A happy rose-face, looking out from the shadow of its glossy leaves and a bud above roses flowering in answer to a soft, brilliant day.

A happy rose-face, looking out from the shadow of its glossy leaves and a bud above roses flowering in answer to a soft, brilliant day.  These blooms have a delightful effect from carrying two rose-colors at once - white with the faintest shade of pink pearl, and a warm rosy hue at the center. They are on a tall vine, "James Galway", and swing from an arbor in my cousin's garden, where they greet everyone with their sweet scent and many flower faces like this one.

Credit +Sarah Myers?

Beautiful Rose

This lovely rose fits in well with our English Old Rose Hybrids, however it has a little of the Leander group in its genetic make-up. This flower shows up in its rather shiny foliage. It is a stunning rose with flowers of an unfading, strong yellow. Indeed their formation is most pleasing, having a neat outer ring of petals enclosing an informal group of petals within. The growth is low and naturally rounded, making it an ideal rose for a position towards the front of the border. There is a rich fragrance with strong lemon tints at first, becoming sweeter and stronger with age.

Strawberry Hill English Rose

For Strawberry Hill holds a medium-sized, pure rose pink, cupped rosettes of excellent quality. And Nha gradually diminish to lighter pink on the edges of the petals, and ultimately expose glimpses of yellow stamens in the center. Blooms are beautiful in all stages. The growth is tall, strong and non-formal to some extent, with small groups of flowers held in brances arched slightly. Strawberry Hill is very healthy with shiny, lush foliage and dark. This is a wonderful choice for a position from the back of a mixed border, or the limits of shrub roses. Strong, bitter and delicious and (Heather) honey fragrance.

Sterling Silver

No doubt it is considered as the favorite among all roses! The Sterling Silver is the true and original lavender rose, being nearly thornless, and having a sweet and citrusy fragrance. The parent or ancestor of nearly every single modern lavender variety today.

This rose fits in well with our English Old Rose Hybrids, even though it has a little of the Leander group in its genetic make-up.

This rose fits in well with our English Old Rose Hybrids, even though it has a little of the Leander group in its genetic make-up. This shows up in its rather shiny foliage. It is a superb rose with flowers of an unfading, strong yellow. Their formation is most pleasing, having a neat outer ring of petals enclosing an informal group of petals within. The growth ...is low and naturally rounded, making it an ideal rose for a position towards the front of the border. There is a rich fragrance with strong lemon tints at first, becoming sweeter and stronger with age.

Narcissus Flower

First, let’s establish what we’re talking about. We all know what a daffodil looks like, right? Well, may be. When I was a child I called all the yellow flowers of this type ”daffodils” and the white one “narcissus”. I also know people who call the yellow ones “jonquils”. Well, botanically speaking, they’re all from the genus Narcissus. But you’re welcome to call them whatever you like. These narcissi, like many flower groups in which many different species, and their hybrids, are grown, have been classified into groups. Here’re the major ones, which sound at times like a list of bra sizes. Keep in mind that the “cup” is the round, protruding part of the flowers that is surrounded by the petals. 

“Trumpet” narcissi produce one flower per stem in which the cup is at least as long as the petals. The big yellow “King Alfred” narcissus is a classic example. Large cupped narcissi have a cup that is a big around as but shorter than that of a trumpet. I especially like the ones with the pink cups, of which Mrs. R.O. Backhouse was the first, and “Pink Beauty” is a fine modern example. Small cupped narcissi are rather flat flowers with a short cup. With any of these, the cup may be one color, the petals another. 

“Double” narcissi are any that have more than one row of petals. They tend to be very fragrant, with almost a jasmine scent, and there’re often several white with some yellow deep in the center, is a popular double. 

“Jonquils” are hybrids of the small, early N. jonquilla, and have as many as six flowers to a stem. No longer all yellow, the colors vary. “Tazetta” narcissi have many flowers on a stem and are fragrant, often with a small, colored cup. Paper white and the yellow and orange “Grand Soleil d’Or” both nonhardy narcissi that are excellent for forcing, belong in this group. Those in the “Poeticus” group are fragrant and have only one flower per stem, which is white with a contrasting shallow cup. In “Actaea” an old favorite, the cup is yellow edged with red. The red-cupped “Geranium” is another good variety. 

In addition there’re a number of delightful species and their hybrids that produce miniature flower on short stems, perfect for the rock garden or any other small-scale planting. Among these are N. bullbocodium (hoop-petticoat daffodil), which has a big cup and rather wispy petals; N. triandrus, which has little drooping flowers with pulled-back petals. “April Tears” is a lovely fragrant yellow variety and N. cyclamineus, whose petals look as if they were being blown back by the wind. 

How to Grow

 

Give narcissi full sun or light shade. They prefer a well-drained sandy loam. Well, Plant large varieties at least 6 inches apart and at least 6 inches deep. Small varieties can be a little closer and less deep.  Work some high-phosphorus fertilizer into the soil. Do not cut the foliage down until it turns brown. Established plantings will increase by themselves but benefit from being dug up every four or five years and divided. To do this wait till the foliage has died, then dig them up with a digging fork and pull apart the bulbs that will separate easily. Either replant them right away or store them in a cool place until later in the summer.

