A Climbing Rose That's Captured My Heart

I wish I'd known more about this Rose years ago. It's Rosa setigera, with the nicknames Climbing Prairie Rose, Illinois Rose, Climbing Wild Rose, and several others. While it's not technically native in my county, it's native two counties to the south and east, and it's now found often in S. Wisconsin. Its native range stretches from New York state in the northeast, west to Iowa and south to Texas.

I purchased the Rose three years ago to climb on the backyard arbor. It wasn't happy with the drought last summer, but it continued to grow and is really coming into its own this year.



Climbing Prairie Rose grows well in open, sunny prairies, but it also thrives in partial shade. So the spot on the arbor is perfect for it. This summer, the buds and blooms are plentiful. The flowers are gorgeous, 2-3 inches across, and they have a slight, pleasant scent.



Here you can see the plant on the arbor (which the fishman constructed in 2009), leading into the backyard. I've grown many things on this arbor--mostly annuals like Hyacinth Bean Vine (Lablab purpureus) and the perennial Kentucky Wisteria (W. macrostachya), which was here when we moved in more than 20 years ago. I now grow the Hyacinth Bean Vine in another garden location. The Wisteria is still on one side of the arbor, but...long story for another post.

I'm in love with this nearly native Rose, as a perfect climber for the arbor, and because of its hardiness, easy care, and beauty. The day I took these photos, the buds I saw in the morning were open a couple of hours later. It was fun to observe their unfurling, like a time-lapse movie.

9:57 a.m.

12:02 p.m.

Same "couple," in the morning and at midday.

What can I say? I'm in love, and I'm thrilled that Rosa setigera is settling in on the arbor.

I'm linking in to Wildflower Wednesday over at Clay and Limestone. Check it out!

Roses in a 'Vase' on Monday

Many of the Roses are blooming at the same time this year! They do tend to begin blooming in early to mid-June most years, but generally on a more staggered schedule. I'm loving the deluge and the bounty, probably due to various weather factors.

So, I put several in a bowl all together for happy viewing.



The star in the middle is the hybrid tea Rose 'At Last,' which is so stunning, fragrant, and disease-resistant.

The outer ring includes the prolific and beautiful Oso Easy Double Pink.



Also, I included Fred's 'Sweet Mary,' my great-grandfather's hybrid. This Rose is particularly lovely as a full, lush bud.



But beautiful, also, when fully in bloom. I don't spray/treat my Roses, so some years the outer petals are a little brown on this one. But, oh my, the scent of 'Sweet Mary' is unequaled!



I didn't include this lovely shrub Rose in the bowl, because the color didn't seem to work, but it's a beauty, too. It was here when we moved in, so I'm not sure of its identity.

I have a limited collection of Roses in my garden, because of the shade conditions. Two others are not quite blooming yet, but I'll share their beauty in the coming weeks.

Rose blooms signify summer to me, and pleasant thoughts. I'm linking in to Cathy's In a Vase on Monday meme. Join in with your vase creations!

Nifty Garden Views and Vignettes

Do you ever notice appealing (and sometimes surprising) vignettes, plant combinations, and pleasing views? It's been happening to me a lot lately.

By the time I've gotten around to photographing them, however, several examples have passed...I tried to capture a few others. With some, I stepped back to get a broader view, and then photographed single blooms or smaller groupings.

The play of the light on the Alliums and Fiddlehead Ferns (Matteuccia struthiopteris) was fun the other day:



With morning indirect light, they were warm and glowing.



Same plants and roughly the same angle--but with more cloud cover and more overhead light, the colors are totally different. And the shadows and variations in exposure are lessened.



The Alliums currently blooming in this particular bed are 'Ambassador' and...



'Globemaster,' which starts blooming earlier and is a bit shorter. I love them both, and the rabbits don't eat them. Yay.



We've had plenty of warm weather and plenty of rain, so most of the plants seem happy. The potted arrangements are coming into their own. Soon they'll be lush and full and spilling over the edges for the rest of the growing season.



The Calla Lilies (Zantedeschia spp.) are full and bright. They're from a mixed grouping, so I'm not sure which species/varieties they are. They overwintered in the sunroom, so they had a head start when I started watering them in March.



Many of the pots have various Impatiens and Coleus combinations.



The Mock Orange (Philadelphus coronarius) is full of bright blooms and framed by the Staghorn Sumacs (Rhus typhina).



The blooms are so graceful and gentle.



In addition to the potted Oxalis (O. vulcanicola 'Zinfandel') in the first photo of this post, I noticed several more "happy" plants. This Bigleaf Hydrangea (H. macrophylla) is full of blooms--more than I can remember from the past. Perhaps it's not surprising with all the rain and mild weather we've had this spring.

Another quick vignette--a graceful red admiral butterfly on American Garlic (Allium unifolium).

 It's a beautiful season! What scenes are catching your eyes these days?

Because I've included six basic "areas" of the garden, I'm linking in with "Six on Saturday" at Garden Ruminations. Head on over to view scenes and amazing plants from around the world.