Welcome dear friends, regular readers and new readers of HHL! It's been a whirlwind of activity for me this spring/summer ...trying to keep up with our gardens in the country while trying to manage the organizing of our home in the city.
If we were sitting down over tea today ... I would show you photos of the gardens a couple weeks ago..
The peony were as lovely - if not the loveliest this year ...and were a wonderful surprise to arrive at the country home to.
For our tea today I'm serving a freshly baked croissant, and some juicy watermelon...
for the croissant there is also some rose jam from France ...
On my return to the country gardens the following week I could see the lavender was coming into its own!
As I made my way through the rose gardens ... I was greeted by these beauties....
As I took a closer look at my beauties ... something was definitely not RIGHT!
Oh and in case you were wondering ... there is nothing quite as luxurious as rose jam on freshly baked croissants..
With Love and Gartitude,
Stay in Step with High Heeled Life ...
If we were sitting down over tea today ... I would show you photos of the gardens a couple weeks ago..
The peony were as lovely - if not the loveliest this year ...and were a wonderful surprise to arrive at the country home to.
Of course the lilies and hostas were looking quite grande as well ...
and my beautiful roses ...oh they were showing wonderful green foliage and a magnitude of buds!!! As we left for the city after this visit I was excited that the following week we would return to a symphony of roses ....
For our tea today I'm serving a freshly baked croissant, and some juicy watermelon...
for the croissant there is also some rose jam from France ...
Today we are enjoying our tea ( by tealish) in this fine bone Royal Albert casual tea cup. I think its yellow background and floral motif is perfect as we are talking gardens.
Now that we are all set with cup of tea in hand and some treats ... lets get back to the country gardens ..fast forward a week...
On my return to the country gardens the following week I could see the lavender was coming into its own!
Can't wait to bunch some up and tie it with ribbon...
the butterfly garden ...starting to show pops of colour ...
As I made my way through the rose gardens ... I was greeted by these beauties....
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| (click on photo to enlarge) |
Where were all the blooms I had anticipated? A good majority of the rose bushes looked beyond naked with leafless branches.
Closer look ... I was devastated to discover these .... I've heard about them , but thankfully had never had them strike my gardens.
But along with the picked naked branches where there should have been beautiful rose blooms... were stubby remains ... like something had debudded them... was it possible that these green worm like thieves ate the buds too? The mystery began ...
back inside ...Gabbana would not leave the window ...I quick look did not reveal her chipmunk friend that taunts her ( I think on purpose) nibbling away on a nut ...but she was persistent ..and Dolce then joined in on the stack out... a closer look revealed ...
This little cute darling ....
But a glance out to gardens ... also revealed there was a bunny party going on in the rose garden...
YES .. THREE more bunnies were frolicking about in my roses .... could they be the ones eating the rose buds? and to add to the mystery our maintenance guy informed us that he had spotted deer in the gardens on a couple of visits. So, I'm not sure who the rose bud thieves really are ... perhaps all (green worms, bunnies and deer) ...the mystery remains.
Have you had your roses attacked by any of these? What did you use to protect your roses and prevent further damage...
Oh and in case you were wondering ... there is nothing quite as luxurious as rose jam on freshly baked croissants..
With Love and Gartitude,
Stay in Step with High Heeled Life ...
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Lovely gardens, tea and critters! :)
ReplyDeleteGorgeous blooms, and rose jam on freshly baked croissants sounds divine.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful, peaceful garden. Wish we could sit together on your Adirondack chairs and chat over tea. Oh, what adventures in your garden...the bunnies, deer passing through, chipmunk friends! Very lovely. I don't have those types of friends in my city garden!
ReplyDeleteDearest Celia,
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely showcase of Peonies you had this summer. Most of your blooms were beautiful. So sorry about your rose bushes being plagued by critters that snack on them. I did notice that they are still in pots and that might very well hinder them from becoming vigorous growing healthy plants that can absorb more IF being attacked. They can regrow faster if they are strong and being planted in a deep enough hole that got mixed with good potting soil and some cow manure or whatever is available. That way they grow vigorous and also can recover faster.
For keeping deer out we don't have any remedy as we ourselves have never had the problem, only once we spotted deer hoofs in the back of our pond. But no damage as such. We love the bunnies in our garden and they are allowed to snack on plants and weeds, I don't mind! There will be new growth...
It is tough for keeping it all growing healthy with enough food and water available.
But your soil is for sure far better than ours. We now are becoming pot-gardeners. Looks more promising on our patio and better to control as most are in the shade.
Sending you love and blessings,
Mariette
Not sure if my first reply went through ... Dearest Mariette ; the roses are all planted in the ground, the circles around them you see is a fiberglass like edging to help keep the mulch in place. We too have decided to go with pots/containers for the city house. And I have agreed to not plant any new gardens in the country. Wishing you and Pieter a blessed week, hugs, Celia M.
DeleteI enjoy the visits to your garden. Critters can be lovely or a problem. Your Peonies are lovely.
DeleteOh my, that rose jam looks splendid, Celia, and the cup is gorgeous! Love the pale yellow with posies! You have a beautiful garden. Sorry about your roses. We have bunnies here too but I don't have a garden so no worries. The bunnies are becoming quite tame actually and I love it! Love my critters! Thank you for coming to tea and enjoy your new week.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Sandi
Lovely! I love peonies, and your are lovely! The cup is so pretty...I have something yellow this week too...guess it's in honor of summer finally arriving! Thanks for linking with Tuesday Cuppa Tea!
ReplyDeleteRuth
Beautiful garden, mon ami! My roses haven't done well this year and I haven't seen the culprits. I did find japanese beetles on my Wisteria last week but haven't noticed any damage. I use Bayer's Advanced Rose and Flower Care that is three products in one. It has helped tremendously although the blooms are what I hoped for this year. It was a terribly harsh winter so that may have something to do with it also.
ReplyDeleteI love rose jelly. Mine was confiscated in Charles De Gaulle airport... silly me, I left it in my carry-on!
Wishing you a lovely week! xoxo, B
Your flowers and gardens are beautiful - so sorry about the roses - we have those pesty rabbit parties too - not in the roses, thankfully, but in the swiss chard, beans and beets. I hope your roses recover soon. :)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful garden! Your tea looks ever so yummy too :) Sorry about the rose thieves :(. I had some problems with my hydrangea out back and I just KNOW it was the deer. I sprayed some deer repellent, and the bushes seem to be okay now. The repellent I used also works on rabbits, so maybe that will help?
ReplyDeleteThe only thing that works for us is a FENCE. Our backyard is fenced which keeps all but the sneakiest rabbit out - but he's small compared to yours and he can't reached the raised bed garden. I LOVE your peonies. Hope you find out what caused this and can stop it!!
ReplyDeleteYour gardens are just stunning! And I would love a nice fresh croissant with some rose jam please!!! xox
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely day! Thank you for sharing it with us. I felt like I was right there beside you. I'm going to guess it was the deer eating the buds off the stems.
ReplyDelete