I don’t know what to say. It’s like a dream! So abundant. Thanks for posting these pictures!

Marlorena, I know I've said this before, but I've never toured a more magnificent garden...and I'm old and have seen a lot of gardens! When is your book due for publication? :-) When I "walk through" beautifully designed and gorgeously grown gardens such as yours, I am certain that we should all gang up and create an Antique Rose Forum anthology. I have run out of adjectives.... Carol

Marlorena, I am just wowing at every pic. You are indeed a true artist. I love the little stroll in your garden....next will be crazy garden hats day or a mad hatter garden party. I am coming over.
Teas n scones would be lovely and with rosehips jam :)
jin

Love your roses and garden! Can't wait to see your full flush. This is already spectacular, I don't know how you can top this though.

….just to say thanks so much everyone for all your kind words and graceful comments about my garden today... and thanks for coming along too ! I'm pushing 70 and it doesn't get any easier...

...see you again soon.. I make nice scones Jin.. x

I don’t what else to say—it’s just like a dream garden! Thank you so much for these beautiful photos. They really inspire me to keep going!! :-)

So beautiful. Everything looks so huge and healthy, thank you so much for talking us on a walk through your garden. Such a wonderful setting encourages me to keep at it!

And Mdm Letuve is next on my research list...you had me at most fragrant:)

Beautiful Malorena, thanks for the virtual tour.

Marlorena, you 70....nah !! You work like a young cailin or shall I say caileag . Whichever makes you smile. Your roses are huge and so beautiful. Your upkeep is unreal and that means you are extremely fit to keep a garden in that shape and beauty.
I have to check the rose you mentioned that is fragrant. You definitely get my attention. I am all goo goo gaga over fragrance. ... lol.

Ha! I knew it ! You make really good tasty yummy scones :)

jin
P. S : How are your climbing roses coming along ? You got 2 trellis side by side. I can't remember the names of the roses but it would be nice to see them and their growth.

..thanks again everyone.. so kind..

Jin.. yes I got 2 trellis... great that you remember that... I copied Lisa's garden.. maybe I show some photos in a couple of weeks... one is 'Gentle Hermione' and it has some nice blooms..

Enjoy your little piece of Heaven.

So lovely. Thank you!

All I can say is WOW! :-)

Marlorena, what a wonderful treasure of a garden you have. It is absolutely beautiful. I too love Mme Letuve de Colnet. I'll have to look that one up. You have done a wonderful job on your garden.

Such a beautiful garden. I'm so surprised, I never heard of 'Madame Letuve de Colnet'. How could I have missed it? Off to look it up . .

Rosefolly

Stunning! Thank you.

What a spectacular garden ! looks like the Chelsea flower show !

Your garden is absolutely stunning. What I would do to be able to take a stroll through your garden, but for now just being able to enjoy your wonderful photos will do. It truly looks so serene and peaceful must be nice to sit out and enjoy a quiet evening or morning in.

Marlorena,

I know anytime I see a post created by you we are in for a treat. And this time is no different. I agree with everything said above and then some. Just hoping I can achieve 1/10 of your garden magic one day!

So beautiful! That's one petal packed garden!!! How do you accomplish anything at all with that many blooms to admire? You have created a really lovely garden.

Marlorena, you have the loveliest garden. It’s like something out of a fairytale. I know that we don’t see all of the hard work that you put into it, but we most certainly enjoy seeing the fruits of your labours! As has been said, you really are an artist. The way you weave the colors together to make this beautiful tapestry of flowers is incredible. If I tried to do that (and I do! Lol), it would look like an overgrown hodgepodge. However, under your guidance, your lovely garden looks like a painting by Monet.

thank you for sharing! I do love your posts. Could you tell me what the climber (next to the white single. Kew Gardens, perhaps?) in the first photo is? And the dark purple in the last? Also, what on earth do you feed them?! I agree with Carol: I’m waiting on your book on how to coax roses into perfection.

oh gosh thank you so much for further comments.. I'm very touched...

