Rose News From Around The World

AMERICAN MEMORIAL GARDEN

TO GET INTERNATIONAL AWARD

Edisto Memorial Gardens is poised to be catapulted into the international spotlight.

During a visit to Orangeburg last week, Pat Shanley of the Great Rosarians of the World™ steering committee announced the gardens have been nominated for and will be receiving the distinguished Great Rosarians of the World™ Rose Garden Hall of Fame Award for 2014.

As Jay Hiers, superintendent of the Orangeburg Parks and Recreation Department, gave Shanley, who is also vice president of the American Rose Society, a tour of Edisto Memorial Gardens, she explained the purpose of the award.

“This award is to promote a wider knowledge and appreciation of our treasured botanical gardens to the rose growing world and the gardening public,” Shanley said. “I believe that the Edisto Memorial Rose Gardens meets all of the qualifications and more. In addition, the garden is a major part of the recreational and educational facilities in Orangeburg, and this is a major accomplishment that should be recognized.”

To be considered for the award, a rose garden must be open to the public (with or without a fee); be recognized as having an outstanding design or historical significance; display an outstanding collection or broad display of roses; and/or promote rose growing with educational outreach programs.

Hiers said he is pleased Edisto Gardens will join this select listing.

“We are definitely pleased to be considered for the Great Rosarians of the World™ Rose Garden Hall of Fame out of all the other rose gardens across America,” he said.

There are nearly 5,000 rose plants in the main display at the gardens, which is open year-round to the public, dawn to dusk, free of charge. Edisto Memorial Gardens grows and evaluates new, unnamed varieties of roses in its ARS Award of Excellence Test Garden, which has space for more than 270 specimens.

Hiers is currently testing five Great American Rose Selections entries for 2013. After two years of testing, their merits will be considered, and qualifying varieties will be named and released for sale within the rose industry. The city of Orangeburg also offers the ARS Kidz n Roses program, which is available to local schools.

Accompanying Shanley on her tour of Edisto Memorial Gardens were rose hybridizers Girija and Viru Viraraghavan, the 2006 Great Rosarians of the World™ honorees. Gene Waering, who is on the executive committee of the American Garden Rose Selections program, was on hand, as well. Waering and Shanley, along with Peter Kukielski, co-authored the book “Sustainable Rose Garden,” which focuses on creating environmentally friendly yet enduring rose gardens, with sustainability as the key.

Recognition by GROW™ will bring local, national and international attention, Shanley said.

“The gardens that have received this award in the past have reported it has been instrumental in helping them to receive the support, both public and governmental, that allows them to continue to provide outstanding services to the public,” Shanley said. “The existence of our botanical gardens is continuously threatened by the economic conditions and restrictions felt by most municipalities today. Recognition by GROW™ gives them the visibility to stay in the forefront as necessary institutions that need to have their funding continued, at the very least, and hopefully to have it increased.”

During their tour, Waering and the Viraraghavans proposed the idea of adding a Species Garden to Edisto Memorial Gardens that would feature and help preserve many of the original roses that are the foundation for today’s varieties.

GROW™ Rose Garden Hall of Fame Awards for 2014 will be presented on Saturday, May 31 next year at the Great Rosarians of the World™ Lecture Series — East at The New York Botanical Garden. According to Shanley, the gardens receiving the award in addition to Edisto Memorial Gardens in Orangeburg will be: Biltmore Rose Garden, Asheville, N.C.; Heritage Rose District, New York City; City of Sakura Rose Garden, Sakura, Japan; Portland International Rose Garden, Portland, Ore.; and Balboa Park Rose Garden, San Diego, Calif.

HISTORY OF THE GARDENS
The Edisto Memorial Gardens is a place of history and beauty. In 1865, a force of less than six hundred Confederate soldiers gathered on the land that is now the Gardens. Soldiers temporarily halted the advance of the Union Army. On February 12, 1865, outflanked by a much larger force, these defenders were compelled to withdraw to Columbia. A marker honours this site.

This site was first developed in the 1920’s with some azaleas on 5 acres of land. A playground was added in 1922, and a greenhouse and nursery facility in 1947. To extend the season of beauty, the first rose garden was planted in 1951. Currently, there are more than 82 beds of roses ranging from miniatures to grandiflora to climbers. The fountain was moved from the Memorial Plaza and placed at the entrance to the Gardens in 1950 to honour the brave individuals who gave their lives in 1st & 2nd World Wars, Korean War, and the Vietnam Conflict. The name was changed to the Edisto Memorial Gardens. The Gardens attract visitors from all over the world because they are filled with award-winning roses, azaleas, and other flora and faunas. The Orangeburg Festival of Roses, one of the Southeastern Tourism Society’s top twenty events, is held in Orangeburg the weekend before Mother’s Day in May each year to celebrate the blooming of the City’s roses.

