08-Dec-2019
Portulacas flowering in our summer.
The only annuals we grow are either Violas or Portulacas... and its time for
these happy flowers to do their stuff!
29-Nov-2019
Cream & Gold roses plus an iris.
The main picture is of Elina, there were many more blooms but we've been busily dead-heading. The two below Elina is a bearded iris and Vanilla.
Top right going down is Penelope, a shrub rose then a new rose called Desert Island and lastly Valencia.
Photos were taken this morning with my phone.
16-Nov-2019
Six Roses in Spring
This group features Sexy Rexy, a rose we planted for my cousin who turned 103 recently in September- his name being Rex. The other 5 are Aotearoa, Borderer (left to right under Rexy)
then right top is Leda Deane Ross and Crepuscule. They vary in size, Crepuscule being by far the largest shrub in this collection.
26-Nov-2019
Hanging baskets in cedar trees
We have 16 baskets of these red epiphyllums hanging in 3 fully grown cedar trees
and they're in flower now casting a flash of red all around the base of the
trees. The blooms are huge and make quite an impact as one drives into our carport.
All were grown from cuttings, so very easy to propagate! We also have a basket
of pink and another of white, but these are yet to bloom.
Photos taken with my phone.
16-Nov-2019
Roses and Scenery
Featuring the Austin rose Graham Thomas, the rose garden and our scenery from
the back balcony looking towards Mt. Lofty - hidden behind the trees.
Graham Thomas really needs support
which we've never got around to supplying... a tripod could be sufficient.
The blooms are always in small groups and quite heavy,
they drag on the canes causing them to
droop in the weight of the blooms.
Photo taken with my phone.
16-Nov-2019
Five Roses in Pink & Cream.
Belle Poitevine, Maurice Utrillo, Perdita, Violina & Elmshorn. All growing
in various parts of the rose garden
and all but Perdita & Maurice Utrillo large shrub roses.
Taken with my Samsung phone.
16-Nov-2019
A colourful collection
A mixture of flowers from various parts of the garden... I haven't run out of rose
photos, just taking a break in case you're getting utterly sick of so many images of roses.
This collage has a bearded iris, 2 alstroemaria and a kalanchoe all taken with my phone
all grow in my rose garden except for the kalanchoe.
16-Nov-2019
Five white roses and an iris
Left to right... main picture is of Margaret Merril, followed by top to bottom, Anna Marie de Montraval, Iceberg and a Dietes from South Africa.
then Eyes For You and lastly Rosa dupontii.
16-Nov-2019
The Deep Deep Reds/Purples
Featuring an Oz-bred rose called St. Francis Xavier and the deep red pelargoniums
none of which are in the rose garden. St. Francis Xavier is lining a small set of steps
and the pels are in the pelargonium patch up by the front gate. St. F.X. is a hybrid between
two very old tea roses and has a sweet damask rose fragrance.
The viola is in a hanging basket and still surviving the heat we had yesterday.
All photos taken with my phone.
16-Nov-2019
Three Roses and some penstemon.
The 3 roses are Lady X, Deane Ross and Veilchenblau.. all with the blue tone... rosarians are still trying to introduce blue to the spectrum,
even though some very ancient roses already had some in the breeding as you can see with Veilchenblau. I have quite a few more roses with a touch of blue, but none had a decent bloom
to photograph the day I took these.
Taken with the phone.
19-Nov-2019
Celeste - an old Alba rose.
Loved by the masters and included in many paintings this old Alba rose is in flower
in my rose garden right now. I've been watching it the last few days because we
have an awful forecast for tomorrow. Luckily a couple of blooms opened today and I
could get a photo before the scorching heat and winds of tomorrow when all the roses
in my garden will be a shrivelled mess by the end of the day, including this delicate
little rose. I included a bud as well in this collage - photos taken with my phone.
16-Nov-2019
Four Roses
Main photo in this collection is Elina, alongside on the left from top to bottom is
Vick's Caprice, Desert Island the Nevada.
I think this Samsung phone takes better photos of flowers and roses than scenery.
