Roses have long been the passion of gardeners worldwide. Roses date back 40 million years, before gardeners even existed. The love affair began centuries ago when gardeners simply fell in love with the flowers. Roses have an irresistible combination of elegance and charm. In Greece, the rose acquired a powerful mystique. The Rose became the inspiration for magnificent stained glass windows of European cathedrals. And it was under the Tudors that the Rose officially became England's national flower. This sensual appeal of Roses has made them the world's most popular ornamental plant.
This page showcases the roses we grow in our gardens. I selected them for color and hue, then for fragrance, and winter hardiness. There are various types to satisfy every need (climbers, floribundas, shrub roses and teas). We started with two, the wonderfully fragrant yellow Sun Sprite and the incredible Jane Austin, a lovely apricot-peach color with the signature ruffled blossoms, tightly cupped. She blooms profusely all summer. Today we have an assortment of thirty roses that grace our gardens, reigning over various cottage garden beds, many purchased from the Ridge Road Garden Center in Pine Grove, CA. They select the finest that Jackson Perkins and Weeks roses have to offer.
For centuries Roses have been used for medicinal, herbal and culinary purposes and are so magnificent, deserving of the extra care they dictate. The Queen of Flowers, with her velvety texture, rich color and divine fragrance, has touched my heart forever.
SUMMER 2001
With a short, relatively warm winter in the foothills, the roses were just amazing!! Full, rich colors, heady fragrance, this was a most fantastic time for roses. The glorious blooms are plentiful, their pulsing, living colors surpassed only by their magnificent fragrance! Every single one is dazzling with incredible beauty. The sun-kissed hue of their throats within each perfect cup can launch the sweetest poetry, and move the sternest heart. There is a singular epitome of the most majestic garden flower and that is The Rose!
Many varieties are putting on a second show of blooms. Many will continue blooming into fall, such as Sea Shell, Hans Rugosa, Iceberg, Sunset Celebration, Ultimate Pink, Henry Fonda, Roundelay, and Jane Austin. Spent rose petals gently flutter to the ground, spreading their loveliness as a cloak, beneath the Rose, caressing her limbs in their descent. Even in her glory days, the Rose has an inner glow, a royal bearing, that carries her from sunrise to sunset, always the Queen of the Garden!
Visit these excellent sites on the care and keeping of roses.
Timeless Roses
Sunset Gardens
Jackson & Perkins
Old Almanac for roses
Old Roses
Weeks Roses
Your Rose Questions Answered