Saturday, June 02, 2007

Everything's coming up roses..and peonies..and poppies

An abundance of rain this spring has been a boon to the roses. Here are some that are in bloom now. This is an overhead view of Betty Prior mixed in with Jupiter's Beard (Valerian) in the crowded front bed. I've said before I wish I hadn't planted this rose right next to the sidewalk. I'm constantly pruning it back so it doesn't snag the neighborhood kiddies on their Big Wheels. I wish all my roses bloomed like Betty does. Nothing stops her from now till frost, just bloom, bloom, bloom. Her flowers look like pink dogwood blossoms.

This is a long view of the crowded bed. It's hard to believe that a Blue Mist spirea will bloom in the middle of it all later in the summer, but it will. Oh, and asters too. This is a lot of stuff in one bed but before I removed the huge upright juniper last year that cast so much shade this was one of my few sunny beds so I had to cram, cram, cram.


A close-up of the yellow rose on the left side of the bed. I tend to give roses my own names since I mostly can't remember what I planted. Or for some reason I thought that little metal tag would always be visible (I think squirrels collect them). But this one came unidentified from Home Depot quite some time ago. At the time I was lusting for a Gloire de Dijon when I spotted this one which I thought was close enough (and much cheaper). So this one is called Faux Gloire de Dijon.

I call this one Shell Pink because it reminds me of the color inside a conch shell we brought back from Key West once. It's on the right side of the bed behind Betty Prior. My daughter sent me a collection of roses from J&P a few years back and I can't find the tags on any of them. This was one of them, and it smells heavenly (maybe I should call it Heavenly Shell Pink?)


Up near the garage Old Faithful lives up to its name. Usually it's a small manageable yellow rose bush but the abundant rains made it act more geyser-like. Fortunately for me I found a black iron rose pillar in someone's trash last week and now Old Faithful's canes are corralled instead of flopping on the grass. Note the Rose of Sharon bush in the left rear, more about that below.

Across the grass path from Old Faithful are Oriental poppies and peonies. I used to hate these colors together. It no longer bothers me, in fact I like it. I think I'd like to see some red poppies in there too.


I like the way the same variety of poppies have variations in color. The one below is almost red, don't you think?


These peonies were here when we moved in 30 years ago. They used to be in the back yard in a sunny spot. Over the years the trees got bigger and the shade got deeper so I moved them out to the sunnier front yard 15 years ago. I also planted a little dinky Rose of Sharon at the same time. Sharon's not so dinky anymore and she's shading and crowding the peonies. I don't know if I have the gumption to move the peonies again. After transplanting they might not bloom for another couple of years and I would be sad not to see them next spring.



I never did see any ants this year on the peonies. A common garden myth is that ants are necessary to "tickle the buds" into opening. Obviously not true, but it was fun to believe it for a long time and I still look for ants each year.




28 comments:

Mary C said...

Lost Roses - your peonies are as beautiful as your roses - actually they look even more beautiful! They must love their "home." It is amazing what a little (or a lot) of rain can do for these beautiful flowers. Was this a banner year for rain for you? I know the Rocky Mountain area has had quite a drought for some time; I think you got all the rain we didn't get this winter! ;)

Carol Michel said...

Your roses, and all your flowers, are beautiful and certainly not "lost" this year. I have only one "flower carpet" rose, but seeing all your roses,and those of Annie in Austin on her recent post, makes me want to get more. Hmmm... this could be a dangerous time for me, if I go to a garden center alone anytime soon.

But at least I would know who to "blame"!

Lynne at Hasty Brook said...

BEAUTIFUL-BEAUTIFUL!!!

Thanks for the tour! I wish my laptop had "smell-o-vision"! Next week I'm hoping to put some shrub roses around our flagpole. I have one called "Nearly Wild" out back and I like it's toughness. I don't want to have to bury roses for our long Minnesota winters. Too lazy I guess!

NatureWoman said...

I love all of your beautiful roses and peonies and poppies! Thank you for the wonderful tour of your gardens. These things are about to blossom here!

Autumn said...

