Jacques, Mary, Geoff, Constance, William and Gertrude...

( I created these collage grids using BeFunky )

I love roses. When I was little, I remember there was a lovely 'Albertine' rose in the garden.  That love has stayed with me and over the years, I have amassed a collection in my small back garden.  Some have come and gone, but others have stayed. Some are in the border, but most are in large pots.  With the uncharacteristically hot May weather we have been having in the UK over the last week, they have rushed to bloom. (While they may enjoy the sun and heat, I am struggling!)

Above, top line, left to right: Jacques Cartier; Mary Rose; Eyes for You.

Middle line, left to right: Cottage Rose; Olivia Rose Austin; Dannahue.

Bottom line, left to right: Geoff Hamilton; For Your Eye Only; Constance Spry.

Above, top left, going clockwise: William Shakespeare 2000; Gertrude Jekyll; Roald Dahl; Susan Williams-Ellis (the white one, bottom left corner) and Desdemona (my newest purchase, earlier this year.)

They are doing well and I am enjoying their perfumes.  This isn't the whole collection, as there are a few more yet to flower (Bring Me Sunshine; Ferdinand Pichard; Emily Bronte; Blush Noisette and New Dawn), so hopefully there will be more for us to enjoy. 

Everything's coming up roses...and alliums (part one)

Roses are a bit earlier this year, probably due to the very warm and dry Spring we had. I absolutely love my roses and often wander round the garden just to look at (and smell) them.  They are a joy.  On my wander round the garden this morning, I took my camera to capture the roses out at the moment. Above is Ferdinand Pichard.

This is Mary Rose, usually overshadowed by some miscanthus, but the grass is smaller than usual, which gives the rose more space.

Cottage Rose, about half way down the garden.

Here is one of the gorgeous alliums which is planted in the rose pot. It is sharing with rose Susan Williams-Ellis.  I think it is a Christophii, but it is huge!

Here is Susan Williams-Ellis again, on her own this time.

My favourite for scent, Gertrude Jekyll, looking and smelling wonderful.

Kew Gardens, which seems to be struggling a bit for some reason. I will be giving them a final feed this year soon, so hopefully that will help. 

Finally for now, William Shakespeare 2000, flowering earlier than usual and with lovely velvety petals. 

More to come in part two.

Roses, roses, roses...and clematis

The roses are blooming, despite the wet Spring we have had and I am loving them!.  Above, starting top left, going clockwise: Jacques Cartier; Mary Rose; Kew Gardens and Cottage Rose.

Again, top left, going clockwise: Olivia Rose Austin; Susan Williams-Ellis; Geoff Hamilton and Charles de Mills.

Top left, clockwise: Blush Noisette; Emily Bronte; Eyes for You and For Your Eyes Only.

Top is Dannahue, bottom right is Constance Spry and finally Gertrude Jekyll.  I still have a few which aren't in flower yet - William Shakespeare 2000, Ferdinand Pichard, New Dawn and Roald Dahl.  For a small garden, I have managed to squeeze a lot of roses in!  (I still have my eye on Bring me Sunshine, but I haven't quite got room for it...yet!)  

To add to the lovely roses, a couple of clematis are flowering too and they make good companions.  Above is Venosa Violacea.

Here is Prince Charles.  Princess Kate, Blue Angel and Perle D'Azur are not quite there yet, but are budding up.  No doubt there will be more photos to come...

Things to enjoy in the garden - after Storm Babet

We survived Storm Babet but have had Storm Ciaran creating havoc in the South of the UK, with high winds and more rain as it moves away.  So far, the garden seems to be coping.  I  have all the normal Autumn jobs to do - collecting leaves, planting tulips and insulating my pots.  These will get done as soon as possible.   You can tell Autumn proper is here by the change of leaves - above is a blueberry.

However, there is still some colour to enjoy.  This is Salvia Cerro Potosi.

Rose Blush Noisette is also still in bloom.

Japanese Anemone Bressingham Glow has been flowering since July but the flowers are now more muted in colour than the bright pink they were in the summer.  This lilac-pink shade is still rather lovely.

Hydrangea Merveille Sanguine is putting on some fiery autumnal shades too.

Rose Gertrude Jekyll has put out one final rose which is beautifully scented.  I am enjoying it while I can.

Hello to Jacques, Ferdinand, Mary, Olivia, Charles, Geoff, Constance...

 It is rose time again and I have been watching the roses slowly start to unfurl.  I so enjoy this time of year in the garden.

Photo grid created from Photo Grid Online App (photo-grid-online.com)

I do have rather a lot of pink roses.  

Above, top row, left to right are: Jacques Cartier, Ferdinand Pichard and Mary Rose.

