Tuesday, May 1, 2012

MORE ROSES AND NOW A LANTANA

Well I am still alive.  And here it is the first day of May! If I survive this year it seems it will be a miracle.  My sinus problems started going away ~ thank You Lord!  Then my hubby brought in some tiny bugs on his clothes (from blowing leaves and other stuff around in the yard) and I got all kinds of bites on me because he laid down on the bed with his dirty clothes on!!!! I think it might have been chiggars (or chiggers) . I react BADLY to them. Always have since I was a very young child.  Main reason I never would roll and tumble in the yard as a  child.  They make great welts and expand into a rash AND ITCH LIKE HELL. Please excuse my language, but they really do and if I scratch it turns into a bigger rash (has to do with my weird allergies!!). Any way after having to strip the bed, vacumn the bed and surrounding areas REAL GOOD and do some spraying, I stopped acquiring more bites. But I have been doped up on Benadryl for almost a week now and things are finally getting better. 
So this morning I strolled out in the yard to check out my new rose bush ~ a Don Juan climbing rose. The single bud on it has finally opened.  It is so pretty and velvety looking.
I almost missed the bloom. I think mixed with the other rose (with small baby pink blooms) on the other side of the arbor it make an interesting coverage.  The other one has buds on it, so you will see them soon.
Don bought me some multicolored Lantana (6 plants) and I am going to set them out on either side of the front steps. They will make a good moderately sized bushes for those steep steps.  My grandmother Nelson had a Lantana on one side of her back door steps and I aways was facinated by the multi colored blooms. This is as close as I have found to my Grandmothers plant. I think the pink in hers was lighter than this is but I haven't found any that exact color. I will keep looking though.  It comes back every sping and really doesn't take any work to keep them pretty. A good old fashioned flower. Here is mine still in the package.
I hope all of you have a great week and just maybe I can get back to working on my crafts again.  I had several projects started for Mothers Day, but had to go to bed instead.
May God bless each of you.
Mary

5 comments:

Donna said...

Dear Mary -

So happy you are getting over the sinus problems. They really are horrid for those who suffer. I don't, but my Sweetie does, so I know how badly you must have felt. Many friends have been hit with the virus' that goes to the sinus area, too. I've been blessed not having that either.

Oh and then get the bug allergies! Holy cow! I know about skin allergies, and once you start itching, it's as if you've unleashed a firestorm on your skin with rashes and hives!

I'll keep you in my prayers, Mary.

In the meantime, thank you for sharing your beautiful flowers and roses. I think this is the best thing about the Internet and blogging! We have this wonderful opportunity to connect with people who we would never have met and share the wonders of their lives and ours!

Your flowers like your grandmothers are so pretty. Maybe the lighter pink had to do with the ph or acid in the soil. My daddy said that affected his hydrangea bushes. They were beautiful - purple and blue one year and bright pink another! And your Don Juan rose is beautiful! It did indeed look like velvet on my screen!

Hope you are feeling well soon and up and around to get your projects done!

Hugs, Mary,
and blessings,
Donna

shirley said...

Being unwell is never pleasant and you must be pleased to be feeling better, and not having those awful itches.
I always love lantana until I went to live on a 6 acre property where the lantana had got out of control on properties on both sides. it is a weed here in australia. Each one of those tiny flowers spreads lots of other plants to all ends of the country. It is also very hard to eradicate.
So hope your bushes to not spread and become a problem for you

Nicola said...

What a beautiful rose. I have never heard of Lantana before but will check out the nursery on my next visit to see if you can get them in the UK.

Hope you feel fully recovered soon xxx

Esther Asbury said...

Oh my, sounds like you've had quite a time physically of late. I know first hand how disheartening things like this are.
Love your flowers --- I have some knock-out-rose bushes (a friend gave me) and they are LOADED with blooms this year! I'm enjoying them so much!
Thanks for visiting my blog and for your sweet comment....feel better soon!

LOVE STITCHING RED said...

Hope you are feeling better now x

ps. let me know if you make any tags for Tag Tuesday and I'll post them to the blog for you

Best wishes, Carolyn
TAG TUESDAY
http://tagtuesday.blogspot.co.uk