Portraits of 'The Countryman' English Rose

'The Countryman' was the first David Austin English rose that I purchased. I'm sure I've mentioned before that the vibrant blooms remind me of fluffy pink-frosted strawberry cupcakes.



In his book, David Austin says that this is one of his favorite roses. It isn't the best for cutting, as the flowers last just a couple of days in a vase before shattering, and the stems are quite prickly. The blooms are velvety soft and deliciously fragrant, though.



I have been encouraged to share some wider view shots on my blog. That is difficult for me, as my garden isn't established enough to look good from afar. But I'm trying it now . . .



Here you can see that 'The Countryman' makes a nice, full bush. At 3 feet tall and 3.5 feet wide, it's a nice landscape rose. It's surrounded by white and violet delphiniums, iris, thrift, columbine and oriental lilies (not yet in bloom)in a morning sun location.



And here is an even wider shot. You can't actually see the rose, as it is hiding behind the white delphiniums at this angle. But I shared a wide view shot, and it didn't kill me. Almost, but not quite. Phew.



Let's finish with another close up shot. I love the way the stems softly curve upward. It's quite a different look from the ramrod stiff stems of the hybrid tea roses. Lovely, eh?

Siberian Iris in Violet, White and Cobalt Blue

June is finally here and my siberian irises have bloomed! Above is 'June to Remember', which is an often sought after but rarely found cobalt blue color.



Here's a close up shot of 'June to Remember'. This iris is available from Joe Pye Weed Gardens. I posted more details about this and other siberian irises last year (see that post here), but my pictures are better this summer, thanks to a better camera lens.



Here is the first flower from my young 'Blueberry Fair' iris plant. I ordered this one from Schreiner's Gardens. You can see that the flower form is very similar to 'June to Remember', except 'Blueberry Fair' is more violet than blue. This picture doesn't capture the violet as well as it shows in the garden, sorry.



White 'Rolling Cloud' iris flowers drift amid the catmint. Siberian irises are a nice addition to your garden if you want something a little different. Nearly everyone seems to grow bearded irises, but few grow siberian irises.



Another 'Rolling Cloud' iris with Kathy's pink cranesbill geranium and purple 'Bonanza' clematis in the background. Siberian irises are not as easy to establish as bearded irises. They require good conditions and a few years of patience before they start putting on a great show.



Here we have 'Tanz Nochmal', which is also a beautiful true blue. Although siberian irises only bloom once a season, I'll always make room for them in my gardens. Where else can you find such blues?



The last siberian iris to bloom in my garden is violet 'Worth the Wait.' I have to agree with the name. I'm still waiting for my 'Just Because' siberian irises to bloom. Maybe next year will be the year, especially if I don't transplant them this summer and put them through transplant shock!



Here's a wider view of my 'Worth the Wait' clump, with white heuchera flowers and pink 'Sister Elizabeth' english roses in the background. The english roses are blooming now, so stay tuned for more photos of these prettiest of all flowers.

Bearded Iris in Pink, Blue and Violet

Here are photos of some of the bearded iris I have in bloom. Above is the border bearded iris 'Pink Bubbles.' It's a bit smaller and blooms slightly earlier than the tall bearded iris.



The rest of these are tall bearded iris. This one is 'Rippling River', which has great rippling ruffles and a sweet fragrance.



Another shot of 'Rippling River'. Some of the stems leaned over under the weight of the flowers. These aren't planted in full sun, and we've had an unusual amount of rain this month. Perhaps they'd be sturdier in full sun and with less rain.



This flower bed features 'Rapture in Blue' bearded iris, mauve pincushion flower (Scabiosa), '6 Hills Giant' catmint (Nepeta) and a white 'Rolling Cloud' siberian iris in the background.



Here's another shot of 'Rapture in Blue'. It's so elegant - I think I need a dress that looks like this!



Here is the unnamed iris from my grandmother's garden. It looks like 'Titan's Glory' to me, and it has a wonderful fragrance.



Here's another view of grandma's purple iris, with 'Esther Reed' daisies on the left and a forest of delphiniums ready to burst into bloom.



This is 'Mer du Sud', which is nearly the same color as 'Rippling River'. It doesn't smell as good or have as many ruffles as RR, but none of the stems bent over.



I'll finish with another shot of 'Rippling River.' You can see a slight variation in the color between this picture and the one above. All of these iris change color a bit in different light, making a pretty show all day. None of them bloom more than once in a season, but that makes for less deadheading, so I'm not complaining.