Transplanting a climbing Rose

Whew, finally on the other side of Christmas and looking forward to gardening again.  My first thought is to move my favorite climbing rose called Cecil Brunner that have clusters of sweetheart pink baby roses with the most wonderful fragrance. Where I have it now does not get enough sun to get the most blooms.  It's a very vigorous rose and I'm going to move it to a sunnier spot on an arbor that already has Constance Spry pictured here on one side, a gorgeous large cupped rose and also vigorous.  I moved another climber , Lady Banks one summer because it was taking over my deck railing as an experiment thinking I didn't care if I lost it. It was not a good idea to move it in the middle of summer, I lost most of the length of the canes and it's struggled to come back.  The best time to move a rose or climbing rose is when it's dormant or late winter to early spring, for us in the Pacific Northwest that is January or February.  I look for when it loses it's leaves. 

Sometimes I will take cuttings in case I lose the plant I'm moving.  You can take cuttings in fall or early spring before new leaves start to break out.  Cut a 9" pencil size new stem not using the flimsy tip of that cane with buds that are close together and about 6 buds so you can put 3 buds below the soil level and 3 above.  Dig a hole about 6" deep in good well drained soil and in a morning sun area only. Put the stem in so that 3 buds are below and 3 above and take off any leaves except for a couple top leaves. Water well and don't let them dry out.  Take several cuttings so you are sure to have some that take and some may not.

Now back to moving the climber.  Prepare the hole first and dig a 2' deep  and 1 1/2' wide hole , prepare compost and processed manure mixture for the hole and mound the center for the roots of the rose to spread over.  Now cut back the canes of the climber by 1/3 to healthy outside buds at a 45 degree angle and cut out any unhealthy, old canes or crossing canes.  Now dig the rose up and dig deep to get as much of the roots as possible.   Try not to disturb the roots as much a possible, roses can be temperamental to move. Spread the roots over the cone of soil and fill in the hole with the good soil you have prepared.  The soil level should be at the bud union at the base of the rose. Make a water catching well around the outside of the soil and water well and keep well watered. 

I can't wait to get out there and move my rose, I still have leaves on my roses right now.  I think maybe mid January I may get to move it.  Here is a photo of my Constance Spry rose on the other side of the arbor, I don't have a photo of Cecil Brunner because it's just never bloomed much.  I hope to get a great photo this summer to post providing all goes well with transplanting.   Good luck! and Happy New Year! Happy Gardening! Time to start planning the garden, oh I'm getting excited now.  I took a break from posting but I will be posting much more now that the holidays are over.  I hope everyone had a great holiday.

Fly Agaric Mushrooms

Hey look what we found in Corvallis, Oregon on a walk on Thanksgiving.  I have never seen these mushrooms in person. It was so cool to find one and I mean just ONE, we kept looking for another but no luck. This one was not so perfect but it really stood out even under all the thicket I had to crawl through to get this photograph. It's botanical name is Amanita muscaria and is poisonous and psychoactive. I have read that they are usually found in the northern hemisphere , can't believe I have never seen one till now after all the outdoor hiking, ect I have done. This one was about the size of my fist.  Somehow I guess I never really thought they were real.

Pressed Leaves Art on Antique Table

Now is the time for indoor garden projects.  This is an antique tea table that I refinished and added a wood insert with a wood transfer of my pressed leaves and tapastry pattern art.  I had never done a wood transfer before and I found several posts of instructions on Utube, lots of fun. The wood grain shows through the art and small parts of the transfer is rubbed off giving it an antiqued look. I sanded and stained the old table with a dark stain then painted it with the turquoise paint then sanded off areas to look worn from age.  Lots of fun.   I was inspired by my friends at http://www.withatwistdesigns.blogspot.com/ who is also my neighbor and her best friend who have a business together upcycling old finds and has their work at the Faded Elegance Shop in Snohomish, Washington. Thanks for all your tips from your blog, I can't wait to try more.

