Rose Garden in Late Summer

The Rose Garden continues to be interesting throughout the summer, even beyond peak rose bloom.

The Rose Garden in July

First of all, I have tried to include good foliage plants throughout the garden, to carry it through lulls in blooming. There are a purple leaved Cotinus 'Velvet Cloak', snowy white Salix 'Hakuro-Nishiki', silver Lamb's Ears, bushy green Euphorbias, Sedum, and various dwarf evergreens.

LA hybrid Lily 'Red Alert', with Cotinus 'Velvet Cloak' and foliage of Peony 'Bartzella'

But there are some mid- to late-summer bloomers in here too. These stunning red LA Lilies bloom in July. This type of lily is said to be fragrant, but I do not detect much of a scent.

LA hybrid lily 'Red Alert'

I grow LA Lilies not for their fragrance but for their appearance - they have much better flower power and substance than regular Asiatic Lilies, with the same or better bright color range. They seem to increase rapidly.

Clematis 'Etoile Violette'

Clematis viticella 'Etoile Violette' also blooms in mid-summer, from late June to July. It has very dark purple flowers indeed - almost too dark, I'm afraid - they recede a bit too much for me. A lighter background might help to show them off better.

Rose Garden in July: Clematis, Barberry, Yew, and Quince tree

It is a very vigorous and free-flowering clematis, however, like all viticellas. This is only its third year - it will presumably get bigger than this with time. It climbs a trellis in the back of the Rose Garden, behind a young yew, Barberry 'Crimson Pygmy', and Quince 'Aromatnaya'.

Rose Garden in July: Allium tanguticum 'Summer Beauty' and Sedum

Another July bloomer is Allium tanguticum 'Summer Beauty'. It is an unusual Flowering Allium, having mid-summer blooms and foliage that remains healthy and attractive all season. (Most Alliums bloom in spring and deteriorate horribly immediately afterwards.) Not a show-stopper, by any means, but a valuable contributor for the Dog Days of Summer. It flowers in front of the Quince and Barberry, near Sedum 'Autumn Fire.' The roses in the picture are recently transplated Austin 'Sophy's Rose' - hopefully they will add their red blooms to the picture in future years.

Russian sage (Perovskia atripicifolia) in late summer

Russian sage (Perovskia atripicifolia) blooms in July through August. It is a large, sprawly, wispy plant whose charm I find difficult to capture in a photograph.

Prunella grandiflora 'Freelander Blue' and Euonymous fortunei 'Tricolor'

At the Sage's feet are a vibrant Self-Heal (Prunella grandiflora 'Freelander Blue') and the variegated evergreen Euonymous fortunei 'Tricolor'. The Prunella is new, but so far very satisfactory. It has a low, creeping profile, and smothers itself with dark blue-purple flowers from late June through August. Hopefully it will prove hardy.

Rose 'Eglantyne' and Salix 'Hakuro-Nishiki' in July

Of course, some of the roses continue blooming through the summer as well, although their peak bloom is in June and September. The fragrant pink David Austin rose 'Eglantyne' throws off blooms continuously all summer long as it sprawls all over its neighbors.

Mid and Late summer are not my favorite times in the garden - I find the heat and drought oppressive, and there are no peonies in July... :-) I therefore tend not to emphasize summer bloomers in my plantings. However, I have learned that good foliage plants, plus a smattering of blooms, helps keep the garden together until my next favorite season - Fall - comes along.

LA Hybrid Lilies

LA Hybrid lilies are crosses between Longiflorum and Asiatic lilies. They are sometimes called "scented Asiatics," although they are not necessarily scented and are not pure Asiatics. I loved mine so much I added a few new ones last year. They are my favorite type of lily so far! (Caveat: I have yet to try the much lauded Orienpets.) LA Hybrids have abundant upfacing flowers which provide intense blocks of solid color in the garden, just like Asiatics, but they are much larger, and the blooms are more substantive and long-lasting. They bloom for 3-4 weeks in my garden, longer than any other lily. I currently have 3 varieties:

LA lily 'Golden Tycoon'

'Golden Tycoon' is a tall, generous bloomer with fat petals in a cheery lemon yellow. The color just glows - I get more comments on this plant from passersby than anything else I grow. They have absolutely no fragrance that I can detect.

LA lily 'Golden Tycoon'

I've had this one for a few years and it's starting to multiply. This year some of the babies are blooming at half-height, for an odd stair-step effect. I suppose I will need to spread out these bulbs for next year.

Peony bed enlivened with LA lilies

My 'Golden Tycoons' are planted in my peony bed, where they take center stage after peony season is over. Here you can see them blooming with a hint of purple Geranium wlassovianum at their feet. There are also Oriental Lilies in this area which will bloom in August, after the LA hybrids are done.

LA hybrid lily 'Red Alert'

Following on the success of 'Golden Tycoon', I added 'Red Alert' last year. Now this is one "Scented Asiatic" that is really scented! The sweet fragrance of this lily perfumes the entire garden in the evenings. I also love that delicious dark red color. I hope it will be happy and multiply, because I would love to have more of these babies!