16-Nov-2019
Golden Elm & Native Frangipani
The view from the side balcony of these two trees and the rose garden..the Native
Frangipani gives out a beautiful fragrance when in flower, and it always flowers
in November. The leaves featured here are from the Golden Elm.
Hymenosporum flavum is its proper name.
The flowers open cream and gradually darken to a golden yellow.
2nd photo was taken from the side balcony steps, you see part of the rail.
Photos taken with the phone. Grandson has come to my rescue with a list of
11 instructions on how to get the photo from the phone onto my computer.
We are expecting a catastrophinc day of heat and wind on Wednesday.. the
forecast is for 42 degrees Celsius - a leap of 20+ degrees - plus strong
winds. We will be watching the horizon for any sign of smoke!!!
16-Nov-2019
Gazebo and surrounding area..
Including one image of the archway.
All taken with my Samsung phone then made into a collage.
15-Nov-2019
Mainly Phyllis Bide, a climber.
A cute fluffy little rose that covers itself with these blooms mid-spring where I live.
It is draping a bower where I hang 5 pots of perennials.
Accompanying the rose is a photo that includes a cedar and golden elm tree
a small section of the rose garden and a cluster of buds on a succulent.
Again, a collage of photos taken with my Samsung phone.
13-Nov-2019
Leonardo da Vinci
A very attractive bush rose that keeps a nice leafy shape. The blooms last quite well
on the bush, I haven't tried this one in a vase either. My plant is fairly close to
a huge cedar tree that robs the area otherwise I think this rose could reach a much
larger size. Another collage from photos taken on my Samsung phone, this time
experimenting on featuring just the one rose.
13-Nov-2019
Collage of Roses
Photos taken with my phone... I'm still working out how to get them from A to B so for now its via Facebook.
Roses are from left to right - pink - New Dawn on the archway in bloom and Bonica on the right.
Centre is Pigalle, and bottom row Victoria Gold and Graham Thomas.
04-Nov-2019
Helmut Schmidt
An excellent rose in the garden, plenty of blooms that last well on the bush
and no doubt in a vase as well, though I've never picked them for a vase yet. Has
been in my rose garden for 29 years.. 2020 my garden will be 30 years old!
A slight perfume and a sunny colour that will brighten up your day!
Helmut Heinrich Waldemar Schmidt was a German politician and member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD),
who served as Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) from 1974 to 1982.
04-Nov-2019
Sonia Rykiel
Large heads of exquisitely perfumed blooms which are ideal for picking.
The bush has an open habit and new canes are constantly produced.
The flowers are best picked early in the morning and hold their perfume for many days.
Spectacular when planted in a cluster of three or more bushes – but can be planted individually.
Named in honour of the famous French fashion designer, Sonia Rykiel.
The long canes make this rose an ideal pillar rose.
Previous notes from a website. We added this rose because we saw it
growing at an open garden and loved it., also similar name to our eldest
daughter, Sonja.
04-Nov-2019
Rosa dupontii and Leonardo da Vinci
Dupontii only flowers in spring... it has become a huge shrub, and late summer
I intend to halve it so won't get any flowers next year maybe. In front is
Leonardo da Vinci, he can become quite tall, but I've kept him small for now.
They are framed by a massive cedar that we planted over 30 years ago, the cedar
is one of five we have growing in our garden.
A little history regarding Dupontii.. named for Dupont, the founder of the
Luxenbourg Gardens in Paris, and Empress Josephine commissioned him
to aid her in creating the Malmaison rose collection.
The fragrance has a tinge of banana according to my book. I should go
and have a sniff!
04-Nov-2019
Hillside and Roses.
Looking towards the distant hills from a top path in the rose garden.
We are heading off to see my 98 year old mother early tomorrow, back on Sunday.
04-Nov-2019
Perdita
A delightful Austin rose, average height and quite a neat bush in the garden.
Very fragrant according to the book, it doesn't have much scent to my nose there is a whiff of fruitiness. I've never picked
this rose for the vase.. one day I will.
04-Nov-2019
Spring Roses in the Garden
A very small section of the garden and a group of various coloured blooms.
