Friday, October 21, 2011

The Beauty Behind The Beauty

I keep taking pictures of 'Frontier Twirl'.  Not because this rose is my favorite.  It is pretty, but it has had its share of problems in my garden.


But I can't keep from taking its picture.


Not because of the bloom.  But because of the background.  'Powis Castle' artemisia is behind this rose, and I am in love with its lacy foliage.


Here it is with 'Mrs. Dudley Cross'.


And earlier this year:


And with another lacy plant, Boltonia:


And behind this sedum:


See what I mean?  It's like a heavenly halo!


'Powis Castle' grows in zones 5 through 9, in almost any soil, is drought tolerant, grows up to 36" high, deer and rabbits don't care for it, and likes full sun.

Doesn't its lacy, silvery foliage make the most beautiful background?

22 comments:

  1. I always enjoy seeing photos of your beautiful roses. And artemesia is also great host plant for lady bugs. I just planted 2 more this week!

    ReplyDelete
  2. So pretty. I love artemisia. It goes so well with your apricot colored blooms, too! I grew some one year, but it started getting rot where I had put it in my heavy clay. It was really pretty while it lasted though!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yes, it does make a wonderful backdrop to all of your blooms. I love plants that are workhorses in the garden. How many different varieties of roses do you grow? Every one is gorgeous.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I have grown Powis Castle for years, and I agree, it's lacy leaves are gorgeous. I also like its fragrance. It does make a wonderful background in your photos; I especially like the shot of it with the boltonia and rose.

    ReplyDelete
  5. dorothy - Thanks for letting me know about the lady bugs! I have them in the garden, but didn't realize my artemisia was helping. Now I'll for sure get more of these plants!

    Indie - The bad thing about some drought tolerant plants is they can't take too much water! Too bad yours rotted.

    Karen - Sometimes the non-blooming plants look the best throughout the year. I have around 70 varieties of roses right now.

    debsgarden - I love boltonia, too. Almost all of mine died in the drought. I need to get more of it. It's sweet little blooms are adorable.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love artemisia too. Your provides such a lovely backdrop to roses. Thank you for the pictures.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I can see the fascination, and it is irresistible. That lacy foliage complements the rose so well...especially the pink.

    ReplyDelete
  8. That is funny you posted that. We have that particular artemisia and I know- it is almost bullet proof- deer, rabbits and it is evergreen. Who can't love it and I love it for the exact reasons you just pointed out- such a great backdrop for bold colored flowers.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oops- somehow accidentally posted and wasn't ready haha- anyway, was going to say I was showing that yesterday to a customer and putting it next to all the different flowers to demonstrate how they'd look together and she fell in love with it- I think when it sits alone it doesn't get a lot of attention but paired up like the shots you posted it really shows off.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Masha - I think its lacy foliage is such a great contrast to the roses, not only the blooms, but also their larger leaves.

    Sage Butterfly - I think the pink rose goes so well with it because the artemisia has a 'cool' - almost blue - tint to it.

    kacky - I agree totally. Alone, it looks nice, but paired up, you really notice its beauty, and how it compliments companion plantings.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi HG - Barbie also has Artemisia Powis Castle growing with her roses and I agree it is a wonderful combination! keep hoping to find one at the local nursery but no luck so far.
    PS: Thank you for your kind comments on my blog - your support and caring means so much to me.
    Christine xxx

    ReplyDelete
  12. Holley - years ago I had artemisia. How did I forget about it? And you say deer don't bother it. Oh, my. Maybe I'll need to think of a spot for that but not now. Your garden continues to look so lovely. I'm slowly cutting down the stalks which are telling me good bye for this season. I'm tucking in some daffodils here and there so they will be a nice new surprise come spring time.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Christine - I bet Barbie's combination is really pretty. I am so sorry for your loss. Glad to see you back in blogland!

    Marcia - I picked up some daffodil bulbs just yesterday. I love planning for spring as our gardens start to go into decline.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Love the foliage! But Frontier Twirl is actually kind of photogenic, too. The light was pretty in your garden in these photos!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Not only is it pretty, I love the texture of these plants. Soft and feathery to the touch!

    ReplyDelete
  16. What a great companion plant artemisia. Around here we use it in containers but not so much in the garden. I may have consider it but I am limited in my sunny, dry areas...

    ReplyDelete
  17. PlantPostings - Poor Frontier Twirl. I agree it is photogenic, but it's had a hard time in my garden. Just this morning a limb fell on it, breaking off almost half the rose.

    Marguerite - You're right! I love plants that are 'touchable', too.

    Donna - I would give it a try. It should like sunny and dry. I bet it makes a beautiful container addition. May have to use that idea!

    ReplyDelete
  18. "Powis Castle" was on my wish list for years and I finally found it 3 years ago. It's not only great as a background, but also as a foreground. I have it in front of a "Queen Elizabeth" rose to hide the "legs" and the pink roses look wonderful above the silvery Artemisia.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Oh I need to add that to my list for next year. It does make a stunning background. Don't forget to add your thumbnail to the Autumn Walk Challenge.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Lyn - Oh, what a great idea! I bet it does look wonderful. I'll be sure to remember that!

    Carolyn - I'm on my way!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Wow, I didn't realize what a stunning backdrop 'Powis Castle' made for just about everything! When my townhouse was built, the landscapers put one in everyone's little postage-stamp front planting areas, but they were just filling the spaces, of course, not trying to show the plants to their best advantage. Unfortunately, every single one in the neighborhood got decimated by aphids, and now there aren't any left. That's a monoculture problem, though, not a slur against this beautiful plant! In a couple of years I want to try it again, especially with the lovely examples you've given us!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Stacy - I didn't realize aphids loved them so much! Well, maybe they will protect my roses a bit!

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...