The knockout roses love this Florida weather. Instead of suffering from the Fl winter cold they are thriving in the Fl winter slightly cooler than usual but certainly not winter weather. Several that haven’t bloomed in over a month are looking lovely!!
I put new plants in the ground and placed others in pots during a light rain last Sunday. With the sun behind clouds, it was cooler and more comfortable to work outside than it had been in several days. Suddenly, the earth shook under my feet. The sky came tumbling down. The bolt of lightning lit the sky and heavy rain quickly drenched me and the garden. I thought I was gardening in a brief summer late-afternoon rain, but the reality was that a tropical storm was heading for Florida. The rain has continued so I haven’t gardened since it started.
Peeking out the window today, it looks like the new plants I put in are doing nicely. I also transplanted 2 knockout rose bushes and 2 Bougainvillea. The knockout roses continue to bloom and the Bougainvillea are green. The Bougainvillea weren’t doing well where they were. They didn’t have enough sunlight and they didn’t have enough air circulating around them. Fungus was destroying some of the leaves and insects were eating the rest. I moved them to the sunny location where the roses had been near the white fence and moved the roses into an even sunnier place in the center of the garden. I know that they will do well in full sunlight. I know the Bougainvillea aren’t likely to bloom until it is drier again, but I’m hoping they will grow strong roots and long leafy branches that will hold the blossoms later. Once the rain stops for a few days, I’ll treat them for fungi and watch for grasshoppers.
The tropical storm slowed my work in the garden, but it was good for the transplanted and new plants. When the rain stops and the sun comes out, there should be a spurt of new growth. That is the cycle. Rain, sun, growth. The basics of gardening.
Lowe’s plant sales are good value even though sometimes it means reviving a slightly dropping plant. Two weeks ago, the knockout roses were on sale. They were healthy and looked good. I had knockout roses in a previous house in Florida (photo above) and enjoyed the hardiness of the flowers. They bloomed year round, didn’t seem to have diseases, grew in full sun, but were also cold hardy. The only thing I had to do was fertilize them and trim them back every few months. The knockout roses on sale at Lowe’s were a cream color and not as brightly colored as I would like, but I got four anyway. The creamy bud in the photo below opened before I even got the plant in the ground. They are doing very well and I’m sure will continue to bloom for a long time to come.