New Shop on Etsy

Here is one of the journals I now have in my new 'Etsy' shop.   There is so much fun stuff on this site, some really creative artists.  I have lots more to add to my shop and I will get them added soon. Lots of fun to shop on this site! I hope you will visit.  www.etsy.com/shop/mypetalpress

Plants with Colorful Berries for Fall

There are so many cool plants with colorful berries to choose from like: Callicarpa bondinieri 'Profusion' (Beauty Berry) zones 6-8, Ilex verticillata (mispelled on the photo)'Winter Red' and 'Gold Berry' zone 3-9, Virburnum tinus 'Spring Bouquet' zones 8-10, Pyracantha Firethorn 'Mojave' zones 6-9, Cotoneaster horizontalis (Rock Cotoneaster) zones 3-9.

Sarcococca confusa (Sweet Box) zones 6-9,
Berberis thunbergii 'aurea' (Japanese Barberry) and (Helmond Pillar Barberry) zones 4-8,
Cornus sericea (Red Twig Dogwood) zone 2.
These are just a few choices. 

Fall Color Ground Cover

This is Pericaria (Polygonum) afine, commonly called Himalayan Fleece Flower and has gorgeous fall color.  Good for zones 3-9.

Tiger Eyes Sumac Fall Color

Here is the fall color of the Tiger Eyes Sumac that I promised to post. I don't know if a photograph does it justice, it is neon , one of my favorite fall color shrubs. I have a few suckers of this one and think I'll move one of them to another place in the garden.  This one is a little thirsty sitting next to the neighbors hedge, it grows fast so I'll have another in no time.  See previous post of Tiger Eyes Sumac for more information by entering name in the "search this blog" box.

Garden Bench

My favorite part of my part-time job is decorating around the Garden Bench and putting plants in the display that need a little extra help to sell.  Sometimes plants on the table just sit there until they are put in the display with other plants and it's fun to watch the customers stop to take them out of the display.  Even though we had few customers yesterday, the plants just flew out of the display all day as fast as I could replace them. Here is Heuchera 'Pewter Moon' and 'Encore' which sell easily on the table but they still want the ones out of the display. Along with 'Chocolate' Eupatorium, a wine colored Chrysanthemum, and Lobelia cardinalis.  The hot seller yesterday was an Aster called 'Prince' in the display between the Chrysanthemums.

Fall Leaves Glass Platter

Here's a preview of a new product that will be on http://www.mypetalpress.com/ website soon.  I made this one in fall last year so this one is sold.  It is a 12" round glass platter made with real pressed leaves and flowers and a copper rim. Each one will be unique because they are real botanicals.  I can't wait to get started on some new ones, there are so many gorgeous fall leaves right now.  You can also find a link here in the upper left hand corner of my blog. I will also have candy dishes, squares and some that will be prints of my original designs instead of "real" botanicals. Happy Fall! 

List of Late Summer Blooming Perennial Flowers

Here is the rest of my list for late summer bloomers. It has become quite a list, I just kept seeing more to add, here it is even though summer is officially over. You can still find them in the nurseries and get them in for next years blooming. Japanese Anemones zone 5, as seen in this picture is one of my favorites. Rudbeckia Goldstrum (Blackeyed Susans) zone 4, Aconitum (Monks hood) zone 4, Chrysanthemum zone 6, Delphinium (second blooming) zone 3, Gaillardia (Blanket Flower) zone 4, Stokesia laevis (Stokes Aster) zone 5, Agapanthus (African Lily, Lily of the Nile) zone 8, Dianthus plumarius (Cottage Pinks) zone 4, Lobelia cardinalis (Scarlet Lobelia) zone 3, Helenium autumnale (Helen's Flower, Sneezeweed) zone 4, Chelone obiqua (Turtle Head) zone 5, Schizostylis coccinea (Kaffir Lilly) zone 7, Eupatorium rugosum (Chocolate snakeroot) zone 4, Eupatorium maculatum (Joe Pye Weed) zone 4, Verbena bonariensis (Vervain, Purple Top Verbena, Brazilian Verbena) zone 7, Gaura lindheimeri (Whirling Butterflies, Wand Flower) zone 6,  Perovskia atriplicifolia (Russian Sage) zone 5, Lysimachia clethroides (Gooseneck Strife) zone 4, Physalis alkekengi (Chinese Lanterns) zone 2, Oenothera missouriensis or speciosa (Lemon Drop, Mexican Evening Primrose) zone 5, Cimicifuga racemosa (Bugbane) zone 3, Aster novae-angliae (Michaelmas Daisies) zone 4, Acanthus mollis (Bears Breeches) zone 7.   Wow, who would have thought there were so many. Also see my blog entry titled "Late Summer Blooming Perennials" for more.