The Edisto Memorial Gardens displays past and current award winning roses from the All-America Rose Selections. Some 4,800 plants representing at least 75 labeled varieties of roses are always on display in the Gardens. This site is also honored to be one of only 15 official test gardens in the United Sates sanctioned by the All-America Rose Selections, Inc. This test garden, which was established in 1973, is dedicated to recognizing up to five of the most desirable hybrid rose introductions each year. In 2008, The Gardens became affiliated with the American Rose Society’s testing program – Award of Excellence. This program picks the top miniature and mini-flora roses in the US. The rose named ‘Edisto’ is one of these winners. Also in 2008, the Noisette Garden was planted. This rose is they only class of rose to be created in North America – Charleston,SC to be exact. Currently 55 varieties are on display and more added as they are found. The 200th Anniversary of the Noisette Rose will be held in August of 2011 at the Edisto Memorial Gardens.

The Children’s Garden Christmas is a drive through light display coordinated by the City of Orangeburg, the Parks and Recreation Department and the Department of Public Utilities. This event features a one-half mile trail through the Edisto Memorial Gardens featuring 30 animated displays, 20 still displays and 60 lighted cherry trees. The Kids Walk with an additional 18 displays. The lighted displays vary in size from 6 feet to 20 feet tall. The Gardens are illuminated seven days a week from the Monday before Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day for everyone to enjoy free of charge.

In July 1992, a major new theme was added to the Gardens with the establishment of the Horne Wetlands Park. This 2,600 foot boardwalk takes the visitor into a Tupelo/Cypress wetland that lies between the Display Garden and the North fork of the Edisto River. The Park also features a boat dock with a gazebo. The boardwalk is fully handicap accessible.

The Gardens also feature a butterfly garden, a serenity garden, and a sensory garden. Also, a beautiful terrace garden has been developed on the river side of the Arts Centre. The Edisto Memorial Gardens are open seven days a week from dawn to dusk. Admission is free to the public.

 

Over 600,000 visitors experience the Gardens each year. Visitors come from all fifty states and some foreign countries.

The Gardens are located within the City limits on U.S. Highway 301 just four blocks from the heart of the City. The average peak Spring blooms of crab apple, azaleas, dogwood, etc. is from March 15 to April 15. Roses begin blooming soon after the middle of April and continue until the first killing frost of November.

Details of all our roses are available on our web site.
Over 1000 varieties to choose from.

www.countrygardenroses.co.uk

EXCITING NEW ROSE GARDEN

WYNYARD HALL HOTEL

Tees Valley’s Wynyard Hall Hotel will embark on a £4m investment plan, including the development of a cookery school, creating 50 jobs.

The hotel recently received planning permission to redevelop its walled garden and develop a cookery school, event space and accommodation, and visitor centre and café.

At the centre of the development will be a new Rose Garden which will mark the culmination of a long-held dream by the hall’s owner, Sir John Hall.

The plans for the Rose Garden include planting the biggest variety of roses in Europe along with water features, statues, Italian terraces and picnic areas– ensuring it will become a major tourist attraction in the North East.

Paul Mackings, chief executive for Cameron Hall Developments which owns Wynyard Hall, said: “The new plans stay true to Sir John Hall’s vision which is to create a wonderful space full of roses.

“I can’t emphasise enough how excited we are about these new plans – we want Wynyard Hall and its grounds to be a place for everyone to enjoy. We intend that the new Rose Garden and Visitor Centre will be somewhere that people will want to visit time and time again.

“Alongside the pure enjoyment of visiting the gardens throughout the year we also hope that our passion and commitment to providing the widest of rose species will encourage interest for horticulturists both here and abroad.“

Wynyard Hall say the development will create 40 full time, and 20 part time jobs.

Allison Antonopoulos, managing director of Wynyard Hall, said: “She was delighted that the plans had been given the green light.

“The development of the Walled Garden will allow us to continue with the restoration and development of this magnificent stately home for future generations to enjoy.“

Details of all our roses are available on our web site.
Over 1000 varieties to choose from.

www.countrygardenroses.co.uk

 

ROSE GARDENS

NORTHERN IRELAND GARDENS

Northern Ireland has a rich garden heritage with some of the most magnificent gardens in Europe. The Northern Ireland Tourist Board is encouraging people to make the most of this time of year by visiting some of these stunning outdoor spaces.

From grand ornamental gardens to charming walled gardens, award-winning rose gardens, and woodland meadows with wild flowers and lakes, there is a wide range of magical green spaces to be discovered, many bursting with history and interesting local stories.

Here are some of the garden attractions which can be found throughout Northern Ireland.

The Peace Maze at Castlewellan Forest Park, County Down, is the largest and longest hedge maze in the world. It is planted with 6,000 yew trees. The maze is open to the public and is a must-see for adults and children alike. Over at Carnfunnock Country Park along the Causeway Coastal Route there is also a maze in the shape of Northern Ireland with seven central spaces, one for each county in Northern Ireland and one for Lough Neagh. At the Tropical Butterfly House at Seaforde Gardens, County Down, you will find the oldest maze in Ireland in the centre of the walled garden.

