fall to early winter I have some fall color.

Grape Vines With Brownish to Yellow Leaves

Christmas Wreath

Decorating for the holidays does not have to be expensive. This year I have not bought any decorations; including the Christmas wreath. I created a wreath out of existing Christmas decors and evergreens from my garden.

These are what I needed for the wreath:

1)      Metal wire, I saved the wire from last year’s wreath that I bought at a garden center

2)      Metal wire or raffia for attaching the evergreens and décor into the loop of wire

3)     Evergreens

 4) Decors, I used several Christmas balls and pine cones

  This is how to assemble the wreath:

1)      Make a loop out of the metal wire, make 2 or more loops for a sturdier base

2)      Attach the evergreens to the loop of wire, use a metal wire or raffia for this. Attach the evergreens  on 2 or more spots to make it more secure

 

3)      Attach the decorations

4)      Hang the wreath on the door using a ribbon. I used a red ribbon for this

With a few items and a little bit of imagination, the holidays doesn't have to be expensive.

Banana 1

The banana finally matured and ripened. It took almost 7 months from the time the flower emerged for the fruits to ripen and mature. The fruits are initially green in color and turned yellow.

The ripened banana fingers are golden yellow which is the typical color of most ripe bananas. The sizes of the bananas are relatively tiny, around 3 inches long. 

Although the size is not big, the taste is sweet but not overly sweet. The texture is a little bit firm and not mushy.

I am not sure the variety of this banana (for future, I will keep track of the variety) but I am not overly happy with it; I bought this at one of the big box home centers. The size and appearance looks like a “lady finger” variety but it does not taste like a lady finger.

I will try to plant something that bears bigger fruit although I will keep this plant. 

Fall Gardening

Fall in sunny Southern California is the time to plant flowers and vegetables for their fall enjoyment. Mums and bulbs can be planted now. The mums are planted mainly for fall color. The bulbs are planted now so they can be established in the ground and start growing in spring.

Sometimes fall gardening in Southern California can be pretty tricky. My roses are still blooming but most plants are starting to lose their color and vividness. Last weekend we had rains for 2 days and this gave a spring look at the roses.

This is one of the English roses. It is drooping with the weight of rain droplets.

Rain drops on a red rose, not sure what kind of rose is this.

Roses in Southern California can still bloom in the fall.

The orange fruits are now starting to turn their color into orange.