Those who read the blog regularly know that I LOVE my front yard knockout roses. (If you're new to the blog and have missed all that, just search "roses" in the side search bar, and you'll see all the rose love from past posts!)

I've had a few visitors comment lately on how pretty my roses in the front yard are and how I must be very diligent about keeping them watered.

But, here's the truth: I haven't watered them at all!

Seriously. I haven't watered them this summer AT ALL.

Yes, the hanging ferns get watered a little bit twice daily with the water from the bowl I use to cool the milk after its been pasteurized. Of course, it makes environmental sense to make use of that water rather than tossing it down the sink, but if you'd seen our recent water bills, you'd understand why water conservation is a top priority around here.

Don't go thinking that our front yard is just beautiful, though. This is just one of the four azaleas that has met its demise in the front yard. I blame this on two factors:

1. The front yard is where plants go to be neglected at our house. I enter and exit the house via the garage and rarely walk past our front yard plants, so I think they are kind of "out of sight, out of mind" for me.

Now, things in the backyard look great. That is, of course, where I spend the bulk of my outdoor time since it is where all our animals live and the garden is located.

2. This summer has been VERY dry. I was talking to a, shall we say, quite elderly lady the other day who said that this is the worst drought she'd "ever seen." Now, trust me, that is really saying something! ;)

So, I blame the front-yard-neglect/worst-drought-ever combination for the dead azaleas. But, that isn't really the point of this post.

The point of this post is . . .

the knockout roses have endured the same neglect/drought and are as gorgeous as ever!