Crom Estate in County Fermanagh is one of Ireland’s most important nature conservation areas and is home to an ancient yew tree, designated one of the 50 Greatest British Trees. This huge tree is actually two yews situated a few steps apart (one male, one female) thought to have been planted close together in the 17th century. They have grown to give the appearance of a single remarkable tree.

The handkerchief tree

Each year in May there is a pilgrimage to Rowallane Garden to see the magnificent spreading branches of the handkerchief tree, Davidia involucrata. It has massive wide spreading branches laden with fluttering white tissue-like flowers. The handkerchief tree was once considered the Holy Grail of exotic flora. The species was discovered in China and this particular tree was purchased in 1904 for seven shillings and sixpence (approx 75p) and planted in Rowallane by then owner Hugh Armytage Moore.

Meanwhile the largest rhododendron bush in Europe, as verified by the Guinness Book of Records, can be found in the magnificent gardens inside the walls of Hillsborough Castle. Hillsborough Castle and Gardens are open to the public for tours each Saturday in May and June.

Must-see gardens

Mount Stewart, Newtownards, Co Down, is one of the most inspiring and unusual gardens in Northern Ireland. The gardens, planted in the 1920s, reflect great planting artistry that was the hallmark of Edith, Lady Londonderry, and the mild climate of Strangford Lough allows many rare plants to thrive. Visitors can enjoy formal gardens of clipped topiary, statuary and magnificent colour schemes and a picturesque lake surrounded by beautiful swathes of woodland. The formal areas exude a strong Mediterranean feel and resemble an Italian villa landscape and the wooded areas support a range of plants from all corners of the world, ensuring something to see whatever the season.

Florence Court, Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh, enjoys a peaceful setting with a dramatic backdrop of mountains and forests. Visitors are invited to discover many serene and beautiful corners by exploring the pleasure grounds and the walled garden within this magnificent demesne where garden lovers will find the famous Florence Court yew, reputedly the ‘parent’ of all Irish yew trees. Other interesting features include a sawmill, original ice house, and charming summerhouse.

Glenarm Castle Gardens, Ballymena, Co Antrim, is one of Ireland’s oldest walled gardens, dating from the 18th century. Beautiful in all seasons, the walled garden and tea room are open from May until the end of September, when the garden is still rich with displays of herbaceous plants.

The Argory, Co Armagh/ Tyrone is located in a wooded park above the River Blackwater. The early Victorian house of The Argory is surrounded by sweeping lawns with two formal gardens. The first, a charming rose garden with dwarf rose bushes in box-edged beds, is planted around a sundial. The second, much larger and called the Pleasure Ground, has a terrace overlooking the river, the view framed by a pair of striking, stone-built houses with Chinese-style windows. The surrounding borders reflect the taste for exotic trees and shrubs with a special feature being made of the many famous shrubs raised at the Slieve Donard nursery in County Down.

Rowallane Garden, Saintfield, Co Down, is an enchanting garden enclosed within a demesne landscape. It was laid out from the mid-1860s by the Reverend John Moore and afterwards by his nephew, the plantsman and selector Hugh Armytage Moore, who established and developed connections with seedsmen and botanic gardens throughout the world. The garden reflects the beautiful natural landscape of the surrounding area with spectacular displays of shrubs and several areas managed as wildflower meadows.

Castle Ward, Strangford, Co Down, has 40 acres of parkland and contains many enchanting historical garden features such as the Temple Water, an early 18th century formal canal created to reflect the picturesque ruins of Audley Castle and Lady Anne’s Temple. Other features include the sunken garden with grass banks and Irish yew trees, and the rock garden created on a natural outcrop. The parkland grounds at Castle Ward are ideal for those interested in garden history and visitors can enjoy walking trails, an exotic garden, stunning vistas and a picturesque farmyard as well as woodland, lakeside and parkland walks with stunning viewpoints.

Gardening events this summer

Go on the Bangor Castle Walled Garden Tour on June 12 and get an insight into the garden and its history as well as enjoying a question and answer session. The walled garden was never open to the public when it was built in the 1840s and has recently been restored by North Down Borough Council. Shakespeare’s tragic tale of star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately reconcile their feuding families has become one of the most enduring love stories with Romeo and Juliet becoming symbolic of young lovers. Make sure you don’t miss this famous love story in the surroundings of the beautiful walled gardens on July 24 and 25.

Belfast’s Rose Week, a celebration of Northern Ireland’s rose heritage, is back from July 15 to 21 in the stunning grounds of Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park. The flower spectacular is the perfect opportunity for visitors to experience one of the world’s leading rose gardens, while enjoying flower related competitions, workshops, demonstrations, children’s entertainment, and the judging of the international trial roses by a panel of experts. The City of Belfast International Rose Garden has made the park world famous. The park contains more than 30,000 blooms in the summer, divided into trial and display beds, an historical section, and a heritage garden that displays the best roses from local breeders.

