In the border at the bottom of the quad is a beautiful colour combination of a pale pink rose and the rich carmine of a Cosmos. The plants behind this display are the Rosa 'Old Blush China' and Cosmos bipinnatus 'Click Cranberries'.
The rose has clusters of semi double, pale pink, fragrant flowers that deepen with age. It is extremely long flowering, often known as the 'Monthly Rose' because of how regularly it blooms, it is one of the first to flower and, should the weather permit, will continue to flower until Christmas. This rose is said to be the 'Last Rose of Summer' in Thomas Moore's poem, here is the first verse:
Tis the last rose of summer,
Left blooming alone ;
All her lovely companions
Are faded and gone ;
No flower of her kindred,
No rose-bud is nigh,
To reflect back her blushes,
Or give sigh for sigh.
Left blooming alone ;
All her lovely companions
Are faded and gone ;
No flower of her kindred,
No rose-bud is nigh,
To reflect back her blushes,
Or give sigh for sigh.
The Cosmos, a new introduction to the gardens this year and grown from seed, is a strong stemmed, double bloom in a rich carmine.
Really enjoying your blog (read here in Norway where I live.) When you refer to annuals sown from seed, are they hardy (sown in situ) or half-hardy?
ReplyDeleteHi Dorothy. Thank you for your comment, it's lovely to hear from our overseas readers. All the annuals we grow are half hardy and sown in the greenhouse in Feb/March. This year we started on the March, blog entry 'Seed Sowing 2015' 10th March. Best Regards Ali
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