Nope. Not even close. Especially #12 about a well-ordered garden; most of the fun of gardening in is NOT being orderly and stiff. Who needs precision and stiffness? And what's wrong with magenta? A garden is all about color and to me, a wild abundance and splash of dizzy color. I can't abide monochrome white; I see too much of snow during winter. So bring on the magenta; looks great with yellows, purples; and apricots.
-t

#2. Don't we ALL wish we could maintain PERFECT order?!
#5. I know some males who are pretty good at demanding!
#6. I don't have a problem with magenta...do you?
I guess I can go along with the others...Especially #'s 9 and 11. Funny how we all have such varying views on things. Ultimately I think we just have to be happy with whatever we do and not worry so much about what others think! Happy Gardening to ALL!!!! April

# 2 Certainly not!
# 3 Agree whole heartedly
# 6 You've got to be kidding.
# 7&8 Yes

I think George is a little anal myself.

Ellwanger is/was from an age when a gardener or several gardeners did the work, and the pontificators pontificated.
Back then, when roses were shown, the gardeners were listed as well as the rose owners.
Now go and read Dean S. Reynolds Hole and be very, very glad we live now and not a hundred years ago.

I like his sense of humor!!

I think I agree with all of them, except about magenta and white. The light here is very strong and bright--magenta stands up to, and glows, in the brightness, while white, except in full shade, is transformed into glare. He probably gardened in a more northerly latitude.

I actually know of a garden here in Tacoma that nearly perfectly matches the entire list. The owner is a single retired man and his garden is a delight to walk through. There is a clear lack of magenta except in one corner. He does almost all of the work himself and while he does good at rose shows the garden is not about providing perfect roses for shows it is just happens that way.

Lance

I didn't want to post what I disagreed with right off because I thought it might bias your thoughts. But now I would readily admit that:

#2: Study soil and exposure, and cultivate no more space than can be maintained in perfect order.

I think "perfect" order might be a stretch but I do like to keep up with my garden well. I have seen gardens that are overrun because a lone gardener cannot keep pace...and I have been that gardener on occasion. I much perfer a managable size these days.

#3: Plant thickly Yes!!!

#6 & #7:...Magenta in any form is a discord that should never jar.....do not overlook white as a foil.

I dont agree with his theory on magenta and white either. I use magenta (Knockouts) as part of the bones of my garden and I have trouble placing whites anywhere in the garden since they draw your eye and don't blend it with their surroundings the way alternate colors would. I spend as much time on the placement of a white rose as I would to plant a specimen tree!

#11: Love a flower in advance and plant something every year.

I agree....I anticipate spring planting. Winter gives the body a rest and the mind freedom to dream!!

Ronda

He was advocating white as a foil, which does work. Nothing sets off a deep red rose like pairing it with a white one.

I agree about using white as a foil. I think Martha Stewart was his most learned student. Her recipe to the garden exactly. Is she plaigarizing.

Unfortunately I agree with just about all of it. That is probably why I am known to be so anal in the garden. Although I'm not big on very formal design in my own garden, I do like order.

I especially agree about the maintaining the soil in perfect order, and thinking very carefully before planting a tree or shrub.

As far as magenta, I understand what he's talking about. After I redesigned my garden with a lot of Austin and OGR roses, I found that there is no place for certain reds. Magenta is ok if it is of the type of cool-red of old-fashioned roses. But warm red, as in on the orangish side, appears to be an abomination in my garden. I had left one red daylily plant in the redesign and when it bloomed I had to remove it immediately. It was very jarring!

Ronda, I googled Ellwanger's name just enough to learn he started a plant nursery in Rochester, NY, in the mid-1800s, which at one time was among the largest in the US. I'm curious, where did you find his recipe for gardening? For what it's worth, I have nothing against magenta and I think close-planting is good with the right plants and an ungodly amount of work with the wrong plants.

Planting too closely can be a deterrent to getting there to prune. I want to be able to get around my roses if possible. I think Magenta would be ok if it is maybe a Glad and among other colors of glads. That is a wide open subject, depending on which flowers you're talking about. Then there's the question of different shades of Magenta and what each gardener's eye and mind determines as Magenta. Sorry to ramble. Very interesting Ronda.