Dillybeansown... the rose with 'KG' is 'Mme Lauriol de Barny'.. only a little bit showing of that rose... the purple at the end is 'Forever Royal'.. not much visible.. but it's a great floribunda rose... the weather has been so dry and sunny... no rain to spoil anything just lately... I try to feed them with organic stuff...

Oh Marlorena, what a joy. I can't add any more to what people have said already. "A slice of Heaven' sums it up! And I do like the way you've arranged the flagstones - I've never noticed that before.

Chelsea flower show in your own backyard..wow indeed

WOW Marlorena I have looked at your pictures several times and keep finding beautiful details every time I look. I even love your stone or gravel that shows in the images. I think some of those companions in your pictures are foxgloves which I have have never attempted growing, are they very difficult? There is something magical on how well all your companion plants integrate with your roses (like they were meant to be together). Your pictures of Desdemona have impressed me over and over again, is that her?, the almost white showing up in images 4 and 5? Could you please also share what the beautiful dark purple companion plant is in that photo. I love everything about your garden.

Digitalis (foxglove) does ok here as a winter/ early spring annual, kinda like Cleome etc. Cleome is supposed to be more heat tolerant but it never lasts here for me. The heat & humidity comes and kills it. It might do better longer in N AL.

Thank you sultry. I have seen some sold at lowes before around here, but have never tried it. We also get hot here fast (already been at 98 this year). I might look into it some more, I find I want to companion plants that come back every year, but maybe a few annuals would be nice too. These are so pretty they might be worth trying.

Diane... thank you for your kind comments about my garden.. and I'm delighted you find something useful in what I do here... yes I have lots of Foxgloves... they enjoy this type of climate... mild cool Springs.. they don't like drying out.. my favourite seed strain is the Excelsior hybrid.. very tall imposing spikes.. I also use the pure white 'alba' form and the Giant Spotted... plus some others of various hues..

Yes those are Desdemona roses, and the purple flower is Penstemon 'Westminster Belle'... very early to flower, way before other penstemons.. drought and winter hardy where I am... one of the easiest and I think, most beautiful I've grown of these..

I don't have any Cleome's but I used to grow those too, but they are spiky with thorns [Cleome spinosa]... otherwise I like them very much.

..here's a close up of the Penstemon...

Marlorena, I had a question about your foxglove. I’ve only planted the white and peach versions yet my yard is full of the pink shades thanks to the birds :)

Do you think the pinks will eventually over take the other two or should I make sure to pull them out after blooming to help decrease that chance? Thanks!

If you like an electric blue perennial to grow with roses.. then I recommend this one.. without knowing of course whether it's suitable for you, but you know what I mean..

Anchusa 'Loddon Royalist'... I love it with roses of all sorts... it will even cool down an orange rose.. I just let it rise up amongst roses...

oursteelers…. over here the default Foxglove is the purple type... and if I leave mine to seed everywhere, which they do, and allow them to grow, most of them will be purple or pinky purple, sometimes vague colours that I don't like too much... this is why in my small garden I get them fresh each year, and I like to remove the seedlings.. I just hoe them in... it's nice to get all those free volunteers but I know I won't like the colours too much.. monotone purple.. and I want my Excelsior strain, which has to be sown fresh each year... I buy in a lot from local nursery as they sell them so cheap - various seed strains- so I can choose my colours... it's not worth my time sowing too many seeds ...

So yes to answer your question.. those pinky ones will overtake the others over time...

What a thrill, Marlorena! Everything is so lovely. I look forward to it every year, and somehow you manage to have a different, fresh look to your garden each year. I can’t really say anything that hasn’t already been said, so I’ll just say that I agree with what everyone said. It’s magical.

I planted some Astrantia ‘Billion Stars’ this spring in a low spot that gets more water than anywhere else. It’s a first try for me, so I’ll see how it goes. I do indeed find them lovely, and I hear they make good cut flowers. I hope they make it through the summer heat. I have high hopes, as I planted them where my Hosta and Astilbe are thriving. You’re picture makes me want them to succeed all the more. Yours are beautiful! Lisa

You are amazing! Your garden is unbelievable. I was so happy to see more pictures. Beautiful!

