Sissinghurst
 

Was there on Friday. Rosa muliganii in the White Garden wasn't quite
out, but it was coming, and elsewhere the roses were amazing - I saw
some I'd never seen before, including Nuits de Young, Duchesse de
Montebello, and Sissinghurst Castle.

BUUUUT - and I know not everyone will agree - why, oh why the modern
plantings? Why fill the place with asters when Vita loathed them?
Shouldn't preserving a garden mean replanting with the same sorts of
plants? I know with roses there are soil sterilisation issues - though
I've never found this a huge problem myself - but surely this can't be
resolved by plonking a David Austin in instead of a gallica.

Okay, joke over, but the rationale Tony Lord gives is that it extends
the display - fine, but is the goal of the N Trust to preserve, or
merely to give the punters what they'd get in the local park? What do
others think? I get depressed when I see historic gardens tarted up,
like seeing the Mona Lisa restored with acrylic paint because that's
what visitors now want.
--
Jane Lumley

Sissinghurst
 

"Jane Lumley" wrote in message
...
Was there on Friday. Rosa muliganii in the White Garden wasn't quite

My Muliganii is a 4' runt right now.
I have much hope for it. It growing
into a medium sized sugar maple in my
front yard.

out, but it was coming, and elsewhere the roses were amazing - I saw
some I'd never seen before, including Nuits de Young, Duchesse de
Montebello, and Sissinghurst Castle.

BUUUUT - and I know not everyone will agree - why, oh why the modern
plantings? Why fill the place with asters when Vita loathed them?
Shouldn't preserving a garden mean replanting with the same sorts of
plants? I know with roses there are soil sterilisation issues - though
I've never found this a huge problem myself - but surely this can't be
resolved by plonking a David Austin in instead of a gallica.

Many of the originals may no longer be available.
Also many many old roses were dogs. Thousands
upon thousands of Hybrid Perpetuals were bred
vs the few dozens still in commerce.

Remember Blackspot & even Mildew were not
really a problem when these roses were bred.

I've always wonder what the English do to deal
with Blackspot with the climate and all. It's got
to be rough.


Okay, joke over, but the rationale Tony Lord gives is that it extends
the display - fine, but is the goal of the N Trust to preserve, or
merely to give the punters what they'd get in the local park? What do
others think? I get depressed when I see historic gardens tarted up,
like seeing the Mona Lisa restored with acrylic paint because that's
what visitors now want.

Yes! changing the color scheme and planting so
radically should be a crime. To add another analogy
like painting the green room blue.

--
Jane Lumley

--
Theo in Zone 5
Kansas City

Sissinghurst
 

Jane Lumley writes:

Okay, joke over, but the rationale Tony Lord gives is that it extends
the display - fine, but is the goal of the N Trust to preserve, or
merely to give the punters what they'd get in the local park? What do
others think? I get depressed when I see historic gardens tarted up,
like seeing the Mona Lisa restored with acrylic paint because that's
what visitors now want.

I agree with you.
I would have thought the goal of an "historic" garden is to preserve history.
If not, then why use an estate? Just plant them in any park.