Seeing your gorgeous poppies makes me wish I had planted my poppy seeds this year. Your roses are stunning.

Anonymous said...

I have a lot of pink going on in my sunny garden right now too. Your roses look great, and so do the peonies, which I have to admire from afar, living as I do in a non-peony zone.

Jane O' said...

It's funny how Mother Nature's colors look good together, like your pink and orange, but try to wear those colors and you'd be a laughing stock. Go ahead and try the red with it, I think it would look great. There's nothing like bold colors in the garden.

LostRoses said...

Mary Carlson, you're so right about the moisture - we got more than our fair share all winter and now spring, too. It's made all the difference in the world. I feel like I'm gardening in someone else's climate!

Carol, I've sworn off the garden center (so I say). Even though I've added several more plants to my wish list after seeing them on others' blogs. But if you do go to the garden center, I'll be happy to take the blame!

Lynne, thanks for the compliments! And smell-o-vision - hmmm, that might be the next new thing for bloggers, do you think? I'm also too lazy to mulch my roses like I should but then I wouldn't call myself Lost Roses!

Naturewoman, anticipation is half the delight, isn't it?

Pumpkin faerie, thanks! I find myself wishing I'd planted this or that when I see them on other blogs. My wish list is long!

Pam, I leaned toward pink flowers for years and even though I finally branched out, there's still a lot of pink out there! I think I like it so much because of the contrast between the pink and the surrounding greenery.

Marie, my colors in the garden get bolder the older I get! I think you're right, I should go for some red poppies, too.

Charley "Apple" Grabowski said...

I love the rose combined with the valerian and wish my beds were so full and lush. I moved moved my peonies from my mom's in the late summer of '05 and it should bloom again shortly, so just one year without blooms.

Anonymous said...

WOW, just look at all those roses! Our neighbors use to have roses like that and then another family moved. Those are stunning and bring back some great memories!

Mary said...

I agree with Lynne - we need a scratch and sniff post here, Lost Roses! I can just imagine the fragrance that drifts through your open windows. My goodness, you do love your Roses! So Peonies don't need ants? That kind of good news.

You certainly know who to give a tour, poppies, roses, peonies. Great color. Sit back and sip some wine.

Janice and Gerald said...

Thank you so much for your comment on our blog. I suppose that there should be some trepidation now that the house is sold and we've started packing up our life to move into our motorhome .... but (as yet) there is none.
Your pictures are beautiful. We love this time of year with all of the new flowers every day, even here in north western Canada.

LostRoses said...

Apple, I actually didn't plan the valerian and the rose, but I like the way it looks. I hope your peonies bloom soon, be sure and post a picture!

Mon@arch, thanks, I really enjoy all the scent and color of roses, glad it brought back a good memory for you!

Mary, thanks! If we were tekkies, we could come up with scratch 'n sniff blogs and make a bundle. Then we could sit back and smell the roses all we wanted! (And sip some wine).

Janice, you've obviously planned well and are about to fulfill a dream, so that's good! We do get spoiled this time of year seeing new flowers every day, don't we?

KGMom said...

I always thought the ants were attracted by aphids or some such that cause the plants to ooze sap. Not very romantic, I know. Sorry--but maybe that too is a garden myth.

Anonymous said...

Very nice photo's and I enjoy your notes about the plants. The one you call Shell Pink may be heritage (a David Austin rose).

Diana LaMarre said...

That is a beautiful bed of flowers, Lostroses. I like them well packed like that.

The pink valerian is beautiful. Goes perfectly with that rose. It's neat how you make up your own names. Even neater that you remember the names you've made up! :)

You have the nice bushy shorter stemmed poppies. I have some of those, too, and they are just beginning to bloom. They are so much nicer than the big floppy curly-stemmed doubles I have blooming now.

I, too, have grown to like orange and pink combinations. For the past three/four years I am just "into" orange and I like it with everything.

I always take pictures of the ants on my peony buds. I have not noticed any ants this year either. Although, I must admit, I haven't really went out and looked. Mine are not yet blooming.

Hope you are having a great Monday.