The Antrim Garden Trail is now in its second season. The trail includes the most distinguished public and private open gardens in Country Antrim, offering garden lovers the chance to discover ancient plots, glorious flower beds, scented walkways, and charming garden walks. The self-guided trail lists a series of nine must-see gardens throughout Antrim including the Belfast Botanic Gardens, Benvarden Garden in Dervock, close to the north coast, and large public gardens such as Antrim Castle Gardens and Clotworthy House in Antrim.

The trail offers garden enthusiasts, groups, families, and couples great variety as well as a unique insight into County Antrim. Each of these nine stunning spaces is a haven for garden lovers and some of the features waiting to be discovered include 17th century and Victorian ornamental gardens, sundials, a cobbled stable yard, two of Europe’s finest early greenhouses, and a hornbeam maze in the shape of Northern Ireland.

To learn more about Northern Ireland’s gardens, events, and seasonal highlights, or for further information on places to stay or things to see and do in Northern Ireland, contact the Northern Ireland Tourist Board on CallSave 1850 230 230 or click on www.discovernorthernireland.com

 

Details of all our roses are available on our web site.
Over 1000 varieties to choose from.

www.countrygardenroses.co.uk

ROSE GARDENS

ALPHA PIPER MEMORIAL ROSE GARDEN

Thousands of roses have been planted in Hazlehead Park’s Piper Alpha memorial garden as part of a campaign to ensure the site flourishes for generations to come.

Aberdeen City Council is working with Oil & Gas UK and the Pound for Piper Trust to help improve and maintain what has become a poignant tribute to the 167 men who lost their lives in 1988 North Sea tragedy.

Council staff prepared the ground and planted the bulk of the 11,320 roses, which should be in full bloom in time for July, which will mark the 25th anniversary of the disaster.

The Pound for Piper Trust has gained the support of the oil and gas industry, with Oil & Gas UK member companies providing generous donations to cover around £140,000 of the total £150,000 cost of the refurbishment.

Aberdeen City Council is providing the remainder of the funding while carrying out the majority of the restoration work and maintaining the gardens.

Kerri Henderson, whose dad died in the Piper Alpha tragedy eight days before she was born, helped plant the final roses during a ceremony in the gardens on Tuesday [09 April]. She was joined by representatives from Aberdeen City Council, Pound for Piper Trust, Oil & Gas UK, Cockers Roses and Aberdeen Sea Cadets.

Councillor Neil Cooney, Convener of Aberdeen City Council’s Housing and Environment Committee, said: “The memorial garden and statue is a very special place for Aberdeen citizens and the wider oil and gas industry, particularly for those whose lives have been affected by this tragedy. It is a place for quiet contemplation and reflection so it is therefore essential that it is attractive, well looked after and maintained to as high a standard as possible.

“Council staff already work hard on its upkeep but this additional support from the oil and gas community, both on and offshore, will bring a huge boost. We are extremely grateful for their generosity and hope we can continue to work together in meaningful ways so the memory of the victims of the Piper Alpha tragedy lives on.”

Carol Banks, Pound for Piper Trust founder, said: “This is a momentous day for everyone who has worked hard to make it possible. Since we set up Pound for Piper, we’ve been overwhelmed by the support of the onshore and the offshore community as well as the oil and gas industry which has backed the Trust both financially and in spirit.”

Geoff Holmes, CEO of Talisman Sinopec Energy UK Limited and a member of the Oil & Gas UK board added: “The industry’s support for this campaign has been inspirational; it demonstrates how passionate we all are about ensuring we remember those who lost their lives. The incredible efforts of the Pound for Piper team mean that the much-loved and important memorial to Piper Alpha will thrive for many years to come.”

Some 10,200 hybrid tea and floribunda roses (58 varieties) have been planted along with 599 ground cover roses, 171 hybrid musk roses and 350 rugosa roses.

The planting plan is designed to provide a good contrast of colour and height and was drawn up by Cockers Roses and Aberdeen City Council officers.

Other work will include rejuvenating grass areas, treatment of the perimeter hedging and trees to allow light and nutrients to the flower beds, maintenance of the benches, cleaning of the memorial and renewal of the lettering on the memorial plaque

Details of all our roses are available on our web site.
Over 1000 varieties to choose from.

www.countrygardenroses.co.uk

ROSE GARDENS

RINGLING ROSE GARDEN

What’s A Few Weeds !!!

Before ground was broken for their Venetian-style Sarasota mansion, Ca’ d’Zan, before all the paintings, tapestries and sculpture that would form the collection of the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art were bought, Mable Ringling started her rose garden.

The Italianate wagon wheel of heady aromatic roses that was completed in 1913 turns 100 this month, making it the oldest tended rose garden in Florida.

John Ringling was a tall, blunt, all-business lover of excitement and the grandiose, perfect traits for a circus magnate. His Ohio farm girl wife was a pretty, petite and gracious lover of flowers, who was also an avid reader and a quick and lifelong learner.

The couple traveled throughout Europe. While John scouted new acts for the family’s “Greatest Show on Earth,” Mable spent her time in museums honing her taste. Together they bought what pleased them, especially in Italy.

