Talking to Plants: New Rose: 'Belinda's Dream'

(Photo: White Flower Farms, Rose 'Belind'as Dream')

I have been jonesing for some pansies. Out on the hunt, there was only one greenhouse that even had annuals stocked. I am sure this is due to the cost of heating a greenhouse when temperature were seldom creeping above zero (F) here in the upper Midwest.

The one greenhouse with pansies priced them in the same league as premium annuals, like Persian shield, and the latest petunia. Most of their offerings were violas. None of the happy faced pansies I desired. I wish I had been home to start my own.

I am so glad I did start my own petunias, this year. The coleus I have started are a couple times the size of those I saw. Same for almost everything else I have growing in the couple trays under lights.

I also wanted to find some love-in-a-mist (nigella) and flossflower (ageratum) seed. My seed I collected from the ageratum I grew last year did not germinate. Neither was to be found. Burpee's seems to have the lock on the retail seed sellers. These two are obviously not on their profit radar.

Also, I have been hunting for a rose I saw a couple years ago at the Chicago Botanical Garden, but which I did not get a definitive identification. I keep thinking it is either an antique heirloom or possibly 'Bonica'. Thinking I might settle for 'Bonica', which Jung's is carrying in their catalogue, I scoped out their bare root room in Stevens Point. Instead, I found the rather special (and pricey, at least in the White Flower Farms catalogue, where I had ogled it) 'Belinda's Dream'. This rose is close to the one I keep thinking about. If it survives, it might make me very happy indeed, especially at Jung's bare root price.