"Faded Elegance" Bouquet

A gift of good luck for Jill and Cheree of http://www.withatwistdesigns.blogspot.com/ in their new venture in a shop called "Faded Elegance" in Snohomish, Washington. Lots to find in this shop filled with vintage gifts and furnishings along with the door they photographed in my garden that I love.

This bouquet has faded "Annabelle" Hydrangeas, Echinops commonly called Blue Globe Thistle, White Phlox, "Green Jewel" Echinacea, "September Charm" Japanese Anemone and the foliage of Variegated Weigela. Perfect colors for their new shop.  Good Luck Jill and Cheree!!!

Dried Hydrangea Wreath

This is a wreath I made from dried hydrangeas from my garden. The hydrangeas I used are "Limelight", "Annabelle",
"Nikko Blue", and "Peegee".  I pick them when they are firm to the touch not soft or they shrivel when they dry.  Then put them loosely in a vase or several vases in this case in water that is only a third filled. Keep them there for about 2 weeks or until dry and keep them out of direct sunlight.  It's easy to make the wreath, buy a grapevine wreath from any craft store and hot glue the heads all around to make it full or just do some so the grapevine shows through is nice too!  This one measures about 25" across so I used about a 18-20" wreath form.  

Blue Flowering Shrubs

Some of my favorite blue flowering shrubs with their common names in parentheses are: Ceanothus veitchianus 'Julia Phelps' (California Lilac) zones 7-9, Caryopteris clandonensis 'Sunshine Blue' (Blue Beard or Blue Spirea) zones 6-9, Buddleia davidii 'Nanho Blue' (Butterfly Bush) zones 5-9, Hibiscus syriacus 'Blue Satin' (Rose of Sharon) zones 5-8, Hydrangea macrophylla 'Nikko Blue' and 'Blue Wave' zones 4-9.

Hibiscus syriacus 'Blue Satin' Rose of Sharon

Beautiful 'Blue Satin' Hibiscus! Really a gorgeous blue-violet late summer flowering deciduous shrub. It's deer resistant and attracts butterflies. It has 3" flowers, 8-10' tall and likes sun to partial shade.  Space 4-6' apart and is good in zones 5-8.  Another one for my wish list.

Cimicifuga racemosa 'Hillside Black Beauty' (Bugbane)

This is one of my coolest plants in my garden.  This plant stands out with it's black foliage and sweet fragrant white flower spikes. It also attracts bees, butterflies and birds. It likes sun to partial shade and stands about 4-6' tall and blooms in late summer. It can self seed but will not come true, it will have green leaves with a smoky tinge with the same great fragrant flowers though. This plant has been reclassified as Actaea simplex so you may find it listed with it's new name. Good in zones 3-8.

Perennial Blue Flowers

So many people come in asking for flowers that are true blue. Here are some photos of perennial blue flowers, some border on being close to purple/lavender. Common names are in parentheses: Aconitum napellus (Monkshood) zones 3-7, Delphinium Pacific Giants 'Summer Skies' and 'Blue Bird' (Larkspur) zones 3-8, Penstemon heterophyllus 'Electric Blue' (Beardtongue) zones 6-9, Scabiosa causcasica 'Fama' (Pincushion flower) zones 4-10, Tradescantia anersoniana 'Sweet Kate' (Spiderwort) zones 4-9, Agapanthus africanus 'Blue' (Lily of the Nile) zones 7-9, Meconopsis betonicifolia (Himalayan Blue Poppy) zones 7-9, Salvia guaranitica 'Black and Blue' zones 8-9, Lobelia siphillitica zones 5-9, Brunnera macrophylla 'Jack Frost' zones 3-8, Ecinops ritro (Blue Globe Thistle) zones 3-9, Geranium 'Johnson's Blue' zones 4-9.  Others not pictured are Centaurea montana (perennial bachelor buttons or cornflower) zones 3-9, Linum perenne (Blue Flax) zones 4-8, Lupinus Russell Hybrids Blue (Blue Lupines) zones 4-9. So far this is quite a list for perennials, I'm working on a list of blue flowered ground covers, annuals, and shrubs too and will post soon.  Think I'll do a list of white flowers eventually because so many people like to have white gardens too.

