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#1
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No more roses, I mean it this time...
Hello everyone,
Well, I decided that this is it. We were surveying the back forties today and I was overwhelmed by the amount of work is waiting for me as soon as the sun makes a pass over Portland. Since a wonderful rosarian friend was generous above measure and sent me some cuttings of : Bengale D'Automne Anna de Diesbach Henry IV Mme Jules Gravereaux Marjory Palmer and I remember from days gone by that I had a nasty time with Henry and Anna getting them to take root, I decided I needed the liquid hormone to give them a push, so with the idea of just getting some other little things at The Portland Nursery we embarked in this innocent journey. There has never been a problem there, because their choice of roses has always been towards the modern HT and a few Austins. We meandered through, got some of Monty's Joy Juice - last night ordered another 40 lb. of Mill's Magic and with my Alaskan Fish Emulsion and the Alfalfa mixed with the iron chelate and so forth I am sure they will look like roses on steroids by the time we are there, but I digress - some real great new food we have not seen there before, and in one of those "I only want to look at what is out already " which at TPN is the kiss of death because they have the most glorious plants in the planet, I went out actually to get some ideas of what I want to plant inside the window boxes. I nearly fainted. The normal amount of rose space has now turned out to be 8 times what it was last year. Every Austin in creation is there. Some old beauties (all of theirs we already have) and while I was still recovering from the shock I nearly stumbled over one of the biggest, hunkiest roses I have ever come across in my years of gardening. And then I really nearly fainted. Cyril Fletcher! It wasn't in bloom at the Huntington and neither at The Gardens of the Rose the last time I was there. But I was fascinated by the description: "a modern HT with the look of an ogr, intense fragrance, it has silk like petals" (this description from then in England) " The petals seem to be made of tissue paper - and there may be its single flaw" (this one from Arena's now) Or as our friend Phil would say " A Kimberly and Clark floribunda" So I have posted a link to the photo of the baby (!) and I don't know about you my fellow rosarians, but in all of my years of growing roses I have never encounter anything this size in a 3-gallon pot before. You judge and the link is below. So, with the order coming some time soon from Pickerings and the hopes of striking roots with the above mentioned cuttings, we are officially out of place. So much so, that we have decided to literally tear the Roman stone patio and make it a passage way to the arbor so there is more space to put in potted roses inside those bathtubs from Leonard's. A friend, after hearing me talk about plans to remove the patio sent me this applying it to rose growing: "There is a fine line between [this] hobby and mental illness."--Dave Barry Amen. Allegra www.bluesky.com/allegra/cyrilfletcher.jpg |
#2
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No more roses, I mean it this time...
Mmmmm....healthy!
Don't feel bad, Allegra. Nurseries 'round here stink when it comes to roses. So I just have shipments coming in every other day instead. g I believe I would have came home with that particular rose as well. Looks like it might split those fat canes with it's desire to grow. Mike |
#3
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No more roses, I mean it this time...
"Mike" wrote Mmmmm....healthy! Don't feel bad, Allegra. Nurseries 'round here stink when it comes to roses. So I just have shipments coming in every other day instead. g I believe I would have came home with that particular rose as well. Looks like it might split those fat canes with it's desire to grow. Mike Hello Mike, Can you believe that hunk of a rose? I swear I have never had a rose fresh out of a nursery with a trunk like that. Both BH and I were looking at the basals and just couldn't believe it. I have a thing for white roses, and this one is actually ivory and here is a photo that came with it, and next to Kaiserina Augusta Viktoria with The Prince and The bad boy flanking them is going to be fragrance heaven. Where the heck is Spring? What are you planting these days? Allegra http://www.bluesky.com/allegra/fragrantcyril.jpg |
#4
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No more roses, I mean it this time...
