Two In A Dozen For Diana

I am joining Diana of Elephant's Eye in choosing twelve months of my favorite garden plants. In this month of February, I am feeling "pink love", dark chocolate, and ... Roses! Not a dozen dying red roses in a vase (my Valentine knows to give me live flowers), but roses in the garden. What could be more romantic? I always felt my garden would be incomplete without at least one rose, but ah hem haw, I had never grown roses. I don't use chemical fertilizers or pesticides or sprays – roses require such things don't they? No! So, there's no excuse not to include a rose in this garden of my twelve favorites. I decided on two native, wild roses to add to my garden and I would recommend both to anyone who fears "high maintenance roses" and who likes to garden on the wild side.


I planted a Swamp Rose, Rosa Palustris, along the edge of my Potager where the soil tends to stay moist. This rose has grown substantially in just a few years from bare root. It has put forth suckers but they are easily dug up. Never one to pass up a new plant, I have begun a mini rose hedge/border.

Along my "classic" chain link fence garden feature, I planted a Climbing Prairie Rose, Rosa Setigera. This rose puts that fence to shame as it should be. It grows alongside our new covered back porch so I can really enjoy its fragrance and blooms. Every now and then I redirect the canes to follow the fence line.

Aside from romantic blooms and perfumed summer nights, roses also offer interest in Fall and Winter. Yellow-orange leaves in Fall stand out against darkening skies. In Winter, rosy red hips brighten snow and ice.

Roses are also pollinator friendly and fruit loving birds such as Robins will eat the hips. I know my Leafcutter Bees use the leaves for their nests as evidenced by their nearly perfect, circular cut outs. What's not to love?

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What's Growing: Mushrooms? Potager Plan for 2012

Well not much grows here in the North Country in February, or does it? The last of our Amish onions decided to grow, dirt or not.

For Christmas, I gave my husband a mushroom of the month kit.  I thought it would be fun to try growing our own mushrooms. We have been misting, misting, misting but so far no mushrooms though it does look like something is beginning to brew. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

One Rosemary is fairing just fine this Winter, the other not so much. And the herbs on the sill? The Parsley is growing through the curtain and I just noticed, is beginning to flower. The Cilantro is gone but we did cook with a good portion of it so I don't consider it a failure. The Chives are just beginning to get going. Not the most beautiful or prolific winter window sill herb garden, but I'll keep trying. The fresh herbs taste oh so good.

A little unnerving is that bulbs are growing in my garden, just ten minutes away from the Canadian border, in February. I am worried that these Daffodil and Crocus will be killed by a winter storm – the big winter storm all of us Northerners have been bracing ourselves for thinking, knowing, that Winter here just can't be this kind. Secretly, I hope it is the earliest Spring ever because I just can't wait. Apparently, neither can my bulbs.

What will be growing? I just finished ordering seeds and my Potager plan for 2012. New trials this year: artichokes, mini eggplant, scallions, stevia. I'm adding more flowers! Flowering vines to grow along side beans, cucumbers and peas, and some perennials to entice more beneficial insects and to leave as a winter retreat.

Next month, I hope to begin starting seeds indoors and also, sprouting seeds to eat!

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Pink Love

May a garden always bloom in your heart. Hope you have a lovely day.

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