Door to Secret Garden

This is a very old door that looks so perfect in my garden. The door comes from http://withatwistdesigns.blogspot.com/ and happens to be my neighbor.  I get to see first hand what they have found and what they are creating next from their finds.  They brought it over to take a photograph of it for their blog. This is beautiful, I love it!

Late Summer Early Fall blooming Perennials

Here are some more late summer early fall perennials from the garden. Hydrangea 'Nikko Blue', Echinacea 'Green Jewel', Helenium autumnale, Ligularia, Echinops, Lysimachia 'Gooseneck Strife', Achillea 'Terracotta', Anemone japonica 'September Charm', Hydrangea 'Limelight', Hydrangea 'Annabelle', Persicaria amplexicalis 'Firetail', Oregano flowers, Caryopteris clandonensis 'Summer Sorbet', Lavendula stoechas "Spanish Lavender".

Late Summer Blooming Perennial Flowers

Here are just a couple of late summer blooming flowers.  I am working on a whole list and will post it soon, there are quite a few.  This is Scabiosa Fama also called Pincushion flower , zones 4-10 on the left, one of my favorite late summer bloomers.  Below is Agapanthus Africanus also called Lily of the Nile, zones 7-9.

Candelabra Nicotiana sylvesteris

Nicotiana sylvesteris is a cool unusual annual. It self-seeds in my garden every year just when I thought it is not showing up, it shows up in late August.  I move it around the garden for a late summer into fall blooming, it grows very fast.  It's 4-6' tall and an elegant looking plant and passers by stop to ask what it is. It is poisonous if ingested and I have to handle it with gloves because it gives me an awful rash so it's probably not good around children. I like having it show up so I can move it around the garden to fill in empty spots to prolong the gardening season. It takes sun to partial shade and moderate watering, don't over water though. 

Crocosmia 'Lucifer'

Crocosmia also commonly called Montbretia is a very popular perennial.  Lucifer is the most popular for it strong red bloom and tall wide sword like foliage. Great to add to the garden for it's tropical look.
Emily McKenzie has the same wide foliage with a dark orange flower and zonal markings.
The species Crocosmia here is paired with Percicaria amplexicaulis 'Firetail' which blooms early spring throughout summer, one of the longer blooming perennials. It is 36-48" tall and good in zones 5-9, likes sun to partial shade. Great as a pressed flower too.
Crocosmias like sun to partial shade here in the Pacific Northwest. 2 1/2' h x 2' w, blooms Aug-Sept. Good in zones 6-9, some varieties are hardy to zone 5. There are many other varieties ranging from yellow through orange, red, and coral.
Another favorite large yellow flower with the same large foliage I like is Walberton Yellow and blooms a little later than the others in my garden.

Filipendulas, Meadow Sweet, Queen of the Prairie

These are Filipendulas, one of my favorite garden plants.

Filipendula rubra also called Meadow Sweet or Queen of the Prairie is tall 4-6' and medium pink with fluffy heads that are 4-6" across.

Filipendula ulmaria variegata has striking variegated foliage with white cream fluffy flower heads and about 3' tall.

Filipendula purpurea 'Elegans' has deep hot pink flowers and gets about 3-4' tall.

All Filipendulas like consistently moist soil, full sun, bloom late spring through summer here in the pacific northwest. Good in zones 3-8 and attract butterflies,bees and birds. The Queen of the Praire rubra spreads by underground runners and can be invasive but the others stay in a nice clump and get wide pretty fast so you have a nice size plant in no time.  Easy to share with friends or move around the garden by dividing in early spring or fall.

