Sunday, February 15, 2015

A Rose Garden



"Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind,
And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind."
                                                    William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream

I dwell in possibility. 
Emily Dickinson

It's the afternoon following Valentine's Day and I thought I would keep romance in the air 
by showing you a lovely rose garden.


Visitors to this country property pass through an arbor that divides the public front yard 
from the more private fenced backyard.


On the left, at a back corner of the house, is a small fountain and shade garden. Encircling the fountain is an attractive array of hostas and other shade loving perennials.

To the left of the fountain is a large Ligularia. I am not certain of the exact cultivar, but I will give you reference to a plant that has the same dramatic black stems:

Ligularia 'The Rocket': Ligularia like moist conditions. Sun and somewhat dry soil can cause the leaves to wilt as you see in my photograph above. You can attempt to compensate for somewhat dryer conditions by insuring your Ligularia has some afternoon shade. 'The Rocket' forms a large clump of jagged edged leaves. Purplish-black stems and yellow flowers appear mid-summer. As with hostas, slugs can be an issue for this plant. Ligularia is one perennial that is quite happy in clay. Height: 120-180 cm (47-70 inches), Spread: 80-90 cm (31-35 inches). USDA Zones: 4-9.


Another interesting plant in this area of the garden is this Bugbane, Cimicifuga. When I bought a Cimicifuga for my own garden last spring, I found that there were a number of similar cultivars with the main distinction being price. Below is a reference to the one I purchased. It has the same deep purply-black foliage.

Cimicifuga ramosa 'James Compton': has deep purplish black ferny foliage and fragrant bottlebrush-shaped white flowers in late summer. It likes rich, moist soil and part to full shade. Height: 120-150 cm (47-60 inches), Spread: 60-75 cm (23-29 inches). USDA Zones: 4-8.


Horse Gentian or White Feverwort, Triosteum pinnatifidum is a rare plant is a native to the woods of China and Japan. It has lobed leaves and unspectacular flowers that produce interesting clusters of white berries in summer. It likes rich, well-drained soil and part shade. Height: 60-90 cm (24-36 inches), Spread: 22-30 cm (9-12 inches) USDA Zones: 6-9a

A pathway leads away from the corner of the house into a little rose garden. 






Lush green foliage makes the perfect backdrop for 
this traditional garden sculpture.


This is a fairly new garden, but it already has great promise.

34 comments:

  1. What a beautiful garden Jennifer. Thank you so much for taking us through it. I don't think there are too many things I like more than to wander through pretty gardens. And this is certainly a beauty!

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  2. The white berries are Dolls Eyes. You can find them in a Wild Flower Book. I love your blog. Your pictures are fabulous and I am a real rose lover. I guess too much so. Keep the wonderful pictures coming

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    1. Thank you for your kind words Linda. Thanks also for suggesting an identification for my mystery plant.
      I did think of Doll's Eyes (Actaea pachypoda) but, the way the leaf sits like a cup around the stem seemed to be different to the photo references to Doll's Eyes I was able to find online. The white berry also seems to be missing its "eye". Perhaps someone else may comment to confirm this identification.

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  3. Thank you. Just what I needed. Our weather here in southwestern Colorado has been quite warm and sunny these past few weeks. I stirs in me the desire to garden. Of course, March and April are notorious for big snows. Today I bought 3 tiny succulents which I am going to plant in a colorful pot all together and place in a sunny patch near my window seat. Between them and your wonderful stroll through the rose garden, I'll be able to make it a few more weeks before succumbing to spring fever again. Keep those pictures coming.

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    1. Thank you Paula. I will try my best to keep the summery pictures coming!

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  4. Thank you...another lovely post. I can't thank you enough for telling us about Alan Titchmarsh I have been totally enjoying his shows on UTube and it is all because of you!

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    1. I am so glad that you are enjoying the videos. If only there was similar programs here in North America!

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  5. You had my gardeners heart at the first photo....ah summer, oh spring...I can only wish.

    Jen

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  6. Oh my goodness look at all those roses!

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  7. The gardener who created this has a very good sense of scale. Especially in the first picture where the yellow shrub next to the arch is just the right size. The iris on the right contrasts beautifully with the rest. These different shapes are just what is needed to make the whole view more dynamic. Getting the scale right is something much more difficult to achieve than one would think.

