MY FAVOURITE GARDEN FLOWERS

When I think about "R" flowers a number immediately came to mind but my favourite, and possibly everyone else's too, would be the ROSE.  Roses come in all shapes and sizes and some have delicate perfumes and at one time nearly every suburban garden had a good show of roses.  With the stringent water restrictions we've had in Perth over the past several years very few new homes sport roses in their gardens these days.   We had a number of lovely roses growing but it became too difficult to keep them going well so they had to go.  Now I just have 4 pots of miniature roses.   There are too many varieties to show so here is a small selection:

Although one perhaps thinks of ROSEMARY more as a herb that a garden flower I enjoy having a large bush in our garden.  It has a lovely perfume and if one brushes past it when in the garden the smell seems to linger.  It is of course also considered the plant of remembrance and many people wear a sprig on certain days of the year.

ROSE OF SHARON is hardly seen these days and yet it is a lovely flower to have in the garden.  There was one growing in our front garden when we bought this house but many years ago it gave up the ghost and is now no more.

One flower I would dearly love to grow in our garden is the RHODODENDRON but alas it is far too hot.  I believe there are areas in the Perth hills where they do well but certainly not where we are.

 I have also chosen RED HOT POKERS, not because we grow them or ever have, but they are a flower that I know Phil likes very much.  Does he maybe remember them from his earlier life in England?  I'm not sure but I know he is very fond of them.

Do you have a favourite "R" flower or know of one I have not mentioned here?