Garden Bloggers Bloom Day – June 15-2018 – Roses !

Thomas Affleck rose
Bloom Day and the Thomas Affleck Rose is in  full flower

I nearly forgot Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, so I raced out in the dawn to take photos (not very good ones) of what is blooming in the drizzle.  Thomas Affleck is a rose we grew for many years in Heath, and one of the first we planted in Greenfield. It is doing very well indeed.  No real fragrance though.

Polar Express rose
Kordes Polar Express

At least I think this is Polar Express. I’ll have to wait till  the other roses are blooming to make sure.

Kordes Purple rain rose
Kordes Purple Rain rose

This is a low growing rose and very sturdy. I have no idea why  they named it Purple Rain.

Mountain laurel
Mountain Laurel blooming beautifully on the hugel
honeysuckle
Honeysuckle blooming vigorously
delphinium
Lounging delphinium after rain. Stakes needed
Elderberry blossoms
Elderberry blossoms

The elderberries are for the bees and other pollinators. I never even noticed they were budded, much less beginning to bloom. My eyes have been on the weeds on the ground as I prepare for garden club guests next week. Yikes!

Lilac tree blossoms
Lilac Tree Blossoms

The most unusual flowering plant in my new garden is this lilac tree (a true  syringa) that blooms at  this time of the year.  The blooms last a long time and are strongly fragrant, perfuming half the neighborhood.  The tree is good size, a little taller than my neighbor’s house and it is full of blossoms.  They do not smell like lilacs, but they are wonderfully sweet.

I thank Carol at May Dreams Gardens who hosts Bloom Day and gives us all the chance to see what is blooming all over this great land.

This Post Has 12 Comments

  1. Beautiful! Love the Mountain Laurel!
    Happy Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day!

  2. Pat

    Lea – This is the first year I have gotten much bloom from the mountain laurel, so I am very happy. Happy Bloom Day to you, too.

  3. That mountain laurel is gorgeous. Have always thought about growing one but don’t really have the room.

  4. Dee

    Happy Bloom Day Pat! I love seeing your roses bloom. Mine are all finished for awhile–too much heat–so it’s exciting to see yours. I need to deadhead all of mine to prepare for their next flush someday. ~~Dee

  5. Penny Post

    The Elderflower looks so delicate, reminds me of picking them so my dad could turn them into wine.

  6. Rebecca

    Happy Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. Your roses look great!

  7. Pat

    Rebecca – These roses were chosen because they are hardy, disease resistant – and they bloom for a good part of the summer. Thomas Affleck blooms through October.

  8. Pat

    Penny – I once had a neighbor who was abstemious, but she considered her elderberry drink medicinal and curative. As was cornmeal water, and parsley tea. She lived to be 83 after the doctors told her when she was 60 that her cancer would kill her in 6 months. Goes to show.

  9. Pat

    Dee – I chose these roses for the Greenfield house because they are disease resistant, and bloom for a long season. Thomas Affleck will bloom at least through october. Hooray for Kordes.

  10. Pat

    Linda – We have planted two mountain laurels on our hugel, along with three rhododendrons. They are finally settling in.

  11. Lisa at Greenbow

    It is good to see that you still have roses Pat. I always enjoyed your Heath selections. We had a lilac tree here for a long time. It died on us but boy did I ever like that fragrance wafting through the garden. I tried to get some elderberries going here this year but we had to leave during a dry spell and they didn’t take. Will try again. Love elderberry jelly. Happy GBBD.

  12. Pat

    Lisa – I am glad about those roses, too. I only wish there was room/proper site to have one or two more. And I consider the day we bought our house lucky – with that wonderfully fragrant lilac tree. Our bedroom window practically opens into the tree canopy. Heaven. My elder berries had no trouble settling in. I made a mistake when I decided I needed to order a second elderberry. I’ve been doing pruning on both. They like that damp spot.

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