...thank you Michele... great to see you here too !..

Lisa.. thanks so much... I'm still getting over seeing your wonderful Spring gardens along with others who get going that much earlier...

I just looked up that Astrantia… that's a nice one, I had not heard of it before... I've not tried them as cut flowers so I really must do that... thanks again... I'm delighted you stopped by here and took 'tea' with me ...

Marlorena and Lisa this was my first time planting Astrantia also. Star of Fire by Desdemona so we’ll see how that turns out. It is so fun having flower people to talk to!

What a joy to revisit your post, Marlorena, and see more lovely photos. I wish your penstemon were available here; it's so pretty. I planted anchusa and it only lasted a day before it was eaten. Looking back at your roses, Felicia is gorgeous. Mme. Letuve de Colnet is a dream of a rose. She does look rather similar to Mme. Isaac Pereire; perhaps they are the same. Your photo of her is stunning.

Ingrid, I thought that too, about MMe Letuve de Colnet, and of course, Mme Isaac Pereire has the most glorious scent.

Marlorena, please do start a thread about companion plants for roses. I've heard of Astrantia, but never seen them, and if Lisa can grow them, maybe I can too.

Marlorena, your garden is a delight for the eyes. And I wish I could stick my nose in your pictures to enjoy the scents too.

Btw, I found a thread from last year in which you wondered if you would get the true Mme Letuve de Colnet. Do you think you have the real McCoy?

OMG! I bet your neighbors LOOOOOOVE you! This is just amazing.

A rose companion thread? Yes, please!

I would also also love to see what you and other posters put amongst their plants, sculptures, bird baths, etc.

That purple penstemon with the white rose is so beautiful.

Everything is so gorgeous Marlorena! I love true blue flowers and yours are so beautiful! All the roses and other flowers are so lovely together, what a beautiful garden you have!

gdinieontario…. thanks so much, and for looking in here...

also to Trish/Ingrid....

Re Mme Letuve de Colnet… yes I still wonder if it's the real McCoy or not... it's just the blooms seem smaller than Mme I P to me...but when I look at photos they do look very similar... the nursery I got it from does not sell Mme Isaac Pereire, but whether they sell it under this name, mistakenly or otherwise?... not sure..

I have photos of Mme I P from a nearby garden.. and I might go back there and have another look at it shortly to compare.. this is a photo of Mme I P from that garden..

...this is my rose today... the bloom looks huge, but really it isn't that big..

I'm just not sure... I don't know anyone here who has Mme Isaac Pereire who could compare for me..

Trish... yes | might do that... it would be good to see who grows what in other areas...

I only got into Astrantias just recently... never liked them much before...

Suncoast/Sara Ann... thank you so much too.. I only just caught your posts there whilst I was posting mine..

So beautiful Marlorena. Everything is lush and verdant, and such perfect foliage. Now I need to buy more penstemon and astrantia....and verbascum..and anchusa. I love foxglove and have the yellow perennial types, but they don't have the same impact as the taller biennial types. Marlorena, do you grow lupines? Surprised I don't see any in the pictures.

Thanks so much for sharing!

I love your penstemon, anchusa and foxgloves! Your foxgloves are so full of blooms! The form of your penstemon is very unique round - very adorable. I love this variety.

Chris/Karen,..thanks so much..

Chris... no I don't have any lupines... nor Irises and only one peony... all essentials yet in a small garden I find I need plants that bloom for longer... and they are usually so brief.. I wish I could like Iris as much as everyone else does...

you and your garden are true inspirations! oh to have your talent at planting and arranging companions in such a glamorous and tranquil way! thank you for allowing us all a peak into your heaven!

..thank you Kimberly... so glad you enjoyed it with me..

Marlorena,

Please do start a companion thread with roses!