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Strawberry Tree

Since moving to Washington, I have discovered a great number of new trees. One of my favorites is the Strawberry Tree ( Arbutus unedo ). It is a four-season tree with semi-glossy evergreen leaves and lovely mahogany bark. In autumn, clusters of white flowers appear, bearing a resemblance to Lily-of-the-Valley flowers. And then there are the little fruits, which resemble strawberries that appear at the same time as the flowers. I am not sure why, but I have only seen a few fruits on ours. I don't know if birds are getting them before I see them or what happens. The fruits are said to be edible but not very tasty (to humans). This year, our tree is loaded with flowers, the most I've ever seen. Bees absolutely love it and so do the hummingbirds. The flowers usually continue to appear straight through winter, and it can be blooming even during the coldest periods of winter. Aside from the fact that I have not seen much of the colorful fruits, the major negative note is the fact tha
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June Roses

frontview
Along the front street. The rose at the left is the David Austin rose 'Lady of Shallot'.

 The roses started blooming in mid-May and most are blooming now with the exception of a few. Most of the non-blooming are new plants but they do have buds! In general, they are all doing very well and their growth rate is truly astonishing. I have had a problem with powdery mildew on a few varieties and blackspot is a given but on most roses, it is mild.

Look how the plants have filled in along the fence in front! 'Lady of Shallot' rose, the big orange one on the left was planted on February 17, 2016 according to my records and in two short years it is 6 ft. tall. The pink rose near the center is 'Robin Hood', one of my favorites from our previous garden. The orange one behind the fence is 'Radway Sunrise', a rose that many gardeners in this area highly recommended. It was slow to start but really catching up now. A lot of the perennials in the photo were planted LESS than one year ago. That includes the Geranium 'Rozanne' and the Santolina ericoides.

The climbing rose 'Dublin Bay' (below) is a new one for me and I had been disappointed with it but I must confess the blooms are exquisite. It still doesn't seem to want to climb the arbor, dang it, and instead wants to sprawl out.

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Rose 'Dublin Bay'

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David Austin rose 'Lady of Shallot' again 
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'Radway Sunrise' can attain monstrous dimensions I am told and I may have positioned it in an inappropriate spot. Right now it is fine. The color is truly electric.

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And speaking of shocking color, 'Westerland' continues to astound. I can see why it tops the list of many rose lovers in the Pacific Northwest.


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Near the fence corner and entrance to driveway is 'Peachy Creeper', a rose we loved after seeing it at Heirloom Roses.

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'Buff Beauty', planted in the back garden, wants to sprawl.
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'Buff Beauty' was one of my favorite roses in our former garden.

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'Marie Pavie' is astonishing in size here, already near 6 ft. In Alabama, it was a mild-mannered 3 feet tall and wide, which is how most descriptions read. She is going nuts.  

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'Phyllis Bide' planted on the new moon arch. I was hesitant to try this one but so far I like it.

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'Rosemary Harkness'
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'Tequila Sunrise' is very prone to blackspot but...
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Check out the bloom!

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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Comments

  1. Lisa at GreenbowJune 3, 2018 at 5:18 PM

    Gorgeous roses. Everything around them looks beautiful too. They support the roses.

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  2. UnknownJune 3, 2018 at 6:15 PM

    Beautiful as always. Obviously enjoying your new garden

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  3. AlisonJune 3, 2018 at 9:15 PM

    Ah! Your roses are exquisite. I love looking at them but except for one Rosa glauca I don't grow them. Although I am considering getting a climber for a trellis along my back fence. For the most part here in the PNW, size descriptions on plants should just be ignored. They don't behave.

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  4. Jane StrongJune 3, 2018 at 9:15 PM

    How many car crashes have you caused by people stopping to gawk at your streetside frontage garden?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Barbara H.June 4, 2018 at 9:11 AM

    Love Jane's comment. It is beyond belief what you have created in such a short time. Downside? - you might have a lot of deadheading to do...

    ReplyDelete
  6. Rock rose June 5, 2018 at 3:48 PM

    Just wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
  7. chavlinessJune 6, 2018 at 8:17 AM

    Like Jane above, I saw the first picture of this post and thought people walking by must stop and stare with delight and more then a little envy. You may be a newcomer to the PNW, but not to gardening. You've created a magnificent garden in two years; it's nothing short of remarkable. Rose 'Dublin Bay' has such a wonderful rich color; it may not want to climb just yet, but it looks amazing with the lavender.

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  8. AaronJune 11, 2018 at 7:45 PM

    That first photo is absolutely stunning. To say you have an eye for design would be a vast understatement. *****

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  9. Hoover BooJune 15, 2018 at 2:58 PM

    Wow! Your garden has become spectacular so fast! Really impressive to see what you have accomplished in such a short time. Would love to see a Then And Now of your front garden--the improvement is so dramatic. Your neighbors are lucky!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Holly StickleyJuly 24, 2020 at 4:08 PM

    Hi Philip! I was Googling Rosa Radway Sunrise , and clicked on your photo and there you were! Beautiful roses and garden! You should be doing design work. I'll see you at the nursery...Holly

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