Appalled at the necessary eight-foot-high anti-deer fence we had to build a few years ago around our south apple orchard, I began ordering climbing things at once to screen it as much as possible. Among the perennial vines and climbers I planted then were several varieties of Clematis, such as the three plants of the large flowered hybrid Clematis, 'Comtesse de Bouchaud,' one of which is shown above at the height of its spectacular bloom in July.

The success of that Clematis encouraged me to order and plant others. So, scrambling up poles and arbors with climbing roses we now have three of the cup shaped, pale pink 'Hagely Hybrid' and two of the mauve 'Perle d'Azure.'' Both these varieties have five- and six-inch wide blooms all during the season. In the spring of 2001, I planted on one corner of the deer fence, another Clematis, the late blooming, quite vigorous Clematis paniculata to accompany the 'Newport Fairy' climber there. That Clematis rewarded us this year – its second season –  with a heavy bloom of strongly fragrant, star shaped white flowers.

Clematis paniculata is one variety, evidently, that doesn't need a several-year settling-in period, though most do take a few years to become established. The first showing of the three 'Comtesse de Bouchaud,' for instance, was nearly obscured by the Nanking cherry bushes and juniper row in front of them. But these past two years have seen the Comtesse make an enormous growth, spreading up the fence posts in a swath some three feet wide to over eight feet high, and covered with five-inch wide flowers. What's more, her bloom was surprisingly long lasting, continuing on through August.

Roses, too

Among the many other July-blooming perennials we enjoy are the repeat-blooming roses, like the old fashioned rugosas, and hybrid perpetuals. The midsummer bloom subsequent to their exuberant showing in June is not so heavy, but a welcome comfort as the season moves on toward late summer.

In the last few years, we've added to our roses selections of the many repeat-blooming English types appearing in the catalogs. These roses have the form and fragrance of the old fashioned roses that have long been the mainstay of gardens dating from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, but carry with them the added benefit of repeat-bloom throughout the summer.

Following the lead of David Austin of England who pioneered the type starting in the fifties, breeders have been introducing a wide variety of these roses. Besides the Austin nursery's enormous selection of English Roses, there are the Romantica Roses, introduced by The House of Meidiland in Provence, France, and offered by Wayside Gardens here in the United States. Wayside also offers the Generosa Roses, from France's Rosarie Guillot. There are also the extremely hardy Canadian-bred Explorer Series roses, of which we have five varieties among our climbers, and which also repeat-bloom during the summer. Recently, Jackson and Perkins has also introduced English Roses type

Among the many Austin roses we have here at DragonGoose Farm is the gently colored 'Jude the Obscure' that graces the top of our drive. The flowers, of a soft, yellow-coral here, seem always to be in bloom.  Nearer the house, we have one extremely vigorous plant of Austin's 'Mary Rose' that blooms prolifically, as does her sport, 'Winchester Cathedral,' three plants of which highlight a pink and red border of roses further to the west of the drive. Another group of repeat bloomers is the row of Jackson and Perkins' 'Red Ribbons.' These low, groundcover roses outdid themselves this past summer with  deep red flowers all season long -- in their very first season.

Coreopsis

Always dependable, too, are the swaths of Coreopsis (Coreopsis grandiflora ). Our variety, Coreopsis  'Sunburst,' fills the iris beds with blooms long after the iris are finished. 'Sunburst' has large, bright yellow, semidouble flowers, which always look fresh and chirpy and are easily grown. In fact, they propagate so aggressively by  self-seeding, they require thinning drastically each year. The flowers are born on slender stems above an airy cushion of dark green, narrow leaves, and they bloom July and August, and then on into September and October after the spent blooms are cut back.

Columbine

Rocky Mountain Columbine (Aquilegia caerulea), is another satisfying and beautiful perennial that comes back year after year and propagates extensively by self-seeding, sending clones of itself as far as sixty  feet away, thanks to the wind and the birds. These lovely blue and white flowers, (Rocky Mountain Columbine is the state flower of Colorado) appear to naturally hybridize with A. flabellata, a short, rock-garden type, and A. formosa (Western Columbine) to produce Aquilegia of different heights that range from pale blue through creamy white to a breath-taking pink.

This past spring we've added to our collection of Aquilegia a variety of the A. chrysantha type (Golden or Golden-spurred Columbine) offered by High Country Gardens. This bicolor of yellow and lemon, called 'Swallowtail,' have up to four-inch spurs. A few of these delicate flowers managed to bloom for us this late summer after being planted late this spring.

A dark purple, almost black double variety of Columbine surprised us by sprouting in a pot of Oregon Grape (Mahonia aquifolium) that we'd bought from a local nursery. This was many years ago, and my oldest daughter, Melissa, was the first one to have noticed it. The flowers on this variety are tightly folded, have little or no spurs, and are terrifically aggressive. I'd taken that first plant out and planted it some distance from the Oregon Grape. To put it mildly, it really took off. After finding the entire southeast end of the copse filled with these flowers and, in fact, crowding out the few Rocky Mountain Columbines attempting to hold their own there, we declared them a weed  and started a systematic clean up. Although we've left a few colonies of the lighter purple ones (which are also less tightly folded and seem to have some semblance of a spur) we're still keeping a wary eye on them.

