Cantigny gardens: roses, McCormick mansion, war museum & perennials
Cantigny gardens is a 29-acres park with a large rose garden (over 1,000 roses), along with Robert R. McCormick's mansion, and a war museum, plus many vegetables and perennials. It's in Wheaton, IL. We went there 3 times this year, since it's close by. I took 150+ pictures, will post a few each week.
McCormick was the owner of Chicago Tribune Newspaper, a wealthy colonel who passed away in 1950's. His mansion became the setting for such movies like "A League of Their Own", starring Tom Hanks. Also the movie "Little Richie", and a third movie. Below is his tombstone, situated in a massive private-burial ground on his estate:
Close-up of his tomstone:
Comments (65)
strawchicago z5
8 years agoThe blooms which I dislike the most at Cantigny: Pink Traviata. The petals are stiff, like plastic .. there's no scent. The bush is quite healthy.
Here's a close-up of Pink Traviata bloom. It looks better in pic. than in real-life, sort of faded-blah-pink in alkaline clay:
strawchicago z5
8 years agoSince the park has alkaline clay, plus using gypsum ... makes the many-petals like Austin rose Charlotte look really good:
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Comments (27)My Excellenz von Shubert is from Burlington & prickles grow larger & bigger as it gets older. Thorns are spaced apart, but sharp. I got pricked by it a few times. It makes an impressive sight considering that roses in zone 5 are so small after winter, some die to the crown. Vaporvac: I read in the other post that Lady of Shalott is on your buy-list, then I read that Berrypie wants to get rid of her. I agree with Berrypie, I want to get rid of Lady of Shalott (large bush but few blooms in partial shade). Mine is own-root and the scent is nauseating, like mothball and orange peels .. I'm actually afraid to sniff it. I should had listened to Andrea in England who stated that she shunned that rose for its odd scent of camphor. But it's a huge and thorny bush & very healthy .. won't waste my time digging it up. I would be happy if it dies in winter, but it lives forever !! There should be a post entitled "Roses that you wish it'll die, but it lives forever." Just kidding. That teach me a lesson to focus on SMALL and HIGH-QUALITY scents roses & very happy with Pretty Lady rose's fantastic carnations scent....See MoreRoses on hill slope?
Comments (45)@Kristine LeGault 8a pnw Beautiful picture, thanks for sharing. What rose is that with the alyssum? I like the way Alyssum seems to stay low and stays white, to help contrast and enhance any colors around it. Looks beautiful. I actually read about Alyssum a while ago and added it to my rose notes: Alyssum is the best companion for roses. They attract beneficial bugs especially Stratiolaelaps predatory mites. Others include: oregano, dill, bachelor buttons, verbena, yarrow, zinnias, daisies. Interestingly enough, I also had a lot of purslane but it seemed to go away after I added Coast of Maine oyster shell compost around the roses, similar to Straw's manure with oyster shells I guess. @strawchicago z5 I love your photos, so beautiful to see the snapdragons playing with the roses. I love snapdragons. They have such a unique form to their flowers and come in such bright colors which I like. How tall do both your alyssums tend to get? If I put them on the hillside around the roses to cut back on weeds coming up (hopefully), I'd probably want them to stay somewhat short so they don't grow up into the roses or compete with them too much. The purpleish pink is really pretty too and would be a nice contrast to roses....See MoreFamously Profuse Bloomers - Based on Reputation
Comments (100)Straw. how neat that you have a sister in Caldwell. That's where I grew up and graduated from high school. And later lived before Boise. I'm not surprised she has fruit trees. Not many miles from Caldwell is prime orchard country (Sunny Slope near Marsing). For years now, this area has become a greater and greater wine grape growing center with lots of wineries all around--very good wine. The valley west of Boise in Canyon County where Caldwell is, is prime agricultural country with very valuable rich soil. It's too valuable for common row crops, so many seed crops and specialty crops are grown in this area. The seed hybridizing business got going in Caldwell in the 1930s (Crookham Company), with Crookham's hybridizing the seed for the sweet corn we all eat, vastly improved over earlier eating corn. The onion seed hybridizing is big, too, as well as flower seed. So farmers like my step dad switched from potatoes (now grown elsewhere in Idaho and Eastern Washington) to seed crops and mint, which became big in the 1970s. He had his own mint still and sold mint oil to big candy companies world wide. My step dad was a big farmer south of Nampa (next to Caldwell). He developed his Dry Lake Farms on the fertile bed of a prehistoric dry lake. His farms were models of state of the art irrigation. He also began one of the early seed companies south of Nampa. And so on.....I grew up around farms, though my dad was not a farmer. I had my horse and rode constantly as a child. Now I live in the hills outside Boise where the soil is not so great. So I do a lot of adding goodies to the soil. When we move in, the ground around our house had never been broken to grow a garden or roses--it was pure desert soil....Tell me more about your sister's gardening and trees in Caldwell. Do you ever get out to Idaho? I love reading about this stuff. Diane...See MoreWhat are your fastest repeat blooming roses?