Source: Charismatic Planet

Jasmine is Popular Evergreen Flowers

Some jasmines may twine to some extent, but as a group they’re really in the category of shrubs. Some have long, arching stems, however, and are therefore grown as vines. They’re very popular in warm climates, where they’re usually evergreen and bear lovely flowers in spring or summer sometimes even in winter; many are extremely fragrant. Common jasmine (Jasminum Officinale) is vigorous and hardy to Zone 7. It will grow to 30 feet; very fragrant white flowers appear in summer. Winter jasmine (J. nudiflorum) grows much less tall and is hardy to Zone 6. 

Yellow flowers which are not fragrant, appear before the leaves in early spring in cooler climates, in winter in warm ones. Pink jasmine (J. polyanthum), whose flowers are more white than pink, has small, dainty leaves and starts blooming in winter in warm climates; it is hardy only to Zone 8 to 9 but can be grown successfully indoors and is very fragrant. Many jasmines in fact, make good container plants, indoors or out. Some of the larger ones make good, dense, fragrant hedges. There’re many other jasmines worth exploring, especially if you live in a warm climate.  The plant called “star jasmine” (Trachelospermum jasminoides) is actually not a jasmine. It is evergreen bears fragrant white flowers in spring and summer and is a good screening plant in frost free regions. 

How to Grow Jasmine

Jasmines prefer sun, though some may do well in part shade. Any well drained, light loam is suitable as long as there is some moisture. Most need pruning to keep them within bounds. With indoor plants especially it is important to cut them back hard after blooming to encourage branching and more bloom. The stems must be anchored to their supports. Propagate from cuttings or by layering. 

Lamium is an Excellent Ground Cover for Shade.

Lamium is an excellent ground cover for shade. The common name is often given as “spotted dead nettle” far too unattractive a little for this low growing carpet of leaves with a stripe down the middle that can be white, yellow, red or silver. Lamium is evergreen from Zone 6 south. Even in Zone 5, where I one live, they persist well into the winter. The erect flower clusters are long blooming, lasting from late spring to midsummer, and can be reddish purple, pink, or whit depending on variety. “Album”  has white flowers and white marked leaves; “Beacon Silver” has pink flowers and silvery leaves. If you set out a little nursery grown pot of lamium in spring, you will have a lamium carpet by fall, and the following year you will perhaps be able to pen your own lamium nursery with which to supply all your friends. It spreads rapidly by above ground runners and is hardy to Zone 4. 

How to Grow Lamium

Here if you want to grow lamium in part or full shade if possible but if the site is very sunny make sure the soil has plenty of moisture. Other than that lamium seems to have no special requirements and is easily propagated by division, cuttings or seed. If you do not want to open a lamium nursery, and it is crowding other plants, shear in midsummer to promote more compact growth. 

Source: Charismatic Planet

Rose of Sharon is in number of varieties shades

Rose of Sharon or Hibiscus syrfiacus is the chief value of this shrub, also known as “shrub althaea”, lies in its late summer bloom, usually coming in August. There’re number of varieties, in shades of pink, purple, blue, lavender, red and white. Flowers are usually three to five inches in diameter; extra-large ones can be produced by cutting stems back to two buds after blooming. They’re tall, bushy plants growing as high as 15 feet and can be grown as trees by eliminating all but one stem and removing lower branches. They make good specimen shrubs, given enough space, and also can be used as informal hedges, though close shearing is detrimental both to bloom and to the shape of the plant. 

Plant should be set in while still young and protected with mulch until well established. Even so, until they are mature, they are susceptible to winterkill. They will grow in sun or part shade, and they like moist, humusy soil with good drainage. Pruning need only be done if you want a smaller, compact plant, or to produce larger flowers, as above. Cut back stems to laterals to control size and produce vigorous growth and remove dead or damaged wood. Prune in winter in mild climates, early spring in cold ones. Source: CP

May Apple is very Charming Plant if Used in a Right Way

This is very charming plant if used in the right way. In late spring each plant sends up what look like two little, folded-up beach umbrellas; these unfold as two broad, umbrellas like leaves under which you have to peek to see the small white or pinkish flowers. But I like them just for the foliage; an established clump forms a large mat that is a sea of umbrellas all summer long. In May a small, yellow fruit (the “apple”) forms where the flowers were. You can eat the fruit but don’t ever eat the roots or leaves both are poisonous and even touching the roots can cause a rash. The other name for the plant is “wild man-drake.”

Naturally growing in open, damp, deciduous woods, May apple likes a rich, moist soil and a fairly acid pH. It makes an excellent ground cover for shaded or semi shaded sites. Plant or divide the rhizomes in fall, leaving at least one bud on each division and spreading out the rhizomes 1 inch below soil level.