Category: #PositiveThinking

Super Food for Better Health

On By SCLMRoseIn #HelpfulTips, #PositiveThinking, #stress, Rose Gardening, RosesLeave a comment

By: Rosalinda Morgan

Author, Saving Wentworth Hall

Let’s start the New Year with a goal to stay healthy and avoid catching the virus. Let’s begin with healthy food to sustain us in this challenging time. Here are some of my favorite superfoods for better health.

  1. Broccoli – It’s loaded with vitamin C, carotenoids, vitamin K, and folate. Steam until it’s bright green and just tender. Some people hate broccoli, but it is the best vegetable around. Add a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and a spritz of fresh lemon juice if you like. When my kids were young, most of their friends hated broccoli, but my children loved them. They told their friends, I cooked the best broccoli. The secret: I sauteed them and sprinkled some soy sauce, pepper, ground garlic, and onions, adding a little water until it was bright green. That was simple, and the kids loved it.
  2. Sweet Potatoes – Sweet potatoes are nutritional superstars. They are loaded with carotenoids and are a good source of potassium and fiber. Toss sweet potato wedges with a bit of olive oil and roast until tender and lightly browned. I remember growing up snacking on just boiled sweet potatoes. Plain!
  3. Leafy greens. – Don’t miss out on powerhouses like kale, collards, spinach, mustard greens, and Swiss chard. These stand-out leafy greens are loaded with vitamins A, C, and K, folate, potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, and fiber. Saute in olive oil with minced garlic and season with ground black pepper and red wine vinegar.
  4. Garbanzo beans are rich in protein, fiber, copper, folate, iron, magnesium, potassium, and zinc. But garbanzos (chickpeas) stand out because they’re so versatile. Look for no-salt-added varieties in cartons. Add a handful to your tossed salad, or stir them into your vegetable stews, curries, and soups. I sauteed them with some onions, and they were delicious.
  5. Mangoes – A cup of mango supplies roughly 100% of a day’s vitamin C, a third of a day’s vitamin A, a decent dose of blood-pressure-lowering potassium, and three grams of fiber. I miss those yellow ones that grow in the Philippines. Those are the best!
  6. Avocado – Another tropical fruit that I love. Avocado is a rich source of several B Vitamins, Vitamin K, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and potassium. Avocados also contain phytosterols and carotenoids, such as lutein and zeaxanthin, which are good for the eyes.
  7. Watermelon – It’s a heavy-weight in the nutrient department. A standard serving (about 2 cups) has a third of a day’s vitamins A and C., a nice shot of potassium, and a healthy dose of lycopene, all for only 90 calories. And when they’re in season, watermelons are often locally grown, which means they may have a smaller carbon footprint than some other fruits.
  8. Wild Salmon – Fatty fish like salmon, which are rich in omega-3 fats, may help reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes. And many types of wild-caught salmon are more sustainable than farmed salmon. We have salmon once a week. I sprinkle some herb and olive oil and bake them for 30 minutes at 375 degrees F.

So there you have them. Always remember, you are what you eat. I’ve been practicing good eating habits since the ‘70s, and it shows. I’m very healthy, have no health issues, and do not take any meds.

Aside from eating healthy, stop and smell the roses to keep stress at bay. Here’s a beautiful rose for you:

Nicole – An award-winning floribunda growing in front of my house in New York.

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A Rose (Brigadoon) and a Tip for Healthy Living

On By SCLMRoseIn #PositiveThinking, #Wednesday Wisdom, Rose Culture, Rose Gardening, Roses1 Comment

Early stage of bloom

Later Stage of Bloom

Class: Hybrid Tea

Year of introduction – 1992

Registration Name – JACpal

Parentage: Unnamed Seedling x Pristine

Hybridizer: William A. Warriner (United States, 1991)

Introduced in the United States by Jackson & Perkins Co.

This winner of the All America Rose Selection award in 1992 is categorized as a pink blend, a description that says nothing about its real color, a creamy blush spreading from the center into deep pink coral. At times, it looks like coral-orange with cream reverse. It’s wonderful seeing it changes color as it opens from bud to bloom.

Brigadoon has moderate, spicy, fragrant blooms produced one to a stem, and are best up to the halfway stage where the bud is perfection itself. As the flower opens, it holds its shape but does tend to drop the immediate central petals – something that will only bother an exhibitor. As a flower for decoration, it is a real eye-catcher. The bush is vigorous, upright, medium-tall, about 3’ and 28” wide, and well-branched with semi-glossy deep green, dense, leathery foliage that can be pretty large in cooler climates. The long, pointed, ovoid buds unfurl to double (35-40 petals), large (5” across) to high-centered, reflexed bloom form, and blooms in flushes.

