Hybrid Tea Rosie O'Donnell
Hybrid Tea Rosie O’Donnell

The award winning film A Room With a View won Best Picture of 1986, National Board of Review. It’s a British 3 time academy award winner about, “when Lucy Honeychurch and chaperon Charlotte Bartlett find themselves in Florence with rooms without views, fellow guests Mr. Emerson and son George step in to remedy the situation. Meeting the Emersons could change Lucy’s life forever but, once back in England, how will her experiences in Tuscany affect her marriage plans?” Written by Bridget Jones

Gagasgarden Goose Girls Winter Garb
Gagasgarden Goose Girls Winter Garb

I don’t know about you but from extensive traveling from work I started to be a really particular traveler. I always request a view.  All views of parking garage roof tops and the building next door look the same no matter what wonderful city one is sent to performing their dog and pony show for which one is notable at performing. The list of things I like when I travel grows. Now I like to buy flowers and put them in the room with a view, even if I am there long enough to drop over on the bed with feet beating an audible drum beat. And don’t put me at murder central either. That’s the last room of a long hall with the exit door next to it ;). Scary, huh? I read murder mysteries. My mother said all intelligent people read murder mysteries. I have many distinguished writers that follow me on Twitter; mystery writer Claude Bouchard, with 328, 223 followers; Chris Collins, author of Himalayan novel Valley of the Flower with 360,192 followers; Robert Kong Hai @weirdchina,  an American writer in China with 604,445 followers so I have responsibilities folks. That little murder central comment is keepin’ it lively to stimulate the super intelligent mystery writers who visit. 😉

Balcony View
Atrium View From My Room at The Gaylord Texan

Did I mention I like a high floor with a view, remember the Gaylord Texan? I say that in a cadence reflective of Remember the Alamo? I was under glass for a week. See post Steer Clear of the Atrium. It’s about life as I now know it living under glass.

Dwarf Mondo Grass Under Glass
Dwarf Mondo Grass Under Glass

I wrote my best Tweet there ever. “I like Mondo Grass under glass.” You may quote me.

I need a running trail if not a nice gym, a roof top garden, nice soap, a shower cap, down pillows, a coffee maker with good coffee, enough creamer and, you get my point. Oh, and please don’t let it smell like a hotel. I want it to be like home, sort of.

Hybrid Tea Taboo gagasgarden
Hybrid Tea Taboo gagasgarden

Where am I going with this? Never once has there been a view like the view I saw looking out my kitchen window of a spectacular hybrid tea rose on Christmas Eve through New Years Day 2011 called Rosie O’Donnell. The cane of the flower is towering 7′ 7″ over the fence with a back drop of a stark winter tree, and the bloom has rain drops from a Christmas Eve shower. I went outside and shot the picture looking up from below the fence on cloudy Christmas Eve morning. The next shot is of hybrid tea Taboo yesterday morning.

Hybrid Tea Tahitian Sunset, gagasgarden
Hybrid Tea Tahitian Sunset, gagasgarden

The remaining shots are to show you the pictures of varieties still beautiful in the winter rose garden. This is hybrid tea, Tahitian Sunset that shares the SE rose bed with HT, Rosie O’Donnell.

Hybrid Tea Pristine gagasgarden
Hybrid Tea Pristine gagasgarden

As long as I have a rose garden it will have the magnificent hybrid tea variety Pristine, rated an 8.6 by the ARS 2009 Handbook for Selecting Roses. This rose is consistently a favorite in gardens and rose shows across the land.You can see Rosie O’Donnell towering off to the right of Pristine in this shot.

Hybrid Tea Leonidas gagasgarden
Hybrid Tea Leonidas gagasgarden

For a closing shot I have a little known lowly rated rose that performs well for me. It has a beautiful color and that’s the way it is with ratings and roses. The ARS rates roses and usually I go by those rating religiously but sometimes I buy roses for sentimental reasons. This rose is rated a 6.8, but it is beautiful.  Here it is capture Christmas Eve morn 2010. My rule for purchasing new roses is never buy a rose rated lower than 7.5 by the ARS Handbook for Selecting Roses available at www.ars.org.