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    1. Thank you for bringing up the issue of scale Alain. You have made some really good observations.

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  8. I could dwell here all day! It is such a gorgeous space and that Ligularia is beautiful in that vignette! Thank you for inspiring today Jennifer! I can always count on you for sharing the most stunning garden photos!!!! Nicole xo

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  9. I love that is so much more to see than the roses. It is a very well done garden.

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  10. What a sweet neat little garden - a few years hence and it should be even lovelier. I've looked through all my books and cannot find anything with a berry formation such as this.

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  11. I popped in for a rose fix and got two lovely ideas for my shade garden. Thanks.

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  12. I did enjoy this, the older I get the fonder I seem to become of roses, I didn't care mush for them when I was younger. Seeing all the colour here has me yearning for summer.xxx

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  13. As always a beautiful visit! Thanks for sharing!!!

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  14. Oh how beautiful! I love the rose garden, I'm sure it smelt heavenly the time you were there! Ahhh. Gardens are such a thing of beauty!!

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  15. Another lovely garden! The statue of Demeter(?) really adds a focal point to the back garden. After seeing some Ligularia in bloom late last summer, I really want to add one or two to my own garden. The problem now is finding a shady spot.
    Thanks for your comment on my blog--you mentioned Scrap being a squirrel chaser. If Sophie had seen the squirrel on the window sill, she would have gone nuts. I might have had a broken picture window:)

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  16. A lovely garden, and what a joy it is to look at little glimpses of summer. The roses are beautiful.
    I love Ligularia 'The Rocket' and have quite a few around the garden. I find Ligularias germinate very readily from seed so I always have a few growing on in the greenhouse.

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  17. Ah, lovely sight in a time without roses! Thanks for the photos and all the info. My roses won’t be back until April or May or so after having been cut down and I always miss the roses at this time.

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  18. I am so ready for spring, warmth, and color! I added actea (cimicifuga) 'Black Negligee' to my garden last fall and am really looking forward to seeing it grow this summer. But to walk in a sweet scented rose garden right now would be heaven. :o)

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  19. Great compositions in this garden, thank you for sharing!

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  20. Jennifer girl I am way behind in visiting blogs .. this was such a treat to see .. eye candy indeed!
    This winter has been brutal .. when i look at last years pictures of my gardens I can hardly believe it will ever look as nice again .. we become doubtful of that miracle that happens in northern gardens when we suffer from withdrawal due to rotten winter weather.
    Loved seeing this post ... keep them coming girl !!
    Joy : )

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  21. What a beautiful garden this is, Jennifer, and I just love those pink roses.
    Have a wonderful weekend!

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  22. Oh I so enjoyed looking at these garden pictures ..... thank you.

    All the best Jan

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  23. Such a lovely and romantic garden, Jennifer. Thank you for sharing this. Happy Sunday!

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  24. What a joy...took me away from this snow and ice! Your photos as always, are fantastic. Now, I don't know my vines that well...but would you be able to confirm what is growing behind the statue? Thank you. Hope all is well.

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    1. Bren, When I was working on the post I wondered about the vine myself, so I blew one of the photos up for a closer look. I am sorry to say I was stumped. It is wonderfully lush, and as this is a big country property, I have a feeling that it looks this green without water other than rain. If I do find out, I'll let you know Bren.
      P.S. You'll like their veggie garden. It reminds me somewhat of yours. I'll be showing it in an upcoming post.

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  25. This is a beautiful garden and it does have a romantic feel. I know one comment above said look at all the roses, but it has so much more. Partnering roses is not all that easy to do well since roses are usually rather fussy in our climate and they are such a stand-alone plant. This property looks familiar to me.

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    1. I agree Donna that this garden is about more than roses. It is really nicely designed and executed. The property is located in the countryside near Uxbridge, Ontario.

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  26. Your photos are gorgeous, Jennifer! What a gorgeous garden! Thank you so much for sharing, and warm greetings from Montreal, Canada. :)

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  27. Give me any plant with dark leaves and I am happy.

    Your photos are of course always stunningly beautiful....and I love that pond shot with the statue of the child...ominous is right, giggle.

    Jen

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  28. You always have the most beautiful posts. And I LOVE the Cleome photo in your header right now.

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