New Rose for May Day……

What happened to April? It certainly didn't seem to stay around for long this year!

Weather wise, here in the southeast it was somewhat typical. Days where shorts and flip flops suddenly appeared around town, followed by digging out a cozy cashmere sweater for a couple of days last week. The past few days have been somewhat nerve-wracking with tornado watches, flash flooding, large hail in many areas - thankfully we only had heavy rain here. We were saddened to see people not far off injured and left without homes when tornadoes did touch down.

As May has arrived this morning with sunshine, less cloudy skies, and quite warm, I took a garden walk to see how much damage the torrential rains caused yesterday. Surprisingly the flowers in bloom seem just fine, amazing they can flourish and still stand tall under such downpours.

Click pics to enlarge

 Needless to say, DH's efforts with the mower last weekend were short lived……with all that 

moisture the grass grew like wildfire and he will be out there again as soon as it dries up.

This is a new to me rose - Belinda's Dream Rosa hybrid.  When looking for another red Knockout rose to replace one which didn't make it through the very cold Winter here, I saw 'Belinda'. I fell in love with her old fashioned pink ruffled petals. I knew she was not right for replacing the Knockout (I found a deep red one later) but decided to bring her home and find a spot where I could enjoy her and hopefully take her out of the pot and find a home in the garden. Belinda is apparently a great rose to grow and produces many, many blooms for cutting each season. Online sites say if you can only grow one rose this might be that one!

 Belinda's tag says she is a hardy gal - will resist cold winter days down to -20F which is much colder that what we get here in North Carolina. She should grow into a shrub 3-6 feet tall, and 3-6 feet wide, and right there is my big problem! I don't really have a sunny spot - and Belinda like all roses loves to sunbathe - remaining in this now overcrowded cottage garden! I must learn to step away from plants at the garden center, close my eyes to their beauty, their colors and fragrances, perhaps refrain from even going there in the first place. I must leave the shopping for mulch, fertilizer, garden tools to Bob - he doesn't even look at plants let alone buy them.

This morning I cut a few Belinda blooms for the kitchen window sill - I think they are 

just so lovely, and their fragrance very soft and delicate when you stick your nose in close.

You can just see the flowers growing in my window box outside.  

Meanwhile, across the driveway at the neighbors rose bush, a flurry of activity this morning. As I type, a pair of Brown Thrashers are busy building a nest in another rose bush - not an easy feat I'm sure with masses of thorns to dodge as each flies back and forth bringing twigs, leaves and assorted building supplies required for a sturdy nest.  

May Day, always a special calendar date for many reasons. I know there will be no more chilly days around here, that the garden is safe from a damaging freeze, but the mosquitoes will soon be swarming, ugh! I also know I will have to search for those flip flops and shorts any day now, and stock up on bug repellent and sunscreen!

Hope May is a lovely month in your neighborhood - enjoy MAY DAY.