Striped Prince

Consume striped prince of  the milkweed,
Conquer the soft green plains,
And drink the milk of victory.
Swell with every engulpment
Until finally, wrapped in armor,
Cease the striving of youth
And burst out as glorious Monarch.

Roses

These roses bloomed last month but I never posted the pictures.  A superduper classic red rose with lots of spicy fragrance - Chrysler Imperial.  It does need winter protection but I've had this one for about 10 years so it's pretty tough.  Well worth the effort.

 This one I got when Spring Garden used to offer its rose bundles - for a good price you got 3 roses of their choice.  I got it one year with the Chrysler Imperial.  I don't remember its name but it has a lovely subtle peachy yellow colour and it actually smells like tea.

This rose if affected by the heat and the flowers droop in hot weather, but the colour is so beautiful. Don't remember its name either, perhaps Helene Faubert.

 This is the rugosa, Blanc Double de Coubert.  Extra hardy - no winter protection, blooms well and has a powerful, fresh scent.  A bit prone to bugs eating it.

I have a couple of Explorer roses which are very hardy, but I have found them disappointing.  The flower form is boring , they have basically no scent and they don't bloom particularly well for me.  I would prefer to get something more attractive that has some fragrance even if I need to mulch for winter. 

Rose Campion and Canterbury Bells

 

                                                  

I always like to check out the clearance plants at the end of the season because it's a cheap way to try out new plants.  Sometimes you get something you really didn't expect because its tag got misplaced or traded with some other plants. Last summer, I bought three plants labelled as Lamb's Ears (Stachys) but one of them turned out to be Rose Campion (Lychnis Coronaria)  What a pleasant surprise! I really like the strong branching shape of the Rose Campion, and the vibrant pink flowers.  It is a short-lived perennial , often grown as a biennial and it can handle a dry location.  Like most fuzzy- leaved plants, it doesn't like to be soggy in the fall. I have it planted on a slight slope so the drainage is good.  Apparently it self-seeds quite well, so I hope to have more in the future.  Also read that if I cut it back after the first blooms are finished, it may bloom again.

Another bargain from last year  is this Canterbury Bells plant. It is a tall plant and it flopped over so I picked the spray of flowers for inside.  They stayed looking fresh in the vase for over a week - a great cut flower.  I was so impressed that I bought another plant this year and planted it next to the arbour with the clematis so that I can tie it to the arbour to keep it from falling over. Now a couple of weeks later, I've noticed that the remaining stem where I broke off the flower stalk is making more buds so I guess I'll have some new flowers in August. It's handling the heat and dry weather in a half-shade location. Also comes in blue or white.

Red Beebalm

Red beebalm is a wonderful plant for naturalizing. It's too aggressive for a formal garden, but adds a punch of colour to a wilder planting.  It will do well in sun or even quite a bit of shade.  Loamy soil is best, but it's not fussy.

Life is Simple

 Life is simple when you're little.

 Sleep

Eat

Jackmanii Clematis

I love my Jackmanii clematis.  It makes so many blooms and grows so tall (over 6')even though I cut it down to 6" each fall.  This vine is in partial shade and its roots are shaded by some other perennials.  It needs to be watered if there hasn't been a lot of rain, but, other than that, it takes care of itself.

Cutie No. 2

 A few days ago, Cutie No. 2 arrived.  She (he?) is a day or two old in this picture. I love the big ears.

The palomino mare is keeping close to the other mother, making sure that the new baby is safe.

 The baby had just had a drink a few minutes before.  A full tummy and the warm sun is proving to be very soporific.

 And the hay makes a nice bed.  What is baby No. 1 doing when all this is happening?



She's sleeping next to Mama.