A week of sunshine and suddenly all of the roses are out, and I’m trying to pick all the Sweet Peas to keep them going. I still haven’t put the tomatoes out though, in case a big wind comes up.
Continue reading “In a Vase on Monday – Roses and Sweet Peas”
Graham Thomas is a lovely colour, and a beautiful shape and fruity scent. I had to pull all the leaves off though, they were so black spotty, whereas the Iceberg is also beautiful and scented and has beautiful healthy leaves. However it’s the supporting actor not the star.
After two perfect days which were more like Autumn than the first days of Winter, today’s Queen’s Birthday holiday started out with rain. It was a nice day to stay a little longer in bed, but eventually I ventured out to take photos from under the awning on the porch.
Iris unguicularis is flowering, which always reminds me of Beverly Nichols who called her a ‘prima donna’. Luckily, (and touch wood) she seems to like me, although I have only one, rather than 20 as he did. From ‘Down the Garden Path’ :
The best of all is the Iris stylosa, (or the Iris unguicularis, if you are feeling high hat). It is a real sky blue . . . not the deep blue of summer, but the brilliant paler blue of a frosty January day. The lower petals have gold patches in their centres, spotted with purple. If you want a finer flower than this in winter, you had better go and lock yourself up in your greenhouse and sing hymns.
Absent Gardener 