Greetings Rose Folk,

It has been a while since I last posted. For some reason, I,T. turmoil on my computer network perhaps, my old account is lost and so I have had to start anew on the Antique Roses Forum. I have managed to keep my screen name though.

It has been quite a year in Southern British Columbia, wildfires, floods, heat domes, summer and winter and now Polar Vortex. This on top of the Pandemic. Work in the Gardens and a busy personal life have kept me from much time on the Forums.

So, while the world of we Homo Sapiens continues to be in turmoil, the world for roses not so much, at least here. It was an outstanding rose season in Summerland. The roses bloomed magnificently and the Gardens were open throughout the spring, summer and fall with lots of mulching and newly installed, proper drip irrigation in place. Gratitude to my excellent and dedicated Rose Team members and our irrigation experts. No in person garden events this past year, but the Ornamental Gardens were open for folk to wander, wonder and spend a little time in a calm, safe place and to take time to smell the roses.

So without further adieu I think that I will post a few images of rose season past to help brighten the dark of winter.

I managed to confirm the identity of this Rambling Rose on the entrance fence this past summer. It is "Goldfinch", a great beauty when it is in bloom in spring.

Another with an updated Identification. We are now pretty certain that this is the David Austin English Rose "Bibi Mezoon" 1989. A rare cultivar and we have three plants all doing very well.

Another rare David Austin English Rose, "Lilac Rose" 1990. We have four plants of Lilac Rose in the Gardens. I love this rose, it is now one of my very favourite English Roses. It does fabulously well here in the arid, hot Okanagan Valley. It also has the most potent, sweet, myrrh tinged, wonderful fragrance. The yellow rose behind is Golden Celebration.

On another note, I have been in contact with the owner of a small rose nursery here in British Columbia this fall, who is very interested in collaborating with the Summerland Ornamental Gardens on some projects: including propagating cuttings from some of the mother plants in our collection, particularly some of the rare English Roses. A bit cryptic I know, but that is all I can tell you right now.

I have posted in the past on the rare roses preservation work that we are working on with John in California. The process is slow, and slower with the Pandemic, but the work and the dream goes on. I have begun to make tentative plans to bring the long delayed early English Rose plants as well as many of Paul Barden's rose varieties across the border from California this coming spring. Wish us luck> We continue to be committed to building a germ plasm bank of mother plants in a public garden to help keep these rare and special cultivars from commercial extinction.

Happy New Year, may it be a Rosie one.

Cheers, Rick