The garden landscape is taking shape and starting to look more like a “proper garden”. Whilst working on mulching and preparing for next season, it is a delight to see the new rose blooms opening, probably for the last time, I suspect, before winter. Although it’s not a mass floral display like the abundance of spring blooms, individually, the roses in the garden are truly gorgeous. The flowers are more sparse at this time of year, but are spectacular and bloom more perfectly without the intense summer sun. They seem more peaceful and not in haste to show off. Spring is like a wild party; overcrowded, exhilarating and fun compared to the intimacy and cosiness of a dinner with close friends in Autumn. Both are enjoyable but nice to be up close and personal.
Roses, in Autumn, respond very quickly to the extra attention. After a few weeks of virtually no roses due to blackspot, to have so many buds opening again is extra special. By cutting back dead stems, foliage, and deadheading the spent flowers, removing the undergrowth to give them air and space, the eco seaweed and mulch will almost immediately give you more fresh perfect blooms. So now, with the fabulous lush green foliage back, the suspense is building for the last hurrah.
I want real flowers, perennials which not only grow and change and die, but also rise again and astonish me. A garden shouldn’t just bloom and look pretty; it should develop like the rest of life. Otherwise it, and we, live only to be spaded under.
Emma L Roth-Schwartz
MASmabay is the registration name for ‘Martine Guillot’ rose bred by Dominque Massad France in 1991 and introduced into France by Guillot/Roseraies Pierre Guillot in 1997 as part of the Generosa ® Collection. This rose is named after the wife of the hybridiser Jean-Pierre Guillot.
Interestingly, this rose has the parent roses, New Dawn and Graham Thomas, so they will undoubtedly be strong, tall and vigorous. Martine Guillot is perfumed with a lilac and gardenia scent, does not mind being in partial shade and will be fine as a large shrub or can be grown as a climber to 245 cm. I have this growing along the side of the front, where several tall, robust roses grow in the hope that they will cover the fence.
Do you like the old world charm of vintage rose blooms, then the Spiced Coffee rose is for you? What’s not to like in a Hybrid Tea rose that opens from magnificent large pink buds to the softest pale fawn colour with pink edges? It has a large double, mostly solitary cupped bloom form once open that reminds me of old paintings of roses. I recently planted a cluster of these along the front and already have five or so buds opening and cannot wait for Spring with this new variety.
What continues to astonish me about a garden is that you can walk past it in a hurry, see something wrong, stop to set it right, and emerge an hour or two later breathless, contented, and wondering what on earth happened.
Dorothy Gilman
A contemporary rose with unique colouring reminiscent of a bygone era. This stunning rose is my new favourite rose because it promises to grow to medium size in an upright plant and has hints of lavender, parchment, beige colours with pink shaded edges and a spiced lemon scent. Bred by Samuel Darragh McGredy in 1985 and introduced into New Zealand by McGredy International in 1990 as Spiced Coffee.
Gardening is a labour full of tranquility and satisfaction; natural and instructive, and as such contributes to the most serious contemplation, experience, health and longevity.
John Evelyn 1666
Disease resistance is always the key to perfect rose blooms, and this distinctive rose, out in flower this week, is a new release rose from 2021 called ‘Miss Unique.’ Beautiful soft luminous peachy pink with a strong fragrance and growing to only 100 cm, ‘Miss Unique’ is packed with many buds that open in a cupped bloom form – gorgeous. The bushy glossy foliage is always healthy, a clear sign of a great rose. Bred by Bruce Brundett in Australia in 2020 and introduced by Wagners Rose Nursery as ‘Miss Unique.’
“Learn from roses; even when trampled they give off perfume, not despair.”
Matshona Dhliwayo
If I could only grow a few roses in my garden one of them would have to be Perfume Passion. It is a Hybrid Tea from the Kordes Eleganza® Collection. It has won numerous awards including; the Best Hybrid Tea, the Best Rose and the Most Fragrant Rose and the Gold Medal at the 2012 National Rose Trial Garden Awards of Australia.
Truly spectacular is the way I’d describe Perfume Passion, especially the fragrance. It has masses of blooms to the ground and heavy thick healthy foliage and the flowers are on long thornless stems, so they are perfect for cutting a bunch of roses. It is just opening again and sits in pride of place by the gate to greet everyone on entering. The foliage and blooms are weighty and fall to the ground so it does require staking.
Perfume Passion – KORpauvio was bred by Wilhelm Kordes III in Germany in 1999. It was introduced to Australia by Treloar Roses as ‘Perfume Passion’, in France as ‘Sophie Davant’, in South Africa as ‘Perfume Passion’, in the UK as ‘Pink Perfection and in Germany as ‘Beverly’. Regardless of the different names, Perfume Passion is outstanding.
“I am made for autumn. Summer and I have a fickle relationship, but everything about autumn is perfect to me. Wooly jumpers, Wellington boot, scarves, thin first, then thick, socks. The low slanting light, the crisp mornings, the chill in my fingers, those last warm sunny days before the rain and the wind. Her moody hues and subdued palate punctuated every now and again by a brilliant orange, scarlet or copper goodbye. She is my true love.”
Alys Fowler
The header image today is Joyfulness rose. With a name like Joyfulness, how could one not love this rose? Bred by Mathias Tantau, Jr. in Germany in 1982. It is a Hybrid Tea rose registered as TANsinnroh and often grown as a standard. One feature of Joyfulness akin to many roses is that they change colour depending on the climate of the season. The roses grown in this region will be much brighter and the colours more intense because of the strength and heat of the sun. On the other hand, in some cases may be bleached by the sun.
Daybreaker rose and Joyfulness rose are growing close together so it is difficult to tell them apart at times, both being apricot pink blends with yellow undertones. Daybreaker is a Floribunda Bush rose that won a Gold Medal at the National Rose Trial Garden of Australia. Bred by Gareth Fryer in the UK in 1998 it has clusters of perfectly formed spiral buds in yellow tones with apricot and pink. The bush is hardy and lush and grows to 130 cm.
Some things are more precious because they don’t last long”
Oscar Wilde
White roses are eyecatching in Autumn, and this one, Margaret Merrill, does not disappoint. It is a Floribunda rose bred by Harkness in the UK in 1972 and introduced into the UK by R K Harkness and Co in 1978. It is in bloom as I write and is mesmerising in its clarity: brilliant green foliage, many buds, and sparkling white blooms in the sun.
Margaret Merril is a white-blend Floribunda rose with a citrus, spice fragrance and high centred bloom form growing to 170 cm. The winner of multiple rose awards, including the Geneva Gold Medal and Rome Gold Medal and the Hague and Auckland Fragrance awards.
I love the history and names of roses and I always wonder who the people are that they are named to honour. I found this amusing when looking to find out who Margaret Merrill was when I came across some notes from The Rose Society and a quote from Sean McCann who wrote
“When the rose Margaret Merril was named for the front person in the Oil of Olay campaign it transpired that the name was a fictitious one. There was no such person … but out in the big world there are a number of people bearing that same name – and three at least have come forward to the Harkness company and are growing the rose as their own!”
I don’t blame them if I found a rose in my name I’d take it as a given it was mine. The roses described are all out this week, and in hindsight, I should have picked them yesterday as it has been raining heavily since last night. Lovely for the local farmers who have just sown crops and the garden’s new plants.
All content Di Baker 2022
All Images from the garden April 2022 unless otherwise cited.
Title quote by Rumer Godden
Thank you for sharing!