Thursday, April 12, 2007

Roses in Texas

I am in Ft. Worth while Adam is attending a conference here. This morning I had some choices of activities:

1. Go out to the western wear store and buy myself a new pair of boots (which I do kind of need and want, but I don't want to carry them home in my small suitcase),

2. Work on my knitting project in the hotel room, or

3. Visit the Botanical Garden with a group of other non-attendees.

I chose the Botanical Garden, as it's a beautiful day, sunny, 75-80 degrees, breezy, no humidity. I definately made the right choice, as it's early summer-ish here in southern parts, and it's a nice Botanical Garden, with an extensive rose garden that is just about at peak bloom. I am a fanatic rose gardener, as some folks know, and in the recent past battled the humidity and insects in NY to have roses blooming for the summer. After a few years of fighting the inevitable, I settled on some varieties of heirloom roses that were survivors, enjoying a couple of good weeks before the summer settled in.

I've read that many experts believe that the perfect rose climates, though, are New Zealand and Oregon, so now I'm looking forward to growing lots more varieties, and enjoying them for a longer season. The previous owners had a few, including a notable Lady Banks climber that has grown about 25' up into a pine tree. It was just budding up when I looked at it last weekend, so I will be seeing it's glories soon. Just on the other side of our little town is Heirloom Old Garden Roses, and that's where I will be this weekend. Armed with my notebook and some photos from today's rose garden, I'll be shopping for some beauties for my yard. Some of them may eventually look like this:
And this:

But not like this:
(these are bluebonnets, it's the end of the season here in bluebonnet-crazed Texas).

I'm flying home tomorrow, then I'll start to pack up for the NCHWA conference at Asilomar next week. Sara is going to try to convert me to the dark side (weaving). There will undoubtedly be more on this later.


( and knitting to come, maybe this weekend)