Lilyfinch, here's the only pic I took of Bonny this year. She was shorn of most of her blooms.

St. Cecilia from Palatine's list of older Austins - thank you John!!! Strong fragrance and always has blooms.

The 5' tall blue flowers are Souvenir d'Andre Chaudron nepeta. Blooms all summer.

Queen of Elegance

The Alnwich Rose or Alnwick Castle - which is it?

WHY did I wait so long to get this perfect rose.

John Warren, an easy clematis.

Marc Chagall belongs in the Perfect Rose category. New this year and never without blooms all summer. Mine has 26 blooms and buds right now.

CPM is one of Austin's best bloomers in my garden.

From spring.

Oh my! Your garden is exquisite! I love all your purple and blue clematis to complement the roses.

Omg! The forest, the clematis and iris then the perfect Roses and BONNIE. Give me a break please. I cant take anymore! P.S. Now I need QofE AND Bonnie. Too much!

So beautiful, Flowers. Just what I needed. My garden is heat stricken and cooked at the moment and these photos are a blessed relief.

Ooohhh those Iris, and Bonny........

My jaw just hit the floor! Ok soooo pretty! Thanks for sharing these beauties

Flowers, I'm late to the party, but I'm so glad you decided to post photos of your lovely garden on the forum. You are a superb photographer, as well as rose gardener. The roses are breathtaking, but combined with the clematis and other companions and set in your trees, the whole becomes magical. What a setting, And so many surprises for me that I didn't know you grew. Of course, Versigny is one of my favorites, and I do hope this stunning rose makes it through your next winter. You've just got to winter protect Versigny--it's too special to lose. One of the surprises for me was Morden Blush. I'd heard of it, but never bothered to look up photos. It's so much more luscious than I had assumed, and your Morden Sunrise is sooo ruffly. I love it. The photo of John Cabot and the clematis---I've run out of words. If I could grow clematis like that....wow. That's how they are supposed to look, dramatic and transporting. I've left a lot out, but I'm kind of speechless. One question--the stunning Souvenir d'Andre Chaudron is a nepeta, a catmint? I've never seen such a catmint. Where did you find it? Phooey on Walkers High and Low. Again, thank you so much for posting all these wonderful photos. Please do it more often. And watch out, I may come calling, my friend. Diane

These are absolutely amazing!

I do follow you on IG but am still so happy to see these this morning! Too dark here to walk around the garden with my tea so I walked through your garden instead.

Absolutely lush and inspiring. Thank you :)

I don't come to the rose forum much any more because I have lost so many roses, and there is just way too much temptation for me here. ... Well, let me just say I ventured over for a peek today and boy did I pick the one wrong thread to open lol!

Flowers, your garden is stunning. Breathtaking. Just gorgeous. Thank you for sharing it with us all. There aren't enough words to describe how beautiful it is.

I gotta get out of here lol!

:)
Dee

Oh my gosh !!! Even more beautiful photos . Thank you for brightening my day with these . Holy wow . Your Bonnie looks amazing even if you think it wasn’t. Surely the garden fairies love dancing in your garden in the early morning, I can just feel it from the pics!

I also follow you on IG, but still love seeing the photos all together, and hearing about everyone else’s experience. Definitely don’t hold back on sharing in both places!

I always feel my roses don't measure up to everyone's else's. Lilyfinch, didn't you just say that, too? You, of all people! I don't know why we do that to ourselves.

Stephanie, thank you for noticing my blues and purples. I think they compliment every rose color and make the garden look cooler during the heat of summer.

Vapor, yes, you do need QofE. If you want Bonny, I'll send you cuttings. It's an oldie.

Sheila, I hear ya! Most of my garden is heat stricken, too. Some of these pics are from spring.

Trish, I know you are another iris lover.

Lala and Magda, thank you!!!

Diane, the tall nepeta is my favorite. I planted 4" pots last summer and they were 8" to a foot dia. clumps this spring. I bought it from the Rosarium, but I've seen it in online nurseries. Apparently, it's common in England. And, PLEASE, do come calling!

Tina and Cyndita, now it's your turn to compile your IG photos and put them here for everyone to drool over. You both have beautiful accounts.

Dee, I'm sorry you've lost so many roses. It's always a sad day to lose something we've put so much of ourselves into. I hope you'll try again with different types or in a different place. Or, find something that does grow well in your garden. Thank you for your comments.

Lilyfinch, I would like to think there are fairies in the garden, but more realistically, it's frogs, spiders and grasshoppers, but I like your idea best.

Peppermint Pop, believe it or not.

The buds in the foreground are Earth Angel. They fried before they opened.

