Beautiful Work at the Biltmore

Link | October 2, 2018October 2, 2018 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

Every weekend I spend judging at the Biltmore International Rose Trials is a weekend immersed in beauty at every turn…

Beautiful friends.
Beautiful roses.
Beautiful place.
And, Beautiful Hats!

George Vanderbilt was serious about hospitality and horticulture and his legacy continues. It is the perfect place for such an event!

Friday evening we have a chance to meet new friends and renew cherished friendships in the rose garden … sipping wine and enjoying yummy food.

THE BEAUTIFUL “WORK”

Saturday morning we begin our “work”… with a delicious cup of coffee as we watch the enchanting fog lift over the garden. Then with clip boards in hand, we are up closed and personal with the roses.

THE WINNERS

Biltmore Winners 2018 Awards Day
Roses Entered in 2016

Oso Easy Urban Legend (R.’ChewPatout’)
Chris Warner – Spring Meadow Nursery

Lord Burleigh Award for Best Disease Resistance
Chauncey Beadle Award for Best Shrub Rose
Purchase this rose here.

Princesse Charlene De Monaco (Meidysouk)
House of Meilland – Star Roses & Plants

- Cornelia Vanderbilt Cecil Award for Most Fragrant Rose
- George and Edith Vanderbilt Award for Most Outstanding Rose
- Pauline Merrell Award for Best Hybrid Tea

Highwire Flyer (Radwire)
William Radler – Star Roses and Plants

Gilded Age Award for Climbing Rose
William Cecil Award for Best Growth Habit

Shining Moment (Radshining)
William Radler – Star Roses and Plants

Edith Wharton Award for Best Floribunda

THANK YOU…

Paul Zimmerman:

Sending special thanks to Paul Zimmerman for his vision and his hard work as Coordinator of the Biltmore rose trials.

Because of his work, both professional and amateur hybridizers have a greater chance for their creations to be known.
Because of his work, the backyard gardener has more beautiful options for their gardens!
Because of his wonderful work, ARS President Pat Shanley awarded him a Presidential Citation for a job well done.

Congratulations Paul!

Parker Andes:

Pat gave another much deserved Presidential Citation to Parker Andes, Director of Horticulture , for his work and dedication to this project. Parker and his teams ensure the Biltmore gardens are at their best and stay true to the Vanderbilt vision.

And, special thanks to David Pike, CEO of Witherspoon Rose Culture and John Beaty of Beaty Fertilizers for sponsoring our cocktail party and awards luncheon. We sure appreciate you!

MORE FUN!!

Thanks for stopping by and don’t forget to stop and smell the roses!

La France. First. Fragrant. Fabulous.

Link | November 19, 2017November 19, 2017 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

Someone had to be first and in the case of hybrid teas, it was La France. When you hear the terms Old Garden Roses and Modern Roses do you ever wonder how to know which is which? Old Garden Roses are roses bred before 1867 …. when the first Hybrid Tea was named and that first Hybrid Tea — La France. This pretty, fragrant rose was found in France by the Rosarian, Andre’ Guillot. Parents of this rose are said to be Hybrid Perpetual “Madame Victor Verdier” and tea rose “Madame Bravy” —giving us a new classification of roses—Hybrid Teas! (Note: Her parentage is sometimes debated!😉)

While most old garden roses are one time bloomers, this new hybrid gave us blooms throughout the growing season. Hybrid Teas are said to be the most popular class of roses, much of that popularity comes from their being commonly used as “florist” roses with their long stems and high centers.

La France is a large shrub that would NOT be considered disease resistant–black spot and other fungal disease find her very attractive! She grows best in warmer climates. As a hybrid tea she has been surpassed in beauty, form and is no longer welcome in many gardens, however, few can surpass her in fragrance! As the first, she has historical significance, making her a sentimental favorite with a warm place in my heart. Yes, she blazed the trail that led us to the amazing repeat bloomers we have now.

LA FRANCE AND THE BILTMORE

The most beautiful bed of La France roses I have ever seen is in the Biltmore garden and what a perfect place for her. She is in the company of many other historical giants in the rose world like Blush Noisette. You cannot walk by La France without stopping to take in the damask fragrance and delicate features of this rose. The pictures show that this first hybrid tea does not have the growth habit of the more modern hybrid teas but a growth habit more like that of her historical parents with delicate stems that bow in the breeze — just adding to her charm.

LA FRANCE AND FRIENDS

My time at the Biltmore is filled with beautiful roses of course, but also rose friend reunions. Friends like Jim Wilson. Jim is a wealth of rose knowledge and in particular La France. In fact, he says the rose world is sometimes confused on which rose is La France (that parentage debate I mentioned!). At the end of this post is a video interview I did with Jim last year where he talks about this debate.

Fast forward to this year when Jim presented me with my very own La France! He grew a lovely plant for me to take home! This rose is over-wintering in my potting shed and has already given me several blooms with that amazing damask fragrance it is known for.

Fingers crossed that she can be happy all winter long in less than perfect conditions—dry, dim light. 😳 I am excited to see what she can do next year in a large pot in my garden. She’s a “diva” for sure and will require extra care but I’m up for it.

Jim’s thoughts on La France…

Bloom Thyme Friday: Biltmore Rose Trial Winners!

Link | September 29, 2017August 17, 2018 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

Last weekend on a perfect day in a enchanting garden we chose winners in the 2017 Biltmore International Rose trials!

Ping Lim for Bailey Nurseries, Inc. and Altman Plants, swept the show winning 5 awards. Ping

First up, winning 4 of the 7 awards for 2017 is Screaming Neon – including Most Outstanding rose of the trial. A rose you couldn’t miss. A beautiful, healthy rose just covered in bloom. It showed no sign of disease. This rose will be beautiful in your garden or landscape!

