Wow, what a beautiful garden! Inspiration for me to try a little harder.

Thank you for sharing, Celeste. I really enjoyed the tour and am impressed with the back-breaking work it takes to make a rose-garden in your area.

Kate

Can I come live with you?? I always know when I check out your post I am going to find some gorgeous roses. I hope someday to have lots of gorgeous beauties as you do. I am trying to tuck them in lots of places too. My dear hubby also has to cut down trees when I decide I need a new bed or more sun for some existing beds. Thanks for sharing and I hope everyone in your family is doing good. Have a great new year. Judy

Absolutely fabulous, Celeste! An inspiration! In the 9th and 10th photos.....could you tell us what some of those pink antique roses are? They are gorgeous.......thanks for sharing!
Judith

Celeste,
Your garden is amazing!My darling, you must indeed have a strong back.Those rocks are huge! You must spend every waking minute during garden season in your yard. Sometime, I would love to know your fertilizer program. Your bushes look so healthy and full of blooms. I have about 110 roses and I am a busy girl! It`s intoxicating to be in the middle of such beauty, isn`t it? You have done a magnificent job and I look foreward to all future posts. Thank you for brightning a dull winter day.Your garden is an inspiration. Lesley

Celeste, You have the most AMAZING garden I have ever seen. Do you ever open it up to the public? not that I could come and see it, living in California. I had to show my whole family those pictures and tell them "I want my garden to look just like that" You truly are an inspiration. The first time I saw your garden was on HMF about a year ago. I am happy to see some more pictures and I hope you continue to share with us. Thanks

Celeste, as a fellow Zone 5 gardener, I only dream that someday my roses will be as stunning as yours! And I can't imagine having to move all those rocks!

I just don't know how you managed to convince the climbers to twine around the u-shaped trellises. Simply amazing, marvelous, beautiful, and magical. I look forward to seeing more and more.
-terry

Beautiful pictures, Celeste! Your Baron Girod is so gorgeous draped over the statue... That picture was what made me want to buy it too!
Masha

Celeste - magnificent job you've done creating these heavenly gardens. If you could, would you mind mentioning what roses you use on your arches? In particular, I noticed the white rose on the arch in your 11th photo and would love to know what it is.
And may I say that the gardener herself is every bit as lovely as the gardens!
:-)

Anne

All I can say is Beautiful!!

Celeste, being in an even colder zone than you, I certainly enjoyed all your rose pic and descriptions in your other post. Might give me the courage to try some and hope that they might come through winter here. I prefer the form of the hybrid teas, but not many are hardy here. I put in a few last summer, along with 6 minis, so we'll see come Spring. I actually have successfully started a few cuttings (that are growing in my basement under lights) just in case the ones outside don't make it.

Thanks so much for taking the time to share your beautiful gardens. If I'm ever down your way, I'd really enjoy a tour. Hee hee

Joan

I am so impressed with what you have done. I have it so easy here in zone 8. You deserve great praise.

Celeste---What a treat on a cold wet day to come here and see your gardens----

Your roses are amazing.

You look lovely in your rose dress-----You are a beautiful lady inside and out---

Thanks for sharing.

Florence-

Celeste,

I am on dial up, and it took me about 40 minutes to open all the pictures..but it was worth every minute. I hope that my gardens will look half as beautiful one day.

Robert

both the lady and the gardens are absolutely gorgeous. Great inspiration! :)

Your rose bushes are an inspiration to this fellow cold-zoner. Thanks for sharing!

Kay

MANY THANKS TO ALL OF YOU WHO ENJOYED MY POST....I appreciate your wonderful comments and I enjoyed each & every response. I always love to hear from all my rose friends here. We are in the midst of another snow & ice storm and its a dreary day here at home....I take care of my 85-yr. old Mom who has Alzheimer's and on snow days we are cooped-up in the house.....but keeping in touch with all of you and dreaming about roses gives me hope!

Anne, the white rose on the arch in the 11th photo is actually pale pink (New Dawn). The bright-colored one with it is Rosarium Uetersen.

