Rose Gardens and Cats (Foliage and Feline Fridays)

Life is like our plants.  I planted rose bushes last year.  This one did okay last summer, but the bunnies kept eating it.  I thought it was dead after the winter.  Then I saw a small sprout trying to make it.  I had tried to protect my roses last year by putting weed blocker down, however I did not give it a chance to grow because I had chocked it off from life:  air, sun, and water.  God wants us to bloom,  if we hide away, how can we grow.  We need water - God's Word, sunshine - God's Son, and air - the Holy Spirit.  We can't smother our Christian life and not grow in God's love.

The rose bush on the left did die, the bunnies ate it so much, it had no chance.  I found a replacement on clearance for $3, it is a climber.  I'm hoping to keep the rabbits out this summer.  The middle rose is doing good though.  We had a frost last month and my roses did not fare well.  I planted a lemon grass plant on the other side of the white trellis, I'm hoping to keep the bugs away.  The blue pot has catnip, once the catnip gets bigger I will plant some around the rest of the garden.  I also planted marigolds in the beds, I hear Japanese beetles hate them.

My other rose garden only has two plants.  I bought these three years ago, when we moved to MO and kept them in containers until I bought my house.  They are more established, they had to be pruned way back after that last frost.  They have buds, hopefully they will bloom soon.

This blue planter has mint, I need to plant mint around the whole yard to keep the bugs away.  I bought these marigolds at the farmer's market and they are doing so much better than the ones we got at Walmart in the other rose beds.  One day I want a gazebo in the middle of my rose garden, it will just take time.  I have only been in my house for a year.

I see all of these beautiful gardens around town, yet I barely have any leaves.  I had to buy the two bushes on the left, this spring to replace the two that died.  I opened the weed blocker around the bushes, I learned from my mistake.  The middle one is a climber rose, thought I could train it across the fence by my basement, maybe put a trellis behind it also.  Not to mention it was on clearance for $3.  The one on the right is a miniature rose from last year.  I was told to add banana peels to my roses.  I already added some yesterday, will add more as we eat more bananas.  My student's grandmother said she will give us some coffee grounds, we don't like coffee, but gardens do!

I also cleaned up my deck.  I had this lattice my neighbor gave me, I decided to put it on the deck to keep the cats contained.  It worked, until Pippi realized that I I did not have enough lattice for the front of the deck.  Chris also needs to make a gate.  Yesterday she ran out the door straight to the hole that was not blocked by chairs I put to block the front.  Crazy cat.

It is a great spot for us to do homeschooling in the afternoons.

I moved my hammock out here, we have wide overhangs to stick it under when it rains.

My favorite spot to sit with my husband in the evenings.  The cats sit in the window meowing at us to let them out.

I am making this spot into my herb garden.  I have added a couple of more pots.  I just need to buy the herbs.  I want sweet basil, cilantro, oregano, thyme, and more.  I want to paint the deck a dark blue.

This is what I have been doing the past couple of weeks.  It started raining Wednesday and is supposed to continue all weekend.

What is the weather like in your neck of the woods?  I welcome any gardening tips also.

Missy