There is a new addition to my gardens this year-the Knock Out Rose.  Developed by Wisconsin rose breeder William Radler in 2000, Knock Out Rose is hardy to USDA zone 5 and has a bloom cycle that starts in spring and lasts well into frost. 

Knock Out Roses grow to 3-4 feet high by wide and should be grown in full sun in a well-drained soil.   Knock Out Rose do not require any special care but can be pruned in early spring after the threat of frost is gone to keep them full.  They do not require deadheading but if desired you can remove spent blooms to encourage more blooms. They are the most disease resistant roses on the market and are not susceptible to black-spot fungal disease.  They are virtually “care-free”.

Knock Out Rose Double Red

I have always loved roses and have wanted roses in my garden for years but did not want the maintenance of a regular rose.  These are wonderful and I am already getting so much enjoyment from them.  If you want a rose that is carefree, disease-resistant and that blooms all summer then this is the beauty for you!  There is an added plus-it is also deer-resistant. 

After 20 years in the making the first introduction of Knock Out Rose was the Red Knock Out in 2000.  After that in 2004, Blushing (light pink) and Pink (deep pink) were introduced.  In 2005 Double Red Knock Out came about and then in 2007, Rainbow Knock Out (pink/yellow center) and Sunny Knock Out (yellow) were brought into the market. 

I introduced three double pink Knock-Outs into my gardens in Mid-May and just added three Double Reds.   They are in full bloom and are the first shrub I go to when walking out into the garden.  Each day there are more and more blooms to look forward to.  I am already looking for a place to put the yellow variety.   These are truly a winner and after all these years there are finally roses in this designer’s garden.

Happy Gardening!

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If you follow The Home Garden on Facebook you might recognize this crocus photo from yesterday. I thought the coloring of purple and white petals was so neat I just had to share it!

The Bradford pear trees and forsythias brighten up our front yard while the daffodils are still going strong!

This flowering almond (Prunus grandulosa) is about to break buds. It’s located to the right of the forsythia in the front corner garden. I put it there for a second succession of blooms after the forsythia are mostly finished. Hopefully my timing will work out!

The ‘Forest Pansy’ Redbud is very close to blooming. I’m expecting a great show from the redbud flowers this spring. The heart shaped leaves will remain purple through the cooler months then turn green in the heat of the summer.

Muscari or grape hyacinths are popping up in various places. I’m not sure when or where I got them but I’m glad they are here.

Near the back patio is this little garden. The Japanese maple in the back offers foliage the rest of the year but the daffodils and hyacinths take the spring time stage. I need to clean out the brown foliage from the Ponytail Grass (Mexican feather grass).

My only blooming hellebore is still putting on a show. I really need to prune off the brown frost bitten leaves.

The phlox will be full of flowers in a few days. A couple lonely blooms are giving a preview.

I’ve meant to take pictures of these Okame cherry trees every year but I’ve only now managed to remember to bring the camera! Okame cherry trees (Prunus x incamp) are the first cherry trees to bloom each spring and put on a massive display. Our town landscaped a roadway with a long line of cherry trees – I LIKE IT! Now if I could only find one near me cheaper than $100…

I hope you enjoyed the flowers from Spring Hill, Tennessee. For a look at what else is blooming around the blogosphere go visit Carol!

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So lets take a look at what we have growing!

The lettuce seedlings in the garden have a good start.  The cotyledons are leafed out to gather more sun to make the new lettuce leaves.

The spinach is at the same stage as the lettuce.  

The tomatoes are all sprouting along! Brandywine, Woodle Orange, and Cherokee purple have all germinated. I have them under grow lights indoors. We have about 6 weeks before it’s safe to plant them outside here in Middle Tennessee (Spring Hill).

I have several other varieties of tomatoes and peppers that need started ASAP. I like to have good sized plants right after the frost date to give them as much time to grow as possible. When I plant the tomatoes I strip the side leaves then bury the whole plant up to the top leaves. Tomatoes root along the stem so the more stem that is beneath the soil the more roots form – and more roots is always a good thing for tomatoes! I choose to plant my plants deep rather that in a trench but both methods work great!