Mable decorated all their homes – in addition to Ca’ d’Zan, there was a 100-acre estate in Alpine, N.J., now part of Palisades Interstate Park; 636 Fifth Ave., now Rockefeller Center; a property in Chicago; and the neo-classical Worcester Home on Bird Key, part of a chain of barrier islands between mainland Sarasota and the Gulf of Mexico. The Ringlings also owned 100,000 acres in Oklahoma and Montana.

They began wintering in Sarasota in 1911. When working with architects and craftsmen, Mable was as determined as her husband to have it her way. She must have been, to envision a formal rose garden in the 20-acre jungle of mangrove swamp, rattlesnakes, water moccasins and alligators along Sarasota Bay that they selected for their winter estate.

“We have records of her working wearing a gun on her hip and high boots,” said Ron McCarty, curator of Ca’ d’Zan for 32 years. “She was quite a woman.”

Mable hated snakes, but they weren’t going to stop progress on her rose garden. There was nothing like it in the Sarasota of those days, a quiet enclave of 800 souls when the Ringlings arrived.

Not that the Ringlings and the Florida land boom allowed it to stay that way for long. John became the area’s largest landowner and built the causeway from Sarasota to St. Armands, Longboat, Lido and Bird keys, which he then developed.

After creating the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, he was instrumental in founding what has become the Ringling College of Art and Design.

Mable was elected first president of the first Sarasota garden club, the Founders Circle, and strongly supported beautifying the city growing around their winter home.

She was elected president of the Sarasota Woman’s Club a year later. She commissioned the New York architect responsible for the exterior of the Metropolitan Museum of Art to design their art museum in Sarasota.

Details of all our roses are available on our web site.
Over 1000 varieties to choose from.
(click below)

www.countrygardenroses.co.uk

ROSE GARDENS

LEVENS HALL ROSE GARDEN

Nothing can compare with the sights and scents of a traditional english rose garden in full bloom throughout the summer. There is an abundance of flowers, delicate confections in pinks and whites or deeper velvety reds, each with its own rich and individual exotic perfume.

This area is planted throughout with ‘English’ roses. The result of hybridising the wonderful older roses with modern repeat flowering varieties to get the best features of both. They include: ‘Belle story’, ‘Perdita’, ‘Chaucer’, ‘Gertrude Jekyll’, ‘Mary Rose’, ‘The Countryman’ and ‘Wife of Bath’, all in shades of pink. ‘LD. Braithwaite’ and ‘Wenlock’ in crimsons, and ‘Winchester Cathedral’ in white. Drink deeply of their heady perfume. Breathe in the scents of summer…

The old rose garden at Levens Hall is charmingly set in an intricate pattern of low hedges and enticing winding pathways. The tree at its centre is the Maidenhair tree Ginkgo biloba, a unique survivor. Once known only through fossil records, the species was re-discovered in China in 1758. The Levens specimen in the centre of the rose garden is about 60 years old. Unusually for a conifer, the Ginkgo is deciduous and has flat fan shaped leaves which turn a lovely yellow colour before falling in the Autumn

Opening Times & Ticket Prices

31 March – 10 October

Open Sundays to Thursdays

(Closed on Fridays and Saturdays during the Season, ALSO CLOSED SUNDAY 9th JUNE)

The Gardens

10.00am – 5.00pm

The House

Open 12 noon – 4.30pm

(Last admission 4.00 pm)

Admission

House & Gardens – £12.50

Gardens Only – £8.50

No charge for Children under 16 – accompanied by an adult (four children per adult maximum)

Free admission to the Gift Shop and Bellingham Buttery.

Details of all our roses are available on our web site.
Over 1000 varieties to choose from.
(click below)

www.countrygardenroses.co.uk

ROSE NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

UK

GARDENS OF THE ROSE UNDER THREAT

THE future of the Gardens of the Rose and the society which runs it hinges on the success of a planning application for parking which is being submitted next month.

 

The rose gardens in Chiswell Green Lane have just closed after this summer’s temporary five-week opening period during which visitor numbers were down because of the poor weather.

Despite that shortfall, opening the gardens is the biggest money spinner for the Royal National Rose Society (RNRS) and raises more than income from membership.

But unless the RNRS succeeds in getting planning permission for 30 permanent parking spaces adjoining the gardens, both the society and the grounds will be forced to close.

The Gardens of the Rose have been a visitor attraction in St Albans for many years but the parking situation has been problematical since part of the RNRS land was sold for the creation of Butterfly World next door and the two were to have shared access and parking.

But the society and Butterfly World were unable to reach agreement and as a result, the RNRS has to apply for temporary parking for a short period in the summer – and unless it can reach a permanent resolution the board has already decided that closure is the only answer.

Chief executive Roz Hamilton confirmed this week: “We are putting in another planning application for 30 parking spaces just outside the gardens and if we don’t get that we can’t continue.”

The sticking point is that the site the RNRS wants to use is in the Green Belt and has already been turned down for planning permission before.

But it is throwing everything at one final attempt including a commissioned report about the number of accidents around the site – none of which have happened in the summer when the gardens are open – the site’s reclassification as a leisure facility and an offer to put in mature trees to screen the parking site from view.

