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| Barbra Streisand rose. |
Mrs. Ichabod had a routine doctor's appointment, to change a prescription. The doctor loves doughnuts so we were going to buy some, but I decided to put some roses in a vase instead. The doctor's staff loved them:
- Barbra Streisand - don't judge me.
- Pope Paul II - another Notre Dame alumnus
- Peace
- California Dreamin'
When the doctor came in, she really lit up.
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| California Dreamin' |
The doctor was so pleased with the roses that she put them in her personal office right away. She was really grinning as she took them away. All the new roses are fragrant - Peace is not - so vase radiated perfume.
This confirms my theory about which flowers to raise. Which would you like in a vase?
- Daisies
- Mums
- Dandelions
- Tulips
- Roses
I know why people buy relatively few roses. The cost is prohibitive and the price doubles for special occasions. That is why growing them is so rewarding. When I gathered roses for the altar on Sunday and discarded six of them for being too short, our helper picked them off the grass and took them home.
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| The LCMS, WELS, and ELS have abandoned this doctrine, trusting in Management by Objective instead. Rosarians know better. |
Most people respond to roses by asking how difficult they are to grow. After decades of failure in the use of man-made chemicals, rosarians have switched to organic - that is Creation - principles.
The large rose gardens are using manure, compost, and mulch to have healthy, productive roses. Meanwhile, Pastor Herman Otten's sister (Marie Meyer, MDiv) is arguing for a "modern" interpretation of Genesis, in support of Matthew Becker.
Leave it to the Walther clones to desert Creation at the very moment gardeners are embracing the obvious - God manages His world a lot better than we can imagine.
The John Paul II roses are white and fragrant, heavily hit by insect damage in the first bloom cycle. When the buds are obviously under attack, the roses that bloom are distorted and ugly. One bush now has two perfect roses and 12 perfect buds , all damage free. What did I do? Nothing, except encourage beneficial birds and bugs to work for me. In fact, they work for God and obey His design, and I get the benefits.
Some gardeners here have Japanese beetles (aka June bugs) and no grackles. I have grackles and no June bugs. I recently read that grackles are ideal for attacking the adult beetles and the grubs in the lawn. The hardware store solutions (milky spore disease, scent traps) do not work - for a good price.
Grackles work for suet and water.
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| The old Yale Fence was a gathering place for college students. |
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| When the Yale Fence was torn down, this plaque was placed on the new building. |
Wild Garden Update
"Did another tree fall down?" Mrs. Ichabod asked. I said, "No, our helper cut down a small tree and brought it here."
I never worry "What will the neighbors say?" when someone drags a small tree to our house or when I harvest grass clippings as I walk home. Our yard has become a destination.
Our helper was concerned that the wild garden would attract a ticket for uncut grass, etc. Springdale recently jumped on residents they suspected of emulating Dogpatch. But we are going to mow the grass as the wild area is developed.
- We pushed the dead tree stump back up into position. That stump will help support the Honeysuckle Scentsation vine.
- We moved the logs and the new tree parts alone a line to form a rustic fence to harbor bugs and toads - also to create a Yale fence for bird perching, gossiping, and bug pouncing.
- Solar lights will highlight the new fence and falling over it in the dark.
- Elderberry plants and the Chaste Tree are vertical highlights in the area and form a screen to block the alley view, which is already emphatically green with sunflowers, Butterfly Bushes, Queen Ann's Lace, Cow Vetch, and pigweed. I like pigweed for beneficial insects. Woooooooooo, Pig ! Sooie!
- Cardboard, newspapers, leaves, and compost will be used to reclaim that part of the yard for the wild garden. No more grass there.
- More butterfly, hummingbird, and hummingbird plants can be grown.
