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Sacha[_1_] · 03-10-2006, 10:29 AM posted to uk.rec.gardening

On 3/10/06 04:41, in article
, "DavePoole Torquay"
wrote:

I've often thought that Wisteria must have been seed-grown, because
I've never seen it look as spectacular as it should.

We were talking about it last night and that's our suspicion, too. It was
already here when Ray came here and he thinks it was probably planted by
Hyams in the 60s. Hyams got a lot of plants from Dartington Hall and from
Greenway, because he was friendly with both the Elmhirsts and Agatha
Christie, so maybe that was one of them!

Anyway, I think a
really good repeat climber will do very well although most modern
climbers with their somewhat stiff upright growth might look out of
place. My favourite 3 look wonderful in a country house setting and
invariably provide armfuls of flower for the house as well.

Clg.'Lady Hillingdon'. is about as close to a true tea rose as you can
get without the problems of weakness and poor weather resistance that
plagued them when they were at the height of popularity. By breeding
it's a climbing hybrid-tea, but that's where the similarity stops.
Clusters of wonderfully long, elegant buds on lax stems open to very
lovely, waxy apricot, loosely formed flowers that emit a strong sweet
fragrance. The foliage is very ample and lush, purple tinted when
young and the stems are smooth with relatively few thorns. It gives a
magnificent flowering in early summer and repeats well through to
autumn. On a poor dry soil it can get mildew, but I've never seen it
with blackspot or rust.

This sounds perfect and I like Sue's suggestion of Etoile d'Hollande.
Perhaps I'll be allowed to go mad and have both! Because they'll be at the
back of that big, wide border, Ray is thinking of making a stepping stone
type path through the shrubs etc. in that bed. I still think it'll take a
machete to get to the back!

'Mme Alfred Carriere' really takes some beating. It has strong,
vigorous almost thornless growth and is about as disease resistant as
you can get. The flowers are large, blowsy affairs - typically 'old
rose' in style. They are white overlaid with blush and very strongly
fragrant. Once it starts it is almost perpetually in flower and
there's almost always plenty to cut for the house.

We're growing this and Gloire de Dijon already and those are two of my major
favourites.

'Lady Sylvia' is a climbing sport of an early hybrid-tea (Ophelia).
Its delicate pink buds are long and perfectly formed. These open to
large, well shaped semi-double blooms that are soft pink flushed with
apricot and exude a strong sweet fragrance. Growth is very healthy and
vigorous and flowering continues right through summer and early autumn.

I'll suggest that one for the pergola on the path through the nursery. We
lost Francois de Juranville there because - I suspect - the Sweeney Todd of
the family got a bit too enthusiastic with the pruning! The very best rose
we have for scent is Mde. Isaac Pereire but sadly, it doesn't repeat flower.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/