Judith....in the 9th photo, the roses in the front would be Mrs. John Laing, Vick's Caprice & Excellenz von Schubert in the center. In the 10th photo, from front to back: Marchesa Boccella, Marie Pavie, Paul Neyron, Gloire des Mousseux, Johasine Hanet.

Celeste

Celeste:

Thanks for posting your beautiful photos of your beautiful roses. Gosh, I could look at pictures of roses and rose gardens all day, and sometimes I do!

Even to someone in the warmer zones, your garden is amazing. Here, roses can survive neglect, and so people often neglect them. There, you have to love them, and it shows. I admire the stonework, also. What a paradise you've created with your DH.

Today, I just came across a book that may interest you. Funny, but I was searching bestsellers in rose gardening, and this came up:

Mothering Mother: A Daughter's Humorous and Heartbreaking Memoir

The book is about taking care of a mother with Alzheimers, and it's highly rated, 44 reviews that average 5 stars.
Here's the link to those reviews:

http://www.amazon.com/Mothering-Mother-Daughters-Humorous-Heartbreaking/dp/160164003X/ref=ed_oe_h

God Bless You.

-Gala

Celeste, it's a fabulous garden. It's a wonderful mix of colors and different types of roses.

Celeste, the best! :) I love everything about your garden, the layout, the pebbled paths, the ornamentals and above all, the roses themselves are gorgeous. So healthy! Of course I am sure you are going to have to give us some of the names, if you can sneak them in, that would be great. I am sooo curious myself on some of them.

Also, Not including the climbers, but are many of your roses free-standing, or are they supported in anyway, if so, please tell me what with. We also are surrounded by a lot of trees and the roses reach up for the light making them on the leggy floppy side and most need to be staked. I find it a nuisance, but necessary. How do you deal with this, if indeed you need to. Thanks.

Our garden was also built from a forest floor so believe me, I know all the work involved, building from scratch like that. Though soil is the opposite, it has caused us different kind of problems.

Thank you so much for sharing. It is wonderful!
Pauline

PS If I find when reading back some of the other posts, which I had not, that you have named any of the roses, please ignore that part of my post. :)

Here is a link that might be useful: rosesblog

Yes, what a lovely garden you have. Just incredible. Thanks for posting!

Beautiful!

Wow. Just wow.

Can you tell us what is the dark pink rose in the upper right corner of the tenth photo?

Wow. Just wow.

Can you tell us what is the dark pink rose in the upper right corner of the tenth photo?

You have a nice garden. Everything looks healthy and happy. I, too, have been working to redo my garden, and it is a lot of work especially when digging up any buried treasure. I have been working close to my gravel driveway, and that is some hard digging. It is a lot of work, but if it can come out okay the effort will be worth it.

HELLO AGAIN......and thank you ALL for more encouraging comments!

Gala....I am going to look that book up....it sounds like a perfect read for me. I appreciate your sharing the link with me.

Pauline...In my response further up in the post, I mentioned the names of some of the roses. I make use of obelisks in many cases for roses that tend to sprawl too much, but often I use the extra-large metal tomato cages to support the very top-heavy, floppy roses....the leaves and blooms most often hide the cage from view and you can hardly tell its there....gives the impression of a free-standing shrub. I have a lot of wind up here, so the oncebloomers that tend to get weighted down with blooms or pelted from the heavy rain, benefit greatly from support.
I am posting some examples of roses in these tomato cages to show that you can hardly tell they are there. The best part is, these are fairly cheap to buy, whereas obelisks are pricey. My DH owns a hardware store so I get a great discount...lol.

nickelsmumz8....that wonderful dark pink rose is Paul Neyron. Its hard to tell from photos, but each bloom is HUGE...about 6-7 inches across. (More pics of him, below).

Celeste

PAUL NEYRON WITH GLOIRE DES MOUSSEAUX, SUPPORTED BY LARGE-SIZE TOMATO CAGES....

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THIS IS GRAHAM THOMAS, WHO WANTS TO BE A CLIMBER....SO I PUT HIM ON A LARGE METAL ARCH....(does die back some every winter in zone 4 but rebounds quickly).

