Dame's Rocket April 25, 2015

I sowed these seeds winter before last.  They didn't bloom last spring.  So I have waited a long time for these perennials to bloom.  When the buds first appeared on long stems about a month ago they became covered with aphids which is definitely not what you want to encourage in a Rose Garden, or anywhere else for that matter.  Not only that, but many of the plants wilted away around that time which I assume is related to the voles.  So after all that time waiting for flowers I felt pretty disappointed.  But now that the survivors are more fully in bloom I see that they are very pretty.  I have them growing in the Rose Garden, the Orchard, and in the Greenhouse Garden.  They can take some shade, often found growing in the wild woodlands and alongside shaded roads.  Every year I like to try a new wildflower, something I have never seen growing.  Most of my experimental growing of wildflowers have been failures - Mountain Garland, Scarlet Flax, Chicory, and to a lesser extent, now Dames' Rocket.  This year's experiment is Catchfly.  Catchfly has till not bloomed, but it is getting close.  What I wanted was my Orchard to be alive with flowers on the day of Josh's wedding, but not a single flower was blooming.  I should have stuck with Cornflowers - their bloom time is March - May.