Brigadoon can be grown in USDA zone 6b and warmer and used for beds and borders, as cut flower or container rose. For spring pruning, remove old canes and dead or diseased wood and cut back canes that cross. In warmer climates, cut back the remaining canes by about one-third. In colder areas, you’ll probably find you’ll have to prune a little more than that. It requires spring freeze protection but can be grown in the ground or in a container. In a container, it requires winter protection.

Tip of the day: Eat lunch outside – When sunlight hits the body, production of the neurotransmitter serotonin increases, which can make you feel happier, more alert, and more energized. (Be sure to wear your sunscreen!)

An Easy-Care Rose (Knock Out) and a Motivational Tip for a Memorable Life

On By SCLMRoseIn #MondayMotivation, #PositiveThinking, Low Maintenance Roses, Roses1 Comment


Knock Out® Roses, the easy-care roses hybridized by Wisconsin-born William J. (Bill) Radler, won the All-American Rose Selection (AARS) award in 2000. The Knock Out® Rose, Radler’s first commercial success, has broken all records for sales of a new rose. Today, the Knock Out® Rose is the most widely sold rose in North America.

The Knock Out® Family of Roses is highly disease-resistant roses, easy to grow and bloom repeatedly and profusely from spring until frost with healthy foliage that does not need the chemical spray program. Blooms are fire engine red in cool weather and cherry red in the summer months. The foliage is dark green and leathery with a burgundy hue. They are low-maintenance roses with a bloom cycle of about every 5-6 weeks and continue until the first hard frost. All of the Knock Out® Roses are self-cleaning, so there is no need to deadhead. If unpruned, The Knock Out® Family of Roses can easily grow more than 3-4’ wide x 3-4’ tall in two years. A once-a-year pruning (to about 12” above the ground) in early spring (after the last hard frost) is also recommended for maximum performance. The Knock Out® Family of Roses is winter hardy to USDA Zone 5 and heat tolerant throughout the entire U.S. They thrive in almost every area of the country.

The Knock Out® Family of Roses can fit into any landscape. Plant them individually among shrubs, annuals, and perennials in mixed beds and borders, in large groups to create a colorful hedge or along a foundation to provide a bright border.

The Conard-Pyle Co./Star® Roses is the proud distributor of all members of The Knock Out® Family of Roses. Bill Radler was the 2008 recipient of the Great Rosarians Award for hybridizing disease-resistant roses, particularly the Knock Out® family of roses. He has been leading the way to develop new disease-resistant roses for American gardeners. Bill Radler has revolutionized the way we think of roses. With the creation of The Knock Out® Rose, many say he single-handedly brought rose genetics from the 20th Century into the 21st Century.

Tip of the day: Focus your mind and find joy in the present. Our life is made up of moments. Moments that, if you fail to appreciate, will simply pass you by. You’ll miss the beauty of living in the here and now. And once gone, you can’t live them again. Create the most pleasing experiences by immersing yourself in each moment, and you will, in time, create some incredibly epic memories!

 

A Rose (The Pilgrim) and a Tip for a Happy Life

On By SCLMRoseIn #amblogging, #HelpfulTips, #inspiration, #MondayMotivation, #motivational, #PositiveThinking, David Austin Roses1 Comment

Name of Rose: The Pilgrim

Class: Shrub (David Austin Rose)

Registration Name: AUSwalker

Hybridizer: David Austin

Date of Introduction: 1987

‘The Pilgrim’ rose hybridized by David Austin and introduced in 1987 is not named after the pilgrims in Massachusetts but the pilgrim in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Parentage is ‘Graham Thomas’ x ‘Yellow Button’. It grows 4 ft tall x 5 ft wide and up to 10 ft as a climber. Its perfectly formed blooms are quite large, shallowly cupped, rosette-shaped and up to 170 petals. The beautiful yellow color pales towards the edges of the blooms, giving a charming softness that is rare among yellow roses. The soft green foliage complements the soft yellow blooms. It has a delicious medium to strong Tea and myrrh fragrance. The bush is quite healthy and repeats very well.

