INTERIOR FRONT GARDEN

Bound by a lattice deer fence of climbing roses, the front garden is the most mature and consists mainly of roses and perennials. After years of refining, few changes are made in the rose story- they are closely planted, often melding together. The roses are planted by color– this is the white garden still in bud, before the sun has made its way over the neighbor's elm trees.

The photographer usually avoids these early morning sunblasts, which she thinks of as spotlights on a dark theater stage. But this day, the light compelled experimentation.

The white rose section moves into red.

Oklahoma blooms were too dramatic not to photograph.

The photog's, gratified by the experiment, and is glad she caught Hermosa, Pink Gruss an Achen and Belle Story reveling in back light.

The garden beds are eight and ten-feet deep. Pink roses surround the house.

OUTSIDE THE DEER FENCE

Five years ago, due to a road change, the property was increased by a 1400 sq. foot strip of land that borders the fencing. How could the gardener not plant roses on such a tempting parcel?? 

"There are so many roses out there now that deer damage is barely noticeable!"

This view, from the west side, faces the back garden, where a board fence, muffled in roses, hides a space shaded by maples. A horizontal path separates layers of roses– Renae grows on the fence and Zephirine Drouhin and Soaring Spirits, flanked by westringia, are planted across the path. Plum and persimmon trees are poised on the upper corners of the shot.

Jeanne La Joie snuggles up to Peggy Martin, who's hurling over an expired tree, as Albertine looks on from the left. A space between the roses provides a small window on the fencing, which at this point, becomes lattice. 

CURB APPEAL

This is an early spring shot of about half of the additional land, which is bordered by an 8-foot sidewalk. The roses are mostly shrubs and allowed to reach maximum growth where appropriate.

 "There's nothing like a fulfilled rose."

About a month later, Perle d'Or and Kathleen have come into bloom. Grasses, catmint, lavender, persimmons, pomegranates, stand-by reseeders, and special Annie's Annuals finds, call this home amongst the roses.

The great Mel's Heritage, hybridized by Paul Barden, boasts only one year's growth on an 8-ft metal tuteur. This very special rose can be purchased through the San Jose Heritage Rose Garden. Sales of the rose, in honor of Mel Hulse, who helped develop this renown rose collection, help with fund raising for the garden.

Mel's Heritage fits in with the rose mix and its borrowed landscape.

The photog especially likes how the light handily showcases Rouletii's climbing progress on another metal tuteur.

To the left, the first blooms of Monsieur Tillier and Mutabalis.

The blue-green swath, running through mid-image, is a warning to the "rose placement planning committee". This is the rampant runner James Mason, a Gallica who has no boundaries.

Luckily the space is big enough to handle a few roses like this, even so, sometimes the gardener is not so sure.

THE CASE FOR ROSES AS FLOWERING SHRUBS

This image of pink wygelia reminds the gardener/photog why she is blogging.

When gardeners ask their nursery people suggestions for good spring flowering shrubs– they are introduced to the spring enchantresses– wygelia (ahem . . . ), forsythia, quince, lilac, philadelphus etc . . . These once-blooming beauties give 4-weeks of bloom, and depending on your location, 36-weeks as an ordinary leafy shrub, and 12-weeks as a leafless one.

So asks this rose blogger, "Why don't nursery people suggest shrub roses as fabulous, landscape worthy flowering shrubs?'

All the roses in this post fill the bill as special spring-flowering shrubs, and 14 out of 16 bloom more than once, and most are disease resistant in CA.

Need the gardener/photographer/blogger go on?

"I rest my case," she says.

And I hope you enjoyed this season's garden.

For a slide show at an earlier garden phase, if you haven't clicked the "My Garden" link in the sidebar, click here.

I'm joyous to be here!

Artist husband serendipitously laid this painting on the counter just after I'd assembled the bouquet. I love how its colored washes pick up the rose tints.  

French Lace, Snowbird, Sally Holmes, Madame Hardy and a few others made it into a bucket as I was pruning back the first flush. 

Didn't they end up making a sweet bouquet? I'd never used this vase, it doesn't look it, but it's actually flat from front to back. I was surprised that it required so many roses.

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Friend Susan visited the garden last week in search of a few special whites for a Martha Stewart feature. Take a look.

Kick off your rose season with a visit to the world famous collection of old roses at the Sacramento Old City Cemetery. It's Open Garden time and a first class opportunity to see the gorgeous rose shown here and hundreds more. You will also have the rare chance to purchase roses from this collection. If you haven't been, it's a must.

One of the cemetery figures is embarassed that I don't know the name of the rose featured here.

Please leave a comment if you know its name.

The image was just too pretty to pass up. And then Emily made it even more endearing.

Bee, I'm expecting you!

Was saying yesterday

To somebody you know

That you were due.

The frogs got home last week,

Are settled and at work,

Birds mostly back,

The clover warm and thick.

You'll get my letter by

The seventeenth; reply,

Or better, be with me

        Yours,

                Fly

~ Emily Dickinson

 
Soon after preppng this image, I happened upon Mr. Fly's letter in this charming book.

