There have been times when we complained that spring in New York lasts for just a few days, and cold wintry days turn into hot summer within no time. Not this year! We had a few hot days, but otherwise, it is almost a little too cool. We don’t have to worry about watering the garden right now either. There was a lot of rain last week and this Memorial Day is rained out, too. One effect of this weather is that our irises, peonies and roses are lasting a lot longer, even though they get rained on a lot.
Peonies, roses and an allium heavy with rain
Of our roses, the antique Bourbon and Damask varieties were the first to bloom. They looked perfect last weekend.
Two Damask roses on top: the perfectly white Madame Hardy and the lovely pink Baronne Prévost. On the bottom are the Bourbon roses Souvenir de la Malmaison and Kronprinzessin Viktoria. Kronprinzessin Viktoria is a sport of Souvenir de la Malmaison. That is, a branch of a the pink Souvenir de la Malmaison once showed cream-white flowers. In 1887, this branch was cultivated as a new variety and named after the oldest daughter of Queen Victoria.
Of the other roses, Don Juan, the climber on the trellis over the path, is currently also particularly pretty.
Don Juan is perhaps my favorite rose in the garden. It has these beautiful dark red flowers and a lovely fragrance. It is also pretty resistant to black spot and other diseases and does not stop blooming until late fall.
The irises are also still not done with their show. Some new flowers with unusual colors just opened. We do not know the names of our varieties. Identifying them could be a fun project for the future. For now, we are proud that we know almost all of our roses by name.
Beautiful irises