LA lily 'Red Alert' near juniper and rose

'Red Alert' is planted in my new Rose Garden, where it adds a deep tone among the purples, grays, and pinks there.

LA hybrid lily 'Swansea'

Also new to my garden is this melon-colored LA Hybrid lily called 'Swansea'. I'm quite pleased with its glowing color which burns soft but bright across a distance. This one has only a light fragrance, detectable if you stick your nose in the flower.

Clematis 'Blekitny Aniol' (Blue Angel), rhubarb, and LA lily 'Swansea'

'Swansea' is planted along the side hedge of my yard, flanked by rhubarb and near a pale blue clematis 'Blekitny Aniol' (Blue Angel). The blue/peach combo is a bit more jarring than I had hoped - the lily is much brighter toned than the muted clematis. I'm not sure it works too well together. The rhubarb is awesome for hiding the bare legs of both clematis and lilies though (as well as for pies!).

LA hybrid lily 'Swansea'

One more good thing about LA lilies - the rabbits leave them alone! The toothy rascals love to chew down my Asiatic and Oriental lilies, but seem to find LA hybrids less than delectable. Perhaps because of their extra thick, tough stems. Are they more rabbit-proof in you garden too?

Lilies

I love lilies of all kinds - they are perfect for adding height, color, and drama to the garden. Most of my favorite plants tend to be roundy-moundy spring bloomers, so lilies provide much needed contrast for me with their spiky shape and flamboyant summer flowers.

Asiatic lilies

Asiatic lilies are the most common (at least in my area) type of lily. They are quite unfussy and will return and spread from year to year if given a sunny spot and reasonably decent soil. They are the earliest lily to bloom - late June in my area, and are relatively short (usually 2-3 feet, depending on the cultivar). They common in a huge array of colors, including bright and dark oranges and reds.

Asiatic lily - dark red

LA hybrid lilies (Longiflorum-Asiatic hybrids)

LA hybrid lily 'Golden Tycoon'

LA hybrids are harder to find than Asiatic or Orientals, but they are well worth seeking out. The petals have incredible substance, so the flowers last for an amazingly long period (at least 4 weeks for me). The colors are very bright and intense, yet deep and inviting. They are tall but incredibly sturdy - I've never had one topple or even lean. Best of all, in my garden at least the rabbits do not seem to like them! They are supposedly fragrant, but I detect only a faint aroma at best on mine (maybe it varies with cultivar though). They bloom after the Asiatics but somewhat earlier than the Orientals. Like Asiatics, they prefer full sun.

Oriental lilies

Oriental lily 'Acapulco'

I would grow Oriental lilies for the fragrance alone, even if they were not stunningly beautiful. They are tall and bloom late - end of July into early August here. The flowers are large and exotic looking, and I love how the gigantic stamens wobble and set off the blooms. They generally have subtler, softer colors than Asiatics or LA hybrids, with lots of intricate spotting on the interior. I do have problems with them falling over in wind and rain - some support is probably advisable. They are also high on the rabbits' list of favorite tasty treats. Next year I plan to erect a small cage around mine so they don't get chomped. Orientals will grow and bloom in part shade, but do make sure they get at least some sun.

Oriental lily 'Time Out'

I have read that Oriental lilies prefer acidic soil, but my soil is quite alkaline and they return year after year for me with no problem. No lily will tolerate poor drainage, so I do amend my heavy soil with compost, of course.

Martagon lilies

Martagon lily 'Mrs. R. O. Backhouse'

Martagon lilies are rather unusual. They will grow in more shade than most lilies and prefer a heavier, moister soil. They also have distinctive dark green foliage which grows in a ruff about the stem. The individual flowers are not large, but are quite lovely. The whole plant has a somewhat sinister quality which I find compelling. The one pictured above was just planted this spring and so is still quite small. Martagon lilies grow very slowly, and often take several years to bloom. Eventually they can form very large clumps with multiple stalks per clump. There is a gentle, spicy/chocolatey fragrance.

Martagon lily growing among hostas at Olbrich Gardens

I am planting more lilies this fall so that there will be more to enjoy next summer!

Late June blooms

I planted three old garden roses bare-root this spring, and only one has a bloom on it this year. (I gather that's not unusual - they take a while to get going.) It's an alba rose called 'Madame Legras de St. Germain', and it's lovely!

Rosa alba 'Madame Legras de St. Germain'

It is fully double, pure white with a green "button" center, and has a very nice sweet and fruity perfume. Foliage so far looks great - alba roses do not typically suffer from disease issues. I hope it will be 6 feet tall and covered in blooms sometime soon! (hah)

My stokesia (Stokes' Aster) has also started blooming - huge saucer-shaped disks of purple-blue. It looks kind of like a goofy but charming alien.

Stokesia 'Bluestone'

Stokesia 'Bluestone' with Sedum 'Angelina', platycodon, and pink petunias

Also blooming now are these early lilies - I love all lilies, but the LA hybrids are my favorite. Supposedly LA hybrids are fragrant, but I can't detect much of a scent on the ones I have (at least, it's nothing compared to oriental lilies).

LA hybrid lily 'Golden Tycoon'

Asiatic lily NOID