The Parsley Patch

The David Austin rose Gentle Hermione is a vigorous, upright grower for me. The blooms are the perfect old rose form that is blushed with the lightest and gentlest pink. The fragrance however, is anything but gentle. It is a strong powerful scent that fills a room much like a peony does. Heaven!

The snowy white amaryllis on the piano has started to bloom. I wasn’t sure it would as the bulb had start to get soft and rot in the vase. This is the first success I’ve had with growing an amaryllis this way as they always tend to rot and die before blooming. Quite lovely reflecting the light on the snow from outside.

While hanging the flags for Christmas a couple of weeks ago, I noticed that Graham Thomas was trying to bloom! As we approach the Winter Solstice, he is getting confused and must be thinking it’s the Summer Solstice!

Despite record-breaking heat and drought, the medicine wheel garden is lush and vibrant. Thanks to 9″ of rain, one last glimmering of the gardening season sprang to life. The pink begonias and purple ageratum that somehow weathered their way through summer are joined by bugbane, orange chrysanthemums and Joe Pyeweed that has volunteered itself into [...]

We decided to give the David Austin rose, Anne Boleyn a try this year and thought she would be perfect for in a large pot. Nearby, the first delphinium of the season is blooming. The blooms are varying shades of pink and very lovely with the most delightful fragrance. Very Tudor-ish and appropriately named!

Buff Beauty is a hybrid musk rose that is rambling along the front fence line. Its bloom was spectacular this year with lots of creamy yellowish blooms with delightful fragrance. Quite a versatile rose, it can be grown as a shrub, trained to climb or left to ramble along a fence line. We’ve tried all [...]

Whether or not the Lady of the Lake who glides across a mist-laden lake to and from Avalon in Arthurian legend was in mind when this rose was named, I had to have it for the implied connection. I was looking for a pillar rose for in the ‘Magic Garden’ and nothing could’ve been more perfect.

Floating like an island amid a carpet of creeping thyme, the peony patch showcases showy peonies that were planted over 20 years ago. Ageratum, red ‘Flower Carpet’ roses and blue salvia compliment the display in mid June.

‘The Impressionist’ is a gorgeous and vigorous climbing rose. As it begins to bloom, every shade of violet, rose, pink, apricot, yellow and orange show in the petals. Once it’s fully open it transforms into a luscious golden sunflower yellow with a hint of orange. It is supposed to be strongly fragrant, but the blooms so far have only be mildly so. This is the first year this rose has bloomed and was started from a purchased cutting last summer.

The ‘Tommy’ crocuses in the Medicine Wheel were in full bloom today. This is a mix of Crocus tommasinianus species and “Ruby Giant.”