The fearless rose gardener

OK, as we've seen, I do have a few roses. They're stuck in one bed, along with a whole bunch of perennials and bulbs. I'm ready to pull them out at any time if they misbehave badly enough.

However, there are those who have taken the plunge. They have chosen to create what is essentially a rose garden. Such are my neighbors Susan and Michael. They have a rather small back garden space (about 30' x 30'), and most of it is devoted to roses and their supporting structures, such as the arch, above. On the way to that focal point (which features William Baffin) are two matching trellises of Mme. Isaac Periere, one of the most fragrant Bourbons around. (Another is a rose we both happen to have, Louise Odier.)



Susan has interplanted clematis among most of these climbers. In large part, the roses are David Austen English roses, which love to climb whether they're supposed to or not, and actual climbers like New Dawn, Dublin Bay and Mme. Alfred Carriere. There are actually quite a few perennials and annuals scattered about, including many old-fashioned cottage garden favorites Susan grows from seed, but the roses are the first thing you see—and smell. Though difficult to show in pictures—maybe a ladder would help—this is the closest thing to a traditional walled rose garden I've seen around here, complete with a patterned brick walkway and inset pools (such as Jeckyl might have created). I hope she still has a good show when Garden Walk rolls around. It is a difficult time for roses, but the David Austens have pretty good rebloom.



I think this is Redoute, Heritage, and New Dawn, from the front in.