Two of my prairie roses (Rosa setigera) that I started from seed a few years ago have grown together to form a solid hedge over 25 feet long. I love it! The smaller silvery plant is front is our native Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum incana). The foliage has a wonderfully minty fragrance, and I wanted something that could take competition, was tough, and attracted a lot of pollinators. Both Niche Gardens and the NC Botanical Garden have written about how mints attract many different types of insects, so I wanted to try it. As a bonus, I love how the silvery foliage looks with the pink roses.
May 30, 2011
The pollinators love Prairie Rose and I mean love it!
Native bumblebee on left, honeybee on right.
Native bumblebee on left, honeybee on right.
I think this bee must be about maxed out on the pollen that she can carry.
I've started several other R. setigera from seed; this one is about 3 years old. All are next to the driveway above the house, mixed in with American Beautyberries, Elderberries, (Pokeberries ~ in parentheses because I'm not sure I want them to be there... love the look of the berries but not the rest of the plant), rugosas, mints, Monarda, Blue Mist Shrub, a Vitex tree, and a couple of Baptisia, the dryland B. tinctoria and B. sphaerocarpa .
And, this beautiful Soapwort that I got from raingardener.
The flowers are lovely in all stages of aging, appearing a bright clear pink in sunlight and lilac-pink at dusk. They lack only fragrance.
I also grow another Prairie Rose (Rosa arkansana) that I started from seed from Prairie Moon Nursery. A much smaller rose and sweetly fragrant, this rose will repeat while R. setigera is a once bloomer. The flower color ranges from pale to deep pink.
We got almost 2" of rain over the weekend, much needed, and a lot of lightening too. All of our buildings have lightening rods on them, to ground any lightening strikes, but close strikes are still scary. We are expecting cooler temps this week, also much needed, and will be a nice change from the roasting pan of the last two weeks!
Blogger is still apparently having problems; if you don't have a pop-up window for comments or the option for anonymous posters to leave their name and url, I can't leave a comment on your blog. *update* Rose told me that a way around the problem is not to check the box to stay signed in when logging in to comment ~ worked like a charm. Thank you Rose!
Beautiful pictures of your Prairie Roses and bees!!! We got much needed rain yesterday. Have a happy day!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful pics as always! We're also enjoying the cooler temps here in NJ which means more time to spend outside and not fry. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful post to start my morning with! I enjoyed looking at your roses (and bees). Species roses look lovely in your garden, and I admire your hedge of r. setigera. It is so beautiful, as are the blooms up close with those simple pink petals and a big boss of stamens. Thank you for posting.
ReplyDeletePrairie Roses ? Lovely bushes ! From seed ? Even more beautiful for me !
ReplyDeleteThose roses are a delight! and the yellow centre is like an explotion of colour!
ReplyDeleteI love to visit your garden.
big kiss!
Caroa
I really like how wild and unfettered this rose looks, not stilted and formal like too many others. It just looks happy (and the bees do too). You're right, it looks good even in decline, with its untamed, pretty, pinky tatters!
ReplyDeleteI like the fact you grew many from seed.
ReplyDeleteThey're beautiful roses and the soapwort is special too.
Ale pszczoły maja raj. Pozdrawiam
ReplyDeleteFabulous bee captures, as always! I added that mountain mint to my meadow garden after seeing it at the Lurie in Chicago - it seems to want to spread, but that's okay where I've put it...
ReplyDeleteA repeat bloomer and fragrance? Sounds like a winner to me. I have never done roses from seed. I am in awe of how large your shrubs have become in just a couple years.
ReplyDeleteGreat bee pictures!
Hi Sweetbay, a 25 ft hedge of prairie roses sounds just about like heaven - and it is heaven for the bees! Wow, your roses are just covered in blooms. No wonder that cute little bee is loading up. :)
ReplyDeleteWell what a song that must be..listening to all the bees in the prairie rose hedge on a hot spring day.
ReplyDeleteSuch a special garden you have Sweetbay....so much growing, so generous with your photos. Beautiful.
Well, I couldn't miss a post with a title like this:) I'm amazed how quickly these Prairie Roses have grown in such a short time. Simply beautiful; obviously the bees think so, too.
ReplyDeleteI had a problem with Blogger a few weeks ago, too. Someone suggested not checking the box that says "stay signed in." Once I did that, I was able to leave comments again, though I have no idea why.
They are very pretty and it is nice seeing the bees. I envy your rain!
ReplyDeleteSweetbay,
ReplyDeleteLove these roses. Never even notice bumble bees with pollen these girls were loaded down.
Rose, thanks for the tip!
ReplyDeleteDear Sweetbay,
ReplyDeleteYou are so talented with growing from seeds. How it must feel to see a twenty-five foot long hedge that you grew from seed! Brava!
Gorgeous! Your photos are so amazing, I feel like I should almost be able to smell them!
ReplyDeleteGreat shots of the bumblebees on the beautiful roses.
ReplyDelete