Rusty in Miami said...

Your roses are magnificent; I wish I can grow roses like yours here in Florida. There is nothing like garden full of roses.

CountryGirl said...

Your roses are wonderful, I love the Shell Pink. I hope my beds are full like yours are one day. I love the mass of color and the way the blend together. I am always amazed at what people throw out; that rose pillar was a find!

Bob said...

Beautiful shots of the roses. One of my favourite flowers. Whats your favourite one?
Bob of bobsgarden.com

kate said...

I like Betty and your Shell Pink Roses. Old Faithful is pretty cool too!

The ants must have been working overtime during the night and sleeping all day!

The Poppies are brilliant and beautiful. Your garden is lovely.

Susan Gets Native said...

"abundant of rain..."
Bppbpbpbpbpbpbpbppb.
(That's supposed to be a raspberry)

Love all the photos. I want to try poppies and peonies, but I need to find a good space.
I have so much research to do, I will have to give up sleeping.

LostRoses said...

kgmom, I guess it's the buds themselves that emit a sweet sap that the ants like, whatever the reason, the ants sure go for it. As for aphids, don't even say it! Though I have to say I've never seen aphids on the peonies but I'm sure it happens.

barrie, thanks for your comment, and "Shell Pink" does look like Heritage now that you mention it. But Heritage is another one of my "lost roses" and I rue the day (the winter) that I killed her!

Zoey, well-packed is a good definition. And don't congratulate me on remembering my made-up names, they'll be called something different next year! But now I can look at my blog and see what I said the previous year. Yes, I'm glad the poppies aren't too floppy, though I think a raccoon laid down in the middle of them this year as they're kind of squashed. Can't wait to see more of your poppies and your color combinations. Oh, and the ants on your peony buds!

Rusty, do roses not grow well in Florida? I thought I had seen some in your garden photos? Though now that I think about it I don't remember roses in the garden in my childhood Florida home, but on the other hand, I don't remember much of anything anyway!

Countrygirl, thanks for the compliments on the roses! As for the things people throw out, there's many a day I've brought my car to a screeching halt to rescue someone's trash which I happen to think is treasure. I got my clay chiminea (a couple of posts back) that way.

Bob, Graham Thomas is probably my current favorite, I love that buttery yellow color and its strong blooming habit. It's still in the bud stage at the moment. My other favorites are ones I've killed and never gotten around to replacing, among them Heritage, New Dawn (pink), and Bibi Maizoon. There's also a huge white Alba in the backyard that I'm quite fond of, a once-bloomer, but so vigorous it doesn't know when to quit. It once measured over 6 feet tall and 6 feet wide before I decided it needed a trim.

Kate, thanks so much for your comment. I'm off to visit your blog!

LostRoses said...

Susan, you snuck in there when I wasn't looking! Yes, I think we deserve a raspberry too and it almost makes me feel guilty (but not quite)! We've had so many drought years that it's wonderful to see the stranglehold on the water loosening a bit.

Poppies and peonies do take up quite a bit of space, don't they? Hard to just "tuck them in somewhere", but I bet you can find a spot!

Yolanda Elizabet Heuzen said...

Love that combination of Betty Prior and Jupiter's Beard, lovely!

I can't stand faux whatsits so why not name that pertty yellow rose Mutarde de Dijon?

In my previous garden I had Gloire de Dijon and I hope to buy one for this garden too next year. Such a wonderful rose and that scent!!!!!!

I understand why you don't want to move that Peony, how beautiful she is!

Never heard that story about ants and peonies before, very amusing!

LostRoses said...

Thanks, Yolanda, and that's a good idea about changing the "faux" name. Would that translate to Dijon mustard? It might make me hungry to deadhead it! Do you get ants on your peonies?

Naturegirl said...

Peonies and roses my favorite! I am in love with my peonies at the moment! Yours are luscious!hugs NG

LostRoses said...

Don't you wish the peonies bloomed all summer, naturegirl? That would make me very happy!

Boxwood Cottage said...

Oh so beautiful to see your garden in pretty flowers now! :) Carol xox