Tuesday, June 07, 2011

My Love Is Like A Red, Red Rose


Mr. Lincoln... hybrid tea rose. Posted by Picasa

"O, my love is like a red, red rose,
That's newly sprung in June.
O, my Love is like the melody,
That's sweetly played in tune."
~ Robert Burns (1759-1796)
We've had a spring -- a real spring -- with cool temperatures and moderate rain and then the yo-yo factor thrown in. As a reward punishment, we now have summer -- late summer, July and August summer -- with temperatures approaching triple digits, the air heavy with humidity, and no breeze to speak of. Plants are confused and befuddled, as are the butterflies. The black swallowtail have still not bombarded the fennel as last year and I have only six monarch caterpillars chomping away on the milkweed, safe in the sunroom. Each day, I expect the Japanese beetles to show up in the delicate roses (the black spot has already arrived); so I enjoy each small triumph of bloom on the rose as it happens. Mr. Lincoln was planted last year and gave one bloom, a glorious bloom to be sure, but only one. This year, two. Twice as many deep garnet soft petals, captured in digital image but now gone, whisked away by a fleeting gust of wind. Perhaps it will surprise me and produce more; yet, if not, I will be grateful for the rich ruby light it added to our day.

(end of post)
Ruby Tuesday


11 comments:

Sandra Hangey said...

such a beautiful rose, the color is stunning. we have 3 gulf friterary caterpillars chomping leaves and growing so fast i can see them grow. and the mama keeps laying more eggs.

chubskulit said...

Such a beauty!

My RT link, please come and see.

Ginny Hartzler said...

A stunning picture!!! Yes, it is to be nearly 100 here the next two days!

Credman said...

I've been enjoying the roses everywhere, including my own! http://looseleafnotes.com

Kenju said...

I keep watching for Japanese beetles also - but so far - none. The black spot is rampant and we are so dry here that the leaves of the roses are browning and curling up before dropping off. What on earth will it be like in August?!

srp said...

Found the first Japanese beetle today... on a calla lily... I smashed it.

Roxanne

Maria @ LSS said...

Awesome shot. Happy RT!

Mine's here.

sewa mobil said...

Nice article, thanks for sharing.

EG Wow said...

We are experiencing extreme heat here too! Environment Canada has warned us that we can expect more  On the bright side, Mr. Lincoln is a gorgeous rose! of the same...all summer.

Ramblingwoods said...

I had to look up black spot...we are losing leaves on our ash trees due to fungus and I will have to check the rose bush that we rescued from under the deck..I will have to post a photo if it ever blooms...

Anonymous said...

Hello there! Would you mind if I share your blog with my myspace group?
There's a lot of people that I think would really enjoy your content. Please let me know. Thank you

Feel free to surf to my web blog ... Arabic Books