The gardens were open from June 9 until July 29 this year and although visitors were down from between 8,000 and 9,000 to 6,500 because of the weather, the opening still accounts for more than 50 per cent of the RNRS income because of the success of the tea room and rose sales.

Ideally the gardens would open for four months a year so visitors could see the second flush of roses in the summer and it would have a licence to conduct weddings – which cannot happen until a permanent resolution of the parking situation is reached.

Roz said: “This planning application is critical because if it doesn’t succeed the society will fold and the garden will close.”

She added: “It is a long fight we have had here and we are eternal optimists but you have to take a realistic view of the financial situation and we can’t survive unless we take more money from our garden opening.”

Details of all our roses are available on our web site.

Over 1000 varieties to choose from.

www.countrygardenroses.co.uk

 

 

Rose News From Around The World

USA

Hershey Rose Garden. Pennsylvania

The Hershey Rose Gardens
 Well Worth A Visit

 Mention Hershey, Pennsylvania to anyone and they will immediately identify it with chocolate kisses and candy bars, and if they haven’t got a sweet tooth, they may think of the gut-wrenching yet exhilarating roller coasters of Hershey Park. Touted as the “sweetest place on earth,” the streets are lined with alternating brown and silver street lights designed to look like chocolate kisses, wrapped in foil and unwrapped. But unless you’re a lover of flowers, you probably haven’t heard of the Hershey Rose Garden.

Having lived but a few miles from Hershey for most of my life, I was aware of the rose gardens, but like most people who live close to an attraction, I never made time to visit. It was always one of those things that I planned to do one day, but simply didn’t have it on my list of priorities. The rose is my favorite flower and has been for as long as I can remember.

I’m especially attracted to the miniature ones and have purchased them for my mother almost every Mother’s Day. Every time Mother’s Day rolls around, I’m reminded that I still haven’t made my trek to the gardens. I make my purchase and then promise myself that this will be the year I’ll visit, only to become busy with some project that takes up all my time and before I realize it, the leaves are falling from the trees and I’m pulling out the winter hats and coats.

This year was different. My boyfriend decided it was time I made that visit. He started with little suggestions now and then, which I sort of heard and nodded an absent minded “uh-huh” to. Then he stepped it up to reminiscing about visits he had made so many years ago with his parents. Again, I gave the obligatory nod and mumbled response. I was always just so busy being focused on other things. Finally, he simply said he thought we should go on a particular day the coming week and me being my usual preoccupied self, nodded absentmindedly and went on about my business as usual.

The night before the chosen day, he asked me what time I wanted to leave to go over to the gardens and I realized I’d been had. I didn’t want to get up early to go look at some flowers and I surely didn’t want to rush around to get there. I picked early afternoon, thinking one or two hours for visiting would be plenty before heading home so I could make dinner. As it turned out, I was terribly wrong, but that comes later.

We arrived at about one in the afternoon and walked along a shaded walk lined with flowers and decorative bushes and grasses. It was very pretty and a nice hint at what may be waiting beyond the admission building. When we stepped up to the window to pay for two adult admissions, I thought my eyes were going to bug out of my head. Without a word, I handed over the $22 fee for the two of us. As we headed around the corner of the building to enter the gardens, I leaned toward Mark and told him quietly I couldn’t believe we’d just paid that much money to look at a few flowers. After all, I could walk down any residential street in our neighborhood and look at them for free.

We stepped beyond the tall trees surrounding the admissions building and a whole new world was opened for me. It was breath taking! Those “few” flowers I’d been griping about only seconds before, were spread out before me in a magnificent display of wonder. 5,000 rose bushes of 275 varieties and various colors grew in perfectly placed bed after bed, row after row, all surrounding a gorgeous pond with a fabulous water fountain in the very center.

I stood there awestruck for quite a few moments, my mind furiously trying to figure out how in the world I would see all there was to see in the little bit of time I had allotted. There are over 23 acres providing a home for a marvelous collection of eleven different themed gardens, one of which is a children’s garden, in addition to the Butterfly House.

Finally, I simply decided to remain within the central part of the grounds, surrounded by roses. I knew we wouldn’t get to see all the other gardens, and wished I had been smart enough to begin my visit earlier so I wouldn’t feel as though I had to rush to see everything. As it turned out, I was able to see the perennials garden, the Children’s Garden, and the Butterfly House before we finally took our leave almost five hours later.

As one would expect with roses, there’s a bit of a romantic story attached to the Hershey Rose Gardens. Milton Hershey and his wife Catherine (Kitty) lived in a mansion they named High Point, appropriately named due to its position on a rise overlooking the Hershey chocolate factory. He was 41 and she was only 26 when they married in 1898. As the story goes, Milton gave Kitty a bouquet of fresh flowers every day of their marriage, as she took great pleasure in gardens and their flowers. Milton, too, was a lover of horticulture and flowers.

