A Kansas Country Garden-Fourth Week in April

This is an old-fashioned, almost wild rose. The plant spreads quite rapidly. It only blooms once.

This David Austin rose reblooms.

Roses do well on the east side of the house, protected from afternoon sun.

The roses have begun their bloom! This is always a wonderful time of the year. Who doesn't love a rose? They are flowers of exquisite beauty with a memorable scent. The first flush of bloom is the most extravagant. Some rose bushes may continue to bloom throughout the summer, but the bushes will never be as lush as they are right now. So, stop. And smell the roses.

I received this plant from my mother-in-law. I have never seen it anywhere else. The blooms and and leaves seem "thistle-like", but it has no thorns or stickers. 

The first peony begins to bloom.

I love the true-blue colors of the bachelor buttons. They are reseeding annuals. I have fewer flowers this year than in the past

I believe this is a Globemaster Allium.

I believe this is also a allium, although it does not have the lollipop top. 

I love the alliums with their lollipop blooms, a round ball on a slender stem. 

The Allium chrisophii or Star Onion begins to bloom. This is a recommended plant from The Undaunted Garden by Lauren Springer, my favorite garden book.

The Honey Locust tree has an insignificant bloom that has a sweet scent and attracts honeybees and moths. Standing under the tree you hear the happy hum of bees.

I purchased this bush through a newspaper insert for around $1. It was advertised as a white lilac. It is not. It could be considered a garden "thug" I suppose because it has a tendency to spread and grow runners, but I like it very much. The flowers have a sweet scent that waifs through the backyard and it attracts butterflies. I don't know what kind of bush it is, however.

The Mock Orange Shrub is full of blossoms.

Still Blooming

My favorite iris. The photo doesn't quite have the color right.

Not all of these iris were blooming last week, but some of them were and I decided to keep them together.

After a few days of hot wind this week, there are just a few poppies blooming in exuberant orange.

 Vegetable Garden

We harvested our first rhubarb.

 Animals in the Garden

Under the mulberry tree, our guinea, Edna, is setting on her nest. We are not optimistic that she will succeed in hatching her eggs. But she is persistent. Read more about Edna's parenting problems here.