Comments (29)@strawchicago z5, I did not know about topping weakly with fresh rich soil! I thought this is only necessary once in the spring, and from there it's just fertilizers - dry (like Magic Mills) once a month, and soluble weakly. That's quite a lot of fertilization for 4-5 blooms at a time. Mine too are in partial shade. Is it correct to say that any extra fertilization might compensate for the lower sun exposure? Would you fertilize less if they were NOT in partial shade? I will try this next year although at this time of the year, I don't think I will do anything anymore. They say stop fertilizing in Sept/Oct for my area, so I will stop. I will probably have to find a way to spray too next year. I am thinking to try the middle road with some organics. It clearly won't take care of everything, not in the South, but it might be better than nothing. Without spraying, all of my roses get a lot of BS by the end of the season and lose lots of leaves (some lose all of them). That's no matter how "disease resistant" for my area they are supposed to be. Even some of my Coral Drifts BS-ed by yellowing with black spots, and losing a significant amount of leaves, and these were supposed to be 'all that and the bag of chips' in terms of BS resistance for the area. No such thing. Do you think the amount of water they get affects their resistance to BS? Because I noticed some differences. For example, those in pots in the deck were watered pretty consistently and they did better in terms of keeping their leaves than those in the ground. By comparison, the ground ones are almost completely defoliated by now, but the again, my watering of the bed was poor this summer. Then there is the front row of five Coral Drifts, in the same bed. Of these five, two can't be reached with the hose placed on the ground, at the root, so these two I had to water by hand, standing there. This was not exactly an incentive so they ended up getting less water than the others. These two also happened to be the ones that lost most leaves. Does that mean watering affects BS resistance? I am not sure whether my yard may be more infested than other Southern yards but the BS is relentless here. Why I don't spray regularly: 1. I must cover myself too much and it's a pain. 2. I am a mosquito magnet in the summer and I am also allergic to whatever other tiny creatures seem to be in the air here, because I end up red and scratching myself to death even when I don't see a mosquito around. In five minutes max outside, I am mauled/devastated by pinches. Applying all sorts of sprays on me first so I can spray the roses is a major pain. 3. Being pinched to death is also the reason why I don't water enough in the summer. It's hardly an incentive to get out there, if you have to be covered top-to-bottom every time... 4. I still haven't found an automatic watering system that is easy and inexpensive enough to justify it for the 5 rose bushes I have there + the 5 coral drifts. I keep saying I'll water by hand in the morning and I end up NOT. Unfortunately I am not a morning person either. Urgh....See Morestrawchicago z5
8 years agoTheir flower-carpet coral is short, while my FC-coral is tall (mine is in partial shade). My FC-coral blooms better than Knock-out, since flower-carpet can handle dryness better than Knock-out:
strawchicago z5
8 years agoAnother shot of flower carpet coral at the park. For my own two Flower Carpet Coral, I never water mine in the past decade, and they still bloom.