Their idyllic marriage ended in 1915 when Kitty died following an extended illness. Three years later, a memorial rose garden in her honor was planted at High Point by her husband who was never to remarry. The garden and grounds had always been open to visitors from the moment the Hershey’s had completed construction. Kitty had been active in adding her personal gardening touches throughout the town with plantings of flowers and trees, believing the people would enjoy their homes more if they were made “nice”.

The Hershey Rose Gardens opened in 1937 on only 3.5 acres, but there were 12,000 roses bushes to see. This year marks the 75^th anniversary of the gardens, and with the celebration, the rose named for Milton S. Hershey in 1940 has been reintroduced. It was originally planted in the garden in 1941 and over the years, the number of bushes had dwindled to just six of them. As a result, budwood was sent to growers in South Carolina and Canada in time to have 20 of the bushes planted for this year. It’s expected that there will be about 75 by next year, with enough in 2014 to be able to sell to visitors and flower shops.

By the time we left the gardens, I had captured more than 400 pictures of the most gorgeous flowers I’ve ever seen. I rushed to my computer to get them downloaded so I could look at them all over again. While I was busy with my camera and computer, Mark took to reading the garden brochure given to all visitors. We discovered, to our disappointment, that there are yearly memberships to be had. The cost is $60 per couple or $75 for families with children under the age of 18. The family membership also covers grandchildren under the age of 18. Our disappointment stemmed from the fact that had we read the brochure while we were at the gardens and decided we wanted a membership, they would have counted our admission fee toward the membership.

Mark picked up the phone on the slim chance that their membership director might cut us a break. When he reached the woman in charge of memberships, he explained what had happened and asked if they would be willing to consider the day’s admission price if we came the next day to purchase a membership. Not only did she give us the discount, but she gave us more than a few days. And to make sure there was no mix up she gave Mark her name and business number, as well as emailed the folks at the admissions building to inform them of the arrangement. When we took my grandson a few days later, they not only were aware of the arrangement, but they knew us by name.

In addition to the right to view the gardens, there are many planned activities throughout the year for which both children and adults are invited without cost as a member. There is an annual reception and newsletters sent out to inform members of events and issues. My favorite perk is the one where a membership to the Hershey Gardens is reciprocated at a number of other botanical gardens across the country.

We’ve been to the gardens three times so far since we joined a month ago. I still have not seen everything there is to see. I can’t think of any other activity or organization I’ve belonged to that has provided so much for the money spent. If you’re coming to Hershey, The Gardens is one attraction well worth visiting, but make sure you’ve given yourself plenty of time to take it all in!

“The more beautiful you make something which people can see and use, the more enjoyment they will get out of it.” ~~~Milton S. Hershey

Details of all our roses are available on our web site.
Over 1000 varieties to choose from.

www.countrygardenroses.co.uk

 

ROSE GARDENS

Bowes-Lyon Rose Garden 

Royal Horticultural Society.

The Ten Best Rose Gardens.

Roses are soon to be in full bloom in gardens across Britain. Here are 10 outstanding RHS Gardens and Partner Gardens where you can see roses at their very best this summer.

RHS Gardens and shows

RHS Garden Wisley, Surrey

Celebrating its first anniversary this summer, the Bowes-Lyon Rose Garden creates a memorable summer spectacle with more than 4,000 roses interplanted with 5,000 herbaceous plants. Designed to demonstrate the full range of rose types available to modern gardeners, from true old roses, English roses and floribundas (cluster-flowered) through to rose species that are rarely seen in a garden setting, this garden boasts more than 150 cultivars. The colour scheme, of hot to cool and back again, creates a visual impact that complements perfectly the impressive range of scents.

RHS Garden Rosemoor, Devon

More than 2,000 roses from nearly 200 cultivars are found within Rosemoor’s two rose gardens that make up part of the formal, hedged gardens in the 65 acre estate. The Queen Mother’s Rose Garden bursts with more than 60 modern cultivars of hybrid tea (large-flowered) and floribunda roses, with a mix of climbers to clothe the central arbour, arches and obelisks, while the Shrub Rose Garden mixes 130 old-fashioned and traditional selections. Visit Rosemoor for Rose Weekend, 23 – 24 June.

RHS Garden Hyde Hall, Essex

The Modern Rose Garden at Hyde Hall reaches its full glory in June when the roses erupt into a wonderful display of colour and fill the air with a heady fragrance. The area, bounded by yew and box hedges, is planted in a formal style with a range of colours from deep, velvety red through oranges and yellows to pale creams and crisp, clear whites. Obelisks add height and structure for climbing roses and late-flowering clematis.

RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, Surrey

From 3-8 July, the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show will bring together some of the UK’s best rose growers in the ‘Romance and Roses’ marquee. Bursting with blooms to buy at the peak of perfection, the marquee will also be home to the rose nurseries’ new roses for 2012, alongside floral interpretations of some of the great love stories of myth and literature, such as Beauty and the Beast, Romeo and Juliet, and Lancelot and Guinevere.