In warmer areas, it is a good idea to do summer pruning to keep the plant upright and bushy. It is superb as a climber, one of the best English Rose climbers. It will quickly reach some height and still produce flowers and leaves lower down on the plant which is rare among climbers.

Tip of the Day – Learn how to cook one awesome meal to make those dinner parties much more special. (Not just on Thanksgiving).

A Rose (Secret) and a Motivational Tip for the Day

On By SCLMRoseIn #amblogging, #amwriting, #HelpfulTips, #motivational, #PositiveThinking, Rose Gardening, Roses2 Comments

Name of the Rose: Secret

Class: Hybrid Tea

Registered Name: HILaroma

Hybridizer – Daniel Tracy/E.G. Hill Co.

Date of Introduction: 1992

This exhibition quality pink blend Hybrid Tea is a winner of the All-America Rose Selections Award in 1994, Portland Best Rose in 1998 and the Gamble Fragrance Award in 2003. It is white with raspberry pink edges and is both excellent on the show table and garden display. It is a medium, moderately thorny, bushy plant with an upright habit, semi-glossy dark green leaves on long stems and produces lots of large high-centered blooms 4 to 6 inches across. It grows 3 to 5 ft tall and 2 to 3 ft across. Blooms come on single stem or in clusters of three or four. Blooms are double (30 to 40 petals) and tend to get larger in cool weather.

Secret is a generous performer giving blooms from late spring to early summer and repeats through to fall. It can be used in beds and borders and if you need lots of fragrant blooms to share with others, plant Secret in the cutting garden in threes so the plants look bushier. It has a strong, spicy fragrance. It is winter hardy and has good disease resistance. Who says modern hybrid tea does not have any fragrance? Secret can perfume a room with just one bloom.

Tip of the Day – Be around positive people who do positive things.

A Rose (Pristine) and a Motivational Tip for the Day

On By SCLMRoseIn #amblogging, #HelpfulTips, #motivational, #PositiveThinking, RosesLeave a comment

Name of Rose – Pristine

Class – Hybrid Tea

Hybridizer – Warriner

Date of introduction – 1977

Registration Name – JACpico

Parentage – ‘White Masterpiece’ x ‘First Prize’

‘Pristine’ has the delicate look of porcelain, you’ll be tempted to feel the petals to see if it is real. The bloom is high-centered, double (30-35 petals), large – six inches across and somewhat ruffled. Most often, it comes singly on a long, thick stem although quite thorny, with large, dark green glossy leaves. It is a very vigorous plant and very disease resistant. It can be used for cut flower or for garden display. It has gathered enough trophies to be a favorite among exhibitors.

The tapered bud opened white to creamy petals blushed with light to medium pink on the edge of the petals and displaying orange-yellow stamens in the center. Fragrance is light. Habit is quite tall and spreading, from 4 to 7 ft. tall and 3 to 6 ft. wide. It tends to spread its canes sideways so prune it to inward-facing buds to discourage sprawling. It blooms continuously throughout the season. The best location for this rose is in the back of the border. Good companion plants are pink flowered plants and some blue stately delphiniums. For regions with harsh winter, it requires winter protection.

Tip of the Day – Keep your desk and work area neat and clean.

Until next time. Stop and Smell the Roses

Rosalinda

A Rose (Eyeconic Pink Lemonade) And a Tip for a Healthy Living

On By SCLMRoseIn #amwriting, #motivational, #PositiveThinking, Eyeconic Roses, Hulthemia Roses, Rose Gardening, Roses1 Comment

Pink Lemonade
Photo Credit – Conard Pyle/Star Roses 

 

Registration Name: ‘SPRolempink’

Type: Hybrid Hulthemia

 

Eyeconic™ Shrub Rose is another new breeding breakthrough in the rose world introduced by the Conard-Pyle Co/Star Roses. After many years of attempting to cross modern roses with Hulthemias, (a species-type roses originating in ancient Persia), rose breeder Jim Sproul finally succeeded. The Hulthemias are a once-blooming species with a characteristic red blotch. The Eyeconics™ capture the blotch, but everything else about these roses is modern, from their rebloom to their pleasing small, shrub-like habit to their disease resistance. The bushy 3 to 4-1/2 foot plants are filled with dark green, very glossy foliage that sets off the 2- to 3-inch, ruffled, non-fragrant blooms.

