The pot of gold...

I love our cabin in the woods.  It is here that I am happiest.  We always have projects and the porch is a place of peace.  It is worth more than a pot of gold.

 

I have to share my excitement for the week.  I have admired this brilliant orange rose that grows in one of the most beautiful gardens in Deadwood. Every year I make it a point to drive by when it is blooming.  This year I gathered my courage and stopped at the little home and asked the lady for a slip of this fabulous rose.  It was so fun.  She has a yard the size of a postage stamp, but it is filled with flowers.  We talked gardening.  She was proud of her very vivid orange rose.  She said it was called an Austrian Rose.  She got it for $2 on clearance.  It was almost dead and only had one green leaf.  I cannot describe how full and beautiful this  $2 clearance rose now looks.  She cut me a few slips and said that if they didn't take that I was to be sure and stop by so we would try again.  In my excitement and her pride in showing her garden, we didn't make proper introductions.  I finally stopped talking flowers and introduced myself.  She gave a little grin and introduced herself as... Rose.  How fitting.  Some things were just meant to be.

I promptly took the rose home and grabbed my Trowel and Error book by Sharon Lovejoy.  She recommended boiling willow branches and leaves in water and using the water as a rooting hormone.  I let the three slips of roses Rose gave me soak in the willow water for several hours.  Then I planted two in the greenhouse and one in the veggie garden.   I will keep you posted on the progress.                                                I also want to share my attempts at garden art.  When I was back home I found two pieces of driftwood along the river.  I finally figured out where to use them.  I put them in this planter and added the wind chimes from the greenhouse.  I am very happy with my artistic results.

That sums up my excitement for the week.  We have had several wonderful showers (thus the rainbow).  The gardens are looking quite dapper.  This year I would dub my gardens as mature.  This is a term I got from Buttons, when she talked of a mature farm.  The nice thing about a mature garden is you get to sit on the porch and enjoy it.  I hope everyone else is enjoying their weekend.