Roses, roses, roses and more roses



We've had a few days of really lovely weather up here in the north - after months of poor weather and rain nearly every day.  Suddenly the garden has sprung to life and the roses - about a month late this year - are opening everywhere.  The mill looks at its best.   I have a passion for old roses - the ones with wonderful names like Cardinal Richelieu and Madame Alberic Barbier, Ghislaine de Felisonde, and the beautiful Queen of Denmark.  Couldn't resist taking a few pics to share - the perfume is unbelievable.  This is one thing I will miss when I go to Italy.  At the foot of the steps to the garden I've got one of the David Austin roses and the colour and scent are wonderful.  I love the chaotic patterns of the petals as they unfurl.



I'm also very keen on wild rose species and have two - a red one from China which the bees go wild for, and another white one called Rosa Alba. 




The Apothecary's Rose has striped petals and is supposed to be very ancient.


In order to deter Saturday night revellers from climbing into my garden  I've got some really prickly specimens on the fence.   Stanwell Perpetual flowers all the time, but is lethal!   And then I have a German rose called ParkDirektor Riggers - single, dark red and very precise.



I'm particularly fond of rambling roses - scrambling up trees and up onto the cliff behind the mill.  This one is called The Rambling Rector.

And this is the crowning glory - four storey's high and a pillar of colour and perfume.  Paul's Himalyan Musk.


Hard to leave England when it looks like this!  But Neil rang me last night, spending his first night in our new home.  He described the lights twinkling in the valley below, the sun setting in the distant sea,  and it sounds utterly magical.  Two more weeks!



Comments

  1. I am particularly fond of David Austin roses and one day will return to Sydney to plant my own Shakespearean festival!

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  2. Will you keep the mill, Kathleen, with the opportunity to return to the roses, or is it all for Italy? Leaving can be hard, but it sounds as though you are beginning a real adventure.

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  3. Yes, we're keeping the mill for the moment - I'm going to be toing and froing quite a bit for the next 8 or 9 months. We will decide next year when we see what's happening!

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  4. HI Isobel - yes, I've got William Shakespeare too, but couldn't photograph because he has a bad case of mildew after the wet spring. Would love some more (Ophelia?) but haven't any space left!

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  5. How hard to tear yourself away, no matter the lure of Italy and Neil.
    What a gorgeous home you have.
    Yet I bet you can't wait.

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  6. All your beautiful roses, Kathleen! It's as though their fragrant flowering is an endorsement of your very own scent for adventure. Your mill is magnificent - am happy to hear you're keeping it (or it, you?) for the time being. . . All the best with your travels, Claire

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  7. roses seem so exotic right now, in the midst of winter - so thank you for your pictures of summer (even if it is approaching slower than you might like) - your garden looks beautiful, what a lovely memory to take with you to Italy.

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