It’s great out there Chris! I love your pruning explanation- there is always something new to learn, and tweak as we go. At the moment, the rabbits seem to want to most of my pruning for me (or at least force me into cutting off their damage!)

Thank you Chris for so carefully documenting and sharing your garden at every stage. It looks amazing! Your clematis' are gorgeous.

A few more pics were taken this morning before the rain came. In my haste, I realized after seeing them on the computer that not all were properly in-focus. Well, I'll get it right next time.

The rose here is "Pickering Four Seasons", with Ceratostigma plumbaginoides popping up around it. While the latter looks invasive, it's not smothering to anything shorter than it.

"Grandmother's Hat" is the first Damask-scented rose of mine to bloom this year. Now that flowers are opening, I'm loathe to give it a soap-water rinse, so that potassium bicarbonate residue will just have to stay until the first flush is over.

'Napoleon' continues opening blooms, and seems to appreciate the two stakes I put in for support. The last few weeks we've had rain 5-6 days out of seven, and this rose was arching forward from all the water weight.

My old iPhone camera destroys the color, but this is "Dutch Fork China", which is much like 'Cramoisi Superieur' but with open centers to the blooms.

'Perle d'Or' has achieved this shape thanks to some gentle guiding and pruning. After each candelabra finished blooming, I waited until I saw new shoots from those bare flower stems -- where you'd never guess there were buds hidden. Then I left only the outward-facing ones, pruning off the rest. Over time, this is how I got it shaped like an inverted traffic cone. There are lots of buds, which will probably start opening within a week.

Again, my camera destroys the color, but here's what I received as 'Cramoisi Superieur' from Angel Gardens. To my eye, its blooms match more to 'Louis Philippe', with the paling at the tips of the central petals. But apparently, on the east coast, these two roses are the reverse of how they're named on the west coast.

This is the entrance to the backyard from the south-facing side of the neighbors' house. Clematis 'Edo Murasaki' is that wall of purple on the right.

On the corner of the raised deck railing is trained the one remaining cane of 'Georg Arends'. This rose was suffering from the growing shade cast by the Callery pear as it recovered from its scalping. I cut the tree hard again this year, so I'm hoping to get this rose sprouting new canes. In any case, it's one that'll be propagated for the cemetery eventually.

Over the past Winter, I lost virtually all my potted roses. Where I was keeping them is falling apart, and I suppose no longer offered much in the way of protection. The hardy ones I left outside took a toll as well, but are mostly recovering. Of those brought inside, only 'Nigrette' seems to have survived. And here's its first bloom of the year, again appearing a bit more fiery and less dark than in real life.

This is Rosa blanda, an American native species, which I got from Dennis (aka Belmont on here) a couple years ago. The blooms are moderately scented, smelling like a mix of clove on top of a faint linseed oil base. Canes are reddish-brown during the growing season, turning more red after dropping leaves in Autumn. In Winter, it's almost as red as red twig dogwood. There are just a few scattered prickles at the base, but otherwise, all the long canes are completely smooth. Small red hips form in abundance after the bloom if not deadheaded. I think this species is the ancestor of the Boursaults, rather than R. pendulina, since both this species and Chinas (the other parent) are diploid, while R. pendulina is tetraploid. Boursaults, with perhaps one exception, are also diploid. Maybe that exception derived from R. pendulina. I'll be bringing this rose to the cemetery.

I mentioned it because one of the things I wanted to gather at the cemetery is every available Boursault. Well, I got the first, again thanks to Dennis. He nabbed this from the Sacramento Cemetery's sale, and shipped it to me, along with 'Laneii' the Moss, and "Oneto Home Saffron" the found Tea. But more on that last one in a bit. Here's 'Morletii'.

And here are the beginnings of what's going to the cemetery. In addition to the black pots here, I'm eventually bringing any potted rose I have here down there, plus whatever I propagate from my garden, plus whatever continues to come to me from you all. I want them in at least 5gal containers before I bring them over so that they will have enough pot-space to get by on rain and twice-a-week (at most) watering before going in the ground. To get them there, I'm going to have to rent a pickup from Home Depot for the day....unless they have one at the cemetery. I'll have to ask.

OK, here's a little mystery. This rose came from the Sacramento Cemetery's sale, with the tag you see in the first pic. However, this looks nothing like a Tea to my eyes. On another thread, I posted that perhaps it was a Pernetiana, but someone else responded that their plant was, in fact, very Tea-like. I was commenting based on what I got, but now I'm convinced I got something mislabeled.

HOWEVER, I'm actually excited about that, because based on the traits I see, it's possibly something I could still use at the cemetery. Note the prickles, red-centered stipules, and seven-leaflet leaves. It hasn't bloomed yet, and if it doesn't at all this year, I just may have to keep it potted until it does next year before it goes in the ground. I tagged Anita on the pics on Facebook, so perhaps she could offer an opinion.

