It’s been about a month since I posted a garden update, so it seems about time to join with garden bloggers worldwide again in Six on Saturday.
ONE – Roses galore! The new rose garden has produced many beautiful bouquets, including this silver rose bowl bouquet today of Lady Emma Hamilton and Pumpkin Patch roses.
TWO – Hydrangeas have begun blooming with these two macrophyllas and some paniculatas leading the way.
THREE – Son and I harvested many pounds of redcurrants, Ribes rubrum, from our five bushes near the orchard. I cooked them on the stove, then strained them through a berry bag to make juice, then cooked the juice with some sugar to make about six pints of jelly. Lest it seems we didn’t leave any for the birds, be assured they have plenty, and right now they also have ripe, native elderberries, or Sambucus racemosa, along the wilder edges of the garden.
FOUR – Sweet peas, Lathyrus odoratus, have been offering their wonderful fragrance for a few weeks now. I didn’t buy any new seed this year, saving a mix of seed from last year’s pods, but these pinks are pretty satisfying.
FIVE – Eight-foot tall Malva sylvestris, which we call zebra hollyhocks or zebrina here, are towering, unstaked, in the perennials. Nearby, some relatives from the Malvaceae family, Alcea ‘Halo Blush’, have just begun their growth spurt.
SIX – The Black Arches is a shady area of the garden featuring many vines. Right now ligularia and foxglove are blooming in its midst. It hasn’t been a very warm summer yet, but in August we will be happy to have this cool area.
Gardens at Coppertop 
A recurrant bounty there! Love the pinky blue hydrangea and the hollyhocks. I’ve never tried growing the latter.
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Redcurrant even!
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It’s been a good year for fruit so far. Hollyhocks have been easy for me. I can’t access your blog by clicking on your name anymore. Are you still actively posting?
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I am, someone else had that problem a few months back. Odd. https://onemanandhisgardentrowel.wordpress.com/2019/07/20/six-on-saturday-rain-20-july-2019/
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I thought my hollyhocks were good! Many of my garden plants needed to be staked more carefully after yesterday’s rain but the hollyhocks were fine. Lovely arches. Good to see you back.
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Thanks! Your hollyhocks are great — the variety of color is to be admired.
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Looking fabulous. I must get hold of an Emma h, that colour is superb.
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What a wonderful garden. I can imagine exploring it and finding lots to like.
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I’d welcome your exploration, Prue!
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Your hollyhocks are pretty! Here, they are doing well this year. Not too wet so no powdery mildew . Not too windy so no breakage. The pinks are flowery but I’m waiting for my 2nd that are reds
Congratulations for your jams. Here we have a juice extractor. I don’t know if it exists in the US but it looks like a pan for couscous : we put the fruit and stems at the top and the hot juice comes out below. You just have to add the sugar and cook and it’s ready. I’ll have to write about this if it interests some people for a next Sos.
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Ah, your juice extractor sounds handy, Fred. The drip bag works as well, just no squeezing or it clouds the jellies. My hollyhocks have a bit of rust on lowest leaves, but all-in-all they are a win.
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So beautiful- I love your gardens! And the color on those roses is breathtaking!
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Thank you, Lauren! I have a big crush on peach and orange roses this year.
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What stunning colour Roses! So jealous!
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Thank you. 😉
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The rose bowl bouquet is utterly fabulous! What colours!
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Thanks, Jude. My adventures with peachy roses have just begun!
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I was not aware that red elderberry was native there. I suppose it makes sense that it should be. I wold like to get some here, but it is quarantined from import, even if i were to find it while in Washington. I intend to eventually get the native red elderberries that grow up near the summit. I believe that they are a different species from yours, but I do not remember their name.
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When you acquire those elderberries, I’d love a photo, Tony.
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Once I get berries, I will certainly show them off; but it may never happen. For something that grows wild just a few miles away, it is surprisingly rare.
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The colour of the roses is stunning. They aren’t varieties I know. I’ve grown Malva sylvestris in the past but it never reached such dizzy heights!
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Thanks! I am loving the current abundance of roses and am pleased with the colors selected. I was warned that the Malva will self seed, yet they seem easy enough to put when young.
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