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| Maria Shriver Rose |
My next-door neighbor gave me some hosta plants, about 10 years ago. I planted them without thinking about their benefits. Once established, they produce flower spikes that attract hummingbirds. When I mentioned the plants on Facebook, a classmate responded, "Rabbits ate all of mine."
Mature hosta do not attract rabbits, but new sprouts from irresistible Internet ads do. Eventually I had survivors of various colors, sizes, and textures. I looked for a used hosta book and found one endorsed by King Charles III nee Prince Charles, the previously overlooked royal. It is one of those coffee table books and worth reading to see what can be grown.
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| Enchanted Peace Rose |
Touring the garden yesterday, I found hostas popping up all over - where we left them in the hot, dry fall. They were far more established and enjoying the semi-shade. The autumn of 2022 was a challenge, requiring a lot of watering to keep plants alive, yet even the most parched hostas popped up as if by the Creator - and not "by magic."
The calendar of the plants and animals is a secret but they know what to do. The day before my tour, I worried that triple crown blackberries were back. The new plants suggested and mocked my fears. Instead, the little yellow flowers of wild strawberries appeared - same family - but you knew that. Wild strawberries will fill in every gap front and back, blooming for bees, forming berries, thriving in deep shade and bright sunlight.
I do not have to wonder about which plants to use between roses. Bee balm is a mint, attracting bees hummingbirds, and butterflies. They also spread, given time. I saw their distinctive leaves yesterday, with older plants already forming large clumps. Small sprouts from last year's efforts are popping up in front of the patio, so everyone can watch the bees, hummingbirds, butterflies.
Knockout roses are in full bloom and the new hybrid tea roses are leafing out. Clethra bushes are in deep sleep, all the better to bloom and scent the air later in summer, when the bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies are bored.
My English kin are veteran gardeners, so it should not be surprising that the royals and I have so much in common. Christina said, "You went to graduate school and out popped a farmer: digging, manuring, weeding."
I just ordered a garden plaque which includes her own royal command - "Build a rose garden, grass is boring."
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| Falling in Love Rose |