Here's Rosa fedtschenkoana just starting to bloom. This is in a 22" resin barrel, and will be moved to the cemetery as well. I'm looking to stick species and species-hybrids among the shrubbery and treeline in the perimeter of the property, and let them grow wild. This one is already trying to bust out of its pot, but I have it on cement blocks to prevent roots from invading the soil.

Back in the garden, Dianthus 'Rose de Mai' is in bloom, with 'Soupert et Notting' in a barrel to its left. That rose is another that will go to the cemetery.

'The Prince' just refuses to be "wimpy" as an own-root plant. I cut it back hard in Spring, and again after the first flush, but it's determined to be at least five feet tall. Right now, that top bloom is six feet from the ground.

This area has been a problem one for me. I have three Gallicas under the limbed-up arbor vitae, but being in bright shade until the afternoon, they start leaning forward. I've been trying various plants there, but all the same -- they keep leaning toward the sun if that's what they want, or they get blasted with too much sun if they prefer shade. I've been using flats of annuals, but this year I decided to do something more permanent, and ordered a bunch of Hostas from Hostas Direct. When they arrive, I'll pot them up, and move them to where I'd want them, then fill around them with annuals. And the Gallicas remaining there will be propagated for the cemetery, and left to fend for themselves. I think, eventually, the Hostas will smother them out.

'Souvenir du Victor Landeau' had some major cane-removal this year, and I sort of "air-pegged" some of those I kept. I already see new canes emerging from the roots, which will replace the somewhat awkward ones currently about to bloom.

To be continued......

:-)

~Christopher

'Quatre Saisons Blanc Mousseaux' has been rather awkward and slow-growing for me. Perhaps it was the encroaching shade, which I took care of again this year. It's seen below "hugging" a stand of lilies (either Orienpet or Trumpet). It hasn't yet repeated for me. Despite its flaws, I'll be adding this to the cemetery as well. Things like this can be tucked in among other things, enjoyed while blooming, then allowed to fade into the background afterward. A close-up of some of its mossy buds follows.

Can you find the pink in the tree?

So much has developed in just a few days. We had some major heat and humidity, which pushed things along, then followed by the inevitable thunderstorm and heavy rain that began late last night and continued through this morning. My power must have flickered, because I awoke at the time I normally leave for work, and texted my bosses that I'd be 30 minutes late -- that's the bare minimum for me to get myself ready and feed the boys. Well, the weather being so bad meant that they were able to cut at least one person, anyway, and that ended up being me. I got the confirmation while on the way there, after having to take a detour because of major flooding on the road I take. So I came home and changed, then took a trip to the nursery for some more things I needed. When I got home, the hostas I ordered were on my front porch, so I potted them up and moved them around to where I think they'll be planted after they grow a bit. I ordered from Hostas Direct and got a bunch of large and giant hostas as starter sized plants, which are about the size of bedding annuals in cell-pack flats. I don't trust them being planted directly, so they're all in 1gal containers with my "magic mix".

The rain didn't destroy everything, but it certainly left roses bowed over from water-weight on their just-opened blooms. So after I finished the hostas, and unpacked some things I got from Bluestone Perennials' big end-of-Spring sale, I set out to do some staking and tying. I kept going until it started getting dark, and paused to take one quick picture. I wanted to take more, but my cell phone battery was at the end of its charge. Tomorrow and Tuesday I'm off, so I'll go around and take some more. Wow, the yard smells amazing!

Oh, my goodness ! I don't even know where to start..so much detail and I know I have to reread everything again from your very lovely clementis. Basically all the roses you have mentioned, I have never heard of it or see even it. The buds on Moss rose is so different and unique. And again I have seen such buds .

Good luck with your work. It was so sweet of you to take us step by step and view the roses. It is like a rose journal worth rereading :)

Thank you !

Jin

Ugh....for whatever reason, my phone won't allow me to upload directly to facebook, which is the first step I've always taken when posting here. I'll be back later tonight with some pics from today -- I took quite a few.

:-/

~Christopher

OK, I did a work-around. Also, I'm embarrassed to say this, but after the first few pics I took today, I suddenly noticed a setting on my iPhone camera. All this time I had been taking sort of "no-frills" pics, being as the HD setting was turned off. Combined with a mostly overcast day, this allowed for some nice (for me) shots. But, of course, I'm still including the "eh" shots, because they help tell the story of this season.

'Indigo' is blooming rather pink right now. And, as usual, my old iPhone camera destroys blooms in this color range.

'Soupert et Notting' got knocked down from the heavy rain. Poor thing won't be
in this barrel by the end of the season -- it's going to the cemetery.