On Sat, 15 Mar 2003, "Allegra" wrote:
Where the heck is Spring? It's in Texas right now. Headin' your way shortly. What are you planting these days? Well, I went a little climber-crazy this year. I've got my Celestial (your suggestion) planted to climb up the fireplace. If you remember, I was considering MAC for that spot, but decided MAC might appreciate an entire wall to itself after seeing a lovely specimen on the side of someone's house out by the lake. Russelliana is going to climb over the mailbox with some wildflowers underneath (echinacea, blanket flower, flax, poppy, bluebonnet, primrose, coreopsis, indian paintbrush, wallflower, and some blue grama grass underneath to add nitrogen.) I've got a new Sombreuil (not a new rose for me - but a real fave) for the trellis along the front walkway. Don Juan is new on the opposite side. Clematis durandii grows with the roses there. And despite all the warnings and teary-eyed pleas to not even go there, I stubbornly went ahead and planted Mermaid to climb up a clump of 3 live oak trees on the south side. I'll have to post pics of my bleeding hands as it grows and I attempt to train it up the trunks. It's already showing some of those infamous thorns and they are impressive. Even though I told myself I had enough Austins to keep me busy, I broke down and ordered L.D. Braithwaite (can't have enough good reds, can ya?) and Golden Celebration. Then rounding out what's already arrived and in the ground are Gruss An Aachen, Livin' Easy, Marchessa Boccella and Souvenir de la Malmaison. Today, I received what I believe to be a "mystery rose." It was supposed to be a Mutabilis. The rose I received was a bare root graft - Mutabilis was supposed to be a three gallon own root. The rose I received has big wide black thorns. I have a Mutabilis on one corner of the house already and that's not even close. I will plant it and we'll see what grows. Maybe it will be a happy surprise. It will go in the "test garden" though. I took over an old vegetable garden no one was interested in and have turned it into a testing garden for roses I'm not sure of. If I'm pushing the zone, or if the rose is known to be difficult to grow, etc - it goes there first. If it flourishes, I move it or start taking cuttings if I like the placement of the original rose. If it doesn't, well, that's what shovels are for. It works out pretty well. I get what looks like a lovely rose garden instead of a untended patch of dirt in the back forty and no one notices the failures back there. It backs up against a fence and I have a row of Abraham Darby growing as climbers in the back as permanent citizens and that really helps create the illusion of "I meant to do that." Deceptive, no? g I think I may have to buy the empty lot next door. Mike |
#5
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No more roses, I mean it this time...
"Allegra" writes:
Well, I decided that this is it. We were surveying the back forties today and I was overwhelmed by the amount of work is waiting for me as soon as the sun makes a pass over Portland. Sorry, Allegra, I normally believe anything you say about roses, but not this time. "There is a fine line between [this] hobby and mental illness."--Dave Barry This is an illness called addiction. It is obvious you are afflicted, as am I. If we were to follow the 12 steps, perhaps it could be controlled, but that is still in question, as no one has ever managed to complete the 12 steps. Cyril Fletcher! It wasn't in bloom at the Huntington and neither at The Gardens of the Rose the last time I was there. But I was fascinated by the description: "a modern HT with the look of an ogr, intense fragrance, it has silk like petals" (this description from then in England) " The petals seem to be made of tissue paper - and there may be its single flaw" (this one from Arena's now) I liked this description, perhaps so much so that after seeing the photo, I, *the no more HTs person* might well have succombed to this temptation.....addiction, it is an addiction. |
#6
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No more roses, I mean it this time...
"Unique Too" wrote Sorry, Allegra, I normally believe anything you say about roses, but not this time. And here I am trying to convince myself! No wonder it doesn't work! G "There is a fine line between [this] hobby and mental illness."--Dave Barry This is an illness called addiction. It is obvious you are afflicted, as am I. If we were to follow the 12 steps, perhaps it could be controlled, but that is still in question, as no one has ever managed to complete the 12 steps. Oh dear, how true! This is more than an obsession, or and addiction. It has to be the definition of madness, and if there were 12 steps the only ones I would complete would be the ones from the car to the nearest rose at the nursery. I liked this description, perhaps so much so that after seeing the photo, I, *the no more HTs person* might well have succumbed to this temptation.....addiction, it is an addiction. What is really hilarious about this is that I don't even care for HT as a whole. I bought Taboo because BH loves that rose, other than that, but for a few modern climbers like Albertine and the all of the Austins, I never even consider minis or micros (Oriental Simplex being the only exception because she fills the planter behind Kuan-Yin in the upper patio) or HTs. So what gets to me at TPN? a modern HT. But I grant you that it does not look like a modern HT. I think the people at Bees in the UK were experimenting at the same time Austin was doing his crossings. At any rate, now he sits ever so happy in the upper patio waiting for the weather to decide if - mark the if here - Spring is really coming. How are your roses doing? Anything I should take responsibility for in any orders I have yet to hear about? BG Allegra |
#7
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No more roses, I mean it this time...
