*This post is sponsored by Bloomables®
May is my favorite time of year to plant in my garden.
Living on the east coast means having a little patience as a gardener. You never know when a late spring frost might come and wipe out those plants and flowers you thought for sure would be safe.
So, I’ve always followed the advice of one of my neighbors, who, when we moved into our neighborhood, kindly offered, “Don’t plant anything until after Mother’s Day.”
Noted and followed for the past 20 years!
Here’s Comes The Sun Garden
I’ve been especially excited about updating the plantings in one of our flowerbeds in our backyard.
We cleared out quite a bit of this area last fall, paving the way to add some color and texture to the space this year.
This area gets full sun, so I needed to make sure the things I selected could take the heat.
And as much as I enjoy gardening, I do have a busy schedule, so I wanted plants that gave me a good payoff with not a lot of effort.
Take a look at what I decided to plant!
My First Ever Rose Garden!
While roses aren’t the only thing I’m planting in this area, I did decide to make them a bit of a focal point. The area in my garden where I’m planting is along the walkway to our pool, and I thought they’d be pretty to welcome friends and guests for our summer parties.
I chose several varieties by Bloomables®. Bloomables® is all about growing a full blooming garden with ease. Their many varieties of plants (roses, shrubs, perennials) have all been selected for an easy and beautiful gardening experience.
The key with roses is sun. They love the sun and will reward you with their beautiful blooms for remembering that.
Here are the rose varieties I’m planting in my garden.
Candy Cane Cocktail™
Cheers! This beautiful bi-color rose is a rebloomer that is also very disease resistant.
The blooms are white with pink-to-red edges with a very slight fragrance.
They have a more upright habit and will grow 3-4″ at maturity. These roses will grow in zones 5-10.
I planted 2 of these and can’t wait to see all of these buds start to open!
Brick House® Pink
Well, if you lived through the 80’s then I think you’ll appreciate this rose!
It’s a fluorescent pink (think NEON!) that will be a total attention grabber in your garden.
This variety of rose is another prolific bloomer, bursting with blooms from spring through frost.
It has a compact habit, which is why I planted it between the Candy Cane Cocktail roses. Because of its size, it’s also a great candidate for a larger container if you’re limited on planting space. Brick House Pink will grow about 2 1/2″ by 2 1/2″. It has a bushy habit.
This is an award-winning rose variety that will also attract pollinators to your garden.
I’m ready to cue some 80’s music and watch this bright beauty rock my garden!
Pretty Polly White
Pretty Polly® White is an easy-to-grow Polyantha rose.
It has white, double flowers with very good disease resistance. It is a busy bloomer, with excellent flowering from spring through fall.
I also love that it is nearly thornless.
Because of its compact habit, Pretty Polly® will do well in the ground and in containers. I decided to use it both ways!
It’s in the ground with the other roses, and I planted one in a large container to use around the patio.
Attracting Pollinators
Adding plants and flowers that attract pollinators, like bees, butterflies and hummingbirds is always a good idea. Pollinators are vital to maintaining healthy ecosystems.
Buddleia
Buddleia is also known as butterfly bush, and its name says it all. The long, conical and colorful blooms are butterfly magnets.
Hummingbirds love them too.
I opted for the Cran-Razz because I thought the magenta color would compliment the nearby roses. Cran-Razz can grow to be 5-6′ in size, so be sure to give it plenty of room in your garden bed.
Butterfly bush also does well in containers, so I’m trying the Dapper® Lavender from Bloomables® in a couple of containers too.
Buddleia likes full sun and grows well in zones 5-10. It is a free-flowering bush that blooms well into the fall.
Spiraea
Spiraea is another compact plant that attracts pollinators to your garden. It is also cold hardy and can grow in zones 4-9.
I liked the Empire® Ice Dragon variety for its attractive foliage.
New growth emerges as a deep burgundy against the blue-green, older foliage for a striking contrast.
Pink flowers start in late spring and sporadically re-bloom throughout the season. It is low-maintenance and performs excellently in the landscape.
Bees and small butterflies gravitate to the pretty pink blooms of spiraea.
For The Not So Sunny Spots
I actually have more part sun/part shade areas in our backyard than anything else.
I don’t have a lot of room to plant anything into the ground in these areas, but I couldn’t resist a particular variety of hydrangea from Bloomables® that might just make you see double!
Check out the Double Down® Hydrangea! Not only does this variety re-bloom, but its flowers are truly unique.
Fully double, mophead flowers start to open in summer and persist through early fall. Double Down® maintains a compact, well-behaved habit, making it perfect for small gardens and containers. Flowers are typically pink in alkaline soil and blue in acidic soil.
I decided to try a Double Down® Hydrangea in a large container.
It’s already starting to bloom!
I can’t wait to share more pictures with you as it matures further. This variety does well in zones 6-9.
Watch My Garden Grow!
Over the course of the next few months, I’ll be bringing you regular updates on how things are blooming in my garden. Be sure to follow along on social media (@justjillbauer on FB and IG) for more!
And if you want to try growing any of these varieties from Bloomables® in your garden, here is a link to find suppliers near you!
https://www.bloomables.com/where-to-buy/
Isn’t it exciting? Now that everything is planted, both in-ground and in containers, I guess it’s fair to say, “HERE WE GROW!”
From my garden to yours,
Jill