'The Prince' has put forth some rather big blooms for its first flush -- one of the faded blooms was about five inches wide. They smell heavenly, even after being rain-beaten.

'Golden Buddha' had some severe Winter damage, and was cut almost to the mulch
line at pruning time. But it's sprouting forth rather well, though those huge blooms look odd on a plant only a few inches tall.

First bloom about to open on 'Prospero', which was another of those that got
cut back hard. I was afraid to do it, but I realized it had some cane
borer damage. I wasn't sure if it was just slow-growing naturally or if
it was an effect of the cane borer damage. Well, this year it was cut
back hard, and it's sprouting new basals.

'Souvenir de Victor Landeau' is perfuming the yard with its sweet and powerful Bourbon scent.

'Pierre Notting' is about to open some deep wine-red fragrant blooms.

To be continued.......

:-)

~Christopher

Continuing............

'Tamora' is dead-center in this pic, with the various Clematis intermingling
with the roses 'Bleu Magenta' on the left, 'Bubble Bath' in the middle, and 'Purple Skyliner' (not really in this shot) to the right. In the bottom right corner is 'Botzaris'.

First licorice-scented bloom on 'Tamora' must have opened during the rain.

A close-up of 'Botzaris' -- too bad I can't capture its scent.

'Mme Dore' almost swallowed by Geranium 'Rozanne'.

A close-up of 'Mme Dore', whose sweet Bourbon scent has a bit of a ginger note to it.

'Monsieur Boncenne' is another rose that got a harsh prune this year, and is looking healthier than before.

Climbers on the fence, with some lilies popping up.

Some buds showing color on the rose 'Purple Skyliner', growing on the fence.

To be continued...........

:-)

~Christopher

Continuing..........

'Purple Skyliner' is the rose stretching across this whole pic, though none of its blooms have opened yet.

I found a few open blooms on the rose 'Bubble Bath', which sits between
'Bleu Magenta' and 'Purple Skyliner'. This rose also had to be cut back
harder than usual after Winter damage -- breakage, not frostbite,
however. This first bloom was on a new shoot coming from the base, and
sadly not easily visible. But there are many more buds up on the fence.

Clematis 'Diamantina' on the fence.

Clematis 'Henryi' growing onto the Callery pear tree.

'Yolande d'Aragon' also got a harder-than-usual prune this year, and is looking better as a result.

Close-up of a bloom on 'Yolande d'Aragon' -- clearly, the aphids woke up way earlier than did their predators. You'll see even more on other roses shown here tonight.

"Rose de Rescht" also got a harder prune this year, and is also looking
better with new growth that wasn't leaning and sparse from shade. I'll
have to trim the Callery pear at least every other year if I want to
keep these roses happy.

"Rose de Rescht".

To be continued...........

:-)

~Christopher

Continuing.......

'Tip-Top' is like a dwarf 'Leonie Lamesch' in plant habit, but the blooms are very different.

A rain-beaten bloom on 'Tip-Top'.

'Rose du Roi -- original' needed some bamboo stakes after the most recent heavy rain. The scent is heavenly!

Close-up of 'Rose du Roi -- original'. In real-life, the color is a bit darker
and with some smoky purple tones on top of the dull red.

This is what Dennis Favello (Belmont on here) calls "Brite Bella Donna" because it looks like the real 'Bella Donna' but has somewhat deeper-colored blooms. He said it's been found in many old sites, so whatever it is it must have been popular 100+ years ago. This one had its canes weighed down by rain too many times, so I just let it drape. This is another potted rose that's going to the cemetery, which is nice since this particular one was originally found in another cemetery in NE Pennsylvania.

Close-up of "Brite Bella Donna", with some potassium bicarbonate reside (not mildew!) on the foliage.

I had 'Baronne Prevost' growing in front of the neighbors' house, and then it was dug-up when PSE&G came by to do gas line work. OK, I get it -- the rose was in the way. But they literally left it and its carefully-excavated root ball lying on the ground when they were done. The same thing happened with some other plants I had there, but I didn't see them in time to save them. BP is currently back in a 2gal container, and will be planted at the cemetery. One by one, I'll be reducing my rose inventory here. I've tried cramming too many into this small yard, and I know they'll do better with more space and planning. And I certainly learned a lot from growing them here.

A view of the neighbors' deck, with 'Reine des Violettes' by the stairs, and "Nouveau Monde -- in commerce as" higher up.

'Reine des Violettes' got a buddy to grow with it on the railing this year --
Clematis 'Gillian Blades' was planted near the base of RdV today.

Close-up of 'Reine des Violetes', minus the amazing scent.

:-)

~Christopher

Continuing........

"Nouveau Monde -- in commerce as" is already leaving a sheet of petals on the deck after the last rain, but many more unopened buds can still be found.

