Like ‘Graham Thomas,’ ‘Golden Celebration’ sports cupped blooms in colors unusual for flowers of the Old Rose world; of course, David Austin roses are not Old Roses; they are modern roses with Old Rose charm, both in flower and growth habit. Whereas ‘Graham Thomas’ has blooms of buttery yellow, ‘Golden Celebration,’ as the name suggests, yields blooms of golden yellow. Fragrant blossoms are produced in flushes throughout the growing season, and they hold well on the shrub and as cut flowers.

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Technorati Tags: Golden Celebration, David Austin roses, Graham Thomas

Here I am going to try some naked gardening…some smartass (vanessa) snapped a photograph. Even I have to admit the naked with shoes bit is a little too 1970’s nudist colonyesque (oh to see the full pic, and yes there is nudity so be forewarned, click here or on the photo). I never could really understand tennis or volleyball naked, but I digress…

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Technorati Tags: naked gardening

You braved February or March to plant your roses. You’ve sweated, maybe swore a little (or a lot), pricked fingers, fought Japanese Beetles, cursed blackspot, and finally, a rose or three are your reward. Perhaps you want to bring these beauties inside, or better yet, to a friend…

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The Rose ‘Peace’, perhaps the most famous rose of all, is revered for its perfection of bloom, as well as the courage and perseverance which finally led to its introduction in 1945, over five years after being shipped to freedom out of France in 1939.

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Fragrance in roses is determined by the concentration of chemicals in the petals of the flower, and how these chemicals interact with each other and the atmosphere. Oils, resins, alcohol’s, fatty acids, and phenols all contribute to the character of the scent. As a general rule, darker colored roses are more fragrant than white or yellow roses. Environmental factors which determine how a rose smells on a specific day include climactic conditions such as temperature, humidity, and time of day.

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Technorati Tags: Fragrance in roses

Noisette roses, along with Chinas and Teas, are classic roses for the southern garden. Noisettes are American born and bred; Champneys’ Pink, the first Noisette, a cross between Rosa maschata and Old Blush (also known as Parsons’ Pink China, and was also a parent of the Bourbons), was bred in Charleston, South Carolina in 1811.

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Technorati Tags: Noisette roses, classic roses, Rosa maschata, Old Blush

(in a brotherly love kind of way, of course), but man, can he write.  Here’s a before/after photograph of his place…we’re focusing on repeat photography in my research project at UGA, so this caught my eye:

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Common Name: Black-eyed Susan ‘Indian Summer’, Brown-eyed Susan
Scientific Name: Rudbeckia hirta var. ‘Indian Summer’
Introduction: Treat as an annual. This is a Black-eyed Susan on steroids - huge flowers are borne over a long season. Very easy to grow, and will reseed.

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Garden Rant, oh yes.  This is what it’s about.  Plain talk that is honest.  The Garden Ranters are farther along in the continuim of my own journey in gardening (read the Mob Philosophy here), and I am in awe. 

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When I added a blog feature to GardenMob, I started looking for my gardening sisters’ and brothers’ blogs. Finally, a superb resource, Subterranean Homepage News, offers a list of some pretty incredible garden blogs. This is a wonderful service from Sheila Lennon, who is one off-the hook hip cat.

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