26-Oct-2019
Crumble Bar
Named after a very popular chocolate bar that may or may not still be on the deli shelves. The rose is quite a low grower and has small clusters of these tightly packed
roses throughout the rose flowering season in our climate. I only have one of these
growing in my rose garden alongside a few miniature roses, the bush isn't much larger than a mini.
26-Oct-2019
Prospero
A pretty bush in full bloom, not large, mine is near the border of this particular
rosebed. the book says its fragrant, but I've never checked it, or arranged them
in a vase, I guess I have so many roses that I've never got around to picking these
to bring inside. A rather thorny little bush that grows well in our climate.
An early Austin rose that may have been discarded - not sure about that.
26-Oct-2019
John Hopper
A rose that has missed having his photo taken because he was swamped by other huge rose bushes. This pruning season I gave those big guys a really hard going over, and now
John can show what he can do! An odd shaped grower, very upright and I did halve him
so that I could reach his blooms this year. Now I can share it with you. He's an old Hybrid Perpetual from the U.K. back in 1862.
My book says "very fragrant"... and apparently he's been a popular hedge rose.
26-Oct-2019
Crown Princess Margarita
A large sprawling shrub rose that I gave a really hard prune to this year. So far its
looking really good and responded to the harshness of my pruning skills. At the
moment covered in these large ruffled blooms, so heavy they do weight down the canes somewhat.
This one can be trained as a small climber, I've seen it on a trellis, but
in my garden its on the edge of the bed along the horse-yard fenceline so she has to behave.
26-Oct-2019
Red Alstroemaria
Growing in a corner of a rose bed under some filtered shade of a huge cedar tree.
It replaced a magnificent rose called Black Beauty that didn't thrive in those conditions. Very sad to have to give it the shovel treatment, I did enjoy the
one flower a season while it lasted.
26-Oct-2019
The Dark Lady
Not quite fully out, when its fully opened the stem isn't quite strong enough to
hold the bloom up and they hang down a little making it more difficult to get a really
good shot without having to cut the stem and bring it indoors. Its one of my favourite
Austin roses... a reasonable sized shrub (very leafy) not too tall so I can reach the
blooms if I need to.
25-Oct-2019
Probably "Blue Staccato"
A tall bearded iris in flower right now. These border a couple of the rose beds, this
one is near some deep red roses, e.g., Prospero and The Dark Lady. I prefer the shorter'iris as edging plants, but when we lifted the tubers a few years ago, they got
mixed up and I'm never sure where the colours are going to appear and hope they don't clash
with the roses if they open up together.
24-Sep-2019
Marie van Houtte
The average height sprawling shrub of this old rose it quite an attractive addition to the rose garden.
Bearing fragrant blooms the year round, and at present is covered in blooms and buds. You need some space to have this rose in the garden.
Bred in France back in the late 1800's but the lady she was named after lived in Belgium.
24-Sep-2019
One of the first iris for 2019
This one is a bordering sized iris called "Pink Kitten" and since I took this
photo 2 more have opened up on this particular stem... the iris are on the edge
of one of the pathways through the rose garden.
24-Sep-2019
Spanish Bluebells
Endymion hispanicus. This is the time of year that hundreds of bluebells flower. The English bluebell first, E. non-scriptus, followed by these larger bluebells. We have a sea of blue happening here! Besides blue, we have pink and white English bluebells, a smaller plant that multiply and come up in amongst the rose bushes making it a little
more difficult for Dick to weed the rosebeds, but the sight of all the flowers makes it worthwhile.
24-Sep-2019
The Cherokee Rose
Rosa laevigata. We have this growing on a tall lattice between the rose garden
and a wind break. Always the first to come back into flower in early spring, though
the old antique roses have been flowering right through winter, there's always a couple of flowers on the oldies. This one only blooms once, and for quite a short season, but
that's okay, all the others begin flowering very soon and the Cherokee greenery provides a pleasant backdrop.
15-Sep-2019
Ambridge Rose
The only rose on the bush as yet... very early for roses in my garden. October there'll be a lot more.