strawchicago z5
8 years agoHere's Sunshine Day Dream rose ... the bush is stiff & awkward, and the blooms are washed-out, Julia Child looks way better than this:
strawchicago z5
8 years agoHere's Julia Child to show deeper yellow, but less perfect foliage than Sunshine Day Dream.
jim1961 / Central Pennsylvania / Zone 6
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8 years agoCantigny has lots of exotic perennials. One year they had a hedge of Eucalyptus plants .. so fragrant .. but the dried-Eucalytus stems are even more fragrant. Here's one exotic plant, not sure what it is:
Here's a cutie floribunda: Calypso & so healthy despite months of rain:
jim1961 / Central Pennsylvania / Zone 6
8 years ago
msdorkgirl
8 years agostrawchicago z5
8 years agostrawchicago z5
8 years agoOne of the flower bed at Cantigny, they change every year. My favorite was when they put a wooden-bed, and fill that with soil, then planted various Alyssums, looked like colorful quilt, but made out of flowers.
They have a bed of ornamental peppers .. still early, so you don't see the peppers yet. Will have to come back next weekend in hot weather:
This is in the children's garden, where they make a flower-display from an old wheel barrow. You can see purple-peppers in the lowest edge.
strawchicago z5
8 years agoYears ago they used to have vast beds of annual and perennials flowers at Cantigny. In later years, they put a catering service, with a restaurant for banquets & weddings .. so they shift to more vegetables-growing, and keep less flowers in pots:
Here's the herbs garden with parsley, dill, chives interplanted with savoy cabbage:
strawchicago z5
8 years agoBack to the rose-garden. Yellow Submarine is a cutie, more blooms than Julia Child, since it has less petals.
This Zinnia's bed is much, much smaller than the vast Zinnia garden at Chicago Botanical Gardens.
Below is "White out" landscape rose, it makes a nice carpet:
jim1961 / Central Pennsylvania / Zone 6
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8 years agolast modified: 8 years agostrawchicago z5
8 years agoHere's a close-up of Munstead Woood .. the scent is fabulous & lasts forever.
Here's a white-rose bush, it's very healthy ... they cut down on spraying at Cantigny rose park.
strawchicago z5
8 years agoThis is a picture of how high-phosphorus fertilizer destroy a rose, Gene Boerner: The color shifts to reddish, but it's-uneven. The leaves get "rain-holes" from too much rain, plus poor-foliage from high-phosphorus fertilizer:
strawchicago z5
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoThis is how Gene Boerner looks like in my garden. I gave it a few red-lava rocks for potassium, but I should had given it gypsum for more petals. The color is light pink. I don't use phosphorus fertilizer, after burning a few plants (including geraniums, tomato, roses) with bone meal. Gene Boerner is a constant bloomer & almost thornless & good for the vase, but zero scent.
strawchicago z5
8 years agoThis is a picture of "High Voltage" rose, notice the bumble-bee. So glad that they cut down on spraying at Cantigny rose park.
strawchicago z5
8 years agoHere's Passionate Kisses, beat-up by the rain. The foliage is decent, consider they don't spray:
strawchicago z5
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoFlower Carpet Coral is better-looking though, and perfect clean foliage. In my garden, I never see any mildew, rust, nor black spots on Flower Carpet Coral ... I have them for over a decade, and never water them either.
strawchicago z5
8 years agoCarefree Marvel is much better looking: it's one of the best-looking landscape bush at the rose park.
jim1961 / Central Pennsylvania / Zone 6
8 years agostrawchicago z5
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoHere's Lady Elsie May, my local library also has such hedge, it blooms until hard frost hit after Thanksgiving. It bloomed when it's near 100 degree. Leaves are shiny & pretty:
Close-up picture:
strawchicago z5
8 years agoHome Run rose is the most stingy in bloom at Cantigny park .. They used to have a large bed of it, but recently shrank down to a few bushes.
