June 25th, 2008
Just breathe
Roses and June go together. Some of our lovely roses begin to bloom in late May, and many linger through summer, teasing with a stray flower now and then. September offers a sweet echo when a number of them rouse themselves into a last chorus before frost. A few really hardy roses can be seen blooming into October and November.
However. Nothing can touch the total, breath-taking immersion in sweet-scented petals that is the rose garden in June. I’m quite biased here, too. Few roses are worth time, trouble and garden space, unless they possess fragrance. The opalescent beauty above is Sharifa Asma, a David Austin introduction from the 1980’s that has earned a lasting place, in my opinion. A full, old-fashioned bowl of creamy pink petals, it offers a sweet myrrh/old rose scent with a lovely lemony note.
Sharifa Asma does produce some flowers throughout the summer, but its real crescendo of flower and scent comes smack in the middle of the height of rose season. Don’t overlook it. It’s worth a stop, a look, and long deep inhale all on its own.
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