What's growing now in the garden

OK. This is it. When I grumble in the spring about black spot, I need to remember right now. This is the worst it will get.... It's right before I chop all of the rose bushes down with hedgers and start over. The bushes are starting to put out new growth again, so I'll have a pretty good rose crop in September if I summer prune them this weekend. Here's the David Austin bed...almost completely destroyed.

Remember when it used to look like this just a few months ago? Sigh...

The front garden is just a mass of green now. I really need to add summer perennials to this bed to last between Spring and Fall. The Rudbeckia on the side is interesting. I didn't plant this...I actually planted really pretty Cherry Brandy Rudbeckias in the past but it looks like they have been overrun.

The side rose bed has the same black spot affliction. Really interesting that the best rose still intact is Mr. Lincoln. He only gave me one bloom in the spring and instead spent all of his energy growing VERY tall. There's one bud on this bush now. He's the one growing up to the window. A few roses here and there.

The best looking bed of all is my new perennial bed and it's not even the perennials that are doing so well in this bed. It's the annuals! The zinnia seeds that I threw in the bed have taken off and are gorgeous. I think I'll plant these next year in the front bed. This is before the dahlias come up. Can't wait until both are really going.

The colors of these are fantastic and fun to photograph. They will look really cute cut in the new bathroom too.

Spring Flush

Remember this in February.....uggh!

Not like this anymore! Spring Flush is here! Pretty much all of the front garden roses are in bloom and most spring blooming perennials. I maybe have a few more things to bloom but once the roses start to burst on the ground like they are now, and the scent has completely filled the air, I know I'm near the peek.

On the left is one of my favorite David Austin's Wildeve. I couldn't bear to put her in the back in the David Austin bed because the blooms and scent are so perfect in my garden. If I had to pick one David Austin, it might be this one. Although, it is impossible to pick a favorite.....more to come on this rose. She's sitting next to Julia Child who hasn't bloomed yet.

This is the side rose garden in full bloom. Beautiful Black Cherry pops right in the middle of the bed and large pink Chicago Peace and Summer of Love glow.

Multiflora looking lovely. Midas Touch, Moondance and Play Boy showing up in this shot behind the boxwood.

The corner is filled with young Easy Does Its and Rainbow Sorbet. That's Moondance on the left and Graham Thomas on the right. The big climber is Iceberg that hasn't bloomed yet which is a bit weird. But honestly, the thing gives me so much grief with blackspot that I'm happy that he won't bloom for a few days. Very young daylillies line the front of the bed.

You can't really see the new plastic edging right? Yahoo!

Close-up of the corner Easy Does Its. You can see the Calla Lillies coming up. I planted these a few years ago throughout the front bed. That's Cherry Brandy Rudbeckia on the left. I planted 1 small plant 2 years ago and it's taking over the corner. I love it in the summer though so it can grow however big it wants. Jackman Clematis climbing up the Iceberg.

Gertrude Jekyll blooms and double knock-outs. Anemone foliage in the front and that's a Lion's Fairy Tale rose trying to make it past bossy Gertrude. In the far right of the shot you can see the garlic. I plant garlic throughout the bed because it's supposed to keep the aphids away. It seems to work pretty well for me. I noticed a decent decrease after I started planting it. I also have a ton of lilies in this bed which helps too.

And just because I love the gorgeous colors, have to show another shot of the very handsome Play Boy.

Remember the David Austin bed from February?....

The bed is looking very pretty with huge blooms and lovely fragrance now. From left to right....Christopher Marlowe, Abraham Darby and Golden Celebration. I remember thinking that I should probably space out some of these because they were getting too big. ....

Yep, probably should have done that.....

The Dark Lady.

Next up will be the back garden which is filled with most of my Old Garden Roses and Hybrid Musks. Not quite ready yet....