Flower-carpet red was outstanding at Chicago Botanical Garden, I didn't take a pic. of that, but below link in HMF shows it's much more blooms than Home run.
strawchicago z5
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoHere's another pic. of my favorite: Carefree Marvel:
strawchicago z5
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoHere's Paris Yves rose, nice salmon-color. Looking good despite tons of rain:
strawchicago z5
8 years agolast modified: 8 years ago"My Girl" rose was lovely, blooms are prettier than knock-out, pretty foliage and clean ... so glad that they got rid of red-knock-out. My Girl rose is in the "Easy Elegance" series, bred by Ping Lim, very hardy up to zone 4a. Ping Lim bred his roses in Minnesota, which can withstand a high amount of acidic rain. What makes My Girl special is it's long-lasting on the bush, and in the vase. When other roses: pink Knock-out & Home-run petals are shattered by heavy rain, "My rose" shines because it retains its petals despite the heavy rain.
strawchicago z5
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoPeach-Drift is a good show-rose. My neighbor has pink-peach-drift, the blooms have many petals, and don't get shattered by the rain ... For the past 3 months I walk daily to her house, and I always see them in blooms, never miss a day. Here's peach drift rose, looking good after heavy rain:
Here's another shot of Peach drift:
strawchicago z5
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoKashmir rose is super-healthy, with glossy foliage, large bloom & many petals:
close up of Kashmir, 100% healthy:
strawchicago z5
8 years agoFlower Carpet rules in both Cantigny and Chicago Botanical Gardens. Below is Flower Carpet Pink Supreme:
strawchicago z5
8 years agoHere's why I don't like Rain-bow knock-out: shattered by rain, which I don't see that in FlowerCarpet nor Drift roses:
strawchicago z5
8 years agoHere's Peppermint Pop, a landscape rose, it was great in its 1st year, but declined in 2nd year perhaps not hardy enough for zone 5a. Drift roses are more hardy: double-the size for the 2nd year for my neighbor, despite a harsh winter.
strawchicago z5
8 years agoHere's All the Rage landscape rose: unique color, glossy & pretty foliage.
strawchicago z5
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoHere's Easter Basket Floribunda, shattered & browned by rain. Darker colors are better for a good show in rainy season.
strawchicago z5
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoHere's Love hybrid tea ... they become slender canes & less petals, thanks to heavy rain that leached out calcium & potassium. I'm leaning more toward landscape roses after seeing how my Coral Flower Carpet blooms constantly from spring to frost, and same with my neighbor's Drift roses. Both are much cleaner than Knock-outs in humid & rainy weather.
strawchicago z5
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoAnother shot of Easter Basket. Brown spent-blooms.
strawchicago z5
8 years agoFlower Carpet Scarlet was beautiful: Glossy & shiny foliage, and blooms that last long despite heavy rain:
jim1961 / Central Pennsylvania / Zone 6
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8 years ago
Tropicana is very hardy in our zone 5a. In my last garden, Tropicana was the best winter survivor, next to Queen Elizabeth. My neighbor had a 7 feet tall Tropicana. Alas, zero scent. More pics. to come later.
strawchicago z5
8 years agolast modified: 8 years ago
Above pic. is Chicago Peace. They SHOULD NOT HAD put sulfur granules early summer. Peace does not like it acidic. Plus the calcium in the sulfur bleach out the bloom. Previous post I stated "gypsum" but I double-check spring pics. and it's sulfur, white granules that the park used, rather than gypsum (grayish granules). Gypsum has 17% sulfur, and more calcium, with pH 6.8.Encap® Fast ActingTM Sulfur
GUARANTEED ANALYSIS
Calcium (Ca)………………………………………………………………………………………..11.0%
Sulfur (S)……………………………………………………………………………………………..49.0%
Below is Double-Delight. They SHOULD NOT HAD put sulfur granules on this ... also likes alkaline. The park has a hired crew applying the same to every roses, without realizing that roses are different from each other.
jim1961 / Central Pennsylvania / Zone 6
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