Flower baskets

The baskets on the railing have turned out with an explosion of color this year.  Our moderate weather this summer has prolonged their life and have not bloomed out with usual summer heat. In this basket are: ivy geraniums, lobelia, oxalis, hot pink geraniums, sanvitalia, little gem marigolds, hot pink petunias, verbenas.   I love lots of color on the deck and this year it is a riot of color.

Preview for 2013 Bird Houses Calendar

Here is a little preview of a new calendar in the works for 2013 using my pressed flowers from the garden and will be on the market next spring/summer produced by TF Publishing.

Echinacea, Cone flowers

There are endless varieties of Echinacea and they are such easy perennials for the garden.  They don't fall over and they bloom for a very long time if you deadhead them. They are very hardy zones 4-8. They range from 18"-24".  They love the sun and are drought tolerant. One of the most asked for perennial is Echinacea. This one is Echinacea "bravado", a more flat toped flower. There are so many new colors, here are just a few: Echinacea Sunrise, Sundown, Harvest Moon, Twilight, Pineapple sundae, Razzmatazz, Hot papaya, Pink double delight, Flamethrower, Pineapple mint, daydream, Meringue, Strawberrry Shortcake, Pineapple Splash, paradoxa, Irresistible, just to name a few.

This one is Sundown.

This one is Sunrise.   I'm always on the search for more of the Echinaceas, they are all gorgeous!

Astilbes or False Spirea

OMG,I love Astilbes, very hard to resist, they look like puffs of cotton candy and smell just as sweet. At the nursery they were flying out the door, everyone had at least one. Every one of them were gorgeous, every day I found another I just had to have. Now I have started a collection and have 16 varieties.  It's not easy to find such colorful plants for the shade as Astilbes. They need lots of water and that is not a problem for us in the Pacific Northwest for sure. They prefer morning sun with afternoon shade, no hot sun.  The sizes range from short 8" to the very tall 4' and colors from white to deep red, purple and every shade of pink in between. My favorites are America, Amethyst, Fanal, Granat, Bridal Veil, Showstar, Ostrich Plume, Hennie Graafland, Sprite, Erica, Flamingo, Superba, Chinenis pumila, Peach Blossom.  They multiply fast so my new Astilbe garden is going to be stuffed soon, can't wait to see a whole drift of them. There are many more varieties too. They are also great to cut for flower bouquets!  Very hardy and good for zones 4-8. This one is Astilbe arendsii 'Showstar'.

Fragrant Flowers/Plants for the Perennial Garden

I got a question the other day and one of which I have been asked before and to my surprise the Sunset book didn't have a list for fragrant perennials so I walked around the nursery looking for some of my favorites to show the customer and here is what I came up with, I'm sure there is more and of course there are many shrubs too so I will add more later:

Phlox paniculata- 30" tall zone 4-8;Astilbes- various heights zone 4-8,
Cimicifuga simplex- 3' tall zones 4-9;Erysium Bowles Mauve wallflower -30" tall zone 6-9,
Agastache cana Heather Queen or Apricot Sunrise -30" tall zone 6-10,
Monarda Bee Balm -24-36" zone 4-9;Lavender angustifolia (most fragrant is "Grosso") -2-3' zone 5-9, Rosemary Tuscan Blue - 3-4' zone 7-9;Primula florindae, Giant Cowslip- 24-30" zone 3-8,
Corsican mint -ground cover (as you walk over it you can smell the mint) 1/2" zone 7-9,
Dianthus (cottage pinks)-an old fashion favorite with many varieties zone 3-8 ,
Hemerocalis Daylilys- 1-3' zone 3-9 ;Hyssopus offininalis- 18-24" zone 3-9,
Hosta (blooms) -12"-3' zone 3-9;Asiatic Lilys- 4-5' zone 5-8 ,
Convallaria majalis Lily of the Valley- 6-12" zone 3-9;Viola odorata- 6-8" zone 4-8