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Absolutely gorgeous! Yes us northerners have to work hard in a short space of time (short growing season). Thank you for sharing, it brings me out of the doldrums as I stare out at the white cold, a few frozen rose canes sticking up out of the snow. Now I'm thinking about roses in the summer.

Oh Celeste! Your garden is breathtaking!!! I've gone back and looked at your beautiful pictures over and over. Thanks so much for sharing.

Yes,Celeste, your beautiful summer rose pictures cheer me up too. All your posts seem to have that effect on me! Thanks.
Judith

Your garden is absolutely amazing.I hope your mother is still able to enjoy the beauty and fragrance of all your lovely flowers.Thank you again for sharing with us.

Fantastic job! I wish I had the room to do the same. You should be very proud.
Kim

Wow...............

You grow lilies. If by that you mean Lilium and not daylilies, do you have to deal with {{gwi:222361}}, and if so how do you manage them?

Celeste, I love looking at your garden pictures. Your pictures make me want to rip out my HT and start over. Thanks for taking the time to post pictures. I would love to see some pictures of your garden in early spring before pruning.

Celeste - your garden is spectacular! It is truly an inspiration. I just wished I could enlarge the photos!

All of your roses are incredible beautiful and look so healthy! Wow, it must be a lot of work to take care of a yard like this! May I ask you, how much time do you spend in the garden each week in the growing season?

Thank you very much for the tour! Looking forward to more pictures!

I am in awe. Thrilled by the beauty of your gardens, dumbstruck by the work that must go into it...just the chore of cutting back all those roses each year,never mind the rock hauling, and all the effort that goes into roses in a hard climate.(So. Ca. here) But you are rich! I remember my first roses. I had 3 bushes in my rental home. Whenever there were enough to cut blooms for the house and still leave some on the bush, I felt rich. You have untold wealth! And this:
"I take care of my 85-yr. old Mom who has Alzheimer's and on snow days we are cooped-up in the house.....but keeping in touch with all of you and dreaming about roses gives me hope!"
The small glimpse you offered into your life touched my heart.

What a wonderful job! You have raised the bar way up there! I am so embarrassed! I have an acre land, just starting a garden and trying to decide where to put my 5 new rose bushes. 350 roses and many more of other plants!!! And you are doing this in zone4. I am not even taking care of any elderly, not to mention with Alzheimers.
You are such an inspiration!

I think that your roses, like all of us, are applauding you for staying the course.

I came on here tonight and was delighted to see my old post had been resurrected. THANK YOU to those of you who were kind enough to respond ....I appreciate all of your words of encouragement! You guys are so sweet and your support of my endeavors, both gardening-related and personal, makes me smile....thanks.

I wanted to answer your question about the red lily beetles, yorkrose.....
Yes, I do grow the true lilies (as well as a few daylilies).... hundreds & hundreds of them! The Asiatics, Orientals, Orienpets, etc.
And yes, those pesky horrible red lily beetles are a plague here too. I find it unbelievable that they start attacking the lily shoots just as they are emerging from the soil in the spring. I was told that not much kills them, but I have had fairly good success in keeping them away with Sevin dust, so long as I keep at it. If it rains or I forget to keep up with the ritual of dusting, then they come right back. They will strip entire lily canes of leaves and destroy the blooms if you don't keep up....(but since you asked, you must already be familiar with that nightmarish scene). They are right up there with Japanese Beetles (on my roses) in how much damage they can do and how disgusting they are. And that nasty, sticky black sludge they leave behind with the eggs in it....YUK.

organic....
I spend A LOT of time in my yard, more than most people would be willing to spend. When I had a regular job I couldn't devote as much time as I wanted (and needed)to tend to my many gardens. But now that I am home with my mom, I am able to spend more time in my gardens. Mom enjoys sitting outside and watching the goings on, so in between caring for her and the never-ending housework (I still have a teenager & grown daughter living at home too) I never seem to stop moving. I am lucky that my husband is strong and can usually be persuaded to help me with the heaviest of chores, although I am a tough chic and am proud that I can do just about everything myself...! My life seems to revolve around my family, my pets, and my gardening...and thats the way I like it! I just wish spring would come quicker up here in zone 4 so I could start digging! But its getting closer.....