Lilies

During the last few summers, I've been including several different types of lilium in the beds. My idea was to give some areas in the garden a bit of  contrasting color that would be seen above other perennials in midsummerr. I especially wanted some fluttering types that would lean out from shrubs and taller perennials behind them.

Among the varieties planted now are the small but lively Butterfly lilies pictured at right. These lilies, offered by White Flower Farm in Connecticut, are a hybridized group developed from small species lilies that were reinforced with added vigor and height, and with longer-blooming tendencies. Those pictured here are tucked into a six-bush row of the dependable Rosa 'Bonica.'

R. 'Bonica' is a four- to five-foot high rose covered with clear pink, two-inch double blossoms all season long. 'Bonica,' as it behaves here, throws up some longish canes that become rather lax and need some gentle support.

Many other of these Butterfly lilies are also tucked in the Nanking Cherry Bush border to the south of a copse dominated by an old elm and several aspens, where they lean out charmingly in front of pink Hollyhock Mallow and white Feverfew clumps.

Lilies as a class are easy to grow, requiring only deep, loose, and well drained soil, enough moisture, and shade for its roots. Since lilies do best as an "upper story" among lower-growing perennials (which also obscures the lilies' legginess), shady roots come about quite naturally. They do best, I can testify, if the soil is amended with compost of some kind, especially in beds having patches of clay.

An enormous selection of lilies is available in nurseries and plant and bulb catalogs. As with all bulbs, lily bulbs should be planted as soon as possible after they arrive from the supplier. If they look a bit dried out – and this is especially possible with bulbs bought in bags from the supermarket – putting them in a bit of moistened potting soil or peat moss will have them plumping up and sending out roots in a few days, at which time they're in good shape to plant. Occasionally bulbs have damaged sections that should be cut off and, rarely, mold that should be washed off and then, in both these cases, dusted with some antifungal dust before planting.

Japanese Anemone
 

In early spring and summer, the deeply veined leaves on this plant are its best feature. Its long, graceful stems appear in mid August, supporting Cosmos-like pink petals that last for weeks – a longevity that always surprises me because of their delicate appearance.

The plant, like the Clematis described above, is slow to establish itself, but once it settles in, it's in for good. I understand that some varieties may need staking, but we've never had trouble in that department with ours which stands up under quite strong winds. Of course, its site in the brick garden is protected by a couple of towering trees, and to the west, it also is screen by two small cherry trees. (Our prevailing winds come out of the West.).

Below are listed some suppliers of perennials, roses, and bulbs. Browse at your own risk! Myself, I'm notorious for becoming gripped with acquisitiveness at the sight of so much beauty, and then am actually surprised in the spring – or in the fall –  when box after box appears on my porch marked "Perishable, keep from heat and cold." What? I think. What in the world is this?

The books listed below are also a browser's paradise, especially during the late fall and winter when gardeners are stuck inside, waiting for spring.

Joan Katherine Shaw
July 2002

Early Spring Blossoms in Northern Utah
Glorious Peonies for the North
Pink Autumn in the Rockies
Shrubs and Perennials: Favorite Whites

And for Roses:

Cascading Roses
Moss Roses
Old White Roses
Prolific Climbing Roses for the North
Roses of the Middle East
Some Tough but Elegant Roses

Sources for bulbs:

Brecks
Dutch Gardens
McClure & Zimmerman
Van Bourgondien, Dutch bulbs
Van Engelen Inc.
Wayside Gardens
White Flower Farm

And for Roses:

Antique Rose Emporium
Arena Roses
David Austin Roses
Heirloom Roses
Jackson &Perkins
Vintage Gardens
Wayside Gardens
White Flower Farm

Excellent reference books on perennials:

Perennials for American Gardens , Clauson and Ekstrom (This is a must-have for serious gardeners. Clear, concise, and well-referenced, I check through it all the time)

Taylor's Guide to Perennials, Barbara Ellis (Another great book. The Taylor's Guides are always excellent, especially for beginning gardeners)

Perennials: The Definitive Reference with over 2,500 Photographs, Phillips and Rix (Here is a terrific book that you'll spend hours pouring over. Great for a gift, too. I'm planning on giving one to a young horticultural student for Christmas)

Encyclopedia of Shade Perennials, W. George Schmid (Shade gardening doesn't have to be all green -- there are beautiful colors inside this book to brighten any shady garden)

Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Perennials, Phillips and Burell (The Rodale people are famous for   organic, no-chemical gardening books)

Armitage's Garden Perennials: A Color Encyclopedia, Allan M. Armitage (Here's the definitive work for choosing color in your garden. It has loads of color photographs)

Growing Perennials in Cold Climates, Mike Heger, et al. (A wonderful book for people having a frustrating time in the northern and mountain areas of the country)

An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Clematis, Mary Toomey, et al. (This is, simply, a beautiful book, and a storehouse of information on varieties of this lovely group)

Link for browsing among more gardening books, especially for gifts for gardeners:

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