Sometimes pink, sometimes yellow, Moonlight in Paris

Marc Chagall.

Flowers, you've just put up these last gorgeous things, and bingo, I checked. I don't want you to ever put down Peppermint Pop again, cause I won't believe you--it's Peppermint Beauty. And Moonlight in Paris is just beyond words. I'm going to have to dig out the lawn. I so wish I could grow beautiful foxglove in this dry climate. They really set off the fountain/birdbath. Do yours have a very long bloom period? I knew posting your photos here would work out beautifully, and it has. Thank you again. And now back to making cuke sandwiches. Diane

So beautiful! Every picture is so clear. One of my favorites is the pink and peach iris with the pink clematis. What are the little pink flowers in the foreground? They look sort of like Fireworks gomphrena. It's a stunning combination. Also the one with the nepeta and huge blueish clematis.

Your Marc Chagall is amazing!

Diane, Peppermint P went right back to her garish color after those blooms. Foxglove pops up all over the place. I did buy the ones around that tall planter because I wanted to alternate pink and peach. It blooms all season; first the tall single stems, then the rest of the season with multiple shorter stems.

Erasmus, talk about noticing details! I had a hard time finding the little pink flowers. That's thalictrum - Meadow Rue. I believe the variety is Black Stockings. It's a short variety.

Stephanie, Marc C has been doing some crazy things.

Flowers, is the clematis with the nepeta Perle d'Azur or what? I hope mine grow up to look like that. I have been going clematis crazy the last three years or so but mine are not that well established yet. The Pink Champagne clem is also gorgeous.

Erasmus, that blue clematis you're talking about is Prince Charles, but it's Perle d'Azur's twin. I don't know why some do better some years and not others. Comtesse de Bouchaud is usually my best and longest bloomer, but it didn't bloom this year.

Pink Champagne blooms so early that I don't get to enjoy it. I'm still doing spring clean up when it's at it's best. Other than the timing, no complaints about it.

You are so kind @flowersaremusic z5 Eastern WA! Your pictures put a big smile on my face! I absolutely love your garden! It is magical! Do you know what the name is of the last iris you posted? I think I have the same one. I got it from Orchard Supply when I was in third grade and threw away the name tag before I knew any better. It is my favorite iris ever!

Thanks, Flowers. I planted a Prince Charles but it doesn't like its spot and the blooms I had on it were very washed out looking. Was given a second Prince Ch that had stronger color and is doing much better. In my garden Perle d'Azur is a much stronger color and a very strong plant. Just got through planting some clems.

It's amazing to me how some irises are so fragrant.

Late to the show, but glad I made it! Flowers, you grow beauties!

I bet Dee-Lish will become one of your favorite roses, as it is becoming for me. Keep up the good work, and thanks for the inspiration!

Moses

Okay, I hit my head when I swooned!! ;) That makes this a never before seen DOUBLE SWOON!!! I love the descriptions of fairies dancing in your garden and how magical everything is!! So true!!! I don't think there's a garden that more encapsulates this than your FABULOUS garden!!!

I need to get Peach Swirl!!!! Oh my!!!

Marc Chagall and CPM are amazing!!

Your beautiful pink iris makes me wonder why I focus on blue ones!! Holey Moley!!!

Your Ispahan may be the most beautiful rose in existence!!!

The picture under Ispahan is sublime!!!! I am undone!

Mrs. John Laing and Versigny....oh wow!!! I am soooo enjoying this thread!! :) :)

Souvenir d'Andre Chaudron and your nepeta bloom all summer long??? Holy s**t!!!!

But the best among the best is your Bonny!!!

This is beyond my imagining!!

Thank you sooooo much for sharing your heavenly garden with us!!!

Damask, sorry to say, I don't know the names of any of my irises except Batik. I've grown them forever, and have lost and forgotten the names. Yours is yummy and more colorful than mine, but they do look a lot alike. I thought I would try to identify mine a few years ago, and was shocked at how many varieties and look-a-likes there are, so I gave that up.

Erasmus, I've thought about also getting Perle d'Azur because I love that color. It's good to have a first hand report. I'm running out of places to grow clematis. I added a ground cover clem this year so they can start spreading out instead of growing upward.

Mr. Moses, I'm blushing because I can see your garden in my mind as all winners, all blooming all the time, beds perfectly laid out and organized and always tidy with no weeds. You are right about Dee-Lish. It just never stops. She is much too nice a rose to be stuck with that name. By the way, you influenced me to add Dee-Lish as well as the beautiful Quietness, who has been photographed so much by everyone, including me, that I didn't include it here.