Awards for Screaming Neon were:

Lord Burleigh Award for Most Disease Resistant

Chauncey Beadle Award for Best Shrub

William Cecil Award for Best Growth Habit

And, the George & Edith Vanderbilt Award for Most Outstanding rose of the trial!

Ping’s roses have won in these trials before…
2015’s Gilded Age Award for Best Climber — ‘Flying Kiss.’
2016’s Pauline Merrell Award for Best Hybrid Tea — ‘Double 10’

Screaming Neon with it’s neighbors in the Biltmore garden

Ping Lim also won the Edith Wharton Award for Best Floribunda with the lovely Lion King.

The gorgeous Anastasia, bred by Michel Adam, won the Pauline Merrell Award for Best Hybrid tea.

And, TADA, the coveted Cornelia Vanderbilt Cecil Award for the Most Fragrant rose goes to Dee-Lish. This rose is from the esteemed House of Meilland.

Our time on the Biltmore Estate was lovely as always. It is a magical place especially when you have the opportunity to be in the garden when it is shrouded in fog. Enchanting. Magical.

If you have not visited the Biltmore, do put it on your list. You will love anytime of year, BUT ESPECIALLY when the roses are in bloom.

Come on in…

Ahhhh

These hats & ladies are winners!

Too much fun!

Jon Parker, Biltmore Rosarian

Serious Work!

Up Close and Personal

Enchanting

Paul Zimmerman gets the party started.

All rosey with our ARS President Pat Shanley.

Chris & Tina VanCleave looking so fine!

Beauty at every turn.

Fog and roses … a winner every time!

He’s the best!

It has been quite a week. Color me a happy gardener…

Hope you have a fabulous weekend and a Happy Bloom Thyme Friday!

BLOOM THYME FRIDAY: Beauty at Every Turn

Link | September 22, 2017September 21, 2017 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

We are on the road to see roses in a place where there is beauty at every turn.
The mountains. The Inn. The Food. The Friends. The Roses.

This weekend is the Biltmore International Rose Trials. The history of roses at the Biltmore dates back to the very beginning. You can read about their 120-year love affair with roses here.

Since 2011, hybridizers, both professional and amateur, send their best of the best to live for two years in one of the most beautiful rose gardens in the world. These roses are judged 4 times each year by a local permanent jury and judged annually by additional jurors from around the world. Roses in the Biltmore garden receive minimal care — little water and no chemicals. Good luck to all of the hard working hybridizers who are hoping for one or more of the 12 coveted awards.

There could not be a more perfect place for a rose trial.

This garden is not only steeped in history, but is so very vital to today’s rose world as the trial brings to the public’s attention so many amazing roses.

Just walking through the entrances is an experience and once inside … Stone Walls, Pergolas, May Poles, Arbors, the Conservatory—all work together to create an enchanting place where beautiful roses and their flower companions flourish. Add to that the opportunity for rose friends from all over the country to renew friendships, to share lovely food and wine and to don our hats, grab our clipboards and get to the serious business of finding the best of the best roses for your backyard.

I believe George and Edith Vanderbilt would be proud of the valuable work being done in this garden that meant so much to both of them. A huge thanks to Paul Zimmerman for his vision, commitment and leadership in bringing us the Biltmore International Rose Trials.

MORE TO COME…

Pictures, videos and mini interviews will be posted on Facebook and Instagram. The Rose Chat Crew interviews will be available at RoseChatPodcast.com a bit later. We are also going to interview Jeff Plack about the Biltmore Wines! Did you know they were also famous for their wines?? Well they are. 🍷🥂🍷

Duty calls and I must go… Wink. Wink. Seriously, somebody pinch me! 😉

The above picture is from two years ago. This year the hat will be different, but the happiness level is the same! 🙂

Happy Bloom Thyme Friday!

Biltmore International Rose Trials 2016

Link | September 30, 2016August 17, 2018 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

 The Roses, The Garden, The Hats!!

THE ROSE TRIALS. . .

There is so much for me to love about the rose world. Roses, rose friends and rose events add so much to my life. None more than the annual pilgrimage to judge roses at the Biltmore. What a pleasure to be in this beautiful place with so many beautiful friends. And, the roses, oh my, spending this last weekend in September in the Biltmore rose garden is truly ending my rose growing season on a high note.

ABOUT THE TRIALS:

The trial is dedicated to the backyard gardener and is open to professional as well as amateur rose hybridizers from around the world. Each trial lasts two years and a permanent jury judges the roses four times per year. Even in winter!

Roses are evaluated for their overall health and vigor, fragrance, disease resistance and their ability to rebloom. All things that we backyard gardeners are looking for. In my garden are several of the past winners and I am making plans to add a few of these as well! 🙂

And, the 2016 winner are…

POLAR EXPRESS (Kordes Sunbelt Collection) Link to New Flora http://newflora.com/product/polar-express-rose/

Best Growth Habit
Best Floribunda
Most Outstanding Rose of the Trial

HONEYMOON (Kordes Arbors Collection) More info here.

Lord Burleigh Award for Most Disease Resistance
Gilded Age Award for Best Climber

DOUBLE 10 by Ping Lim

Pauline Merrell Award for Best Hybrid Tea

THE LARK ASCENDING by David Austin

Chauncey Beadle Award for Best Shrub

An amazing collection!

THE GARDEN…

Belinda’s Dream was so dreamy–I could hardly tear myself away! You can order this one here. Lucky for me, my Belinda’s Dream was blooming when I got home! (More about that here.)