You might think The Fairy to be a fragile pink rose, but in the 1960 Roses of Yesterday and Today catalog this sturdy polyantha is described as 'unexcelled for vigor, spreading growth, perfect health and hardiness, and its superability to produce those charming pink rosette type blossoms in constant abundance, - each a fair flower, crisp and waxen like a pink sea shell." The Fairy has proved herself to be a stalwart star of my mixed border for the…
I bought Thomas Affleck from the Antique Rose Emporium. It suggested planting it near the door so you would pass it often and enjoy the fragrance. I did plant it near the door, at the end of the Herb Bed which is next to the entry walk. There is no fragrance that I can detect, but it certainly is a pleasure to walk past it several times a day. This is a magnificent rose that requires very little…
If you leave a comment here by midnight tonight you have a chance to win a copy of The Roses at the End of the Road. So much easier to read about someone else's garden adventures than weeding your own garden on a hot summer afternoon. For more information about the book and the many ways to purchase it click here I planted Mrs. Anthony Waterer, a beautiful rugosa last year and this is the first time it…
The Year of the Rose for 2012 as designated by the International Herb Society is drawing to a close. Thomas Affleck is the only rose in my garden that is still waving the banner. It has been a difficult year for the garden. Because of a mild relatively snowless winter, we came into spring with a drought situation. That drought hit in full force during the summer and since I get my water from a well I…
The barren branches of the old yellow birch in my field retain a certain majesty this frosty morning. But the Thomas Affleck shrub rose that grows at the end of the entry walk is resisting the closing of the bloom season. The days have been chilly and windy, tearing dying leaves off many trees, but Thomas just laughs and says, "Look at me!" I bought this rose from the Antique Rose Emporium in Texas and it has been hardier and…
This blooming Griffith Buck rose named Winter Sunset might be warning me that winter is not that far off. 50 degrees this morning when I woke up, and tonight is promised to be even cooler. For more (almost) Wordlessness this Wednesday click here.
Rosa setigera, sometimes known as the climbing prairie rose, is a native American rose, and while it is a climber it merely arches gracefully in my climate. It blooms later than the other roses and is a particular pleasure. I bought it at Nasami Farm the propagation arm of the New England Wildflower Society. For more (almost) Wordlessness this Wednesday click here.
Henri Fantin-Latour (1836-1904) was a painter who gained great fame. He lived in the time when French artists were inventing Impressionism, but his own work is representative. American-born James Abbott McNeill Whistler introduced him to England where his still lifes became very popular. He spent many summers in Normandy with his wife, Victoria Dubourg who was also an artist. They tended a garden, growing many flowers, including roses ,that found their way into his paintings. He was so…
Therese Bugnet is the Rose of the Day. And this line rhymes. Therese Boo-nay is the Rose of the Day. Even though I do have three whole years of high school French, it took me many years to realize it was not Therese Bug-Net. Oh well. Miss Rochelle is no longer here to be scandalized. Therese Bugnet is a rugosa and it is the rugosas that are not only the hardiest roses in my garden, they are about…
There is lots of activity in the area as roads are cleared, stranded wedding parties released, MREs (the military's Meals Ready to Eat) delivered by helicopter by FEMA, and damage assessed but all is quiet here at the End of the Road. The roses enjoyed their deep drink, fatten their buds and bloom. The goldenrod is happy too.