Izabelle helping wrap presents
Izabelle helping wrap presents

Here’s just a fun shot of Izzy who had to assist in all holiday gift wrapping. She sat on most of the packages, pulled the paper and tried to lick the tape. I hope it is a healthy and prosperous New Year for all. I would love for you all to leave comments about gardening topics you would like to discuss.

Happy New Year from Gaga's Garden
Happy New Year from Gaga’s Garden

I want to extend a special Happy New Year and hello to my German Readers and thank-you Christine Hartman, editor-in-chief for asking me to write the gardening section of the Frauenmesse News Networking Business online paper. This is me in a holiday sweater that ladies of a younger generation tease me about because they say only mature ladies like ’em. I say shut-up, you only wish you looked this good.

p.s disclaimer hide the kids, shut-up is technically a swear word in Texas.

http://frauenmesse.com/

Happy New Year from Gagas’s Garden, a gathering place!

Gaga


12 thoughts on “Rosie View for 2011”

  1. Dear sweet Susan,
    Thinking of you always brings warmth to my heart.
    All the precious memories of days long gone will always remain with me.
    You and your beautiful flowers truly compliment each other.
    The beauty, the freshness and being able to see God’s presence in your garden of love is a joy to all.
    I love you dearly my divine friend.
    Nancy

    1. Dearest Nancy,
      What a beautiful, precious thing to say. We do have some wonderful memories in the garden. Remember how we all would stroll out back and how Jack loved to see the garden? It’s that core essence that makes the garden a gathering place for souls to remember.
      Love,
      Gaga

    1. Dear Margie,
      I have often said it, roses aren’t difficult. You just put them on a schedule and stick to it. But they can be very forgiving if you slide a little. I worked for a president at Zale who said I’ll do roses if you can make it easy and I wrote Rapid-Fire Results with Roses. A one page guide that said essentially, if you do this you get great roses. I thought I posted it. If not I’ll send it to you.
      Your friend,
      Gaga

  2. Oh I love the Hybrid Teas!! i grew them yrs ago. Yellow ones of course :-} and 1 was over 12ft tall! hehe I need to get back into it now that I have you to help me. LOL

    1. Hi Wanda,
      So sorry I missed your comment and now I am going through comments and saw it! thank-you! You are right they can take over if you let them!
      Love,
      Gaga

  3. I would love to have your “rapid-fire results with roses”. I’m still trying to find my way with roses in Florida – entirely different than growing them in Oregon. Also, I’m one of those intelligent people who loves murder mysteries and am always looking for author recommendations. Would you be willing to share your favorites? Thanks!

    1. Hi Sharon,
      I will email you the pdf. of Rapid Fire Results with Roses that I wrote for the President of the Fine Jewelers Guild when I was working there; a division of the Zale Corporation. I also love murder mysteries and have a list of the best murder mystery authors around. I have been reading all of Greg Iles mysteries and have enjoyed him so much because I love historical mysteries surrounding the Mississippi River. I l simply love his style of writing and I planned a trip down Highway 61 based on going to the cemetery where some of his stories were based along the Mississippi River. It is called the Natchez Trace. I also love absolutely Nelson Demille! If you read all of their books you will be so absorbed I will not see you back at the blog for a very long time. 😉
      http://www.gregiles.com/books.htm

      1. I didn’t get the email of “Rapid Fire Results with Roses”. I’m not sure what email address you have – am trying this one to see if it will work. Thanks for the recommendations for mystery authors – I’d not heard of Nelson Demille and will definitely check him out. I am a fan of Greg Iles and have read every book! Thanks, Sharon

      2. Dearest Sharon,
        I miss hearing from you. Are you still out there gardening away? Please send an email. Love to hear from you.
        Love,
        Gaga

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