Easy flowers to press

Here are some easy flowers to press from left to right: woodland anemone, anthemis, mexican sage, marsh marigold, little gem marigold, creeping phlox, coreopsis "zagreb", annual larkspur, perennial geranium, annual verbenas, woodland wild flower, fireweed, orange species tulip, creeping jenny, blue flax, yellow species tulip.  This is just a few.  I will be posting a separate page with more details, botanical names, a list of more flowers and leaves to press and how to press them soon. Visit my Pressed Flower website if you would like to see some more pressed flower art and products I make from the art.  http://www.mypetalpress.com/

Rockin' Robin Striped Rose

Cool red and white striped shrub rose that is 3'x3', desease resistant to black spot, mildew and rust. It's a repeat bloomer and hardy to zones 4-8. A nice cutting rose with several blooms on one stem.

Ligularia dentata "Desdemona"

This strong flower color really stands out in the shade garden, it stands 3 1/2' tall and the same wide with huge 8" roundish leaves that emerge beet red/burgundy and open to a deep green with burgundy undersides. Has tall sturdy stalks with rich gold flowers, a show stopper in the garden. Likes morning sun afternoon shade with rich moist soil. The slugs do like them but worth the battle to have this plant in the garden. This is a herbaceous perennial, meaning no leaves show in the winter months and is hardy USDA zones 4-8

Cut Flowers from my Garden

This is the best part of flower gardening, having bouquets to bring in my home and to give away to brighten someones day. Here are the roses Alchymist , the peachy one and William Baffin, the pink with double fever few, chartreuse ladies mantle and blue delphiniums.

Tiger Eyes Sumac

Rhus typhina "Tigereye Bailtiger". This one has the most beautiful fall color and is so soft and delicate. It has a velvety stem and new foliage is chartreuse then changes to yellow, then scarlet and finally orange neon. It gets 6' tall and about the same wide. It does sucker but I figure I will have new ones to transplant to other areas of the garden. For the best color put in full sun in moist well drained soil. Grows in zones 4-8. When it's color changes I will post this one again.

Favorite Hummingbird plants

Phygelius or commonly called "Cape Fuchsia" are unusual looking and attract butterflies. They really stand out in the garden. They look like a shrub and have sturdy stems and don't dump over in our rain. They are evergreen which means they have foliage throughout the winter unless we have an unusually cold winter. They love full sun but I have them in part shade and they bloom late spring/early summer. 36" h x 36"w and are hardy in zones 7-9

There is a long list of plants that attract hummingbirds and butterflies and I will post a page soon and pictures to go with them.

Lysimachia clethroides "Gooseneck Strife"

 I love this for cut flowers, easy to grow and it produces plenty for cutting in a short time. It is a bit invasive but I keep it in check by just pulling in early spring where I don't want it to go. It's elegant in cut flower arrangements.

It blooms July through September, 24-36" high with a 4' spread, requires sun to partial shade, average to moist, well drained soil, 4-6" flower head. Good in zones 3-8

Tradescantia x andersonia "Blushing Bride" Spiderwort

This plant just flies off the shelf when we have them at the nursery. I finally bought one last year. I have heard of people saying it reverts to solid green so I have it in part sun and we will see what happens. I have never seen it bloom at the nursery because they never stay on the table long enough. I hear the bloom is pink so I'm anxious to see it bloom in my garden.

Sun to partial shade, zone 5-9, 12-18" tall

Giant Sunflower

My son and his giant sunflower when he was five that he grew from seed and is obviously very proud, pretty cute. So fun to grow, makes me want to put some in today.

Aruncus dioicus "Goats Beard"

Great show-off for shade, 4-5' tall and really glows in the shade. Super easy and takes dry soil. I see it in the woods here on the west coast of Washington and along side the country roads. It does look better in the garden when it can have a little more water. Blooms spring to summer. zone 3-7

Plants for the North side of the house

Here is the sweetest addition to the garden. This was a square and one day my husband had shaped it into a heart, what a sweetheart, totally surprised me. Off to the right is the varigated "Jack Frost" Brunnera, gorgeous!


