Hello there and a very warm welcome back to my garden diary.
It’s so good to see these old images of what the rose garden to be looked like in those early stages of 2014 and to see how far it’s moved on.
Sharing the notes from my diary: This week I will be clearing a space to create my Rose garden. I’ll be concreting in some old ladders that we’ve found in the loft space of the house to make a gazebo for my 2 new David Austin Rambling Rosie Roses to grow up and over and a new rockery too…
As the garden is really uneven I’m going to create a step going down into my Rose garden using some old bricks I’ve uncovered in the under growth and some small rocks to make a more interesting design. The photo’s shown here show the early stages of my step design this will be cemented in and finished off shortly as soon as we have a few days free from frosts.
The small rockery I’ve built has been filled with spring flowers such as Daffodil’s, Tulips, and Primroses that I have rescued from other parts of the garden. They seem really happy in their new home so hopefully they will put on a good show of colour next Spring.
It has taken me a few days to clear all the weeds, nettles and brier’s from this area but I think I’m finally winning here. I’ve prepared the newly made flower beds with some compost and horse manure, ready for my second delivery of David Austin Roses. The Roses I’ve chosen for this section of the garden are as follows:
2 x Rambling Rosie Roses for the old ladder gazebo. An unusual, bright red, repeat-flowering rambler. The individual flowers are small (about 1″ across), almost single and are held in large groups, creating a magnificent effect.
This rose is exceptionally disease resistant and grows to approximately 12ft in height.
A Munstead Wood Rose, which will produce dark velvety crimson blooms with a strong, old Rose fragrance of blackberry, blueberry and damson notes.
The leaves are mid-green, the younger leaves being red-bronze to form a nice contrast.
A Benjamin Britten, which has an unusual colour among English Roses starting as a very deep almost salmon-pink shade that changes to an intense pink red.
This particular Rose is useful to provide a highlight among the softer shades of most English Roses. It is of medium height, vigorous, with dense growth and excellent foliage.
Benjamin Britten has a fragrance that is intensely fruity, with aspects of wine and pear drops.
Named to commemorate the life and work of the famous English composer, conductor and performer.
I’m really looking forward to seeing this Rose in bloom.
A Scarborough Fair Rose has a more modest beauty. It is one of a group of varieties like “Corvedale”, “Windflower”, that is descended from the old Alba Roses. These Roses have much of the simple charm of the Albas as well as their hardiness, but repeat-flower with remarkable regularity.
The petals in the bud curl around to form a ball, which opens to a perfect little cupped flower of pure soft pink that eventually opens wide to reveal a blush pink flower of the utmost delicacy displaying a bunch of golden stamens.
Charming at all stages.
I’ve also chosen some large climbing Roses to grow along a new fence erected to make a wall this will look fabulous in the Summer, I’ve chosen:
A Etoile de Hollande, which has a deep crimson flowers with a very strong and delicious fragrance and grows 18ft in height.
These Roses will make a fabulous fragrant entrance through the ladder gazebo I can’t wait to see this display later on in the Summer.
A Francis E. Lester, which will be smothered with small single blooms with a tinted blush on the edges that later become almost pure white, creating the impression of apple blossom. I’m looking forward to strong fragrance that this Rose promises.
Masses of small, oval, orange-red hips in autumn. Elegant, glossy dark green foliage with pointed, widely spaced leaflets.
Such a pretty Rose….
And finally, a Wollerton Old Hall, which has soft apricot blooms eventually paling to cream. A fragrant Rose having a classic myrrh scent with hints of citrus, sounds delightful….
I’ve been told many times when working on the garden it can’t and won’t be rushed but I must say I am really excited and looking forward to all the new Roses putting in an appearance this summer.
Well that’s me signing off the today, I’m so looking forward to seeing how these Roses compliment each other next year. I’m sure the fragrances they produce too will make this such an amazing area to sit in.
Until the next time…
