Gardening in an old garden in an old neighborhood
I love the roses and some other plants in my garden which are holdovers from a time when the street was dirt, and our Queen Anne Victorian house was just a new "spec" house in a newly developing part of town. Below are pics of two of these - the first one is a white rose which was NOT growing on our property, but climbed over the fence from the neighbor's all by itself to get more light. 30 years ago we met the grandson of the original neighbors who lived next to our house when it was new - he still lived in his grandparents' house when we met him, and he said that his grandparents had planted the rose, but he did not know what it was. Eventually the original rose bush was killed by the people who bought the house when he sold it (why in Heaven's name would anyone decide to put their giant storage stack of fire wood logs right on top of a rose bush?). I noticed it was dying in time to take some cuttings from the part on my side of the fence, and one rooted, and I planted it right by the same part of the fence. It has since been sort of identified as Lamarque - isn't it gorgeous?
The other picture is a rhododendron which is way back in a now "secret" part of our garden (ie overgrown), but the same location used to be part of a very formal garden. The folks on the rhododendron forum think it is a "rootstock", which it might be, but that just means an old rhododendron, so it also may be the original one which was there. Took the photo today (new camera - yay!). I love the small, delicate blooms which are just starting to open.
Jackie
Comments (12)
ingrid_vc so. CA zone 9
5 years ago
Plumeria Girl (Florida ,9b)
5 years agoRelated Discussions
WANTED: Old Garden Magizine like Fine Gardening from end of Yr.
Comments (5)I sent you a email Alica,Please select on the name mastergarder2003 20 paks from my list and we can exchange address if this is ok. I had a hard time emailing you through your list so I typed in your email and sent a email to you and copy an paste my list to it. thanks Bon. Lmk. Thank you I hope this works ok for you....See MoreGoodbye old garden-Hello new garden
Comments (29)Susan, the photos of your garden were the ones I always looked forward to seeing. Your garden was a paradise. I sure hope you will post photos of your new garden! I had the opposite problem years ago - I moved roses in July of our hot Texas summer. I watered daily [and I mean DAILY]. I did not lose a one! When I moved to another new farm, I potted them up and kept them in the shade and well watered. I still have some left from that move 15 years ago. I was interested to see you have Cape Cod - I have one too, a small one that I am going to move this week to more sun. The photos look beautiful. And think you have enabled me into Bolero..... Good luck with your new garden. Hopefully, you will be able to move more roses if the new owners dont want them. Dont know how I could have chosen which to pick.....I would have had to hire help and dug them all up! Good luck to you, and hope to see photos of the new garden and how you make it. Judith...See MoreOld neighborhoods - old roses
Comments (34)Well, I know New Dawn isn't considered an "old" rose, but it's been growing in my yard for over 80 years. My 100 yr old home has only had two prior owners and I have a record of most of the original plantings. I've replanted 3 natural rootings along with the two mother plants. There was another deep red, once bloomer that I thought was Dr Huey, but that died so I'm guessing it was something else. :( I also have two smaller beds with Orlean polyanthas of various colours. Mme N. LeVavasseur and another that looks similar, but isn't fragrant. I've Id'ed the ones that died as being in the Koster family and am replacing them. So far I have Margo Koster. My neighborhood is oldish with wonderful mature plantings most originally done with a lot of thought and expertise, but new owners have tended to have a scorched earth policy towards this aesthetic. I fondly remember an old couple in their late nineties carefully tending to what I now realize were probably OGRs and other amazing plants, but I was too shy to ask for cuttings back then. I so regret it now. They died within a week of one another and the new owners pulled out every last plant and almost every tree. It broke my heart and looked ridiculous as the humongous house looked disproportionate to the lot size, whereas before it snuggled right it. (I do admit a few of the trees did need removal.) Their new plantings have now grown up, but when I see the house, I always see it how it used to look....See MoreOld Garden Roses at the Missouri Botanical Gardens
Comments (1)Thank you for posting the link. I liked the crisp edging to the gardens, and the use of comfrey as a companion plant was interesting and effective....See More
Stephanie, 9b inland SoCal
5 years ago
jo_pyeweed (z9 SF Bay Area)
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoJackie - I read half-way your lovely story of the white rose that climbed over the fence into your yard when my eye darted to the picture and I thought “that looks like Lamarque“. I read on that it has been sort of identified as Lamarque.
Here’s a pic of mine today. Looks similar to yours, doesn’t it?
JoMelissa Northern Italy zone 8
5 years ago
jerijen
5 years ago
Alana8aSC
5 years agoingrid_vc so. CA zone 9
5 years agojacqueline9CA
4 years agoUpdate on the old rhododendron - here it is in full bloom yesterday, about a week after the first pic I posted above:
Jackie
ingrid_vc so. CA zone 9
4 years ago
comtessedelacouche (10b S.Australia: hotdryMedclimate)
4 years agolast modified: 4 years ago
comtessedelacouche (10b S.Australia: hotdryMedclimate)