Hello from the Pacific Northwest, where we experienced record-breaking high temperatures last week. I can practically hear all my plants breathing a collective sigh of relief now that the weather has returned to normal. There was some damage including scalded leaves and shriveled sweet peas, but everything seems to have survived.
I’m reuniting with gardeners worldwide, led by The Propagator, posting six things happening on our plot of land this week.
ONE – It’s fava bean time! The first harvest was delicious. Shelling, blanching, and popping the beans out of their skins takes time, but their deliciousness is worth the effort.
TWO – A few days ago, our first dahlia of the year opened. Hundreds more blooms are on the way, but the first is always special. This is a confusing dahlia, because all the tubers I planted in this particular bed close to this color were Senior’s Hope, but this is a collarette and Senior’s Hope isn’t. Oh well, it’s pretty. When I search for bright pink collarette dahlias, I’ve yet to find a match for these, but the closest are ‘Wink’ and ‘Bloomquist Sweet.’ UPDATE in August – Senior’s Hope tubers bloomed later and were beautiful!
THREE, FOUR, FIVE, and SIX – Peonies overlapped nicely with roses, then the heat hit! The roses went bonkers. As it’s year three in the rose garden, it’s definitely time for leaping. Throughout Coppertop gardens there are additional roses, but in the new rose garden , there are 20 bushes, 17 of which are David Austin roses. ALL 20 are blooming at once. Trios of Golden Celebration, Princess Anne, Munstead Wood, Gertrude Jekyll, and Lady Emma Hamilton form huge swaths of color and fragrance. Singles of Evelyn and Jude the Obscure mingle with floribundas Connie’s Sandstorm and Pumpkin Patch. One climber, an Iceberg, graces the obelisk. I can’t spend enough time enjoying all the beauty and making bouquets for the home and for friends.
Gardens at Coppertop 
Leave a reply to gardeninacity Cancel reply