Exceptional beauty, by definitition, is short-lived. This is one of the reasons we are drawn to certain roses and to daylilies. James Mason, which blooms but once a year, and not for a whole two week stretch, was a big hit this year with gardem visitors - people and bees alike. This plant produced several dozen three to four inch flowers like the one below. The bright red would fade in a day, and in two or three the flowers would fall. This photo was taken 21 May 17. Bees are also found of Rosy Cushion, blooming nearly two weeks later.
The gulch, an area of the garden where we've planted about twenty roses in an occasional stream bed, hit its stride this season. Prosperity, the hybrid musk rose that has been there for four or five years was covered with great clouds of white roses for nearly three weeks. The David Austin rose Princess Anne, starting its fourth year, mixes with it pretty well. Deeper purple notes were provided by William Shakespeare 2000, LD Braithwaite, and Erinnerung an Brod (not shown). The early blooms of Nicole were evenly spaced over this very nicely branched plant. Later on it would push up stalks with lots of smallish flowers that started looking a little ragged (not pictured)
Caramella Fairy Tale rose made roses of the right color for the first time this year. We're unsure whether it was the fact of having a few years to settle in or that it got more water. Either way, we are pleased; and we are pleased to pronounce the rose 'a keeper,' a surprisingly rare declaration that the rose has established, is vigorous and healthy, and that it makes enough blooms to warrant its place in the garden. And that we like where it is in the garden. It joins Malvern Hills, Cherry Parfait, and Ilse Krohn Superior in earning this distinction. (30 May 17)
Some of the companion planting ideas are working. Lady Pamela Carol produces lovely pale yellow blooms that look good with Moonlight yarrow and Blue Hill salvia. Caldwell Pink hovers just above nepeta Walker's Lowe. (31 May 17) At this time of year, the nepeta can be heard humming. The same holds for the salvias Blue Hill, Caradonna, and May Night. (Not pictured.)
Rainbow Sorbet might be the most photogenic rose out there. On the plant this bunch of spent flowers and buds looked a mess. Somehow, though, the mess translated into an interesting photo. Usually it's the other way around.
This is one of the few blossoms not ruined by thrips on poor Abe Darby. Teasing Georgia, entering its third growing season is less affected by thrips damage. Chris Evert struggles to get enough water, and the blooms will sometimes be nibbled away; but it does produce pretty flowers.
Orfeo, in its fourth year is tall enough to train on a pillar. Not all of its flowers are this color. They can be a softer rosy crimson color. And when they get a bit dry they turn maroon. Looping has its own progression of soft orange sherbet colors. The buds are a bright pastel orange, and they fade just a little toward cream. Colorific's blossoms take two or three days to progress from soft yellow to a vermilion blushed shade of pink.
We wish to welcome to the garden a few roses planted this spring: Big Purple and Vavoom. We do hope that as they establish their blossoms will become just a little better, but we are pleased that they are making a good start:
We note in passing that roses that have been severely pruned have certainly had delayed blooming. Grande Dame and all the newly planted roses are good examples. Pruning also made Abe Darby more productive. It took a toll on Crocus Rose. The plant produced a lot of new fresh growth which is good; but it went on to produce lots of tiny flowers in bunches. And they lacked color.
Not everything is roses. A prickly pear cactus flaunts its yellow blossoms, below. This year we had an unusually damp spring, and this prickly pear cactus shows its appreciation with extra flowers. Giving the garden just a little more water this year on top of nature's bounty has been good for the daylilies, too. Alabama Jubilee doles out its first blossom while more established Aztek Gold cranks them out in clouds. An unknown yellow daylily is backed by Showbiz rose.
It's a pleasant surprise to find roses and daylilies blooming together, especially when we find their colors to be complementary. The garden is still a wild place, but its colorful blossoms and many rich fragrances they bring make the place a glorious outdoor living space, if only for a few days a year.
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