Southern Roots & Roses

05/29/2026

🌹 Southern Roots & Roses: Morning Rose Walk

Today’s rose is **Miss Manners**.

Now this one is brand new to me, purchased from Heirloom Roses this Spring, and this is her very first bloom 🌸

So we're getting acquainted together.

My first impression? She's definitely not shy 😅

Those bright pink blooms practically glow in the garden, and for a rose with such a polite name, she sure knows how to get your attention.

From what I've read, Miss Manners is a Grandiflora from Weeks Roses that was introduced in 2023. She's known for producing clusters of blooms, strong fragrance, repeat flowering, and excellent disease resistance.

One thing that caught my eye is that she can put out up to seven blooms in a cluster, so I'm excited to see what she does once she's established.

And if this first bloom is any indication, I think she's going to be beautiful.

Anybody else growing Miss Manners? I'd love to hear what you think of her and see pictures of yours. 🌹

05/29/2026

🌹 Southern Roots & Roses: Today’s Rose Walk

Today’s rose is Strawberry Hill.

And y’all… this may be one of the healthiest-looking roses in my garden right now.

Before we even talk about the blooms, look at those leaves. Deep green, glossy, and shining like they’ve been polished. 🌿

Then she opens up those soft pink blooms that look like they belong in an English cottage garden somewhere.

I’ll be honest… this was never a rose I felt like I had to have.

I’d see people talk about Strawberry Hill, and while I thought she was pretty, she never really made it to the top of my wish list.

Well… I underestimated her. 😅

Now that she’s blooming, I completely get it.

Strawberry Hill was bred by David Austin and is known for her strong fragrance, healthy foliage, and graceful growth habit. She can be grown as a large shrub or trained as a climber, and she’s already showing signs of wanting to stretch out and claim her space.

The scent is one of her most famous features. It’s often described as myrrh, but to me it’s warm, sweet, and old-fashioned in the best possible way.

She’s planted near the coop, and I just love what she does for that little corner.

The chickens are still chickens, the feed buckets are still around, and it’s real life out there…

but those soft pink blooms make it feel a little more like a cottage chicken coop.

And that’s exactly what I’m going for 🌹🐔

And honestly… now I’m sitting here thinking I probably need more than one.

Anybody else growing Strawberry Hill? Or have a rose you completely underestimated until it finally bloomed?

05/29/2026

I can tell already… this one will be a wild one!

05/28/2026

🚨 URGENT CHICKEN HELP NEEDED 🚨

Alright y'all, I need to see your breeding pens, bachelor pens, rooster setups, grow-out pens... all of it 😅🐓

I'm at the point where I need to start separating birds, and my brain has about 47 different ideas fighting each other right now... which is still fewer fights than my SEVEN roosters have had since they realized they're boys. 🤦🏻‍♀️

If you have a setup you love, please drop a picture in the comments and tell me:

🐓 What you're using it for
🐓 How many birds it holds
🐓 What you love about it
🐓 What you'd change if you were building it again

Bonus points for pictures because I can stare at coop setups for hours 😂

Send help, y'all. Before I accidentally build a chicken subdivision instead of a breeding pen.

05/28/2026

Florence, Alabama area. Looking for good homes

05/25/2026

05/24/2026

Before the rain, had to bring some in

05/24/2026

Rocky… the perty rooster with a spike in testosterone.

Debating on whether to post the video of him getting me (just a nibble) 😂

We have an understanding now…

05/21/2026

Rocky is the pertiest rooster yall! 💜
What yall think?
Show me your perty roos!👇🏻

05/19/2026

🌹 Southern Roots & Roses: Morning Rose Walk

Today’s rose is Love Song 💜🎵

She sits front and center in my fragrant sitting garden with morning sun and afternoon shade, because Alabama summer does not believe in gentle 😅

Purple has always been my favorite rose color, and these big lavender-pink blooms are exactly why. Soft, ruffled, romantic, and big enough to make you stop for a second.

This one is extra special because my husband wrote and performed a love song when he proposed to me, so of course this rose needed her own showcase spot.

From what I’ve read, Love Song was bred by Tom Carruth for Weeks Roses and is known for big old-fashioned blooms, repeat flowering, healthy foliage, and a soft citrus fragrance.

Does anybody else have a rose or flower planted for sentimental reasons? I’d love to hear the story 🌿

05/18/2026

I’m just saying… there are worse things to be addicted to… 🥚 🐣