"Nouveau Monde -- in commerce as" smells wonderful in two ways -- the blooms remind me of Albas but with a bit more sweetness added to the powder, and the foliage has a balsam scent, especially when touched. After pruning or training this rose, my hands are a bit sticky with its perfumed resins.

Close-up of 'Georg Arends'. The person after whom the rose was named was rather
well-known as a plant breeder of many different genera. Google him sometime.

'Cardinal de Richelieu' is suffering from increasing shade where I planted it, but still puts out some Concord grape blooms every year. I may remove it entirely and bring it to the cemetery, though there are a few suckers popping up.

'Georges Vibert' wasn't doing well for a while, so I cut it back hard. This encouraged suckering, which was what I wanted for a while. Now I have some more to dig up for the cemetery. You'll also see the potted hostas and ferns I got, which will be growing there. They'll do better under the arbor vitae than the roses will. Once I've gotten them copied for the cemetery, I'll let these roses fade away under here.

Even 'Charles de Mills' is looking wimpy under the arbor vitae. Unless I cut them back every year, the shade there will just continue to grow, and so I'll be moving this rose to the cemetery as well.

'Diamond Eyes' is a rose I got because I wanted something fragrant and small for a particular spot. This rose stays about 12" tall, blooms in waves, and has a clove scent. Basically, it's a miniature of the 'Ebb Tide' et al family.

:-)

~Christopher

Continuing............

'Clotilde Soupert' has blooms with so many thin petals that they take a long time to open. Scent is like a mix of Tea and Multiflora.

'Mlle Blanche Lafitte' had a lot of damage and disease from the encroaching shade plus a very long Winter. I cut it back to the mulch line, and wasn't sure if it would return. But, it has, and is about to bloom.

'Perle d'Or' is looking lovely as usual. Aside from some minor Winter damage, this rose is bullet-proof, and blooms all season long.

"Dutch Fork China" is a found red China much like 'Cramoisi Superieur' or 'Louis Philippe', but a bit smaller, and with open-centered blooms.

"Grandmother's Hat" -- and I'm really irked about that potassium bicarbonate residue. I guess I'll go back to adding some neem oil to that mix, since it didn't do that last year when I didn't omit that ingredient.

:-)

~Christopher

Great to see the progress Christopher. You have some lovely blooms.

Continuing........

'Marie Pavie' is glorious, and wafts a sweet powdery Multiflora scent all around the front. "Pickering Four Seasons" at the corner smells of Damask, but it doesn't travel far.

I brought my strawberry pots off the deck railing so they could get soaked with rain, and the squirrels dug out three or four plants. I see baby shoots coming up, so a soil-refresher and some mulch will help them along.

And the Ceratostigma plumbaginoides is filling in nicely. That will be covered in electric blue flowers beginning late Summer and continuing until hard frost.

'Vineyard Song' is in sort of the opposite corner of 'Marie Pavie', closer to the back of my tiny front box garden. It does well with morning sun and bright filtered shade from about noon until a couple hours before sundown, when it gets a few direct late-day rays coming from the other side.

And that's all for today. Tomorrow, Eleanor from the cemetery is coming by for a quick show-and-tell, and if the weather holds, I'll start cutting some turf there for the first bed.

:-)

~Christopher

The sun is bright today, which doesn't make for good close-ups of blooms. So, here are some wide shots of the main beds in the backyard.

What a wonderful thread to read from top to bottom this morning! I’m impressed both by the amount of work you’ve done lately, and the impressive collection of roses you have. I so enjoyed looking and reading about each of them. Thanks Chris! Lisa

Chris, how is the scent on Dutch Fork China? HMF lists it as damask. If this is true I will be very excited. I noticed you have a lot of roses that do very well down south. I never had Napoleon but I used to have a hedge of Old Blush, his cousin. Also, how is your bird? I have a bird, too--well, she is a foster--the most demanding bird in the history of the universe. Take a wild guess what type she is.

To me, "Dutch Fork China" has the same scent as the other fragrant red Chinas -- cherry twizzlers or nibs. One HMF user posted that (s)he thought it had a mild Damask scent, and so it was added to its description. I don't get that at all.

I've tried several roses that do better further south because this garden was intended to teach me about various classes of OGRs. So I have a few of many types.

Sammy and Monkey Boy are doing just great. Monkey Boy has really bonded tightly to me in the last few months -- something I didn't expect from an adult budgie found outside. Both boys follow me whenever I leave the room.

I'm guessing you are fostering a cockatoo...perhaps an Umbrella or Moluccan. Am I right? Good luck there.

:-)

~Christopher

Thanks for the scent info. I was skeptical. It sounded too good to be true, but Angel Gardens (which is very close to me) carries it.

Perle d'Or is on my wish list.