There are some really cool ferns Five Finger Maiden Hair Fern,

Japanese Painted Fern, and Autumn Fern from left to right.

These are Candle abra Primroses, very fun flowers. I overheard a customer telling her friend she was looking for some new primroses to add to her "Primrose Party". There are tons of really cool primroses to add to your primrose party. Primula capitata mooreana with a really sweet fragrance, Primula vialii "Poker Primrose", Primula polyantha "gold lace", "green lace", "victoria lace" and Primula florindae "Giant Cowslip" that has a wonderful fragrance that I cannot get enough of, it's about to bloom soon. Just to name a few, all are very different looking and fun!

Alchemilla Mollis "Lady's Mantle"

Lady's Mantle is so cool, a little dew in the morning and this is what you get, "jewels". A must have for your perennial shade garden and has chartreuse flower sprays in June to use as a long lasting filler for your flower bouquets, gorgeous. It's so easy to grow, can take fairly dry soil. Self seeds but not invasive , it attracts butterflies and is deer resistant. About 15" tall and 24" wide and hardy to zone 3. This photo shows just the buds of the flowers to come. When mature the stems resemble the same size as baby's breath like you would find in a florist.

Best Climbing Roses

These are my two favorite climbing roses even though they are both non-recurrent they are worth the show and both bloom for a long time.

Alchymist is 10-12 feet and is great trained on a fence because they want to sprawl out and the more you bend them sideways the more laterals you will get which produce the blooms. I call the flowers a powder puff, they get fatter as they mature . The color starts out apricot with swirls of pink then mature to pale peachy yellow, just gorgeous with a sweet scent. Also a disease resistant rose. zone 4-9

Constance Spry is a beauty that gets 6-12 feet and has that cabbage rose look and can get as big as a peony bloom. It's great trained up over an arbor or up a wall with support. It's a beautiful medium pink and lightens as it matures and a wonderful myrrh scent. It needs lots of space to roam. zone 5-9

Ceanothus "Julia Phelps"

I bought this in a one gallon pot and it already had one trunk only about 12" high when I bought it two years ago. I kept it pruned into a topiary and now it's about 3' high and 2' wide. It is so cute, one of my favorite evergreens because of the beautiful blue flowers all over it in early summer. Also called California Lilac, it's deer resistant, fragrant and attracts butterflies. It is drought tolerant and likes partial to full sun. Hardy in zones 6-9.  I have made an effort to put some evergreen shrubs in my garden amongst my perennials so I have some winter interest and this is a favorite of mine.

On my Wish list!

This is a Peony called "Bowl of Beauty", it's on my wish list if only my husband would let me take up more lawn. Maybe if I show him this beauty I could convince him. Well at least I can take a photo of it and have it that way. It's as big as my hand outstretched and about 30" tall.

Helenium autumnale "Rotgold"

I really have fun taking photos of my flowers and having the bee is a bonus, he matches the flower perfectly. This one is a sun lover about 3' tall and a mid to late summer bloomer. The blooms are about 2 1/2 " wide. Commonly called sneeze weed.

Tradescantia "Sweet Kate"

This one is so cool, it loves morning sun with afternoon shade. I love the contrast of the bright yellow green leaves and purple flowers, it really stands out in the garden. I am amazed at how long it blooms,at least a couple of months in summer. It made it through our very cold temps as low as 15 degrees last winter too.

Himalayan Blue Poppy and Yellow poppy

My all time favorite flower, it's botanical name is Meconopsis betonicifolia. It's a little tricky to get started, if you have a small plant don't let it bloom the first year until it gets wider and then always dead head the blooms when they are done so it doesn't go to seed and take all the energy away from the plant. If you want it to self seed around just leave one pod to go to seed, that is all you will need. It's favorite location is east facing , morning sun afternoon shade and moist soil but well drained, does not like to sit in water. It's a true blue, my favorite color and rare color. There are other Meconopsis that are beautiful too.

This one is Meconopsis cambrica a beautiful yellow and grows in deep shade and self seeds like crazy. I love it for my north side of the house and if you dead head it ,it blooms for almost all summer and so easy to grow.