Tuesday, June 24, 2008

A Tale of Two Flowers

Cultivated and Wild flowers are blooming in my small but densely planted garden.
The third Rosebush nearly in flower. This Red Floribunda is called Red Devil. I hope it will flower fully soon.The tightly packed petals glowed in sundays sunshine.It has a healthy five flower buds on the single growing stem.The colour is so bright, its torch like against the green foliage of the right border.

Margaret Merrill, A beautiful Tea Rose with sumptuous White flowers with a peach flush.Alas this plant has been ravaged by blackspot and is the strongest fragrance so far.Its so sweet and citrusy the scent.I will try to grow it again next year and try to preempt the blackspot.It was stored stacked up in a plastic bag outsideHampsons,along with hundreds of other bare root roses.The stems were not cut at the correct angle so its suffered from poor health. I need to give it tender loving care to make it flower more prolifically and with good vigour.

Climbing Rose Iceberg, in flower with no blackspot or leaf problems. It is perfectly happy in the shade of the out house wall growing in the pot. A few aphids have been the only problem. Niels tells me this grows really well and is famed for its masses of white blousy flowers! A star performer for this funny sunny and wet June.

The Fireweed is famed in Canada for predicting winter.The flowers grow up a pink minuet from the base upwards.When the final flower is done it is said that winter hits Canada within a month.
This is a perennial plant that is spread by the underground Rhizomes and by the feather like seed head after it has flowered.
I cut it down as it had outgrown the small garden and was taking over the left border. I have it as a cutflower in my glass with some freshly cut Sweet Peas.The plant is still blooming too so i can admire the delicate pink and purple flowers.
It grows massively along the long causeway that i walk to work along. I thought it was a gift from the ghostly gardener, It is just a well established perennial wildflower.
I wander if it has been cultivated as the flowers are beautiful?

The Fireweed flower close up.It is called Fireweed because as Canada has wild fires this plant colonises first in the burnt ground.The stems were as thick as tree branches.
Flowers both cultivated and wild growing in my garden side by side..

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

that is a perfect white rose!

arlene,
Port Orchard florist

Niels Plougmann said...

I really like Margaret Merril to even though they are smal over here and idfficult to grow. I love every floer I get. (It´s not a tea rose or Hybrid Tea, most classify it as floribunda rose). But who cares the flowers are so beautiful and fragrant!
Interesting that you like Sweet Peas too - there are so many good varieties. And you are right - it is better to pick them so they do not form seedpods, since that will inhibit further growth and flowers to form. I have always like the fireweed too! They are everywhere over here too - did not know that the English name was fireweed. I learned a new english plantname today. Take care david! I am going fishing for salmon for 5 days.

David (Snappy) said...

thanks Arlene from Tacoma..
Hi Niels.I really must learn about the different forms of Roses.I loved the Margaret Merrill.The fragrance of her Rose blooms saved her because of the problem with black spot.
I keep picking the Sweet Peas to make more flowers.I love Fireweed too, it is spectacular wild flower.
hope you enjoyed your fishing trip.The great outdoors!