Yay, ED for children !

If you are interested in rose insects-  click.

Little Western Buttercress- cardamine oligosperma

The proliferation of this undesireable in our neighborhood has left this journalist stunned and eager to expound. But I thought how can I do an entire post about this silly weed? The answer, "Go for it with the buttercress, but feature two more weeds from a different viewpoint."

How innocent the LWB seedlings look, almost cute.

In fresh flower- yes- they are graceful, but before you can blink teensy fleurs become

dreadful popping canisters of barely visible seeds.

I continue to try and pull them before seeds pop and fly, only to discover a few days later that previously debris-hidden plants have emerged and matured!

Over the years, I've watched the progress of this impossible-to-control plant's germination in the beds of weed-blind neighbors near and far. I just do my part in the scheme of things, knowing that my own shoe soles might be spreading the joy of Little Western Buttercress.

Purple Vetch- vicia americana

I'd welcome a pitcher of this vibrant wild flower displayed on my kitchen table. But when hundreds of seedlings sprouted in more than 1000 square feet of new topsoil, I had second thoughts. No, purple vetch now had weed status, and would not be welcome in my garden. Unlike the buttercess, daily pulls eventually took care of the vetch invasion.

All these vicia images were taken outside the fence of Pamela Temple's rose garden, in Northern CA..

I don't know if Pamela has made some kind of pact whith this plant, because I don't recall seeing much of it amongst the thousand and more roses in her remarkable garden.

At Pamela's it's possible to enjoy both worlds.

Fireweed- epilobium angustifolium

Have you ever found yourself in someone's garden in shock that a certain weed (weeds) has been allowed to form seeds etc . . . ?

Well, I try to contain myself in such situations, but my eyes bugged out when I saw the curvaceous froth above. And please note that this stalk of fireweed is staked.

Where you ask might this plant be so featured? Inside the gate, and down the path about five-feet, amongst a melange of other tall beauties, stands epilobium angustifolium. I wasn't afraid to ask my darling friend Barbara Worl what it was doing there. Her simple answer, "I love it."

Back at my homestead, I pull up fireweed seedlings each spring never to see a mature plant. Barbara got me thinking though– maybe I should let one flower.

These two seedlings are still awaiting my decision. If you click this link, you'll probably intuit my plan, and I just read that firewweed leaves, gathereed before blooming, make a relaxing calmimg drink.

What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have never been discovered.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

'Pacific Clouds'.


What a pretty plant and ripe with buds.

The mossy pot would probably like regular spritzing.

Orchids are a staple at our house- this one had such a lovely instruction sheet from Florali- I thought I'd pass it on for those of you who might not know orchid care tips.

Thank you Judy!

The Prince, red rose at lower left, was talking to Irene, "Did you know that she only displayed one image of us all together from this session?"

"What? We did all that work for nothing? Surely people would like to see how gorgeous we looked that day."

"After all, we were the last big harvest of the year. Maybe she'll hear us. What do you think?"

"Maybe."

I knew the exuberance of playing before an admiring audience and hearing my secret voice.

~ Elia Kazan

The roots came within days- pretty and post-worthy, and the process gave me such an old-fashioned good feeling.

Then when my new wire vine plants (muehlenbeckia complexa) needed to be cut back to encourage fulness,

the leaves were so gorgeous, I put them in a celadon mug of water for display.

They were fresh and beautiful for weeks (months actually), and I thought they must have rooted.

Sure enough, and I was ecstatic, because i love this plant. I'm looking forward to using it as a filler for rose bouquets soon.

The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for goodness.

~ Dalai Lama

By no means do all plants root in water, and since I haven't done it much, I don't have a long list of possibilities. Ivy, geraniums, succulents (most can go in the ground here without roots) . . . I can't think of more at the moment. I'd love it if you'd help me out with plants you've rooted in water. Leave a comment, and many thanks,

C

Frosty dew is gorgeous, but I had hoped to pass on a little more info. It took awhile (weeks) before the plant and I were finally camera-ready. I caught the blooms open yesterday– they have a way of closing when the light is a tad off.

When not much else is blooming, clumps of this lovely plant are downright majestic. And I almost welcome its appearance anywhere in the garden. It does have that famous oxalis ability to regenerate freely, however it's the sort of plant no gardener should be without, and I'd dig up a clump for you if you happened by. The leaf-span is 2.25-inches.

Note the imposter leaf in the grid (second image)-- it's much smaller and belomgs to the more humble Oxalis crassipes or white wood sorrel.

For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.

~ Kahlil Gibran

A rose must remain with the sun and the rain or its lovely promise won't come true.

~ Ray Evans

Our weather's dance card says rain– for days– not to mention yesterday's storms. I thought a picture of "promise" fulfilled might be nice here. No, it's not a recent shot, but the garden is abrim with commitment.

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You can read and see more about this rose, Manchester Guardian Angel, here.

In order to pass inspection for a recent home addition we had to reconfigure our driveway, and this enormous rose is now in a pot– hopefully it's a survivor.