Hi Robert, so good to hear from you. I love your place on the water! I feel sure someone will advise you as to other plantings but the Austin's should do well. Have you decided on any particular ones? How is your doggie and does he like his new environment? We will get to watch and hear as your garden progresses.

Carla

There are three authors who I've enjoyed reading and who've given me some idea of what gardening could be like, if I were to move.

E.A. Bowles wrote three books (My Garden in Spring, My Garden in Summer and My Garden in Autumn and Winter,) and those books gave me a feel for how different the cycles between England and the Eastern US.

Gertrude Jekyll's book Roses is on line as is her book Wood and Pond in which I really like the monthly descriptions and the rose descriptions therein. (See links below where you can download the books. For free)

Rose Kingsley was an amateur who had IMPORTANT (to the rose world) neighbors. Her book Roses and Rose Gardens is available as a limited preview of a reprint

http://books.google.com/books?as_q=&num=10&btnG=Google+Search&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&as_brr=3&as_pt=ALLTYPES&lr=&as_vt=Roses+and+Rose+Growing&as_auth=+Kingsley&as_pub=&as_sub=&as_drrb=c&as_miny=&as_maxy=&as_isbn=&as_issn=

Good libraries have copies of the original Kingsley.

Here is a link that might be useful: Gertrude Jekyll's full view books (Google)

Hi Robert,
You are so lucky! I love England. Your neighborhood is charming. I would feel like I was living in a fairytale if I lived there. Your pictures are wonderful. I love all those blue doors. I will look forward to hearing and seeing more about your stay and your garden.
Joanne

Robert,
It is good to hear from you. I'm glad you've settled in.

Have you contacted Jon? He certainly could answer some of your questions and he is the most helpful person who is wonderful with information sharing.

A wonderful contact beside Jon is Joan who grows all the companion plants from Mottisfont. She is incredible plantswoman. You can contact her via Jon.

Carol

What is your new Zone?

Hi Carla! Gee it's nice to see you! I'm not sure if I told you we lost one of our two dogs to cancer just a week before we moved? The other one, Megan, is now finished with her 6 month wait (she's been staying with friends) and we are going back to pick her up this month. It has not been the same without having a dog in the house, I know that when she is here she is going to love the island, and being able to walk along the towpaths, and best of all, I can take her into the local pub where she will be treated as a queen. This is the last photo I took of her before we left, I can't wait for her to get here! Isn't she beautiful?
{{gwi:221257}}

Ann, thank you for all of those wonderful resources!!! I can't tell you how much I appreciate it.

Hi Joanne, it is great to hear from you. I have to say that I agree, the neighbourhood is amazing. I think Oxford is one of the most beautiful places in the world. I'm dying to start gardening, but now very much feel like the I am starting all over again, which is kind of exciting actually. :)

Hi Carol, thanks for the welcome back! I haven't spoken to Jon or Joan, but maybe I will get lucky and they will speak up and give me some advice. I loved Mottisfont when I visited two summers ago, it was one of the highpoints of.. well sappy as it sounds.. my life. I had wanted to visit for years and it was every bit as beautiful and more than I ever dreamed. I'm hoping that if I can go this year I'll be able to really spend some time in the gardens, last time I was just too rushed to really appreciate all the wonder before me.

Hi rozegardener, I don't know. I'm under the (quite possibly false) impression that England is equivalent to US Zone 8. I guess in my mind that I'm imagining it to be like Oregon or Washington. However, I'm already aware that people just a few hundred miles above me are having a much harsher winter, so that is part of my confusion. I'm just not sure how to "translate" Oxford into something that I can understand. Hopefully, I'll get some additional guidence from members, but at least the links from Ann are a great start!

I think I can grow peony and lilacs here. Hurray!

Be sure to contact Jon before you go to Mottisfont. He will be gracious and helpful. One of the things that I love most about England is that it is a nation of gardeners. I imagine that you will have a great many wonderful opportunities. I wish you the best.

So good to hear from you-----I've been wondering how things were going in England.---It looks like you have found a beautiful place to live.

As Pam suggested it would be a good idea to get in touch with Jon-----I'm sure he would be of great help to you .

I was only in England once and that was 20 some years ago. I too fell in love with the lovely little towns.

What a treat to be able to walk wherever you have to go--sounds like heaven to me.---I remeber your pretty garden in Ca and can't wait to see your new garden.

Good Luck and please keep us posted
Florence

Hi ...

Well, I'm not in Oxford, but from my experience climate in southern England is roughly similar to climate here in northern France ... As nobody from England has replied yet ...

In our climate zone, the best time to order bareroot roses is september/october. It is also the best time to order perennials, as many nurseries schedule their propagation program for fall planting.

Bareroot roses are on sale from mid-october in garden centers, but serious nurseries do not ship them before mid-november.
The best time to plant them goes from late november to mid-december, but you've got a second chance to plant them in March.

Barthelemy

Good to hear from you, Robert. The pictures on your link were a pleasure to view for someone like me who hopes to visit England some day. Thank you!

Randy

You are so lucky! I would love to live in England and grow roses there. It is one of those special places in the world that have a magical atmosphere.

Chance

One of my favorite things in Scotland was the sheepdogs drousing at their master's feet in the pubs. Peter Beals has a grand nursery there. You can visit him at Peter Beales Roses London Road, Attleborough, Norfolk England --telephone:44(0)1953 456845 or inquire by e-mail:
info@peterbealesroses.co.uk and check out the website at:
www.peterbealesroses.co.uk
His catalog has supplied my rose porn for years--I keep the old ones--they are organized by color and size. Guinee is staring back at me from her dark red face which surely must smell to high heaven. I believe John said his favorite was Jacques Cartier and his thread may still be exant on the antique gallery.
It is good to hear from you again and know you took so well to your new home.
la

OMG, you have returned to the Motherland-well certainly as far as roses go-you have numerous sources there Austins- (if you can head up to Shropshire and visit the original nursery, Peter Beales as mentioned, Harkness, Fryers, not to forget ones on the continent-Delbard, Kordes etc. Peter Beales has a rose forum also. Check out amazon.co.uk for books.
I "imported" an English husband who would dearly love to have a cottage garden here, but living beside a marsh in humid hot coastal Georgia with loads of trees-mainly pines, :( , not much suited.