Lavender and Roses

This afternoon it was overcast with a chance of rain, but ideal for doing some garden trimming. In the last couple of weeks, we've transitioned from scorching temperatures and big rains every few days to mild "false fall" type weather. No matter what you call it roses love it!

The red shrub roses in my front flower beds needed excessive new growth and spent blooms trimmed, so I filled a lawn bag with those thorny trimmings. I couldn't bear to clip a branch that still had nice full blooms; those will wait until later.

While I was out, I decided to see what my other roses were doing. Recent summers seem to be a constant battle against Japanese beadles. Those shiny monsters wreak havoc on roses, among other plants. On the east side of my house, I have various colors of floribunda roses and in my backyard berm I have three colors of Knock Out roses, red, peach, and pink. This afternoon I was able to harvest of nice bouquet of the various varieties of roses and a bit of lavender. It smelled wonderful as I gathered the bouquet!

I brought the harvest in and went to my cupboard to find the right vase or vases. In the end, I used one vase for everything. This tall vase is Waterford crystal and was my 50th birthday gift from my mom who passed away just a couple of years later. The roses and lavender made a beautiful little arrangement that we'll enjoy for the next few days. I love bringing the outdoors in.