Landscape Roses

In general, I don’t see the point of growing roses that don’t have any fragrance. If nothing else, how do you stop and smell the roses if they don’t have any smell? On the other hand, azaleas and camellias don’t have any noticeable smell and we grow those. Also, if you have a lot of different roses, having a few that are fragrance free is fine, I suppose, just as you might grow some that bloom only once rather than all summer long.

These rose flowers, which are almost too red for the sensor of my camera, are at my mother-in-law’s house. I have to admit that they are quite beautiful, particularly when they are covered with flowers. They are “in between” flushes right now, but they will come back and bloom again and again until it gets too cold, probably well into October or possibly even November. It’s hard not to like a plant that blooms so well, even without the fragrance. And what a red.

Campanula Flowers

I posted a picture of a syrphid fly on a campanula stamen but thought it might be nice for you to see the flowers as well as the flies that they attract. Cathy got these from Janis last year or the year before and they are doing well in a spot under a large silver maple in our back yard. It’s in open shade and gets a fair amount of light although not a lot of direct sun. This was taken this morning before the shade of the tree fell on them and I think they look lovely against the blue of the sky. Fortunately the grass wasn’t too wet, as I got down on my back to take this.

Campanula Flowers

The plants are about four feet tall and don’t seem to need any staking. From our kitchen window they are seen against the grayish brown trunk of the maple, which helps them show up, particularly in the early morning and late afternoon when the slanting rays of the sun hit them.

So, if you are looking for something to brighten up your garden, you could do a lot worse than getting some campanula. I’ve even grown it from seed in the past, which is about the easiest and cheapest way to grow anything (short of having someone else give you the plants and put them in the ground for you, of course).

Cathy with her Flowers

As you can see, Cathy is fond of them.

Mulberry Leaves

I love the color of leaves when the light is coming through them. I could sit or lie on the ground for a long time and just look up at the leaves against the sky. They are only more beautiful in the fall when they turn all different colors but even when they are all green they are such a huge collection of colors that it’s spectacular. In this case, I was sitting at a little picnic table outside my office looking up through mulberry leaves. They were not in full sun, so the shadows were not sharp edged and the brightness range was manageable.

Hydrangea quercifolia (Oakleaf Hydrangea)

A couple years ago I planted an oakleaf hydrangea in a reasonably shady spot in our front yard. It’s doing well and has been blooming for a little over a week now. The flowers are an antique white sort of color and are in large panicles about a foot long. This shrub is only about four feet tall but it’s growing nicely and should fill in over time. I particularly like the fall color of the leaves, which is a rich, deep, claret color.

Lilies

As everything else this spring, the lilies are ahead of their normal schedule. Our first two flowers are officially open in May. While I can’t say I’ve kept careful records over the years, I’m pretty sure that’s unusual. These are relatively short plants growing in a container on our back patio. Cathy picked off little bulbils from some my dad planted in his yard and these grew from that. Bulbils are little bulblets that grow in the leaf axils of some lilies.