impressive

What a beautiful yard Sherry! I agree Nova, she needs to come hang with all the Fla. Garden Webbers! We have lots of rose lovers here.

nova
thanks so much for the photos. they and Sherry's garden are WONDERFUL to behold.

I am a rose lover also and Sherry grows my favorite kind, the OGR's (Old Garden Roses). They do wonderfully in Florida and her garden is testament to that.

What a fantastic cottagey rose garden. Hope someone alerted the newspaper so as to inspire other gardeners. More roses!!

Denise

What a great idea to have an "open garden." I would love to see what other people have done with their gardens. Your friend should be proud of all her hard work.

I've had roses for years, but when I heard abt. the OGRs - Antiques, I was clueless... and I posted on the Antique Rose Forum and Sherry answered and helped me, she told me where to research and different Nurseries that carried the OGR's, and what she had success with... so I owe any success in my own OGR garden to Sherry, she is a Great Gal !!....THANKS SHERRY !!........ sally

What an awe inspiring garden, great job Sherry! I wish I had been able to attend. I could spend a lifetime in a garden like that. I want to know what Sherry does in her spare time. Thanks Nova for posting these lovely photos and I'll bet you have a few photos of your own lovely rose garden you could share with us.:)

Sherry is such an inspiration to me and I hope to see her handiwork some day. Those of us who are besotted by roses have a great resource in her. Thank you, Susan for the great pics.

I hope to make a road trip back up there some time this summer to go to Sherry's favorite rose vendor again.

Veronica

Here is a link that might be useful: Rose Petals Nursery

Wow!!! And NO grass lol!

Thank you all for your kind compliments and to Susan for being such a super rose friend. I recognize some of you from the Antique Roses Forum and remember others from when I started out my gardening odyssey on the Florida Forum in early 2007. I made a hard turn toward Old Garden Roses and really never looked back. Three years of endless digging has produced a garden that I'm proud of, and, yes, NO grass! With sufficient water and soil amendments to improve our sand these roses (Teas, Chinas, Noisettes and a good many polyanthas) thrive without spraying and without a huge amount of care once established. They have been a very satisfying, albeit addictive, plant for me. I remember some of you were growing roses back in 2007. I hope you still are. They are fast growing and sometimes large plants in Florida because our conditions are so similar to their origins in Asia. One correction to Susan's intro - my lot is .17 acre and so far it's holding 100+ roses. Hopefully, they will grow to maturity without outgrowing their spaces. I do emphasize HOPEFULLY in that last sentence! As much as I would love to add some more beauties, I've really maxxed out plus the romance of digging in the Florida heat and humidity has long since faded.

If anyone is ever in or near Ocala, you have an invitation to stop by. Just email me for directions. I work pretty much full time so weekends are best. Since this flush is about over, 6 or 7 weeks from now would be best. Now that the construction stage of this garden is over I won't be embarrassed to have you "drop in". It really is wonderful to have a garden that's DONE - at least for now. But then who knows what may befall it in the meantime. There's always thrips, grasshoppers, stink bugs...

And claferg, this garden and all these roses have consumed ALL of my spare time for 3 years. Just ask my DH.

Hope to "see" more Floridians over on the Antique Roses Forum. Warm climate roses make up many of the discussions, and we have a very kind, helpful and funny group over there. We've got a big "welcome" sign posted.

Sherry

Sherry,your gardens are just gorgeous!I'm a lurker over on the antique rose forum and have read your posts.Your hard work has really paid off.I've been really getting into OGR'S lately,a year and a half or so,and they are very addictive.Too bad I'm running out of room with all the other plants I have.Unless someone wants to dig out two GIANT phoenix reclinata palms for me!Cindy

Cindy, Cindy, Cindy, why do you only lurk??? Jump in! I know you have wonderful things to share - especially for other Florida folks who grow - or want to grow roses. A year and a half is a long time to be growing roses and not talking about them. Don't know how you do it. My mouth has to run constantly about them - either to poor DH or to the forum folks. We lived in Sarasota when we first moved to Florida in 1978. Could not believe DH was going to get paid to live in paradise! :))

Sherry

Beautiful pictures and a beautiful garden.
Felix

Ok Sherry,I'll have to chime in sometimes.I moved to Sarasota in 1978,also.Wouldn't want to live anywhere else but Florida.

I was just googling and came upon the streetscape photo of my house. I know just when it was taken - November, 2007. I thought you might get a chuckle. Sometimes I forget exactly how far I've come and how much change has happened while I had my head down looking in the dirt! This was the beginning of my garden excavation which had been preceded by the mental anguish of deciding on the design. Once the decision was made, however, it was full speed ahead, and my mind was free of doubt. I remember the freedom and confidence I felt at that time. Of course, there were plenty of doubts and stress points as I moved forward over the two+ years that have followed. It seems amazing to me at this point that my garden is basically DONE. I am no longer a manual laborer but a gentlewoman gardener who can leisurely oversee my domain. The difference in my outlook since my open garden is profound. I had no idea that getting the garden spruced up for that day would bring such a seachange in my life. I'm sure I will still have hard work to do, but right now it seems like the most strenuous work will be deadheading which I found out last evening is not a light thing. Gardening comes in phases, and for me this new phase is a pretty heady one.
{{gwi:265626}}

Sherry

Wow, what a change, Sherry. Your garden is a work of art.

Sherry ~ What lovely gardens you have. A lot of heart and soul as well as hard work have gone into their making. What OGR's are you growing?

What a difference in the before and after pictures.

I love roses and have quite a few myself.

FlowerLady

FlowerLady, here's a link to my rose list on HelpMeFind/roses. Heart and soul is a very good way to put it.

Sherry

Here is a link that might be useful: My rose list

OOPS! Sherry you posted my rose list instead of yours! Please post yours for everyone, as your list is more extensive than mine!

Susan

Susan, dear, are you pulling my leg? It has my name at the top. Post yours now, and we'll be even. :))

Sherry