To join in on Seed Sowing Saturday just link back to this post and tell us about your seed sowing experiences over the past week. Be sure to leave a link below so we can come over and visit your post! Don’t forget a Tweet or a Facebook mention/like is always a good thing! Happy Seed Sowing!

Here are the Seed Sowers for this Saturday!

• Lynda at Cortina Creek

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2. Choose Your Plot. If you haven’t created a garden before, then look outside and decide what spot would be good. The ideal spot is flat with few rocks and some decent sunlight. Rope off the area you want as your garden. You are on your way.

3. Prepare your plot and plant the seeds. Till the soil and take out any rocks and roots that are present. Add fresh potting soil and fertilizer to get the acidity level right, and make your rows for planting. Follow the instructions for planting the various plants and cover the bulbs, seeds or saplings in dirt. You officially have a garden.

4. Grow your plants. The plants are going to need constant care in the form of watering and protection from the elements. There will still be some cold nights, and they should be covered up to resist frost. Use a blanket or other breathable material and do not use plastic. Watch out for predators like insects, rabbits and squirrels, who like to nibble on your vegetables and flowers.

5. Harvest. If you planted vegetables, then after a few months, they will mature and be ready to put in your favorite salad or sold at the local farmers market.

There are few feelings as fulfilling as seeing a heap of fresh vegetables that you grew or a field of bloomed flowers brightening up an already gorgeous spring day. Take advantage of the weather this season and make a garden!

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/archeon/14808878

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Shade is hard to come by in our yard – at least in the cultivated areas – and so the space where other hellebores could grow has been occupied by other shade loving occupants, namely hostas and heucheras, which left little room for Lenten roses. But perhaps I should make some room?

I do have a location that might be perfect for more Lenten roses. There’s a little garden in the very back of our yard near the garden shed that could be a new home for hellebores. The deer have feasted there before on my hostas but since hellebores are deer resistant plants they might be safe. (Hellebores are poisonous so do not ingest!)

My hellebore may reseed and if that happens I could move any offspring to the back garden but most likely I”ll have to propagate more hellebores through division. Although from what I’ve read about dividing hellebores it could be tricky and it may be easier to make more plants with seed.

When the leaves aren’t frost bitten they really make a nice groundcover. My poor plant somehow managed to get itself singed by the cold. I’m sure it will bounce back with new growth once we have consistently warm temperatures. The only real downside to a hellebore is that fact that the flower face down! As you can see I had to hold up the flowers for the pictures.

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Shade is hard to come by in our yard – at least in the cultivated areas – and so the space where other hellebores could grow has been occupied by other shade loving occupants, namely hostas and heucheras, which left little room for Lenten roses. But perhaps I should make some room?

I do have a location that might be perfect for more Lenten roses. There’s a little garden in the very back of our yard near the garden shed that could be a new home for hellebores. The deer have feasted there before on my hostas but since hellebores are deer resistant plants they might be safe. (Hellebores are poisonous so do not ingest!)

My hellebore may reseed and if that happens I could move any offspring to the back garden but most likely I”ll have to propagate more hellebores through division. Although from what I’ve read about dividing hellebores it could be tricky and it may be easier to make more plants with seed.

When the leaves aren’t frost bitten they really make a nice groundcover. My poor plant somehow managed to get itself singed by the cold. I’m sure it will bounce back with new growth once we have consistently warm temperatures. The only real downside to a hellebore is that fact that the flower face down! As you can see I had to hold up the flowers for the pictures.

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• Vegetable Garden Layout with Raised Beds for 2011
• FAQS
• Organic Lawn Care

Into these three makeshift flats I planted dianthus, Asiatic lilies, and clematis seeds that I collected back in the fall. In case you’re wondering these containers previously held mushrooms – I know that was a hard one to figure out.

Those newly planted seeds are now sitting under a grow light along with the shallot seedlings I planted a couple weeks ago. So far they look pretty good. They are germinating at different times but overall the germination rate has been great.

Our last frost date here in Middle Tennessee is in mid April which means we have a little over 8 weeks until it’s safe to plant tender plants outdoors. Pretty soon it will be time to start one of my favorite vegetables — Tomatoes! But until then the cool season crops are just about ready to start. I can’t wait to taste some sugar snap peas from the garden!  How about you?

