January Update

After a lovely holiday with plenty of family visiting, my kids have returned to school and I have a few quiet minutes to blog.  I was sad to hear last month of the passing of David Austin, creator of English roses like 'William Shakespeare 2000' and 'Lady's Blush,' above.  I grow nearly two dozen of his roses and they bring me joy.

I've added to my garden books collection recently and am completely delighted with this one, 'The Secret Gardeners,' about the gardens of some of Britain's famous creatives.  Sting (that's part of his garden on the cover), Andrew Lloyd Weber, Ozzy Osbourne, Prue Leith (my daughters love The Great British Baking Show) and others are included.  The pictures of the varied and beautiful gardens are plentiful, large and gorgeous.  I'd highly recommend it for anyone who loves English style gardens.

After going back and forth about whether to store my dahlia tubers over the winter, I tried wrapping some in plastic wrap and storing them in my deli drawer (37 degrees) in Tupperware containers.  I've lost about half due to rot from condensation from the fridge, but they might freeze in my garage and the basement is too warm.  We'll see how that goes.  I've already ordered some new types (three each of Rip City, Belle of Barmera, White Onesta, Melody Pink Allegro, Great Silence) from Longfield Gardens and may have to order more if my fridge tubers all mold.  Fingers crossed that at least some make it through, like 'Cafe au Lait' above.

I'm counting down the days until I can pot up dahlia tubers and plant seeds under the grow light I set up in my bathtub.  Above is Ammi, or false Queen Anne's lace.

And I should mention my amazing moth orchid (Phalaenopsis) that bloomed for an entire year.  I bought it at Costco early last December with two bloom stalks that lasted until May.  Once those were cut back (I cut just above the growth node down the stem from the previous stalks) it immediately sprouted two more stalks that bloomed until early December.  Now it's sending two more stalks out from the next set of nodes.  Amazing!   It seems very happy with all the indirect light in our dining room addition.
I'm looking forward to another year of growth and beauty in the garden.  Although reading about the gardens of the rich and famous has reinforced just how small my quarter acre garden is, I'm delighted and grateful for a spot of my own to nurture.

English Rose Photos from 2015

I haven't shared many photos of my English roses from this season, but this post will make up for it.  Above is a fall shot of 'William Shakespeare 2000,' one of my very favorite roses that lasts well in a vase and smells divine.

Here is another shot of William with butterfly bushes (Buddleia) blooming in front and Russian sage (Peroskvia) behind.

In the front yard 'Abraham Darby' was a great bloomer this year.  I cut many, many roses from this shrub to bring inside.

Here is a close up shot of Abraham's gorgeous, large, fragrant blooms.

'Eglantyne' continues to do well in the front yard, and I continue to cut blooms for vases despite its awful thorns.

'The Countryman' was the first English rose I purchased back in California, and I still enjoy its vivid pink blooms.

Miniature 'Francine Austin' had a great flush of flowers in the spring with a few sprays blooming throughout the rest of the season.

'Lady of Shallot' is still getting established, so its pretty blooms were sparse this year.  But next year should be better.

'Sister Elizabeth' produced a heavy stream of delicate flowers this year.  Overall it was a good year for my roses, as they didn't mind the heat as long as they kept receiving water.

Roses and Crabapples in a Vase on Tuesday

In this recent fall arrangement I used branches from my 'Royal Raindrops' crabapple trees for the first time in a vase.  I intended to participate in Cathy's 'In a Vase on Monday' meme but didn't get around to posting until Tuesday.  That's just the way life goes around here.

The base of the arrangement was formed by crimson 'William Shakespeare 2000' and pink 'Royal Jubilee' English roses.  Black leaves from 'Chocoholic' Cimicifuga helped fill in around the flowers.  Spikes of 'Miss Molly' butterfly bush shot out from the right side.

I also included a few late-blooming stems of 'Moulin Rouge' Astrantia (masterwort, above) and 'Invincibelle Spirit' hydrangea (not shown).

