A Lovely Spring

Cl. Old Blush never disappoints, and this year it surpassed my expectations. The canes didn't suffer any dieback last winter and this spring formed billowing curtains of fragrant pale pink and raspberry pink, leaving just enough room to squeeze through to enter the garden.

My completely unscientific observation is that the color stays more brilliant and even reintensifies in cooler weather. Last week's frosts didn't otherwise effect the roses at all.

The fig tree leaves didn't fare as well. New leaves will sprout but the overwintering figs were lost. However, this usually happens every spring.

The effect of the untamed canes makes the rose look it is being perpetually blown by a southerly gale. I thought about trying to restore order this past winter, but it would have been a two person job, G. was almost never home during daylight hours, even during weekends, so by default I decided not to do anything until after the first flush. The arrangement is not "neat" but I think the result is enchantingly dynamic.

The woodland phlox and Hillstar daffs have bloomed on and on this year. I've never seen a narcissus with as long a bloom time as Hillstar before. I have been super impressed with it.

'Hillstar' and 'Thalia'

I didn't get that many iris blooms this year, which has cemented my determination to move the bulk of the Brazilian Blue Sage and Four o'clocks out of this garden and in a bed by themselves closer to the house. That way the iris can be happy and the Sphinx moths and hummingbirds can be happy.

Mystery white iris. Casa Mariposa suggested it might be 'Barbara Walther' when she saw a picture of the beautiful white iris in Organic Gardening, but when I contacted a lady who works at Presby Gardens ~ a famous garden of historic irises ~ she didn't think my iris is 'Barbara Walther' after all. 'Barbara Walther' has a white beard and no fragrance that she could recall.

I was very impressed by how well the Baptisias came back from the freeze. The morning after they looked depressingly droopy.

But to my surprise they rallied and look as beautiful as ever:

Elsewhere in the garden, the new beds between the house and the original garden are filling in. To the right is a Rosa eglanteria seedling that was plunked there for convenience and which really needs a wall or trellis to grow up on. A project for this fall. And do you see the Snowbell tree (Styrax americana), to the left? It was almost taken out when the trees were cleared out during the house move, but it's regrowing now. The Snowbell and the Old Blush, especially when viewed together from the opposite side of the ditch, make a most charming combination.

The fragrance is divine.

View across the new beds

We have been planning to build a house for the well, but there are so many projects already. That's a job we need to hire out.

We just got a much appreciated soaking this weekend. We may get another frost this week (and a late one at that), but overall this has been a lovely spring.