Eyeconic™ Pink Lemonade is light pink to melon rose with a darker red ring surrounding the inside of the petal that is typical of the Hulthemia hybrids. The bud form is small, ovoid open melon-pink with a red ring maturing to shell pink with the red turning to a purplish eye. The medium size bloom is cuplike with an average of 8-10 petals, 3 ½ inches in diameter. The plant is prolific and blooms continuously for months with blooms in cluster of five blooms per stem with dark green, very glossy foliage.  It is a breakthrough rose, coming from a breeder, Jim Sproul who has been working more than 20 years on Hulthemia hybrids.

Eyeconic Pink Lemonade has an excellent habit and self-cleaning. The plant is compact, bushy, approximately 3 ft. tall by 3 ft. wide. This ultra-vigorous shrub is a carefree addition to any garden. Unhappily, there is no fragrance.

 

Tip of the day: – Laugh a lot. Laughter is the best medicine.

 

Until next time. Stop and Smell the Roses.

 

Rosalinda

Romantica Roses

On By SCLMRoseIn #amwriting, #motivational, #PositiveThinking, Romantica Roses, Rose Gardening7 Comments

Rouge Royale by Regan Nursery
Rouge Royale – Photo Credit: Regan Nursery

For rose lovers who want the charm and fragrance of the Old Garden Roses with their large variety of flower forms but longer blooming period, there are large selections now available. First, there was David Austin’s English Roses, then other growers started producing roses with the Old Garden Rose characteristics. One of them is the Meilland Company of France (developer of the famous Meidiland family of Landscape Roses. Alain Meilland of the legendary French rose company, the Meilland Company that boasts six generations of family ownership and hybridizer of the Romantica Roses received the Great Rosarians of the World award for 2012.

After David Austin’s success with the English Roses, the House of Meilland followed suit with a series of garden roses blending the best qualities of Heirlooms with modern Floribundas and Hybrid Teas. They call this group of rose Romantica Roses. Many of these varieties were bred in the South of France by Meilland International. These new French Roses represent an important expansion of the English Rose style, with astonishing new varieties and versatility that take the concept pioneered by David Austin to an entirely new level from romantic antique to modern Hybrid Teas, from climbers to shrubs with extensive color ranges, nostalgic pastels to vivid hues, wide selection of attractive plant forms, excellent disease resistance, outstanding foliage typical of the Meilland breeding line, old-fashioned fragrance and dependable repeat flowering habit for all seasons color. These characteristics appeal to both the novice as well as the advanced gardener. Their improved disease resistance and garden performance make them a wonderful addition to the modern landscape.

Here is a list of Romantica Roses that you can incorporate in your garden:

  1. Bolero – F – White – 2004
  2. Dee-lish -HT – Medium Pink – 2011
  3. Francois Rabelais – F – Medium Red – 1998
  4. Guy de Maupassant – F – Medium Pink – 1996
  5. Jean Giono – HT – Yellow Blend – 1998
  6. Michelangelo – HT – Medium Yellow – 1997
  7. Peter Mayle – HT – Deep Pink – 2003
  8. Polka – LCl – Apricot Blend – 1996
  9. Rouge Royal – HT – Red Blend – 2001
  10. Traviata – HT – Dark Red – 1998
  11. White Eden – LCl – White – 2004
  12. Yves Piaget – HT – Medium Pink – 1985

Note: F (Floribunda), HT (Hybrid Tea), LCl (Large-Flowered Climber)

Tip of the Day – When someone is telling you about an important event that happened to them, don’t try to top them with your own story. Let them have the stage.

 

Until Next time. Stop and Smell the Roses.

Rosalinda R Morgan

A Rose (Gemini) and a Motivational Tip for the Day

On By SCLMRoseIn #amblogging, #inspiration, #motivational, #PositiveThinking, Rose Gardening1 Comment

Gemini

Class: Hybrid Tea

Hybridizer: Dr. Keith W. Zary

Date of Introduction: 1999

Parentage: ‘Anne Morrow Lindbergh’ x ‘New Year’

 

‘Gemini’ is always a winner. It won the 2005 Members’ Choice Award from the American Rose Society. It also won the AARS 2000 award. It has all the qualities that exhibitors love – high-centered large blooms, 5”-7” in diameter, double (17-25 petals), and elegantly formed. It has a lighter tint in the spring and gets darker hue as it progresses through the season. The light pink color with a darker hue on the edges is so beautiful. No wonder it always captures a place at the Court of Honor of a Rose Show.

