It’s been almost 18 months since I last updated, but believe it or not I’m still here! As you’ve probably noticed, we’ve been in the midst of a pandemic; lockdowns, illness, homeschooling, stress, increased work hours… it’s all been going on, but here we still stand, and my garden still very much a constant work in progress. That said, this year I’ve been adding a touch of old country glamour to the borders with the addition of some roses.
I’m quite enamoured with the offerings from Harkness and David Austin. Last year I added in an Iceberg climber rose and finally got my Harkness Chandos Beauty in the ground – both rewarded me with a few beautiful blooms once they had established. I’m hoping for many, many more this year!
In the last few months I’ve also added David Austin’s Lady of Shalot – a peachy, golden-toned frilly masterpiece – and the Generous Gardener, a blousy, pink-bloomed climber, to the collection. I have my eye on a few more but space is starting to become a but of an issue!
These roses join my favourite rose, Lark Ascending, and some that my mother planted when the garden was her domain – Golden Showers, New Dawn, an unidentified pink tea rose, and her favourite, Buff Beauty. I’ve since bought Mum a buff beauty for her new garden, as last year she moved in literally down the road from me into what we’ve coined the Gnome Home, albeit with very generous sized gardens front and back. So plenty of room for roses!
Until about five or six years ago I wasn’t fussed about roses; I think I had a couple that I liked. And you know me, I’m all about the wildlife and plants for pollinators, the veg and fruit. But this enjoyment and penchant for blousy blooms has crept into my psyche. I think it started when I read The Rose Girls by Victoria Connelly, and suddenly I was paying more attention to these traditional garden staples. Enjoying their fragrance, revelling in the showy teacup-sized blooms, loving the single varieties that draw in pollinators aplenty. I’ve even let a dog rose ramble up an old obelisk, because I see it’s beauty, and its value to wildlife.
I will always love plants for pollinators first, but when it comes to plants and gardening, my heart just keeps on growing. So there’s now room for roses. I find the thing with roses, is that they have a funny way of bringing bits of the past into the present, making you stop and enjoy the moment.
I’ll have to start finding new places for roses because I certainly have many, many more varieties that I’d like to bring home. What’s your favourite variety?
