My Favorite Plant This Week is... Gee, I don't Know, Do You?

About 23 years ago we moved into an old house and there was, planted beside a window a pink rose whose canes grew very tall each year begging for a trellis.  I asked the former owner, who had grown up in the house and still lived next door,  the name of the rose (apologies to Umberto Eco.)  He said that he didn't know, that it was a rogue.  I gave starts to several people while we lived there and when we moved here 15 years ago, I brought a start with me. (own roots, sends out suckers politely)

It has a single but glorious flush of bloom from May through June, some years a bit of July.

It's planted against my back fence and arches over the sidewalk and spills into the alley  on the outside of the fence perfuming the air all around.  It has a very strong old rose scent and on the day I took these the sun was beginning to dry the rain from the night before.  The still moist air carried the fragrance right to my back door and beckoned me to get closer and enjoy swimming in the olfactory delight.

Really we were in the alley loading up a bunch of yard waste and I had my camera with me so I snapped some pictures but that doesn't sound quite as nice, does it?

It gets black spot annually but I do nothing and the bush flourishes.  Since it's mostly in the alley, I pay little attention to it once it's bloomed.

The vigor of growth, volume and fragrance of blooms make this rose my favorite plant this week.  Begging the forgiveness of our favorite plant this week meme host,  Loree of Danger Garden who is not a huge fan of roses.   It's thorny and bacteria lurking about can infect a wound and cause sporotrichosis or rose thorn disease so they're kind of dangerous... Click on the link above to check out other favorites this week!

Do you have any idea what this charmer of a rose might be?  It's similar to Rose de Rescht  but faster growing and more on the red side of pink while Rose de Rescht is a bit bluer.

A bit like Zephirine Drouhin but it isn't Zephirine Drouhin either. 

What's your favorite plant this week?  

Seven Gardens, Two Nurseries, Six Hours part VIII City People's Garden Store

You may remember past visits to this cool nursery here and here. For those of us addicted to plants and gardening, there's always something new and wonderful to find at  just about any nursery and this place always has a lot of great merchandise indoors and out!

From Eucalyptus lehmannii - pretty cool,eh?

I wish this potting bench would work in my garden!

It's nice to see the back area chock full of plants!  

Quite a contrast from this picture taken in February!

You can see some of the bare root stock had started to arrive but those poor lonely benches made me sad.

Back to April! Look at the huge leaf on that Astilboides tabularis.  Throw in some slug holes and a bunch of litter from a cherry tree nearby and you've got what mine looks like.

The carnivorous plants are blooming!

I love this time of year don't you?  Our gardens are so full of life and color!

An arisaema unfurls a bloom.

City People's Nursery carries  this fun  furniture.  One might think that it was permanent but the sprouting of new foliage from the large vertical branch on the front right tells us that this is indeed new.

So many lust worthy plants!

Calycanthus 'Hartlage Wine' came home with me. 

Twig bench in front of  Hydrangea 'Plum Passion'  

I didn't get the variety of this columbine but the color glowed!

If you look hard enough, there's always an agave!

Great conifers!

Some gorgeous acer palmatums!

They also had a nice selection of bamboos, including one that I though I killed this winter.  I almost bought a replacement but Alison urged me to be sensible and give the poor naked bamboo in my garden a little bit more time.  I'm happy to announce that just yesterday I was studying mine for signs of life and noticed new leaves sprouting from some of the branches.  It will take some time to regain it's former glory but I'm glad that Alison gave me such wise advice and saved me some money to boot!

Wordless Wednesday: Peonies

The Garden of Phoebe Fine

 I'm going to allow Ms Fine's own words to guide you through her garden.
 "On a typical city lot (50' x 100') our small garden features herbs and vegetables, ornamental trees and shrubs and a haven for urban wildlife.

"We moved in to our home 23 years ago and inherited a lot that had a few roses, a couple of rhododendrons and a quintessential lawn."

"With a degree in landscape architecture and a passion for plant collecting, we quickly developed the structure of the garden with heritage treee on the north side and a perennial border/ cutting garden on the south side."

"Small water features attract daily visits of hummingbirds, chickadees and robins, and a compost pile allows us to build healthy soil year after year.

"Our sanctuary garden is a well-tended and densely planted combination of colorful flowers, outdoor rooms and interesting foliage throughout the year."

Every clothesline support should have a chandelier!

 A nice grouping of plants in terra cotta pots.

Cool architectural fragments!

We pacific north westerners do enjoy glass in our gardens!

Eclectic art choices punctuate the garden.

Gurgling water, densely planted beds  and violets between the steps.  This place breathes relaxation and peacefulness.

Thanks for allowing us to tour your lovely garden Ms Fine!