The Old Year Passeth.... (Monday, January 4, 1999)

....and finally, so do the roses. The last of the Chinas and the Teas are giving up. Our recent cold snap (a record-setter around here) finally forced them into dormancy. A few stubborn varieties hung in there to provide a little Christmas bouquet, but the arrangement was predominantly made up of the beautiful hips which are decorating the bare bushes. Perle d'Or keeps cranking out blossoms; Mutabilis is bravely flaunting a few shreds of color; Phyllis Bide hasn't quite quit; Cramoisi Superieur has a couple of flowers; General MacArthur is waving one perfect bloom from the very top of a long cane. But that's about it. No more roses for another month or two. It remains unusually dry here for mid-winter -- the La Nina phenomenon proves itself. With the dry weather and clear skies (so welcome in the daytime) come cold nights and unusual frosts. Many of our Mediterranean and tropical plants suffered in the anomalous snowfall that we had just before Christmas. The Daturas look really pathetic, but the wood is still solid and I think they'll return in the spring. The Tree Ferns suffered, as did the Abutilon and Hibiscus. The Cineraria all turned brown and mushy, but already green shoots are pushing out from beneath the rotten foliage. And the days are heavenly!! The air is balmy and still. Bulbs are pushing through the cold soil everywhere and our winter visitors (robins, thrushes, juncos, and the many Little Brown Birds) are crowding the bare branches of the Tulip Tree and feasting raucously on the remaining Cotoneaster berries. If this weather continues we'll see our old plum tree blooming soon -- already the buds are swelling. It usually blooms in February but it may jump the gun a bit this year. This is a problem in California when we get a long mid-winter period of sunshine -- plants decide it's spring and start to bud up and then get slaughtered by nasty March winds and cold rains. It's happened before. There's no way to really predict what pattern will emerge this year. All I can do is count my blessings as each gorgeous day dawns with the gift of a salmon-colored sky to admire as I enjoy my morning coffee. Happy New Year!!

Previous Rose Wraps Many Changes (Monday, April 17, 2000) Where's Alice??? (Monday, August 16, 1999) Ah, the Celebration...... (Wednesday, May 19, 1999) Long Time, No Wrap.... (Tuesday, April 6, 1999) Is It Spring Yet??? (Wednesday, March 10, 1999) Mothers Day in Mendocino... (Friday, February 26, 1999) Old Blush (Tuesday, February 9, 1999) Plum Blossoms (Wednesday, January 27, 1999) The Dead of Winter (Friday, January 15, 1999) The Old Year Passeth.... (Monday, January 4, 1999) Alba Madness! (Thursday, December 10, 1998) The Weather Again (Thursday, November 19, 1998) El Nino/La Nina (Monday, November 9, 1998)

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White Rabbit Roses
P.O. Box 191, Elk, CA 95432
Proprietor: Alice Flores
Colophon