Roses and Other Garden Friends

Like people, roses are a varied and complex species. I have a friend in California whose bushes number in the hundreds! 

But I only have a few varieties of tea roses and three David Austin bushes. Two are Litchfield Angel, which you see here. I think they must be pretty hardy, and they are certainly prolific. I love the informal "loose" look of the blooms. (And, of course, the creamy white color!)

This particular variety has a droopy stem. They almost look better to me in a vase than on the bush! But for a brief spring moment the bush itself can look quite spectacular in full bloom. Mine are just getting started.

Just a few scattered roses can look so lush when gathered together.

When I think that I am saving just a few from the weather, I can end up with an abundant display.

This bunch has essentially arranged itself.

We do have a big knock out rose and a couple of root stock roses that have reverted to wild. They aren't great in a vase, but they enliven a desert garden.

In fact, there's a lot in my ad hoc garden that has chosen itself. Some of what thrives here is adjacent to the lawn and sprinkler system. (Thank heavens!)

And I'm so glad for the old dependables in the landscape like the English Ivy, and the sturdy desert shrubs.

A little Sweet William is popping up in a  big pot after three or four years here. It must really like the spot it's in.

This might be "Snow In Summer." It was a small plant gifted to me one year, and it really wants to live, as it gets trampled a lot near the bird feeders.

I like the sage colored leaves with the white flowers.

The brushy shrub with red blooms is a Salvia variety that hummers, bees, and butterflies love.

The yellow bush is a drought resistant Potentilla, which butterflies also love.

We've had a recent bout of rainy weather to perk everything up before our long hot summer ahead. Seems for now that my plants are almost as happy to be here as I am to have them!

It seems all my posts are outdoorsy ones lately, but that's probably because I can hardly stay inside these days! Pretty soon it will be too hot.

So glad for your visit today too! Have a nice holiday weekend. Thanks for popping in!

Yours,

Jacqueline