Celeste

A few of the lilies I grow (I have planted over 400 bulbs over the years!).....

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And yes, those pesky horrible red lily beetles are a plague here too. I find it unbelievable that they start attacking the lily shoots just as they are emerging from the soil in the spring.

It sounds to me as though you've never grown asparagus, have you? :-)

FWIW, there's a researcher at the University of Rhode Island, Dr. Casagrande, who has been working to find a biocontrol for this European pest. It's taken many years, but I believe he's found some other insects (tiny wasps incapable of stinging humans because they are too small to pierce human skin, even if they ever felt threatened by humans, and that's wildly, wildly unlikely) that only eat this beetle, and he's now received permission to introduce those predators into this country to control the lily beetle.

In fact, I seem to recall that I read last year in the Boston Globe that he was having some difficulty finding sites in which to test whether the predatory wasps were able to make a successful impact upon the beetles because so few people in southern New England were now growing (true) lilies on account of that beetle. If so, and if you were interested in helping, it's not impossible that he might be pleased to interact with you.

(I have no idea one way or the other. I've never met the man, and I have no idea how he runs his research or what his research protocols are.)

That "sludge"?

That black glop they put on their backs? That's their feces!

It's a way for them to protect themselves from being eaten in their native (European) environment. Apparently in Europe there's something that would eat them if they didn't do that.

And yes, it's gross!

"Helping" might be as simple as letting him know approximately how many (& what sorts of) lilies you grew in your yard, that you were afflicted with lily leaf beetle, and that you were willing to have that beetle's predators released in your yard, with trapping, so that he could figure out whether the wasps (They're really tiny wasps, not at all like paper wasps or hornets! Trust me. They're so small you won't even be aware of them.) were able to make a difference in the lily beetle population or not.

If this sounds at all interesting to you, go ahead and contact him. As I said, I have never met the man and I have no idea what he's like or if he'll respond to a contact from someone like yourself, but on the other hand, what the hey, you know? :-)

(Truth be told, lilies are my favorite flower, even more than roses, but it makes no sense for me to grow even just a few, and a few isn't enough to make any difference to his attempts to introduce biological control agents for this very real pest. Otherwise I'd be offering my own itsy-bitsy gardening space, despite it being in a small city, on a condo complex, ten miles north of Boston.)

Your gardens are beauitful,and so are you.

Hi Celeste,

I haven't been on the garden forum in months, and I just across your pics. Your roses and lilies are just stunning! I can't wait for the gardening season to start here and your pictures are a great inspiration. Thanks for sharing.

-Evelyn

Hi Celeste, I can't believe I haven't commented on this post. Have I said I love your garden? ;)

What is the rose in the picture above "FORMAL ROSE GARDEN, ANTIQUE ROSES..... "?

Also, the picture below that one of your garden is what I'd love for my garden to look like, a vista of blooms.

Eric

Hi Eric,
The rosebush you are asking about is Duchesse de Montebello.....a gorgeous pale pink gallica.

Evelyn & lunchlady.....I appreciate your kind remarks!

york rose.....that is quite interesting about the predator wasps...thank you for mentioning it to me. I just may look into it, because I put in another giant lily bed in the fall so I will have about 200 more lilies than I had last year. It will be a chore keeping the lily beetles at bay.

Celeste

Hi Celeste
Welcome back!!! Great shots. As always I LOOOOOVVVVVEEEEE your garden, the pictures and great advice you share. Thanks for posting some new shots. As others mentioned I cant wait to see what you have in store for us this year.

BTW- You mentioned you dust some kind of powder for the beetles? What is it called? I have many oriental lilies and experience the same problem. I use some stinky black gunk I find at my local nursery and make circles around the lilies. It is sticky just like their feces so rain doesnt wash it away easily. It is tedious though so dusting sounds much better.

Carolina