This has been a monumental week for us! Tuesday was our 25th wedding anniversary, and the East Coast had an earthquake based in Virginia. Wednesday was my birthday, and now we are expecting Hurricane Irene to arrive. The weather dudes are always making predictions about stuff, but in my experience with hurricanes, they pretty much show up when they are good and ready to arrive. It has been raining all day, and all my roses have had a good soaking already. The prediction for the storm is lots of wind and anywhere between 6 and 12 inches of rain. Three months worth of rain in a short time…hmm. Time for hunkering down and hurricane preparation for the garden.

This morning, I put on my visor to keep the rain off my glasses, and then Bob and I went out to put stuff away. The white wicker from the northern porch is now stashed in the garage. The potted plants from the front porch are snuggled in next to the house. The outdoor chairs have been stacked, the cushions put into the deck box, and the tables flipped onto their faces with their legs stretching into the air. We then tucked the potted roses in by the chimney. Oh, boy! Hurricane preparation: a weather adventure!!!

Rose Garden Hurricane Preparation

But what about the rose gardens? We have nurtured and watered and sprayed all summer. My roses are really large right now and just beginning their first fall flush. We have had a pretty nice August so far. This month can have two faces here where we live…either hot, humid dog days can plague us, or the daytimes can have a little suggestion of fall coolness with nights that are chilly enough for a blanket to feel really good. Our month has been the latter, and we have really enjoyed it. So have the roses! They have been chugging up beautiful new growth with long stems and the buds have taken longer to develop so they are huge! I have been enjoying my best bloom of the summer. It’s sad to think they will all be trashed by a crummy hurricane.

I know my roses are planted deeply and I am not worried that they will be uprooted despite hurricane preparation. The potted roses have been stashed in a safe spot, and basically, there’s nothing I can do. The coming winds will whip the canes around, and tear up the leaves and blossoms. When the storm passes, I will go out and cut back, and if the good Lord is willing, we’ll have another nice flush in mid-to-late October.

What’s a mother to do? Hurricanes…sheesh! Stay safe!