"Mike" wrote in message ... On Sat, 15 Mar 2003, "Allegra" wrote: Where the heck is Spring? It's in Texas right now. Headin' your way shortly. - snip some wonderful stuff about our mutual passion - I think I may have to buy the empty lot next door. Mike Oh, Mike! it sounds gorgeous. If I go half with you can I have half of the lot next door? What wouldn't I give for a lot next door... We keep on taking down things, moving plants, we decided that both Duddley (L.D. Braithwhite) and The Baron (de l'Ain) need to go to the other end. Too much sun and they burn, last year was a good example of how the climate has changed here in Oregon. The deep reds took a turn to the brown and it didn't matter how much the soaking hoses ran day and night, there was just not making them happy. So there is a sheltered area at the end of one of the beds on the east side and there they will be moved shortly. Our Abbe has become one of our favorites and again for reasons that escape me, it seems to be happier here than in California according to other people who tried to grow him there. You are going to love Celestial! it is such a gorgeous rose. We just bought something called an English Garden Outdoor gazebo (as if there are any indoor ones) made of black iron and the top is made of Sunbrella fabric in a cafe au lait color. It is either 10 by 10 or 12 by 12, I don't remember, but the corners are quite elaborate and perfect to have roses climbing up and around them.So, I am putting Celestial in one side and St. Swithum in the other. The combination of the pinks and the black and light brown is going to be quite attractive I think, and Celestial's fragrance is enough to make you want to linger by for some time. She is so beautiful, you are never going to regret having her around. We are waiting for Pickering's to get over the snow and ice and send the rest of the order. I am afraid all of the new roses will have to be inside Leonard's bathtubs. We truly are out of space and BH won't let me get rid of the garage. Now this one I truly don't understand, it may be a guy sort of thing, don't you think? Don't answer that. Allegra |
#8
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No more roses, I mean it this time...
"Allegra" wrote:
"Unique Too" wrote Sorry, Allegra, I normally believe anything you say about roses, but not this time. And here I am trying to convince myself! No wonder it doesn't work! G "There is a fine line between [this] hobby and mental illness."--Dave Barry This is an illness called addiction. It is obvious you are afflicted, as am I. If we were to follow the 12 steps, perhaps it could be controlled, but that is still in question, as no one has ever managed to complete the 12 steps. Oh dear, how true! This is more than an obsession, or and addiction. It has to be the definition of madness, and if there were 12 steps the only ones I would complete would be the ones from the car to the nearest rose at the nursery. This is so funny! (And so true.) I liked this description, perhaps so much so that after seeing the photo, I, *the no more HTs person* might well have succumbed to this temptation.....addiction, it is an addiction. What is really hilarious about this is that I don't even care for HT as a whole. I bought Taboo because BH loves that rose, other than that, but for a few modern climbers like Albertine and the all of the Austins, I never even consider minis or micros (Oriental Simplex being the only exception because she fills the planter behind Kuan-Yin in the upper patio) or HTs. So what gets to me at TPN? a modern HT. But I grant you that it does not look like a modern HT. I think the people at Bees in the UK were experimenting at the same time Austin was doing his crossings. At any rate, now he sits ever so happy in the upper patio waiting for the weather to decide if - mark the if here - Spring is really coming. I really understand how you feel about the HTs. There is only one reason I have any at all, the DH really likes them, so to increase my garden space I must buy one occasionally. So HTs have a place in my garden, even if it only for bribery. (Umm, that fits along with the "madness" of this hobby doesn't it.) Spring is coming your way. Of that I'm certain. And what a glorious spring it should be, all the roses bursting out in bloom, all the greens making the days so much brighter. Spring will arrive but in her own time. How are your roses doing? Anything I should take responsibility for in any orders I have yet to hear about? BG No more new roses here. Cuttings rooting in pots don't count, do they? Besides there are only six (different varieties, I know multiples of the same rose don't count!) |
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