Tiny crabapples contributed to the fall feel, and blushing stems from my 'Peach Sorbet' blueberry bushes added more interesting foliage.

Japanese Anemone (A. robustissima) arched above the cluster of larger flowers.

The anemones are so pretty they get a second photo.
Yesterday the temperature dropped to 31 degrees Fahrenheit in the early morning and froze the water in my bird bath.  The flowers escaped this time but the end is near!

Crimson William Shakespeare Roses in a Vase

Last week I put together this flamboyantly colored vase of crimson 'William Shakespeare' and mauve 'Sister Elizabeth' roses.  With spikes from 'Buzz Purple' butterfly bushes and 'Pink Princess' foxgloves in the mix, it turned out a little brighter than I usually like.  But the great thing about fresh flowers is they die before you get tired of the colors!

William Shakespeare roses have a delicious old rose scent, and Sister Elizabeth smells of myrrh.  The Pink Princess foxgloves bridged the color gap between the two types of roses, with mauve coloring at the tips and crimson shading at the base of each vase-shaped flower.

For texture I included some interesting flower bracts from 'Amethyst Falls' ornamental oregano (above) . . .

. . . as well as my favorite Dr. Suess-esque clematis seed pods and 'Fama' pincushion flower (Scabiosa) seed pods.

To make a base for the flowers, I used 'Black Lace' elderberry (Sambucus) leaves.  Then I added stems of curly willow (Salix) and honeysuckle (Lonicera) to arch out from the center.  Cuttings from Japanese anemone (A. robistussima) contributed pearl-like buds on curving stems.

All that pink and purple turned out slightly psychedelic.  This week I'm back to pale roses on my table, but that's a post for another day.

Wild Arrangement of Late Summer Flowers

Vase of English Roses in Sunset Hues

 

This morning I put together a small vase of English Roses in warm sunset hues.  At bottom left is peachy-pink 'Abraham Darby,' at top left is salmon-pink 'Princess Alexandra of Kent,' and at center right is yellow 'Teasing Georgia.'

'Peachy Seduction' yarrow (Alchimella), sprigs of spearmint (Mentha) and fluffy chartreuse twigs from 'Ogon' Spirea add texture.

In this shot pink 'Alexandra of Kent' is at center with a cluster of 'Invicibelle Spirit' hydrangea flowers below.  A peach 'Lady of Shallot' rose peeks out at bottom left.  You can also see a couple of green budding stems of 'Autumn Bride' heuchera.

All of these roses have a pleasant scent, but 'Abraham Darby' (bottom left) is the best one to stick your nose into.

Now that our early summer heat wave has passed - the high today is 81 Farenheit - the roses are recovering and sending out another flush of bloom.  I haven't made many arrangements this summer but I hope to make and share more in the next few weeks.

June Garden

These photos are from the beginning of June, before a heat wave left many plants looking a little toasted around the edges.  Above is the west garden.

The year's first flush of bloom on my 'Abraham Darby' rose featured large, citrus-scented blooms.

'Eglantyne' seemed especially fragrant this year with the warm weather, and passersby commented on the sweet Old Rose scent.

My climbing 'Teasing Georgia' bloomed mostly at the top, so I learned that next year I need to prune it more aggressively to keep the flowers at eye level.

My 'Comtesse de Bouchaud' clematis also bloomed at the top, which was fine since it's not very tall yet.  I'll have to prune it hard next spring.  It's such a lovely color of cool pink.

Chartreuse lady's mantle blooms are lovely but they reseed like crazy.  I need to deadhead earlier than I did last year.

A true blue 'June to Remember' Siberian iris plays well with the chartreuse.  These irises don't bloom for very long, but their grassy foliage is a nice addition during the rest of the growing season.

White 'Snow Queen' Siberian iris and 'Casablanca' blooms brighten the white garden, along with a lingering white 'Mount Everest' allium and spikes of 'June Bride' heuchera.

After returning from a week long family trip, I have been trying to catch up with deadheading and other garden chores.  There is a lot to do this time of the year, but my children have been a great help.