PURPLE ROSE

Perfect naming on this beauty! I am very jealous.

That is the true color of this particular Rose. I did not use a filter on it and did not edit it. It is that gorgeous! It is in my English garden. (The name of this particular rose is “Twilight Zone”. 🛸💫How appropriate that it is found in my garden!😂)

Such beautiful intensity of colour!

Wow! That sounds pretty intense. ⚡️⛈⚡️At least everyone is okay. ✨

Tuesday had been exceedly hot here in Michigan. Summer temps. had went into the 90's, pushing the heat index even higher. No one felt like cooking. Going into restaurants due to Covid (no way). Fast food/carry out/drive thru, did not appeal to either our patients or palettes. Hence, we pushed back our normal suppertime hour in hopes that it would improve our appetites, opting to eat right out of the fridge, cold fruit/veggie salad with drink.

Night had fallen, with cooling fans running it was just as hot inside the house as it was outside so I opened both the inner door of our porch entrance and windows, in hopes that we could coax any cool air to accept our invitation to come in. Our regular program was on TV when suddenly, our lights flickered and dimmed, acting like a "brown out". But, as I looked through the slit of the living room curtains, a flash of lightning appeared with thunder sounding, following by the wind and the rain...looking like it was a tropical storm on an island.

The sky brilliantly lit like day! The thunder roared louder than most Boomboxes, while the wind swept down the street with sheets of rain, stripping trees of leaves still on their branches. What came next was what we'd been dreaded the most! Grunting and groaning sounds filled the air as the lines on the poles three blocks away, was struck by lighting causing a electrical surge, sending a arc of light so high... and then we were left in the dark.

Hearing the rain and wind lessened and seeing the occasional flash of light, the storm moved on like a thief in the night. Stealing our power but leaving us with down wires, damaged trees and a shaken town. I watched from my porch to my neighbor's windows. They roamed through their houses with flashlights in hand displaying shadows on the walls, as they headed for bed in hopes we'd get power by daylight and letting our civil servants get us back up and running.

Epilog: Wed.
All morning the sounds of generators continued to run.
Chain saws, buzzed. Wood choppers, chopped. Edison, repaired. Power was restored after a little more than 24 hrs. We've lost I'd say $200. worth of food, I now have to throw away.
Betty

92 right now! Thank goodness its good we got our power back after almost 24hrs. Bad storm Tue. night and people cleaning up all day yesterday. We lost about $200. of fridge/freezer food.

You are so welcome WhiskersNFeathers. I would be interested to hear what your tree guy says....

@Isaly2 That is great information and yes it is not lack of water. We have a gage gadget to check the soil dry or wet. I will call our tree guy. Thank you!

@WhiskersNFeathers years ago when I had a Redbud tree the leaves on mine curled up too. When I asked what could be the problem I was told the leaves were dying back from a combination of stresses or it the tree could have Verticillium disease from the infected soil. You might need to ask someone that is a specialist in trees. It definitely isn't from drought since we have had so much rain this summer. Maybe too much water?????Good luck.

@BarbyDoll
I love roses too!💐 This is one of my favorites because they are so dramatic and they smell so good! I’m glad you got to see this one! It was such a surprise that morning.

Stunning! I always had roses in my garden many years ago which I loved. Sorry I missed this one!

Our Redbud has its leaves curled and we haven't figured out why. I wonder if it is one like the Dogwood that prefers to grow under other trees canopy. Do you happen to know Cyndi?

@WhiskersNFeathers it is better to be safe than sorry!

Same here Cyndi, though not sure if the "lots" of rain applies to the Sandhills ;-(
We watered our young trees just in case.

A very hot and humid weekend with showers off and on to add to the humidity. More rain this afternoon and lots of rain tomorrow. Hope you have had a wonderful WE.

I appreciate your sharing with me! Thank you!
✨🙏✨

I love sharing! 💛

It sounds to me that you are doing everything right. I think it is simply a matter of giving them time. I have noticed that after 3 years everything seems stronger!
It’s true what you say about care and wisdom being in the daily interaction. They will tell us what they need. . .if only we will listen. And what we learn, we share! Beautiful! ✨
Thank you for sharing! ✨🙏✨

@Isaly2
I hope it was a nice weekend for you!✨💐✨

That is a great advise, to give them three years. I know about not wetting the leaves with tap water and it is difficult! Time consuming.
Charlotte and where I live are like two different countries. I wish I lived there, closer to the mountains, is where I wanted to move but my husband had a different idea.
Climbing roses are gorgeous but I don't have place for them. I have two Clematis that grow a lot and it has been challenging.
Yes I feed the roses once a month and water periodically, about 3 times a week if it does not rain.
Oh I think my roses would not be happy if I sing to them LOL but I do talk to them. Talk to every plant, bird and critter! Happy my neighbor knows I am not crazy, just silly!
And no worries, experts don't know it all. Care and wisdom is in the daily interaction we have with our plants, we learn by doing and we share what we learn.

@Coppelia7 Happy weekend to you as well.....

@WhiskersNFeathers
Please do realize that I am not an expert on roses by any means!😉I am just sharing what my friend has told me and what works for me. ✨🤗✨

@mandato and @Isaly2
You cannot imagine my surprise when I walked out there! I had not noticed the bud until it appeared in its full radiance! (A bit like the Little Prince’s Rose!) I’m glad you both enjoyed it in the same way that I did! Happy Friday, Happy Weekend to you both. ~ Sophia

If it’s their first season, give them time. They have to establish themselves. A friend of mine said give any plant 3 years before you give up on it.
Make sure they are in full sun at least a good part of the day. Water them at the roots. Try not to get the leaves wet.
Brew a cup of black tea and smell it. That will let you know what it should smell like.
You mentioned living in NC. My friend lives there in Charlotte, and has climbing roses that grow easily in that area. Zephirine Drouin climbing roses which are a deep pink, very fragrant. The other is New Dawn which is a light pink and very fragrant as well. She also has a Queen Elizabeth Rose which is light pink, fragrant and long stemmed. I would buy these 3. (If you would be happy with climbing roses. (You could get a trellis or arbor.) The Twilight Zone (shrub) rose should do well in your area. All need a lot of sun. Roses are not happy without lots of sun. And yes, transplants do need time to adjust (back to the 3 year rule!), if they are able.
I don’t know that there is a secret for a strong fragrance. I will ask her. I feed my roses Miracle Grow (blue powder that you mix in water) every 3 -4 weeks which helps the whole plant. Make sure they are getting enough water in the heat of the summer.
You are welcome, Mila. ✨ I hope you find some of that helpful! Go talk to your roses, and sing to them. . . That’s what I do! ☺️

I have three English Shrub Roses, two have flowered the third hasn't. The crimson was supposed to have a strong fragrance, lots of flowers so far in her first season with me (got it this spring) and still very short in height, but the fragrance was a disappointment. One of the yellow ones, lots of flowers, fragrance "medium musk", more like very faint. The other yellow is supposed to have a strong tea fragrance (got it this spring also) but no flowers yet. It is a "repeat" so I still have hope of seeing a rose until early winter. Though, how do strong tea smells?

What is the secret for a strong fragrance?
Your rose smells divine!
I think my mistake is that English Roses that are transplants to Texas lose their fragrance and qualities, totally different environment and weather.
So what should I buy? Oh I see, you added the website! Thank you Sophia!

What a gorgeous purple rose. I can almost smell the clove and spice fragrance. I agree with Maria about lifting the energy up on this grey morning. In Joy your day my friend.