My Ruby is a Lesser Sulphur. Yes, I need luck! I love her--she is so smart, cute, cuddly, and funny, but to say that she tries my patience is an understatement. I also have three large dogs and she abuses them as well. Sometimes I think she would be happier if she had another bird to keep her company but I need another bird like I need another hole in my head. She has all of her feathers but I can't take the credit for that. I've had her only for three months. It feels like a lifetime, though.

The only "Chinas" I know of which have something close to Damask scent are "Sophie's Perpetual" and 'Hermosa', but they're really China-leaning Bourbons. You should definitely get 'Perle d'Or' -- its only fault is its tenderness, which isn't an issue for you.

Cockatoos in the wild live in very touchy-feely social flocks, and when kept in homes, they expect that social need to be met by people, in the absence of other birds. As single pets, they really work only in homes where someone is home all day. Rescues that have been very successful with them tend to keep them in flocks. If you have the yard space for an aviary, you could do that yourself. Even if you keep indoor cages, having an outdoor place for them to go and be cockatoos would be a relief for both you and the birds. If you want inspiration on a grand scale, check out Project Perry -- they have a website, as well as a Facebook page. They are a parrot rescue that builds huge outdoor aviaries based on greenhouse frames, and houses their birds in flocks -- there are specific aviaries for African Greys, Amazons, Macaws, Conures, and "small birds" like budgies and cockatiels. If nothing else, their videos are a joy to watch. Another one is Cockatoo Sanctuary (dot net) in Washington. I don't know if they're also on Facebook.

:-)

~Christopher

Christopher, I've followed your garden endavors since day 1 and it's been so satisfying and interesting to watch your garden become more beautiful and fascinating each year. You have many beautiful roses that I can't grow here, with my two greatest favorites being Soupert et Notting and Reine de Violettes, but there are so many memorable roses. I can just imagine the amount of sheer hard work that has gone into this garden, and will surely go into the cemetery garden, and I admire your willingness to labor hard and long to bring about all this beauty. Thank you for sharing these wonderful pictures with us.

Thank you so much for those kind words, Ingrid!

:-)

~Christopher

Thank you for the tour, beautiful!

Chris, thanks for the info on Hermosa and Sophie's Perpetual. I will look into them.

Yes, I know, the only real hope for a "domesticated" cockatoo is a very large aviary for same-species birds. The woman who lent her to me does not have a large aviary but does have 19 other birds, about half of which are cockatoos of various types.

I've seen the website in Washington State. There is are also large same-breed aviaries here in Florida.

I had hoped she would find some semblance of family with the dogs when I am not home and not feel alone but she is mean to them. As soon as they get within biting distance she quickly closes in and nips their ears and they get upset with her--not enough to draw blood but enough to show them she is the boss.

Wow, Chris, you are a walking rose encyclopedia. You know so, so much. Everytime, I read your thread, I am googling so much and discovering so much more. I am still half way up and you have so many roses that 98%, I never heard off. Oh, by the way, thank you for helping me with my amendments of my soil. Without you, I won't have this Beauties. They do put a smile on my face. So, thank you so so much.

I still have all your emails and I refer to them whenever I forgot something or I can't remember or missing steps.

Somewhere way above a rose call Souvenir de Victor Landeau. How and what you used to have loops like that. I love the style and I live a powerful scent of bourbon too. Thanks :)

Jin

P S : I am so amazed by you.

Cedemas, you will like Perla D 'Or . I love mine just need magic to make it grow faster...lol.

Chris , I almost forgot but Thank You for your tour. I truly enjoy it very, very much. Thank you :)

Jin

Thanks so much, Jin! Those "rose loops" you enjoy are actually awkward to my eye. I had to cut back a lot this year, due to encroaching shade last year, disease, and/or Winter damage. With 'Souvenir de Victor Landeau', the canes left were growing in awkward directions. If there were other canes, I'd have just removed them. But they turned out to be the last healthy undamaged canes, so I tried to tame them. What you see is as close to how I wanted them trained that they'd go without breaking. I figured I'd leave it, let it bloom, then try training again and cutting anything not doing what I want, since this rose makes new canes galore after the first flushes.

And I tend to drift toward plants that are less well-known. If Vintage Gardens was still selling roses, I'd be a happy camper -- especially now that I'm going to have a cemetery to plant. Unfortunately, I came a bit too late to the party to take full advantage of that resource. I got a few from them that no one else has, which may be why you're looking up roses you've never heard of.

