August blooms

Despite the beautiful late summer blooms, Comtesse de Barbantane doesn't do much for me. Maybe I just can't get over the damp, doughy, balled-up brown "flowers" that cover the plant in spring. It doesn't have much fragrance in my yard and it's not assorting well with its bedmates. A move to the east bed may be in order.

The old Hybrid Teas don't garner much attention, and it's a shame.

This pink beauty is Mrs. Charles Bell, a member of the delightful Radiance clan. It's a large (5 ft), vigorous bush that doesn't mind a bit being hacked back, blithely sending up shoots and canes no matter what the weather. Always in bloom, always trouble-free, and deliciously fragrant.

Think hostas are just a boring clump of leaves, grown only by those doomed to garden in shade? Ha! Not only does the huge Hosta Plantaginea thrive in sunlight here in Stumptown, it's also incredibly fragrant -- rich, sweet, and heady.

Sitting outside on an August evening, with the fragrance of the roses, hostas, and basil mixing in with that of your gin and tonic -- well, it's almost like being alive.