And so it goes...late spring

A couple of us dropped by the gardens this morning to plant some flower seeds and trim some vigorous rose stems.  I snapped a few photos to share with you, too.  

While we were viewing the herb garden we spotted this little bunny under the Lemon Balm.  It's hard to see in this photo, but he was very tiny.  Just barely bigger than a mouse! It's clear that he is living in the garden.  There are bite marks in the radishes, and some of the herbs are well munched on, too. 

Feverfew with it's daisy formed flowers are a favorite in the herb garden. 

Love-in-a-mist growing around the plow. 

Borage flower viewed from above. 

Onion seed head getting ready to bloom. 

Things are beginning to fill in. 

We have tomatoes!  (Thanks, Jean.)  Now lets hope the weather warms up so they get a chance to ripen. 

Moon and Stars Watermelon. I love the speckled leaves. 

Cabbage rosette. 

Orach leafing out. 

The hops wants to take over the world, I think.  It gets larger by the day! 

Roses - some are on their last little bit of blooming.  The later ones are looking really good right now. This is Silver Moon.  

Shailers White Moss ...  love the pink-white shade of the blooms. 

Old Cardinal is almost finished blooming. 

Virginiana is blooming nicely. The leaves are a dusty sage color, which contrasts so well with the moss rose beside it (photo below).  She is so tall, most of the blooms are on the very top of the bush.  

This is our Sweetbriar rose.  The leaves have a green apple scent if you crush or break them.  The blooms are very small, see photo below for scale.  

As we walk around the garden, we don't just see the face of the plants.  There is interest in the stems and sepals too.  I love the mossing on this Shailers White Moss rose. 

And the star of the garden in June, the Rosa Mundi with their unique striping.  The hedges are just full of blooms, and spent blooms too.  With all the rain they are a bit soggy right now.  But it's still worthwhile to stop in and see it all for yourself!  

The magic of spring

Pink, and white and purple - oh my! The spicy fragrance drifting on the breeze as you walk along the path. The Rosa Mundi  with their stripy blooms have a whiff of cinnamon. If you walk to the back of the garden bury your nose in the prolific old garden Cabbage Roses. The scent can take you back to a much simpler time.  But my favorite scented rose in the garden is the lovely Belle Isis. With her button eye and sugar pink petals, she takes a my breath away.

So much to see, touch, smell and hear in the garden in early June. If you have the chance, stop over and take the time to smell those roses while they are still in bloom. 

The pathway leads to the rose garden planted with our Rosa Mundi hedge. 

With her stripy petals and fragrent scent she welcomes you in to the garden. 

The lovely pink Belle Isis gives pause to admire her tightly formed bloom (above and below)

Charles Lawsons covered with raindrops.

One of the four moss roses, Shailers White Moss. He blooms on a tall, arching bush.

The Cabbage Roses are along the arbor, giving a sweet smell to the corner of the garden. 

Sweetbriar with his petit blooms and fine foliage.

Above and below, Dog Rose and Multiflora Thunburg make a pretty hedge along the lawn at the end of the garden. 

William Lobb, above & Henri Martin below,  two more moss roses.

Belle Isis in the rain, above, and below is our China rose, Jean Bach Sisley.

Harison's Yellow, always the first to bloom.

Herbs are in flower too - sage (above), and chives (below).

The Lupine is almost done for the season.

The vegetable garden is beginning to fill in. Red Wethersfield Onion is going to seed, and the radishes are almost ready to harvest. 

Old Cardinal Rose with his green center, pictured in various forms above, and the next two photos below. 

A crab spider hanging out. 

An interesting color variation on the Cardinal rose.

Single-petals in the Richardii rose at the back of the garden.

Multiflora Carnea rise.

Rosa Mundi

Cabbage, above and Orach, below. 

Stay tuned for more snapshots as the garden year continues.