 

Gemini produces plenty of exhibition type blooms on a tall, bushy plant (4-6 ft high x 3 ft wide). Most often, blooms come singly on a long, thick stems with large, deep green glossy foliage. This rose looks great in the garden and in a vase. It also lasts a long time in a vase. If you have one space in your garden, try to get Gemini. It will capture your heart as it does most judges at the Rose Show.

 

Tip of the Day: Set short term and long term goals.

A Climbing Rose (Winner’s Circle) and a Tip for a Successful Life

On By SCLMRoseIn #amwriting, #inspiration, #motivational, #PositiveThinking, #Wednesday Wisdom, Red Roses, Roses1 Comment

 

Winners Circle by Conard Pyle
Photo Credit – Conard Pyle

Class: Climber

Date of Introduction: 1997

Hybridizer: William Radler

Registration Name: RADwin

Parentage: RADliv x RADkoswe

 

Conard Pyle, the introducer of Knock Out Roses also introduced the climbing rose collection of William Radler, the hybridizer of the Knock Out Family of roses. Just like the Knock Out Roses, the climbing roses are also disease resistant. One of these climbing roses is Winner’s Circle™.

This new climber from the breeder of ‘Knock Out’ is sure to become a favorite. Winner’s Circle™ is a bright red climber and can reach a height up to 12 ft. with 4 ft. wide spread. Its blooms average 3.75”, fire-engine red but no fragrance. They are non-fading and can take the heat. It is winter hardy to zone 5. Winner’s Circle™ is floriferous, a vigorous climber with semi-glossy, dark green foliage. Disease resistance is excellent. In the fall the foliage turns deep burgundy red and the plants is covered with bright orange hips.

 

Tip of the day:  Aim high and hit the mark.

Until next time. Stop and smell the roses.

 

Rosalinda Morgan

 

 

 

A Rose (Olympiad) and a Tip for a Happy, Healthy and Successful Living

On By SCLMRoseIn #HelpfulTips, #motivational, #PositiveThinking, Red Roses, Rose Gardening, Roses1 Comment

 

Olympiad by Flickr
Photo Credit – Flickr.com

Parentage – (‘Red Planet’ x ‘Pharaoh’), 1982
Hybridizer – Sam McGredy, New Zealand
Introducer – Armstrong Nursery, Ontario, California

Olympiad was the official rose of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. It was also the winner of the All America Rose Selection Award in 1984 and the Gold Medal Portland Award in 1985. Olympiad is one of the best red hybrid teas as a bedding rose for gardeners and an excellent source for cut flower. The blooms come usually singly on long stems. Olympiad has good repeat throughout the season. The long pointed buds unfurl to double (35 to 40 petals), large (4 – 5 inches across), high-centered brilliant clear red flowers with a mild fragrance. Very thorny stems bear medium green, semi-glossy foliage with medium red new growth.

Olympiad

Olympiad is a tall (4 to 6 ft with a spread of 3 to 4 ft.) upright, compact rose plant. Disease resistance is generally good but if you have a problem with black spot in your area, it is advisable to take preventive measures. If only Olympiad had a strong fragrance, it could be a perfect rose.

 

Tip of the Day – Maintain a good posture. Enter a room with poise and confidence.

 

Until next time. Stop and smell the roses.
Rosalinda Morgan

A Rose (Jubilee Celebration) and a Tip for a Happy, Healthy and Successful Living

On By SCLMRoseIn #amblogging, #amwriting, #inspiration, #motivational, #PositiveThinking, David Austin Roses, Rose Gardening, Roses1 Comment

Jubilee Celebration

Rose:   Jubilee Celebration

Class:   Shrub

Hybridizer:   David Austin

Date of Introduction:   2002

 

 

Jubilee Celebration was named in commemoration of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee. It has lovely rich pink blooms with tints of gold on the underside of the petals. The blooms are large, pleasantly cupped above an attractive glossy foliage and blooms continuously. The rose is very healthy, vigorous, 4 ft. x 4 ft. building up into a fine shrub.

The scent of the young flower is almost pure lemon zest, later becoming a delicious, fruity rose fragrance with hints of fresh lemon and raspberry. It is an excellent rose throughout the US including the challenging hot and humid climate of the south east. Winner of the fragrance prize and people’s choice in Glasgow, Scotland.

I planted my one plant in a raised bed. It gets plenty of morning sun and shade in the afternoon and seems to be happy where it is.

 

Tip of the day – Commit yourself to constant self-improvement.

 

Until next time. Stop and smell the roses.

Rosalinda