Oh, and I realized today when Eleanor came by that I actually skipped a few roses with my picture-taking. Among the potted roses for the cemetery, 'Celsiana' was blooming, as was "Lindee" over on the shadier side of my house. 'Salet' is about to open its first blooms, and I may see one open on "Canary Island". 'Quatre Saisons Blanc Mousseaux' opened a few blooms today -- earlier I snapped pics of its mossy buds, but not an open bloom. "Sophie's Perpetual" needed a lot taken off -- I hadn't noticed its slow-groing main canes had lots of cane borer damage -- and then I stepped on what little remained while mulching, so there's just one tiny shoot of it now. However, I do have the snapped pieces in some moist vermiculite, hoping they'll root. Then there are a few roses not in ideal locations, so they're just struggling, and I don't photograph them. They'll be removed, potted to grow again, and moved to the cemetery. I've come to realize that trying to get roses to grow in sub-optimal conditions is a waste of space that could have been better used by plants which would do well there. So that was my focus this year -- I'll be ok removing a rose doing poorly here because it'll be replanted someplace better at the cemetery.

:-)

~Christopher

As long as you know and you do which you can fix it. You doing so, so well. Yes, I can't find most of them in States. Also, HMF can need upgrading Bec your roses are beautiful.

I did tell you about how great you are. You are really, really good. Reading your threads is like a story sometimes I feel it is a journal. Like how your old thread you show from start to finish , how you grow roses by staircase. Step by step for me looks easy but being new I even can understand. Doing it is different and I am sure of it.

After, you finished your project, you should write a book on roses. I believe you will do wonders. You have a very special Gift. And you do have a very bright future . You can go and have lectures done worldwide, do garden shows, the future is so bright for you. But at this moment do the cemetery. That is a big huge thing and I cannot wait to see more of it.

Printed out all your threads with all your information. Add more to it on your journal. Then, put it all altogether and have it edited and published a book or two. I know you will do very well.

Thanks for sharing with us and thank you for being here with us with your so tight schedule.

Jin

Oops, I forgot, thanks for explaining about the loops. In my eyes it looks very pretty like how roses grow on arch trellis....same format but smaller scale. I was just wondering how you did that. It looks cute and brings a character in your garden. I like it and shhhhh, let's keep it that way...lol

Jin

Your words are very appreciated, Jin. Thank you so much.

:-)

~Christopher

I hadn't been to work since Saturday -- my normal "weekend" is Mon-Tue, but I had an extra day off on Sunday. So I was looking forward to checking up on an 'Officinalis' I gave to the head gardener there -- I work at a restaurant at a 40-acre sculpture garden designed to echo Monet's Giverny. Right by one of the doors to the kitchen is a walled herb garden. I mentioned to the head gardener there that I had an extra of this old Gallica, and considering its long association with medicinal herbs -- one of the rose's aliases is 'Apothecary Rose' -- I thought it'd go great somewhere in there. And so he planted it in the back left corner, near an espaliered apple tree, and there it sat and set its roots into the amended-to-be-free-draining-for-the-herbs soil. Its first year, it needed some extra water, and I made sure to throw some used coffee grounds on it once a month to compensate for the relatively lean soil there. It became my ritual as Winter began to fade to check on it once each day I was at work, watching it leaf out, then set buds, and finally today some were open.

Anyway, I didn't work all day today, so when I got home I was able to see some new faces open today.

'Duchesse d'Angouleme' (aka 'Wax Rose') opened its first blooms today.

'Duchesse d'Angouleme' growing against my front porch, with 'Buff Beauty' meeting it at the corner, growing from the other side, and a tiny 'Souvenir du Dr. Jamain' between them. This rose had its two long canes broken in Winter, and I had to cut it back hard. Hopefully it send new canes after the first flush, because I really wanted those dark red blooms to be surrounded by pale pink and buff yellow.

That board tied to the railing was for the pots of strawberries I had there. The squirrels have been doing lots of digging in those pots, and I took them down to "confuse them", which worked for a bit. I also wanted them to get hit with some of the heavy rain we had recently. Before they go back up, I'll have to freshen the soil and top with mulch.

First open bloom on 'Marbree' (an old Damask Perpetual) doesn't seem to be showing its spots well -- yet. This rose is in a 20" resin barrel, and was in too much shade last year. I pulled all the potted roses into the sun to put on growth before being brought down to the cemetery.

'Celsiana' is an old Damask whose very fragrant blooms open light pink and fade to white. Here you see unopened buds, newly-opened bloom, and two faded blooms. This is another of the potted roses going to the cemetery.

'Delambre'
is another of my potted Damask Perpetuals, and its arching growth
happened because it was reaching for the light. In a way, this caused it
to self-peg, and it's now loaded with buds about to open. This is
another rose going to the cemetery.

'Portlandica' is one of the oldest of the Damask Perpetuals, resembling the Gallica
'Officinalis' quite a bit, but with more of the Damask stoutness -- and it reblooms. This is the first bud about to open, and this is another rose going to the cemetery.

Two mossy buds on 'Salet', a repeat-blooming Moss currently growing in a 20" resin barrel, but yet another destined for the cemetery.

