@Imprevu many thanks for those measurements. I'd better go out tomorrow and check I have enough room! So looking forward to getting GdF after all the recommendations on here. My order is from Ashridge Trees but I have ordered Strawberry Hill from DA, hope they don't cancel that one.
The weather has turned very cold and wet in the last few days, so I’m not sure how the roses just coming into a final flush will fare, might put them off!
Alister Stella Gray before a torrential downpour yesterday evening. This is promising to be a terrific rose, so far outstripping it’s neighbour on the new fence (Buff Beauty) in terms of vigour, health and blooming:
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
That Alister Stella Gray is a beautiful rose, Nollie, one I read of but never on my radar. Sweet yellowish buds and button eye.
My garden is rapidly turning into a muddy mess with junk strewn about from half started projects. Sky was a wonderfully weird colour this morning so I went out and took a few snaps. Nor much rose interest though, sorry.
Work in progress along the back fence. There used to be an arbour seat there which I have dismantled and dragged into my utility room for drying/spider sweep/painting. Front red Fountain, rear red on fence, Park Director Riggers. The two canes on the bottom right are where I intend to move Autumn Delight. Thought it might brighten up/obscure the aconitum canes which become ugly quickly and the wildlife stick heap behind them.
Still buds to come on Blush Noisette, I think they will probably still open despite the daily rain and here also one of my oldest sunflowers, I bought as swamp sunflower (Helianthus augustifolius) but I'm not sure if it is.
I call this spring corner as it normally looks the best at that time. This year it didn't as for the first time the ferns were all bigger than the camassia were at flowering time blocking out much of the effect of my imagined fern/cam combo. Then most of the ferns died back in the heat over summer. A good plan, didn't work Little Rambler on the fence and Portland the super pink. I need to move that self sown geranium on the grass edge as it is sitting on some pulmonaria and a new rose this year Pergolese (centre). I also have a yearling Alba Mme. Legras de St Germain in front of the willow trellis but it has fallen forward into the other stuff. Firedance is the persicaria. An outstanding plant, one of my best persicarias, also as the base is much smaller than the top growth you can underplant them with lots of spring bulbs (done ).
What a lush garden @Victoria Sponge ! That persicaria looks amazing. Sorry to hear about the ferns. I have Polystichum polyblepharum which handled the drought ok in a west facing corner.
Jealous of your Draga. Mine is looking completely fleabitten by what I guess is vine weevil. I tried nematodes but it may have been too dry for them.
All my other roses are perfectly fine — this is Vanessa Bell right beside it.
Thank you @Athelas. I think I have a few Polystichum, I will have to do a fern inventory and see what I have as I never remember the proper names...these that died back were Ostrich ferns (just looked up: Matteuccia struthiopteri) and they like a fair bit of moisture. They will come back as they spread about on runners I've noticed.
Sorry about your Draga but the leaves themselves look perfectly healthy so at least it is all bug and no rose issue. It's interesting how insects select specific roses. Leaf cutter bees targeted some of my old roses, gallicas and a portland this year (which of course I don't mind at all and neither do the roses) but others nearby were untouched.
Managed to get an LEH and a Darcey Bussell from C and K Jones (by ringing them). They only have a couple left of each. Very happy as those are the two I really wanted (though MW would have been nice. Other growers have been forbidden from growing it, though, so who knows when it'llbe available again as it'sstill under patent till 2027).
So my confirmed bareroot orders are
Pretty Jessica Evelyn Graham Thomas William Shakespeare 2000 (all from TW) Lady Emma Hamilton Darcey Bussell
Liliana (Poulsen) Liisa (Poulsen) Bouquet de la Mariée (Demaizia, 1858) Twilight Zone (Weeks) It's A Wonderful Life (Dickson) Great Expectations / It's Magic (McGredy) Sarah / Jardins de Bagatelle (Meilland)
A friend is giving me her unwanted William and Catherine and Sugar Moon... possibly Hot Chocolate too, if it can be found a spot for. It's an unusual colour, but I saw someone's amazing pic of it on here recently and liked it a lot.
And once all those are found homes for, I have my eyes on a couple of others by Delbard and Ronnie Rawlins.
WhereAreMySecateurs I’m sorry to tell you Munstead Wood is one of a load of roses that have been archived by David Austin so won’t be available again. Last year was the last time other growers were allowed to sell it. They had it available on their own website, bare root, last week but it sold out within hours. Mainly because selfish people were buying 5 or 6 each. They’ve archived: The Lady Emma Hamilton, Munstead Wood, Tess of the d’urbevilles, Jude the Obscure, Teasing Georgia and the Jubilee Celebration Standard. I might have missed some cos there are a load the’ve got rid of. If you go onto their Facebook page quite a lot of people aren’t happy about it.
Posts
Lovely roses @Rojas; looks like lots of roses still blooming in your garden.
Alister Stella Gray before a torrential downpour yesterday evening. This is promising to be a terrific rose, so far outstripping it’s neighbour on the new fence (Buff Beauty) in terms of vigour, health and blooming:
My garden is rapidly turning into a muddy mess with junk strewn about from half started projects. Sky was a wonderfully weird colour this morning so I went out and took a few snaps. Nor much rose interest though, sorry.
Work in progress along the back fence. There used to be an arbour seat there which I have dismantled and dragged into my utility room for drying/spider sweep/painting. Front red Fountain, rear red on fence, Park Director Riggers. The two canes on the bottom right are where I intend to move Autumn Delight. Thought it might brighten up/obscure the aconitum canes which become ugly quickly and the wildlife stick heap behind them.
Still buds to come on Blush Noisette, I think they will probably still open despite the daily rain and here also one of my oldest sunflowers, I bought as swamp sunflower (Helianthus augustifolius) but I'm not sure if it is.
I call this spring corner as it normally looks the best at that time. This year it didn't as for the first time the ferns were all bigger than the camassia were at flowering time blocking out much of the effect of my imagined fern/cam combo. Then most of the ferns died back in the heat over summer. A good plan, didn't work
Jealous of your Draga. Mine is looking completely fleabitten by what I guess is vine weevil. I tried nematodes but it may have been too dry for them.
Sorry about your Draga but the leaves themselves look perfectly healthy so at least it is all bug and no rose issue. It's interesting how insects select specific roses. Leaf cutter bees targeted some of my old roses, gallicas and a portland this year (which of course I don't mind at all and neither do the roses) but others nearby were untouched.
So my confirmed bareroot orders are
Pretty Jessica
Evelyn
Graham Thomas
William Shakespeare 2000 (all from TW)
Lady Emma Hamilton
Darcey Bussell
Liliana (Poulsen)
Liisa (Poulsen)
Bouquet de la Mariée (Demaizia, 1858)
Twilight Zone (Weeks)
It's A Wonderful Life (Dickson)
Great Expectations / It's Magic (McGredy)
Sarah / Jardins de Bagatelle (Meilland)
A friend is giving me her unwanted William and Catherine and Sugar Moon... possibly Hot Chocolate too, if it can be found a spot for. It's an unusual colour, but I saw someone's amazing pic of it on here recently and liked it a lot.
And once all those are found homes for, I have my eyes on a couple of others by Delbard and Ronnie Rawlins.
Do Cants of Colchester sell good bareroots, does anyone happen to know? 🙃