Monday, June 06, 2005

after the fall

It's not as bad as it can be, but heat and humidity have finally arrived. I can see creeping blackspot at the bottom of roses. And now I must be serious about watering -- although rain continues in the forecast.

I ended up doing some editing, pulling out plants that are crowding others, particularly the stems of plants that are now past their blooming. I am somewhat judicious in this, planning on dividing more plants in autumn.

The roses continue to bloom, but the peonies are mostly gone in my garden. The white hydrangeas are about to start blooming. Other mid-summer plants are also getting that anticipatory look -- or perhaps that is what I have when I look at them.

I've seen lots of bees, including honey bees. The chives and the nepeta have been particularly prolific bloomers this year, something they like.

And the New Dawn climbing rose that I planted last year is what I wanted -- a faint pink that fades that to white. My trellis in the front garden is full of these lovely roses. My one big ole hybrid -- Queen Elizabeth -- has three big pink roses that could each fill a desert plate. I don't know why I am partial to that rose, but it has its place in my garden.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

We have a new dawn rose on an arch defining the entrance to a rose garden at church. It is several years old. It is in full bloom now, and it is spectacular.

Don said...

Rob -- I first encountered New Dawn roses in the cloister garden at my parish. Here's a picture of one side of the cloister. It's not a close-up, and the flowers are not in bloom, but you can see the rose lined up along the porch next to the church.

Anonymous said...

Looks like a beautiful church. Thanks for the link to the website--I enjoyed reading about your church. Looks like a great place to be!

Don said...

Thanks, anonymous. It was built in 1950 based on a couple of Norman styled parishes in England.

And we have two courtyard gardens, which of course, I find especially nice.

Don said...

Oh, anonymous is Rob. Sorry for the confusion. Again, thanks for your comment.