Mini-Rose Update. 3 Aug 24.

 This is the pink rose that I bought on sale at the grocery store.  I tentatively identified it as ¿Light Pink Felicitas Kordana?     I repotted it 13 June.  It's done fine.  It started blooming during the past couple of days.  

This rose hasn't had any problems with weather in the 90s.  I keep it on the East side of the house, close to the house.

Now I've acclimated and given TLC to four different grocery gift mini roses.  Each has done great, and each is very different from the others.   My conclusion is, it's doable and they make nice plants, and re bloom nicely.  I think the main strategy is to repot them as soon as possible, in new, good quality potting soil.  Then TLC and no extreme conditions while they recover.  I used a diluted, balanced, general purpose houseplant fertilizer.

Bearded Iris Bed / Recovery / Rescue. 28 Jul 24.

The first bearded iris rhizomes that I cleaned up and replanted in the new bed, have recovered and are growing nicely.  They look sturdy. The most recent ones are still in a recovery mode after digging them, cleaning and pruning rhizomes, and replanting.

I've had too many years when they started out good, only to have infestations of fungal spot and bacterial rot ruin them in the Spring.  All I can say is "Wait and See".  But I can't help but feel good about the growth on the first group, and that I am going by my own observations and experiences rather than web-lore.

I did give them 1/4 strength balanced fertilizer.  I have to restrain myself, I don't want them to grow too lush.  That will be the only dose.

The geraniums are just sitting at the edges.  Doing very well.  I think I like older types, not the interspecies hybrids (zonal x ivy geranium).  Some of the hybrids are nice, but the leaf growth is so compact they shed water out of the pot, and the flowers are so prolific they cover the entire plant and look almost fake.

In the center, the Eucalyptus are growing nice in containers, as is the lavender.

Garlic Harvest. 28 Jul 24.

 Nice garlic crop this year.  I could have harvested a week or two earlier.

Photo is Ning with Rufus.  Those are Music garlic.  Each year I set some aside to grow the next year.

The German garlic had too delicate wrappers, which came off.   Might be my fault, I had not turned off the irrigation.    Lorz was good but Music has bigger cloves and bulbs.  Lorz is top photo.

Bee Flowers. 27 Jul 24.

 

Patio Container Garden Update. 27 Jul 24.

 The patio container garden got quite a workout (or I did), as the house got new fire resistant siding (and the roof got metal roofing).  Here's some of it now.

The Alumia "Vanilla Cream" marigolds are blooming now.

The first of the Mandivillas is starting to bloom.  These are definitely worth overwintering, and survived major pruning and repotting when I brought them back outside this Spring.

The pink one is a bit behind, but there are lots of buds.

The dahlias are looking nice too.

The "Bird bath" Portulaca is extra-colorful.  (the bowl is deeper than a bird bath, and has drain holes).