“Flowers always make people better,
happier, and more helpful;
they are sunshine, food, and
medicine for the soul.”
–Luther Burbank
A second flush of blooms has erupted in my garden. The golden yellow roses and cascading purple wisteria flowers are on full display, a second act of mid-summer performance. Cutting back my coreopsis and lavender now will provide yet another fall showcase of blooms. Gardening is often about anticipating the next act, the upcoming season, to be designed, orchestrated, and implemented. It is a year-round activity with brief intermissions. But for now, enjoy this peak performance, absorbing the fragrance and beauty in your garden.
The Peace Rose of 1945
Speaking of rose blooms, a dear friend recently loaned me her treasured book, For Love of a Rose, by Antonia Ridge. Her beloved hard copy, with its well-worn book jacket, has engrossed me in the true story of two families. These families, one from France and the other from Antibes, were joined together through marriage and their passion for growing roses. The outcome of this union was the creation of the famous Peace Rose in 1945, at the end of WWII.
The book recounts the arduous and often disappointing process as the dedicated hybridists “budded,” propagated, and marketed new roses.
The two families developed the famous rose in 1935, but the war interrupted their labors. Several small, then-unnamed roses were sent to other countries for safekeeping during France’s desolate, enemy-occupied years. Eventually, the American Rose Society, noting its exceptional qualities in test trials, gave it the All-American Award and its gold medal to the new rose, which they named “Peace,” on the day the peace treaty was signed in Japan. Originally published in 1965, collectible hardcover copies may be found at thriftbooks.com or the paperback edition through amazon.com.
July garden tasks:
- Prune and pinch off suckers on your tomato plants
- Plant biennials into the garden
- Watch for pests and disease
- Complete bulb orders for next year’s spring garden
- Deadhead spent blooms to encourage more blooms
- Regularly fertilize container plants
- Keep up with the weeding
- Water consistently
Happy gardening,
Beth