Middle, left to right are: Olivia Rose Austin, Charles de Mills and Geoff Hamilton.

Bottom, left to right are: For Your Eyes Only, Constance Spry and Gertrude Jekyll.

This is Susan Williams-Ellis.  Still to flower are Blush Noisette, Cottage Rose, Eyes for You, Emily Bronte, William Shakespeare 2000, New Dawn and my newest acquisition, an apricot one, Dannahue.  I look forward to seeing them soon. I have had many roses over the years and quite a few have not stayed with me.  The ones I have now have all done well, either in borders or in pots and I hope they will be with me for many years to come. 

In other news in the garden, Camassia Silk River is in flower.  Described as lime green to white, they are lovely, shorter than the blue camassias and later to flower.  

Pretty creamy/green flowers.

I am also enjoying a few foxgloves and have just sowed some more ready for next year.  Above is an apricot one which I love.  I also have the purple ones and a white one too.  It's all so exciting at this time of year!

I shall keep a watch out for the next roses to flower.  

The start of the roses (and a couple of other plants...)

June is the month for roses and mine are just starting to bloom.  (I have no doubt further rose-based posts will follow once they really get going).  Above is Olivia Rose Austin - grown in a pot, really healthy and beautiful.

This is Winchester Cathedral which is really pretty but has got blackspot, so I am debating whether to keep it or not. It is also in a pot and that may be the problem, or it may just not be that healthy.

My favourite (don't tell the others) Gertrude Jekyll, growing in the border, with a gorgeous scent.

Kew Gardens looking pretty too.  

Other plants are joining in  with the roses.  Here is one of the alliums in the border.

This is geranium St Ola which I bought bare root from Wilkos.  It has lovely delicate white flowers and bright pink stamen stems, which I hadn't expected!

Finally, here is my little patio apple tree (James Grieve) which had lovely blossom earlier in the year and now has apples forming.  What a treat to be able to pick and eat my own apples!

Early June - everything's blooming!

All of a sudden, the garden has gone into overdrive.  The roses are flowering and everything is looking lush and gorgeous.  However, there is mildew and rust and a huge number of greenfly about, just to temper my enthusiasm.  The alliums are looking lovely and attracting the bees.

 I like this mix of alliums with the white foxgloves in the background.

 Erigeron is looking lovely too.

As is this dark astrantia, shoved rather unceremoniously into a pot.

I have noticed lots of bees, which is a good thing.

But, the stars of the garden are the roses.  One minute they were all tightly in bud, the next, there is a profusion of blooms.  Above is Geoff Hamilton with a single raindrop on its petals.

 This rose is also blooming away happily.  I think it is 'Eyes for You', but should check!

As are these.
Top row left to right: New Dawn, Ferdinand Pichard, Constance Spry
Middle row left to right: Darcey Bussell, The Pilgrim, Gertrude Jekyll
Bottom row left to right: Cottage Rose, Charles de Mills, Winchester Cathedral
There are other roses not featured yet which I have managed to cram into the garden.  There is something very indulgent about being surrounded by roses and I love it!

Playing with a new camera

Unfortunately, my Kodak camera which I have been really happy with for a few years, has decided to start letting me down over the battery charging.  If I charge it the night before I need it or the morning I need it, it is fine.  However, after that day, no battery.  I bought a replacement battery but it has proved to be the same, so I am thinking there might be something wrong.  It has taken some lovely photos and I have enjoyed using it, but I decided to buy a new camera. 

After a lot of research, I ended up with the Canon Powershot SX420 IS.  It is different, but it has recognisable buttons and functions.  It has mixed reviews online, but for the price I was happy to pay, it was one of the only options.

This photo is from the Canon website.

 So, I went into the garden to have a practise with it.  Cyclamen Hederifolium looking rather glamorous.

 The changing colours of  Blueberry Goldtraube...

...and again.

 One of the final blooming roses - Gertrude Jekyll.

 Lovely Hydrangea Arborescens Annabelle, fading elegantly.

Miscanthus Silberfeder I think, alongside Rose Gertrude Jekyll.  So far, the camera seems to be OK, although more practising is needed I think.  I'm not sure that the photos have quite the clarity of the Kodak, but time will tell.

End of June

(collage created using picmonkey)

As we near the end of June (this year is going much too quickly), it is a good time to look at roses. June has been good to them this year, despite the baking heat last week and then the heavy rain over the last few days.  I love roses and here are just a few:
top row, left to right: Chandos Beauty, Ferdinand Pichard, New Dawn
middle row, left to right: For Your Eyes Only, The Pilgrim, Eyes forYou
bottom row, left to right, Gertrude Jekyll, Madame Hardy, Rosa Mundi
I do have some deeper pink/red roses too, but haven't taken any photos of them yet, although I probably will.