RAINDROPS ON ROSES AND WHISKERS ON KITTENS
The roses are flowering in abundance - hurrah! The rain is drizzling down and I'm back to wearing a jumper again - boo! But what's with the title of this week's post? I hear you ask. Are you going to regale us with your favourite things? Perhaps...
1. Flowering abundance
Come into the Rose garden. It's bursting into bloom.
Geraniums mingle with astrantia and Rosa Bonica.
A blowsy softness takes over. Every corner of the beds and borders is filled to overflowing.
2. Peonies
The peonies are looking full and frilly and so Edwardian. E M Forster, afternoon tea and tennis on the lawn are all encapsulated in these flowers.
They all came from a local market stall for a very modest price, and were only labelled as 'Peony - Pink'. They've taken a few years to get to flowering size.
Most of them are probably Sarah Bernhardt, but there is also this gorgeous dark pink one.
A little digression about Sarah Bernhardt. She was a painter and sculptor as well as an actress, and a woman of some style. I wear an old apron to protect my clothes when I paint. She wore white silk trouser suit by Worth. There's a photo of her here. Incroyable, n'est-ce pas?
3. Rose Arbour
If the sun should choose to poke its head back out, this is a nice shady place to sit. There are two Madame Alfred Carriere roses swamping growing on this arbour.
The rose is now growing along chains to each side.
4. Tumbling Roses
Arching, tumbling and rambling around the border are roses both pale and dark. Munstead Wood is such a gorgeous deep maroon; white Iceberg and pink Raubritter join in. The rounded shapes of the roses contrast beautifully with the spires of foxgloves and lupins and the dark leaves of Persicaria.
5. Delphiniums
I took 83 photos this week, which is far more than usual, and I've found it hard to whittle them down, as you can see.
These are the delicate and willowy type of delphinium. The Aruncus dioicus on the right is looking rather fine too.
6. And finally
Raindrops on roses; Friday morning.
'Little Bear' - bundle of fun and garden-pest controller in training.
I've crammed in as many photos as I thought I could get away with, but that really is all I have space for. Thanks to the Propagator for hosting Six on Saturday come rain or shine. Until next week ...
Just when I think it couldn't get any better, you ambush me with a kitten! So unfair. Beautiful and beautiful!
ReplyDeleteSorry. I just couldn’t resist.
Deletehaha... I had the same thought!
DeleteYou've nailed the romantic rose garden vibe, it's all looking splendid, as is Sarah Bernhardt in her silk trouser suit, magnifique. Munstead Wood is a sultry beauty and in combo with the other roses and the delphiniums and foxgloves, you've painted a work of art there. Little Bear is absolutely gorgeous, I wonder what kind of pest control you have in mind for him, will he be trained to hunt slugs?
ReplyDeleteIt’s the rabbits that I’m hoping he will deal with. We had one (or more) digging a burrow in the central bed of the Rose garden last week. If he manages to scare off a few pigeons that would be good too.
DeleteYes that makes a lot more sense than slug hunting! Hadn't thought of rabbits, even though our road means rabbit warren in French!
DeleteYour roses are looking fabulous, so well grown and all so very beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThanks Paddy
DeleteFabulous roses and overviews... and this kitten is so cute 😍
ReplyDeleteThanks Fred.
DeleteIt all looks wonderful. The kitten is rather cute too. I'm going to have that song in my head all day though!
ReplyDeleteBrown paper packages tied up with string ....
DeleteThe Rose garden looks absolutely fantastic! I'm sure it's incredibly satisfying to see it looking so good; what a contrast to the winter!
ReplyDeleteIt all seems to have come at once this year.
DeleteAww, look at your kitten. So gorgeous. My kittens are now 9 months old and are great company in the garden. Margo caught her first mouse last week so I'm hopeful she'll keep them out of my greenhouse next year and I'll not have to keep sowing new batches of sweet peas! Your garden is looking beautiful and romantic - I'm sure you could pull off the Sarah Bernhardt apparel.
ReplyDeleteWell done Margo. I ran out of bench space one year and put my newly sown sunflowers on the floor. Each seed was carefully removed and eaten.
DeleteWow! Your rose garden is looking so full and blowsy. Perfect. Little Bear is very photogenic. Cats are in my post as well, but not in a good way
ReplyDeleteOur cats have never seemed very interested in the birds thankfully. I hope this one will be the same.
DeleteYour rose garden is simply gorgeous! It's been a wonderful season for roses (so far), and I'm so enjoying it. I almost wish peonies bloomed earlier in the season, before roses, to spread out the beauty! Your delphinium are lovely, too. :-)
ReplyDelete