First Rose of Summer of 2010

Yeah!!!  Our 1st rose is blooming.............seems unusually early this year.   But I'm not complaining.  The weather has been great since  the 3 inches of rain last week, I have finished most of my spring planting.   Our grandsons were here for the weekend, Jacob helped me plant my herb bed and AJ helped with my very very large (took over 50# of potting soil) pot of  petunias.  Had a great weekend.    The past two evenings after work I have watered and planted some delphiniums and heuchera coral bells, I have become addicted to all the new varieties with their leaves of many colors.

September Peach Rose

This is in my humble opinion a beautiful and perfect rose! This is the first year I have grown tea roses in many years, I will say I have enjoyed them, I wonder how many will make it through our winter.

The weather has warmed up here again, but it is starting to look like fall in Iowa, I am seeing some trees starting to turn. It is almost time for our annual trip along the Mississippi for picture taking, apples and cheese curds. This year we are going to stop in McGregor to try and find an old cemetery where my great grandfather is buried. I have only seen pictures of him, two pictures to be exact and in both pictures his shirt sleeves are too short for him, I have the same problem, it was the first thing I noticed in the photos. He is my mother's grandfather, my husband calls that side of the family the fighting Irish, no truer words were ever spoken :).