Carla

Mike,

I was reaading an online book found at the link below

Here is a link that might be useful: The American Flower Garden By NELTJE BLANCHAN

About the Author of the Quote:

GEORGE ELLWANGER
December 2, 1816 - November 26, 1906

One of the most esteemed and prominent citizens of Rochester is Mr. George Ellwanger, who was born December 2, 1816, at Gross-Heppach, in the Remsthal, one of the beautiful valleys that extend in every direction through the Kingdom of Wfirtemberg, in Germany. In accordance with the law and practice in his native country he passed the period of his youth at school. The intervals of study, vacation, etc., he spent with his father and brothers in the vineyards which constituted the family patrimony. After completing his studies he entered a leading horticultural establishment at Stuttgart, where he remained four years, until he had perfected himself in all the arts of horticulture and landscape gardening. He then sought a proper sphere for its profitable use and sailed for this country, arriving in New York in 1835. Pushing westward he first settled at Tiffin, Ohio, but his expectations not being realized he turned his face eastward and came to Rochester in the Spring of that year and entered the horticultural establishment of Reynolds & Bateham. In 1839 he began business for himself, seeing an opening in this then new country for planting fruit and ornamental trees. He bought out the establishment of Reynolds & Bateham and also purchased eight acres of land on Mt. Hope Avenue. In 1840 he made the acquaintance of the late Patrick Barry and entered into a partnership under the firm name of Ellwanger & Barry, which continued for fifty years, or until Mr. Barry's death. He is always prominent in every public enterprise, giving freely of his time and means.

About the Author of the Book:
Neltje De Graff Doubleday Biography (1865Â1918)

Naturalist and writer, born in Chicago, Illinois, USA. She married publisher Frank N Doubleday, saw her first book in print in 1894, and went on to write several volumes of nature studies of flowers and birds, including The American Flower Garden (1909). Her work has been described as charming but lacking in scientific significance. Active in charitable work, she died in Canton, China while on assignment for the American Red Cross.

If read carefully, Ellwanger's comment #6 does not instruct us to banish the color magenta from our gardens. He's simply stating that magenta is a very tricky color to incorporate successfully into a garden. I agree with him completely. Other very strong colors -- orange and goldenrod yellow, for example -- blend and harmonize much more readily than magenta.

His first observation is the most important. It's the reason I abandoned the lunacy of a no-spray rose garden.

1. "Whatever is worth growing at all is worth growing well.

True. Growing well and growing perfectly are not synonymous. We aim for excellence, not perfection. I've removed many a rose that makes me look bad.

2. Study soil and exposure, and cultivate no more space than can be maintained in perfect order.

Trans.: Don't bite off more than you can chew. See #1 on perfection.

3. Plant thickly; it is easier and more profitable to raise flowers than weeds.

They didn't mulch. They applied manure in winter. The advice, brought up to date, is good. Open soil is an invitation to weeds.

4. Avoid stiffness and exact balancing; garden vases and garden flowers need not necessarily be used in pairs.

True.

5. A flower is essentially feminine and demands attention as the price of its smiles.

Nah. You can plant fussy plants or easy plants. Fussy plants are worth the trouble to some gardeners. Personally, I think it gets old.

6. Let there be harmony and beauty of colour. Magenta in any form is a discord that should never jar.

Some like harmony, others like contrast. I like harmony, tho I don't have any issues with magenta in our bright sun. It's a problem for 5 minutes.

7. In studying colour objects, do not overlook white as a foil; white is the lens of the garden's eye.

I suppose this works for some. White paint is a black hole for the gardener's time. I prefer natural wood.

8. Think twice and then still think before placing a tree, shrub, or plant in position. Think thrice before removing a specimen tree.

Absolutely true. Know your plants. Trees add lots of value to homes unless they are 50 feet tall and within 20 feet of the house, in which case they are a big liability. Anyone priced tree removal of a 40 foot tree next to a house.

9. Grow an abundance of flowers for cutting; the bees and butterflies are not entitled to all the spoils.

A matter of personal preference. I don't keep house plants, either.

10. Keep on good terms with your neighbour; you may wish a large garden favour of him, some day.

Always good advice.

11. Love a flower in advance and plant something every year.

Not a problem. Perennials by definition do no live very long. If they are long-lived, they are called shrubs.

12. Show me a well-ordered garden and I will show you a genial home."

A well-maintained garden is inviting. True enough.

The fact that he was German explains alot. They are very precise people in general. My outlaws (inlaws) are Swiss German so I have had a taste. Good chocolate though.