The rose specimen in this garden is ‘Golden Wings,’ a fragrant shrub rose that grows up to six feet tall. The simple five-petaled single form of this rose attracts butterflies, which appreciate the exposed stamens in the blooms. Leave the spent roses in place if you want to enjoy the large orange hips that appear in the fall. The gold spires in the center of the photo are lupine plants, which grow best in areas with cool summers. If that doesn’t describe your garden, replace them with non-fussy Baptista ‘Carolina Moonlight’ plants instead. When is a flower also an herb? While botanists define herbs as seed-bearing plants with fleshy parts, The Herb Society of America describes herbs as “plants valued for their flavor, fragrance, medicinal and healthful qualities, economic and industrial uses, pesticidal properties, and coloring materials (dyes).” Other yellow-flowering plants valued for the herb garden include dill, calendula, and roses. Violas, on the other hand, are widely used in culinary preparations. Unlike some other flowers that are widely touted as edible (nasturtiums, anyone?), violas actually taste pretty good. The flavor of a fresh viola is said to range from sweet to pea-like, and violas bring fresh beauty to tea parties and weddings when crystallized with sugar. Viola leaves are edible as well, making a tender and tasty addition to spring salad mixes. A rock garden is more than just a garden filled with rocks; true rock garden plants demand sharp drainage and will succumb to rot in soggy spring soils or with excessive irrigation. If your soil is characterized by heavy clay, don’t try to improve the soil across the entire area; just focus on the planting zone around each plant you install. Dig a hole two to three times bigger than the nursery pot, and backfill it with potting soil mixed with gravel or grit.