RHS Partner Gardens

Houghton Hall, Norfolk

The rose garden at Houghton Hall is divided into two contrasting areas: one stately and formal, the other in a looser style. The outer garden has an informal, cottage style, and the roses are interplanted with Philadelphus, rosemary, peonies and euphorbias. It is a mass of colour, perfume and variety, and a great place to see how roses can look when grown alongside many other kinds of plants.

Cambo Gardens, Fife

Staging its Rose Festival from 22 June to 7 July, Cambo Gardens has a collection of more than 100 climbing and rambling roses, particularly in the Walled Garden and Woodland Garden. See ramblers such as Rosa ‘Paul’s Himalayan Musk’ and R. ‘Wedding Day’ growing up trees, through shrubs and hedges, on ropes, walls, trellises and pergolas.

Hever Castle and Gardens, Kent

The four acre, walled rose garden in the grounds of Hever Castle boasts formal beds, densely planted with more than 3,000 roses. Each bed contains just one cultivar, creating impressive blocks of colour and scent. Seek out cerise Rosa Buxom Beauty (‘Korbilant’) and Rosa Champagne Cocktail (‘Horflash’).

Coughton Court, Warwickshire

The Rose Labyrinth within the historic Walled Garden at Coughton Court is undoubtedly the jewel in the garden’s crown. More than 200 different selections of shrub, climbing and rambling roses are grown, along with a wide range of herbaceous underplanting, such as geraniums, violets and achilleas. Rose cultivars include Damasks, Albas and Noisettes as well as many other old-fashioned English roses.

Millgate House, North Yorkshire

The garden at Millgate House in Richmond, North Yorkshire, shows just how versatile roses can be. There are more than 70 rose cultivars throughout the compact town garden: clambering up stone walls, trained as standards, and grown as shrubs in herbaceous beds. Especially spectacular displays come from lemon-yellow Rosa helenae and Rosa ‘Maigold’, which is draped along a cast-iron balcony, making the most of limited space.

Nymans, West Sussex

The classical rose garden at Nymans shows that it is possible to have beautiful roses without using pesticides. Each week, from leaf burst to October, the plants are sprayed with an organic solution of milk, garlic, seaweed or compost tea to keep major pest and disease populations at bay.

RHS members can visit each of these RHS Partner Gardens free in June.

Details of all our roses are available on our web site.

Over 1000 varieties to choose from.

www.countrygardenroses.co.uk

ROSE NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

UK

 

THE BEST ROSE GARDENS

Castle Howard

The following Rose Gardens have been chosen by the Mail On Line Gardening as the Best In Britain.  

Well worth a visit.

MOTTISFONT ABBEY, HAMPSHIRE

Two large walled gardens filled with historic roses like gallicas and damasks, beautifully combined with perennials (above). Open daily, 10am-5pm (10am-8pm Fridays and Saturdays, until 30 June), entry £8.10 (free to National Trust members). http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk

CASTLE HOWARD, YORK

Forever associated with Brideshead Revisited, Castle Howard also has a glorious garden with many old-fashioned roses and an outstanding collection of more than 2,000 modern varieties, set within a lovely walled garden. Open daily, 10am-5.30pm, entry £8.50. www.castlehoward.co.uk

MALLENY GARDEN, EDINBURGH

Delightful three-acre walled garden with a national collection of 19th-century shrub roses, beautifully laid out. Open daily, 10am-5pm, entry £3.50 (free to NT members). www.nts.org.uk

SUDELEY CASTLE, WINCHCOMBE, GLOUCESTERSHIRE

Flanked by yews, this garden, on the site of a Tudor parterre, has over 70 varieties of roses and offers magnificent views of the Cotswolds countryside. Open daily, 10.30am-5pm, entry £5. http://www.sudeleycastle.co.uk

THE ALNWICK GARDEN, ALNWICK, NORTHUMBERLAND

An impressive garden with pergolas, arbours and beds filled with shrubs and climbers, including 3,000 David Austin roses. Open daily, 10am-6pm, entry £12 (valid for a year). http://www.alnwick garden.com

QUEEN MARY’S ROSE GARDEN, REGENT’S PARK, LONDON

Named after the Queen’s grandmother, this garden is packed with climbers, ramblers and shrub roses. There are also fountains, a rock garden and herbaceous borders, making it a great place for a picnic on a warm summer’s day. Open dawn to dusk, entry free. http://www.royalparks.gov.uk

DRUM CASTLE, DRUMOAK, ABERDEENSHIRE

Planted in 1991, this walled garden is divided into four quadrants, representing roses from the past four centuries, and boasts 400 varieties. Open daily, 11am-5pm, entry £9.50 (free to NT members). http://www.nts.org.uk

COUGHTON COURT, ALCESTER, WARWICKSHIRE

The Rose Labyrinth has over 200 varieties and is particularly strong on historic roses such as albas and noisettes. Open Wednesday-Sunday (and Tuesdays in July and August), 11am-5pm, entry £5.90 (£2.50 to NT members). www.coughtoncourt.co.uk

Details of all our roses are available on our web site.
Over 1000 varieties to choose from.

www.countrygardenroses.co.uk