'Quatre Saisons Blanc Mousseaux' is the mossy white sport of 'Quatre Saisons', aka 'Autumn Damask' (with many other names), but this rose has yet to repeat-bloom for me. At the same time, it's not very vigorous, so maybe it'll rebloom when it has more than three stout canes.

To be continued..........

:-)

~Christopher

Continuing........

'Tip-Top' had a new bloom on it today, and you can just barely see its yellow petal bases. Old illustrations of this rose highly exaggerated this "tri-color rose". In real life, petal bases are lemon yellow, petal edges are medium to light pink, and in-between is white.

'Purple Skyliner' opened its first blooms today -- and there were quite a lot. This rose spreads about twelve feet against the fence, with several Clematis twining into it.

'Purple Skyliner' blooms open mauve-pink and fade to purplish-pink. Usually I don't see more "purple" until it hits peak-bloom, not the first few to
open.

Some blooms of 'Bubble Bath' nestled on a bloom of Clematis 'Blue Light'.

My iPhone camera destroys the wine-red color, but this is 'Pierre Notting', an old Hybrid Perpetual. This is much like a long-caned Bourbon in habit, but not as fast growing.

'Pierre Notting' against the wall of climbers.

'Golden Celebration' puts out its biggest blooms for the first flush. Later in the season, they decrease in size but increase in number.

Poor 'Cardinal de Richelieu' is reaching for the light while growing under the arbor vitae. This will be either propagated or dug-up and brought to the cemetery, and I already have Hostas and ferns ready to go here instead. More plants for this area are due to arrive in the mail sometime this week.

'The Prince' made some rather large (for this rose) blooms this year.

'Clotilde Soupert' has so many petals that this stage will last far longer than you expect. If I saw buds like this on another rose, I'd think "oh, that'll open tomorrow." These buds have looked like this for days already, and probably won't open fully until another three or four days. But I can already catch their scent.

To be continued.......

:-)

~Christopher

Continuing.......

I really love 'Botzaris' simply as a "flowering shrub" -- it has a nice look to it, and that it produces such fragrant white blooms each year is a bonus. The down-side is that it's covered in a mix of Gallica-like bristles and Damask prickles. Between the two, it's inevitable that some will sneak their way into your skin if you handle it.

'Paul Neyron' opened some blooms, though my camera destroys the color.

Looking at 'Paul Neyron' from above. I pruned it back hard this year.

Damask Perpetual 'Indigo' has finally picked up some purple tones, but my camera doesn't want to capture them. This is another rose I wanted but isn't in an ideal spot, and so will be brought to the cemetery for others to enjoy.

This is about the closest thing to a repeat-blooming Gallica that exists.

'Rosa moschata' lost a cane on one side, hence it looking a little unbalanced this year. But since it blooms on new wood, and starts growing like gangbusters once the heat sets in, I just leave whatever is salvageable and let it fill-in on its own. I don't see buds yet -- this one usually starts by July 4th for me here, continuing until frost.

BTW, this area will finally be planted with suitable non-rose things for here -- just waiting for the last order to be shipped.

And I'll finish with three pretty garden shots, the last of which I just made my new Facebook cover photo. No garden work was done today -- I just came home early and walked around enjoying the plants.

:-)

~Christopher

I'm speechless over the beauty of these last pictures.

So charming, Christopher!

I took some pictures rather hurriedly a few days ago, but didn't have time to upload them here until tonight. Now I'm seeing that some aren't quite in-focus, but they do let you all know what's going on here right now.

'Baltimore Belle' opened its first bloom just over a week ago, but now it's dotted with blooms all over. This rose sends clusters of blooms, and the highest central bud in each cluster opens first. That's about where we are now, so each bloom you see represents a cluster yet to open.

'Pink Soupert' is like its parent 'Clotilde Soupert' but a bit darker, with a bit fewer petals, and each petal is a bit thicker. Otherwise, the foliage is about the same, as is the scent.

'Vineyard Song' -- the slightly lesser known sibling of 'Sweet Chariot'.

Between the end of Winter and the beginning of Spring, PSE&G did a lot of work replacing gas lines and putting in new meters. The neighbors' new meter went right where their mailbox was stuck in the ground, and PSE&G just left it lying on the ground. Well, here was my fix -- I had an extra 22" resin barrel, bought some builders' sand, and used two 2gal nursery liners. I set the first liner in the center of the barrel, cut a hole out of the bottom of the second one, and slipped the malbox post through the second one and into the first one. I then filled both with sand, then filled the surrounding area in the barrel with potting soil. The idea was that the first 2gal at the bottom would be the base, and the second 2gal would form a tube, keeping the potting soil from touching the mailbox's wooden post. The sand surrounding the wooden post would drain quickly, keeping the wood dry, And I added a V-shaped wire trellis to the back, leaning against the porch railing.