Damask, it just sunk in that you said you got that iris in 3rd grade! That's remarkable. Someone was surely nurturing the gardening gene in you. That's a lasting gift to give a child. What a great idea to start a child's interest in gardening with something that will live on indefinitely rather than the usual marigolds and zinnias.

Carol, I missed your comment until now. Thank you for graciously awarding me with the rare Double Swoon. I am honored. And, I'm laughing because I don't know how you think up these things.

Yes, Lilyfinch always has the most fanciful descriptions. I'm sure she spends a lot of hours with storybooks and a couple of small and cute people.

You do need Peach Swirl, definitely, and might as well get Dee-Lish if you don't have it. Both have exceeded my expectations and have not stopped blooming since spring. Great fragrance, too, especially Dee-Lish! Your pic of Bishop's Castle pushed me over the edge. Ordering for spring.

I promise I'm finished. I know this has been too long; thank you everyone for indulging me.

Soeur Emmanuelle's first blooms. Fragrance you linger over and come back for more.

Two favorite pics of the season.

Your irises, roses, and clematis are so beautiful @flowersaremusic z5 Eastern WA! I can't get enough of your pictures, your garden is so gorgeous! You are so right about the iris varieties and look-a-likes, some flowers like roses are on the easier side to identify, but sorting through the varieties of iris, daffodils, and the rest of the spring bulbs is so confusing. The nice thing about irises is that they produce multiple plants over time, so just in case the original plant dies there are always many backup plants of that variety.

My dad is the one who instilled a love of gardening in me. I have been in the garden for as long as I can remember. I very vividly remember the garden of my childhood that my dad had so lovingly planted, full of fruit trees and vines and bushes and vegetables and herbs and flowers, especially roses. My most precious memories took place in the garden. He taught me the names of the different plants, and how to make them grow, and how each flower has its own special beauty. To this day if you were to ask me what my favorite flower is, I would say all of them! I remember the day when we bought the iris. I was so excited to see the big display of bearded iris bulbs at Orchard with all the beautiful pictures of each variety! My mom said I could choose one, but I couldn't make up my mind between a beautiful crimson red one and the one I ended up getting lol. I always take forever making up my mind when choosing a plant. Half the fun of getting a new plant is choosing it : ). I'm in 12th grade now, so that iris is nearly 10 years old. Every year I look forward to it coming into bloom. I wish more people would nurture a love of gardening in their children. There is something so special about the garden; it is a place to commune with God and nature, to spend time with the ones you love, and to make the world a more beautiful place. If more people took up gardening I think the world would be a nicer place to live in.

Have a lovely day and thanks for sharing the beautiful pictures,

damask_rose : )

Oh my goodness. Swooning IS the order of the day. What a lovely garden. So magical! I don't think I could have that in my garden unless I was willing to quadruple my water bill. But I can dream...maybe for a month some springs I get that lushness. Now I want peach swirl and marc chagall. are they fragrant? love your mme. isaac perrier. I will dream of roses tonight!

Damask, thank you for that lovely post. You expressed the joy and benefits of gardening eloquently and I agree wholeheartedly that the world would be a nicer place if everyone tended a garden. You are no doubt our youngest member on the rose forum and I am thrilled you're here. You are blessed to have such a loving family. Please share more of your photos with us.

Deborah, your garden IS magical with it's winding pathway and real trees, not these silly pines, and your variety of companion plants. Water is an issue where you live and that is a major obstacle with roses. Peach Swirl grows big and beautiful in SoCal. Remember Cori Ann's? You will love her, and she has a wonderful fragrance. Marc Chagall is also a winner with lovely fragrance. PSwirl's is a little stronger than MChagall's. They're both new, so things may change. Best new one for fragrance is Dee-Lish, and I think you have it already. I dream of roses almost every night, but it's more like 'don't forget to feed the center bed, and weed the bed in the back, and tie those canes waving in the breeze.....'

Ditto that (what damask said!), and flowers, please keep this thread going - we are loving it.

Flowers - so much fun! I have 2 Dee-Lish plants, by accident,and BOTH of them have terrible fragrance. LOL I can't figure out why. I got both of them from different places...so obviously it's something about how I grow roses. Oh well...I'll see what happens next year. :) Although, I do agree with you that they are great bushes with lots of flowers. You'll thank me later (Monk (the neurotic detective) always said that) when you are enjoying Bishop's Castle next year!! :)

Holey moley....you need to make your own calendars and sell them!!! That second picture with the sun streaming on the roses against the picket fence...SURREALLY BEAUTIFUL!!! Your Soeur Emmanuelle is gorgeous!!! Don't you just love the fragrance!!?!! And the ones with the clematis...I get lost just looking at them!

