Rose gardens for the public?

16 years ago

I don't know a lot about roses, so I'd like to visit some reasonably local gardens, preferably in Kitsap or King county. Are there any people would recommmend? I'm particularly interested in finding a nice antique rambler to cover a wire and post fence. Right now I'm thinking Seagull, mostly because the late Henry Mitchell also recommends it in his books.

I got inspired by looking at great plant picks, but I always prefer to see plants up close and personal before I buy.

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Comments (5)

Embothrium
16 years ago
Local public rose gardens aren't very good for old garden roses. If you want to drive all the way down to Salem there is a fair collection in Bush Pasture Park. Otherwise, at the moment nothing public pops to mind. There are certainly some substantial private displays.

The best wild or wild-type Synstylae I know of for a good total combination of attributes is one I got from Heronswood without the correct name. I have never identified it with surety, I should try the online Flora of China key and see if it fits a wild Chinese species. They lost track of where they got it, were mistakenly selling it as Rosa soulieana because Roy Lancaster saw a stooled, non-flowering specimen in the borders there and said "Nice soulieana because of its gray leaves, while walking by and not looking at it carefully.

After that I think they offered it as an R. brunonii relation, because it seemed to be most close to that in technical details of English-language descriptions available at that time. But it really looks like it is a form or hybrid of R. longicuspis, a sort of blueleaf version of 'Polyantha Grandiflora' in general aspect: great reddish new growth and stems, heavy glossy, contrasting gray leaves, rounded close bunches of large white flowers, and long-persistent rounded orange hips.

Mine spilled out of a tree in back to cascade down and give the neighbors something sweet and spectacular to look at. They whacked it away. Another plant grown on a house by a former associate who may have planted it because of knowing me (or it may have been a coincidence, I don't remember) was apparently taken off the house at some point during the transition from her to the current owners. I am helping them with their new hobby garden, which they find overwhelming. The rose is current growing and flowering as a heap on the patio. Today I suggested we dig it up next winter and plant it against the long stretch of south-facing fence near the public street and sidewalk, currently housing only an indifferent trumpet creeper that may not even be flowering much, if at all - it even has a dieback problem (often with these the problem is trying to get them to die). I'm thinking trained all along the front of the fence the rose would make an aromatic spectacle for all to enjoy. After some years it might be possible to turn the fence into a nearly solid panel of thousands of flowers in June, followed by a hip display lasting months (on mine they are both slow to mature and slow to deteriorate and drop).

Here is a link that might be useful: Work party for the Antique Rose Garden of Anne Belovich March 25 - Northwestern Gardening Forum - GardenWeb
seattlesuze
16 years ago
Jennie, check out the Antique Rose Farm in Snohomish. They have lots of old roses gracing the property and it's really lovely this time of year. Also, consider joining the Heritage Roses Northwest group ($5 year) where you'll find a group of folks who are eager to share roses, information and gardens with you. If you haven't already discovered it, you can gain a lot from the Antique Rose forum here on GW - there are lots of us from the PNW who post there. Lance, or Paparoseman, posts there and is the President of HRNW.

Sue
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This is what I've observed in my two decades in Italy: take note that it refers in particular to my part of the country, and may not be universal. I remember going down once to close to Lucca for a vacation, and being absolutely enchanted by the town, which had a drastically different garden sense than what I see around here, much freer and more plant-loving. Modern day Italy got going after WWII, particularly in the fifties and sixties, and the garden aesthetic, where it exists at all (as opposed to just growing plants for their individual prettiness or to cut flowers) reflects to some extent the modernistic "clean" design of that era, as well as a desire to forget the dirt, poverty, and struggle against nature of rural agricultural life that defined the existence of so many Italians in earlier decades. Gardens tend to be formless in terms of overall design, and yet tightly controlled, weeded, pruned, and simplified, and as close to unchanging as anything not plastic can be. Roses are prized for their productivity, so that repeat bloom ranks high, as do strong colors. Italians prize control and are great diggers and pruners even when those practices aren't appropriate. It's a vestigial behavior, I think, from the tradition of growing plants for food and drink: vegetable garden, orchard, vineyard, all requiring regular intervention. Italians also seem to mistrust plants that are opulent and large: another vestige of the struggle against nature. The more recent generations seem to be rethinking this attitude, but it's dying hard. Anyway, I see these as powerful tendencies though by no means universal. I know of some gardens in my area that are obviously the work of plant enthusiasts; and I can think of one, possibly two, that I genuinely approve of. My garden is extremely un-Italian. This is a list of old and older roses I've found locally. 'Centifolia' and 'Alba Maxima' are almost the only antique once-bloomers I've seen; there are a very few others I can't identify. I know of one plant of 'Quatre Saisons', thriving among brush by a ditch. 'Alberic Barbier' and the double yellow Lady Banks rose show up now and then; I've seen a plant of 'Félicité-Perpétue' and one of 'Mermaid'; and one sees here and there old Multiflora ramblers of the 'Dorothy Perkins' type, with lax canes and small rosettes, late-blooming. 'New Dawn' pops up now and then. I've seen a few Hybrid Perpetual-looking survivors hanging on here and there. A common passalong rose, very lovely, is probably 'Mme. Jules Bouché', an old Tea-looking HT. Oh, I've seen 'Old Blush' a few times. 'Queen Elizabeth' used to be a popular passalong rose, but I haven't noticed it as much lately, though it may still be there. Many of these roses have been abandoned and are still hanging on on their own. I don't know that I've ever seen a Tea rose locally outside my own garden.
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buyorsell888
16 years ago
Heirloom Old Garden Roses in St. Paul, few miles East of I5 just South of Portland.

They have acres of free display gardens. They sell mail order too. Big website with tons of info.

Here is a link that might be useful: Heirloom Roses
pacnwgrdngirl
16 years ago
Hi Jennie:
If you want to see actual plants, there is Raft Island Roses in Gig Harbor. They carry a lot of roses. Some antique and they have ramblers. They are probably close to being in full bloom right now too. I know you said Kitsap & King Counties, but we're very close to Kitsap County here in Gig Harbor.(I got Ebb Tide there bare-root this year. The first bloom opened up today. The color and fragrance is incredible!)

buyorsell888 is right too. Heirloom Roses is wonderful.

Seattlesuze- I just put my check in the mail for HRNW. Hope to meet you guys sometime. I'm planning on taking Robin D. up on her offer to visit her garden in Tacoma too.

Here is a link that might be useful: Raft Island Roses
bevj7
16 years ago
I have purchased roses online from Heirloom Roses in St. Paul OR and I have been pleased. The starts seem small but they grow very very fast. I usually go to the gardens in August because they have a 1/2 price sale and they offer a wonderful variety.

Rose gardens for the public?

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Embothrium

seattlesuze

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