As summer diminishes into fall I look at the plants in my garden and wonder about next year. Will I be around to see them come back? Will some of them bid me a final goodbye this year as Cercis canadensis 'Forest Pansy' did? My Hydrangea macrophylla 'Ayesha' almost died two years ago in an early fall frost. Last year she announced that it was a false demise and she came back up with lots of green shoots but no flowers. I was forced to wait another year (consider that Ayesha is "she who must be obeyed"). She did return with just two blooms and here is one of them where you can observe the most unusual florets that look like porcelain tea cups.
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| Lauren & Rebecca Stewart with Rosa 'William Shakespeare' |
English rose, Rosa 'William Shakespeare 2000' is a tad more vigorous than the rose it replaced, Rosa 'William Shakespeare'. I have both but the "improved 2000" one does not colour as well into the red. It does flower more and it repeats as you can see here. I sort of like that the flowers while beautiful and slightly tired may promise another year in which if fate provides and Ayesha demands, I will be back to see them again as the old friends they are. For me my two William Shakespeares represent not only the promise of their blooms next year but another successful year for that other Vancouver Shakespeare institution, Bard on the Beach.