Trimimg back the roses

Here's the way the roses looked while blooming earlier this summer.

The were pretty but didn't bloom as heavily as they used to.

 As I began trimming them back it was apparent that they'd begun to die off at the center so cutting them way back should open them up to the sun, remove the dead wood and give them a much better chance to do well next year.

 There's a lot more work to do out hear but it rained and I went in for a nap and a chance to get back to work on my new paintings.

Those climbers that I transplanted earlier this year seem to be doing pretty well. I'll need to add one or two where some of them didn't survive but I've got great hopes for them next year.

cool and overcast today

Even at noon our temps are around 50 degrees, too cool for sitting in the garden but pretty good for getting some of the work done. I plan to start by cutting that rosebush out of the air conditioner and transplanting it to the front garden but just now it's feeling really nice to stay indoors and drink some hot, spiced cider. I'm following that with lunch and a movie. Today it's Jackie Chan's WHO AM I? with tea, chow mein , rice and a fortune cookie. After I'm rested and fed I should be ready to grab a shovel and get back to work.

That time of year in the garden

There isn't much to do with the garden this time of year except to keep looking at the garden catalogs as they come and start planning for the season ahead.
The carrot and radish seeds I buy produce a rainbow of colors in just these 2 veggies and are as satisfying to look at as they are to eat. There isn't much of a budget to work with so I'm depending on the seed I saved from last years wildflowers to brighten up the yard a bit until I can afford to buy something really nice and as always I'll be moving some of the perennials around.
I need to plant something lovely to paint this year...I'm just not sure what. I've spent a lot of time on sunflowers and lilies the last few years so it's probably time to start something new.
I'd sure like to hear from some of you about what you'd like to see me paint next.

Watercolor Morning

 This painting  came from some ideas out of a watercolor book but I got so distracted chatting with friends and dropped my trees too close to the road. I gave this away to the gal who volunteers in the office over at the senior center and decided to go back to painting the things I like best. The result was this little rose that I plan to base some greeting card designs on.

July, already. Summer's moving fast...

So many projects plants and flowers have gone by since my last post that I'm not sure which of them to tell you about first except that we've had some interesting visitors in our little city yard this week. The most noteable was a turtle who was apparently headed to the lake a few blocks from here. Traffic of course being what it is we decided to give it a lift over there in my garden pail. This worked out really well because the section of shoreline on the end of our street had just been restored with native plants etc. and our little friend was very excited to find himself/itself/herself? there. How do you tell what a turtle is? I must have cut science class that day...Anyway, I spent today trying to cut the grapevines out of the big rosebush and of course I've got NO idea how they managed to get tangled up in the first place. I hate it when plants get taller than I am, don't you? That definately needed to be cut down to size...as do many things in the garden and elsewhere. Guess that's all for now. Hope y0u're enjoying your day too.