To join in on Seed Sowing Saturday just link back to this post and tell us about your seed sowing experiences over the past week. Be sure to leave a link below so we can come over and visit your post! Oh, and a Tweet or a Facebook mention/like is always a good thing!

This Saturday’s Seed Sowers!

• Sarah at Green Love Grass
• Shannon at The Garden State
• Lynda at Cortina Creek Farms
• Tervy at Garden g’Imp

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I had dreams of walking into the garage after 8 inches of snow and not seeing any frost on the windows and not worrying if the bitter cold had drained the battery to the point that it wouldn’t start. For the first few years, I lived in a state of bliss.

Having a garage was everything I dreamed of, but then it started to get complicated. It was a one-car garage, and there was barely enough room for my car, let alone anything else that we may have wanted to store in there.

Unlike the attic or the basement, there are certain things that just belong in the garage, such as the lawn mower, tools, garden and yard implements, etc. Why? Because no one wants to lug a lawn mower up or down stairs once a week, sometimes twice a week, during the spring.

Slowly but surely, the garage began to become cluttered. A wheel barrel for my garden needs, a stepladder for when I need to get on the roof and take care of those pesky gutters, a few crates of oil for when I do the oil change, garden hoses and nozzles.

When I put the car in the garage, I began having a hard time getting the car door open, and eventually, the car was barely fitting into it all. The final straw was the garden tiller I bought, at which point my car moved back to the driveway.

Fast forward about three years, and once again I am scrapping frost off the windows while my lawn mower and tools sit all toasty in the garage. So far, the cold hasn’t gotten to the point that the battery had become drained, but that day will come. Every year, I promise myself that I will reclaim my garage for its true purpose, but when I go into it I have no idea where to put anything.

My friends have suggested building a tool shed in the garage, and I am sure that eventually I will get around to it, but for now, I’ll keep my scraper handy. One day the garage will be mine again, but that’s going to have to wait until spring.

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/pauldineen/2096545904/

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The sky is blue and the air is cold over Clay and Limestone, but, soon the earliest blossoms will be greeting the day.

Don’t look for the ‘Feed me Seymour’ blossoms of hellebores.

Or, the much lauded and dreamed of Tommies on a Hillside.

It won’t be the the sweet ephemerals that frequent this garden.

Nor, the frost tolerant earliest daffodils or,

the smallest of the small bulbs.

That honor will go to Hamamelis vernalis. Our winter blooming native witchhazel; whose buds are fattening up for the big show. (In past years the blooming started this week)

I planted them for my mother the spring she passed away. (here)

For remembrance
For honoring
and because planting a witchhazel was
a funny nod to our complicated and loving relationship.

Hamamelis vernalis blossoms in the winter
When we have just about given up hope
that spring will ever arrive.

On warm days
the crepe paper streamer petals unfurl and
its sweet scent drifts about.

On, the other hand, Diane (Hamemlis x Intermedia) may surprise us and bloom before our sweet native!

I promise to keep you informed as events unfold in the garden! But, I’m rooting for Vernal Witchhazel to open first!

xxoogail

Related Posts:

• FAQS
• Spring / Fall Clean Ups

The sky is blue and the air is cold over Clay and Limestone, but, soon the earliest blossoms will be greeting the day.

Don’t look for the ‘Feed me Seymour’ blossoms of hellebores.

Or, the much lauded and dreamed of Tommies on a Hillside.

It won’t be the the sweet ephemerals that frequent this garden.

Nor, the frost tolerant earliest daffodils or,

the smallest of the small bulbs.

That honor will go to Hamamelis vernalis. Our winter blooming native witchhazel; whose buds are fattening up for the big show. (In past years the blooming started this week)

I planted them for my mother the spring she passed away. (here)

For remembrance
For honoring
and because planting a witchhazel was
a funny nod to our complicated and loving relationship.

Hamamelis vernalis blossoms in the winter
When we have just about given up hope
that spring will ever arrive.

On warm days
the crepe paper streamer petals unfurl and
its sweet scent drifts about.

On, the other hand, Diane (Hamemlis x Intermedia) may surprise us and bloom before our sweet native!

I promise to keep you informed as events unfold in the garden! But, I’m rooting for Vernal Witchhazel to open first!

xxoogail

Related Posts:

• FAQS
• Spring / Fall Clean Ups