Damask_roses - you're in grade 12? I had no idea!! You are definitely our youngest member!! I hope school is going well for you...it's a tough time.

Damask, good luck with everything! It sounds like you are having so much fun. Being young can be hard for many people but your attitude is outstanding.

flowers, I wish to thank you for posting some full garden and bush pictures. Your individual flowers are perfection for sure but google gives us many individual photos of flowers, maybe not quite as pretty as yours but still very nice photos. I find myself always searching for bush and garden shots to see how the plant will look in my garden. Many of us are as concerned with our gardens overall look as we are with individual flowers. It is obvious from you full photos that this is also paramount in your plant choice and placement. Please share more. Thanks from Dallas

Trish, we can keep this thread going if you, and everyone else, will add your photos to it. It may be a little early in the season for your garden to be in bloom, but do post photos when you can. How about those irises in your pond? And, I would love to see your teas. Now that you have a good idea of what was killing your roses, I'm hoping things will turn around for you. I hope this season will help make up for all the disappointing ones.

Austin, I prefer whole garden and whole bush shots, too, and I especially appreciate the photos you have shared of your well tended garden. I devour them, hoping to learn something I can incorporate into my own. Being in a cold zone, and having to start over some years after losing canes and whole bushes to winter, my plants are always small and not much to look at. I will attempt to show more of the whole garden, but you may be disappointed. I'm grateful for your thoughtful comments.

Carol, has just started the fall thread for all to post on, too. Diane

Flowers what a nice thing to hear! Thank you for the kind words. I enjoy sharing because so few people ever see my actual garden. My dogs never say much about my flowers but Austin, my Dobie, used to sniff the really fragrant blossoms. Last year I removed and replanted most of my garden and I had trouble finding the larger bushes of my choice. Don't have the lushness yet in this new planting so I keep pulling from my older files when I post, I apologize for the repeats. I am saving this thread for your beautiful roses and clematis as my "go to's" for new purchases in my empty spots. We all appreciate beauty but I think it takes a gardener to really appreciate the beauty of another's garden.

Thank you for your kind words everyone! I'm so blessed to be part of this wonderful community.

@flowersaremusic z5 Eastern WA - Please keep the pictures coming, they are so beautiful!

Here is a picture of Double Delight from the spring, with Bill W. in the back and a bloom of Intrigue peeking out from the side:

Have a lovely day everyone!

damask_rose : )

Wow. Just wow. Totally drooling over your roses.

Damask_rose - gosh, that's a lovely picture!!

Austinkisses - one of my dogs used to love to sniff the roses. I miss that dog!

Diane, thanks for the head's up on the new seasonal thread. Anyone here who hasn't checked out that thread should join us there. Especially for fall and winter when there isn't as much rose talk. It's a great way to stay in touch until spring.

Damask, your Double Delight is a thing of beauty with her distinct coloring. I've heard she has intense fragrance. Does yours? Looks like an enormous bloom.

Mas, I'm not sure if your comment was meant for Damask or me, but I'll say thank you just the same. Damask's roses are certainly worth drooling over.

Thanks a bunch @rosecanadian! : )

Thank you so much @flowersaremusic z5 Eastern WA!

Double Delight has a heavenly fragrance. It is really strong and perfumey with a hint of spice. It is a great rose all around.

I believe Mas' comment was meant for your gorgeous roses @flowersaremusic z5 Eastern WA. She is absolutely right, I'm drooling over them too : ). Please share more pictures of your beautiful garden, it is a little bit of Heaven on Earth!

Have a wonderful day everyone!

damask_rose : )

damask rose, I'm thrilled to have you on this forum! I can't believe your wisdom and know that big things are in store for you. I've just been so touched by your story, , your familyyour views and curiosity and of course, your roses!!!

I agree, Vap. It's wonderful having a younger adult with us and hearing her perspective. Maybe it will have the effect of keeping us young at heart.

Austin, it's been awhile since you've shared your garden on the forum, unless I've missed it. Would you mind sharing the photo of your arbor with your lovely home and porch in the background? I especially love that one. And, any other photos you'd like to share.

Thank you so much @Vaporvac Z6-OhioRiverValley! You are so sweet! I really appreciate your well wishes and kind words. <3 I'm thrilled to be here! : )

Thank you so much @flowersaremusic z5 Eastern WA! It is so wonderful to be a part of this forum. Thank you for all the kindness you have shown me! <3

Have a lovely day,

damask_rose : )

I was drooling over BOTH of your roses. They are all gorgeous!

Thank you so much @MasLovesRoses_z8a GA! : )