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!

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!

Bloom Thyme Friday: Getting Started

April 11, 2014April 11, 2014 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

This has been a week of temps in the 70s and some much needed garden clean up and planting bare root roses. But, before I could plant the new roses, I had to remove the roses that did not make it through our harsh winter. As you probably know, digging out these roses is a tough job. The roots were deep and wide. And, it’s sad to lose them. But, I said my fond farewells and am moving on.

Hope springs eternal for gardeners and I am ready to get the new roses started.

New to my garden this year are 3 lovely roses to test from Week’s Roses ….

Just like her namesake ... sunny and charming. — Just like her namesake … sunny and charming.

Doris Day / Floribunda
Disease Resistant
Old Rose Form
Scent is fruity/spicy
Parentage: Julie Newmar x Julia Child

06607 — I can just hear him singing, “Cracklin Rosey…”

Neil Diamond / Hybrid Tea
Classic Rose Fragrance
Zones: 4 – 10
Size: 4.5 – 5

Take It Easy / Shrub
Parentage: Teeny Bopper x Double Knock Out
Slight tea fragrance
Size: Medium Height

: And, the Queen is….

I also planted three of the Tom Carruth beauties … Moonstone. All year long I have heard …. And, the Queen of the Rose Show is … Moonstone. It is an amazing rose and one that many of my local rose friends are growing, so I feel it will do pretty well in my garden. Fingers crossed. 🙂

I have some David Austins coming but we’ll talk about those next week.

In other exciting news….

I received an invitation this week that set my heart all flutter. I have been invited to serve as a juror at the 2014 Biltmore International Rose Trial Competition! Look at the stunning invitation…

I can’t wait!

How about you — are you getting started in the garden this week or are you one of those southerners who is looking for that first bloom or a Cali rose gardener who is now cutting roses for vases!!

Happy Bloom Thyme Friday!

Wordless Wednesday: Pretty in Pink

August 22, 2012August 24, 2012 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

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Bloom Thyme Friday: The Good. The Bad. The Ugly. Part 2.

July 27, 2012April 4, 2014 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

The gorgeous Flamenco rose has required very little water / from the Biltmore Collection

Today we start 9 weeks of drought… as you know my garden is very large and I have had to limit watering to my roses and tomatoes and alternating trees and shrubs that are closest to our living area.

As I write this I am in the garden looking up at a simply gorgeous summer sky… not a cloud in site! Even in times of drought, God does amazing things… with people and with plants.

There is always an up side, I read that it looks like the US will set a record in the month of July for the fewest tornadoes on record. After the horrible storms of last summer (remember Joplin, MO), that is sure welcome.

And, as far as the roses are concerned, they are usually covered in Japanese Beetles at this time of year and so far we have seen very few. In their place are beautiful blooms without bug bites! That is sure welcome!