So, when frosts were finally gone, in went the plants. Two Dichondra 'Silver Falls' are in front and spilling down. On either side in the middle are Salvia guarantica 'Black and Blue'. And the red foliage is some random thing I found. All three were sold as annuals at Gasko's, but last year's Salvia came back by my front steps. To climb the trellis is Clematis 'Jolly Good'. That one is not too tall, and was described as being "good for containers", so I picked it -- because it was among those 50% off.

Long description, but there ya go!

To be continued.......

:-)

~Christopher

Continuing........

'Delambre' is flushing amidst the cluster of potted things for the cemetery. This Damask Perpetual is very fragrant, despite the description at HelpMeFind. Honestly, I think that because it's so uncommon, no one has bothered to correct that.

'Mlle Blanche Lafitte', a Bourbon-Noisette and parent to the better-known 'Boule de Niege' and its siblings.

'Charles de Mills' is one of the Gallicas I tried growing under the arborvitae, where they just barely perform. They'll be either moved entirely to, or just propagated for, the cemetery, where they'll get more sun.

'Clotilde Soupert' lost some blooms to balling from the cold-and-wet last week, but plenty more buds are about to open.

'Purple Skyliner' is on the fence at the right, with 'Bubble Bath' on the fence in the center, and 'Pierre Notting' offering some wine-red near the left, growing with support from a bamboo stake. 'Botzaris' keeps going in the front right, with some of 'Tamora' behind and to the left of it.

'Purple Skyliner' is a real beauty this year, even if it's really not very purple right now. It's more of a mauve.

To be continued.......

:-)

~Christopher

I'm ending with some shots of new shoots emerging on two of my roses.

Yay! 'Georg Arends' is sending new shoots, in response to getting more sun this year after I cut back the tree again. This rose will be propagated for the cemetery, since no nursery in the US carries it anymore. Pardon the blurriness.

I noticed stout new basals emerging on 'Perle d'Or', and I trimmed back some worn out growth to make room for them. But I also noticed these shoots were growing too closely to existing canes. I didn't want to remove either, so this is what I do to gently guide new growth -- wedge a piece of mulch between the canes. I'll check on them again in a week or so, and I'll likely be able to wedge them a bit further apart.

That's about all the news in the garden for now, aside from a bunch of things I ordered on-sale and which finished arriving today -- no roses, just more perennials.

:-)

~Christopher

'Baltimore Belle' is looking glorious right now, despite the light rain we're getting. I couldn't help but take a few pics. The first two were taken while I was standing on my front porch, so it's what I see as soon as I step outside my front door. To me, its scent is just like 'Marie Pavie', which I have growing a few feet away from it, and which has just finished its first flush of the year.

Good grief! I've been following its growth for a while and it was astounded to see this sudden leap. At least it seems like a sudden leap. For how long does it bloom?

If I'm remembering correctly, last year the time between first flower to open and last flower remaining was three weeks. But as it grows larger, the period will likely stretch a bit longer, being as the buds mature at different rates across the whole plant.

Last year, after the bloom, lots of long growth-laterals sprung from what I had already tucked into the tree. These shoots rose to about ten feet in length from their points of origin, and were shooting straight up, then leaning as they elongated further. It looked rather straggly, but I just let it be. In late Winter, I found the landlord's ladder in the garage, and got up on it to weave those shoots in different directions, finishing between 45 degrees and horizontal. Some I pointed away from the sun, knowing that would result in further laterals shooting back towards it. And this was the result -- laterals upon laterals upon laterals, all originating from just four or five main canes.

Now that the tree is finally dead, I'll have to trim those twiggy bits on the side that was still alive last year. That should make weaving new growth through the tree much easier.

:-)

~Christopher

That's extremely impressive Christopher. I have just the place for such a beauty, but I'm worried that the difference in our zones might spell disaster for its climbing capabilities. I'll do a bit more research. In any case thank you so much for keeping us apprised.

Actually, if you scroll back to the third post in this thread -- or the second comment after my original post, whichever you prefer -- you can see the skeleton of 'Baltimore Belle' after being trained into the tree this year, and just as it was beginning to leaf out. From that, lots of small blooming-laterals emerged to fill-in to what you see in the latest pics.

:-)

~Christopher

It’s gorgeous! My kind of rose.

-Chris

All are beautiful, but 'Baltimore Belle' took my breath a way. What a glorious beauty. I looked at many nurseries and it's impossible to find her these days, which makes me even more grateful to be able to enjoy her on your photos. Thanks for sharing.

Wow, Christopher, your Baltimore Belle is ASTONISHING!

Baltimore Belle just capture my heart. It's beautiful. It grew fast for you Chris. What a beauty ! WOW !!

Jin