A Rose A Day: Peggy Martin

June 30, 2013June 30, 2013 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

This year I planted the Peggy Martin rose after hearing the amazing story behind the rose. Many of the historical roses I love are true survivors, but no rose has a more amazing story than the Peggy Martin Rose.

This rose was one of only two plants surviving 20 feet of salt water over the garden of Mrs. Peggy Martin, Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, after the destruction of Hurricane Katrina in late August, 2005. Peggy lost her home, her parents, her rose garden of more than 450 antique roses she had collected for 30 years, as well as their commercial fishing boat to the storm!

MEET PEGGY MARTIN…

Peggy Martin has a new rose garden of more 300 roses and has been a no-spray organic gardener for 40 years!

I will have the pleasure of chatting with Peggy Martin about her experiences on August 3 when she joins us for Rose Chat Radio. You can join us too — more information about that here.

Below is a Peggy Martin Rose that is growing in Peggy’s “new” garden…

This is a picture of the Peggy Martin Rose that now grows in Peggy Martin's new rose garden.... — The Peggy Martin Rose that now grows in Peggy Martin’s new rose garden….

Chamblee’s Rose Nursery acquired cuttings from the original rose in New Orleans in January, 2007. I bought mine from them this spring. They sent a very healthy little plant that has grown to be about 2.5′ high. For info on ordering this rose, read on.

This rose is obviously extremely hardy as well as a vigorous climber. The fact that it is virtually thornless makes it even more desirable for walkways or around children’s play areas! As far as blooms are concerned, the pictures tell the story of what this rose does in early summer! And I’m told this rose often comes back with another bloom cycle in late summer/early fall.

My Peggy Martin rose will be roommates with Francis E Lester on the wonderful new rose arbor Mr G built. (Read more about that here.) I think they will be very happy together! But, just may compete for space! 🙂

Neighbors…. on their way to great things!

What a beautiful place to “grow up”! Thanks Mr G!

You’ll see a BIG difference in me next year!

Hard to believe that June is coming to a close. I have enjoyed spending National Rose Month with you and sharing some of my favorite roses. Thank you for going on this journey with me.

What’s Next?

So far I have not seen my first Japanese Beetle but I know they are on their way, so I will be out there protecting my roses! There may not be many rose blooms to see for the next few weeks, BUT that just gives my perennials an opportunity to take center stage–stay tuned–I love to share about them too!

Here’s one of the perennials making a great show right now as a companion to my Poseidon Roses … Yarrow!

Poseidon and her companion -- Yarrow... — Poseidon and her companion — Yarrow…

A Rose A Day: The Fairy

June 29, 2013June 29, 2013 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

The Fairy Rose is a pink Polyantha rose that is part of a select group of roses designated as Earth Kind. (Read more about Earth Kind here.) This lovely little rose is disease resistant and can take the heat! It just keeps blooming even during those hot, hot, hot days of summer! You can also expect the blooms to fade to almost white as the heat climbs!

I have this rose in the ground and love it’s free flowing shape and how it moves and grooves in and out of the companion beside it but I hear it does very well in containers too.

The Fairy is hardy in Zones 4b through 9b and grows to about 3′ wide and tall.

A Rose A Day: Red Drift

June 22, 2013June 22, 2013 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

We are more than 1/2 way through June — summer is here and she came in with some intense heat in my neck of the woods. I was up early doing some trimming and general gardening but am glad to come into the air conditioning to continue my celebration of National Rose Month by sharing another rose with you.

Next up is Red Drift. I love the entire line of Drift Roses from Star Roses and Plants but today I am excited to talk about Red Drift — fits well into our National Rose celebration with it’s bright patriotic red color!

This picture tells the whole story of what you can expect from this rose all summer. It is always in bloom!

Here’s a shot of one of my rose borders… Red Drift is showing off even when the roses behind her are taking a break.

Here’s what Star Roses & Plants has to say about Drift roses….

Drift® Roses are a cross between full-size groundcover roses and miniatures. From the groundcovers they kept their toughness, disease resistance and winter hardiness. From the miniatures, they inherited their well-managed size and repeat-blooming nature.

Garden 2 Blog 2012

One of the highlights of Garden 2 Blog (and there were legion) was getting to meet our good friends from Star Roses & Plants–Kajsa Haracz, Jacques Ferare & Kyle McKean.

P Allen Smith has many Drift roses on Moss Mountain, so I was able to see varieties I had never seen before. One of those was Coral Drift. OOH LA LA. Lucky for me, our local IGC, Country Harmony, had Coral Drift, so I am now the proud owner of 2 of those. But, I’ll show you those beauties another day.

Isn’t his garden just amazing…

P Allen Smith's Rose Garden — P Allen Smith’s Rose Garden

In My Garden…

I have 5 Red Drifts in my garden and they are about 18″ high and about 2′ wide. They keep my rose border alive with bloom from early spring to fall. Another bonus for me is these roses compliment other flowers and roses whether in the ground or in a vase. I love to add them to arrangements! Even though I only have 5, there are plenty of blooms to share! The blooms are in sprays which add great interest to vased arrangements.

These blooming machines are extremely disease resistant and a true joy in my cottage garden. All I do is give them a little fertilizer and they are good to go!

If you don’t have any of these beauties in your garden–I highly recommend you add them. Even if space is an issue for you, they will fit nicely into a container or any nook or cranny and give you season long beauty!

Tomorrow…

Tomorrow I think I’ll share a rose with you that helped get me in the winner’s circle.

A Rose A Day: Gruss an Aachen

June 21, 2013January 1, 2016 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

This light pink rose that was hybridized in Germany by Wilhelm Hinner and by Philipp Geduldig in 1909 has the fragrant, multi-petaled lovely old world charm that I adore. It is considered by most to be the first floribunda. This rose has 40-50 petals, a sweet fragrance and is a repeat bloomer throughout the growing season.

I have also read it is one of the more shade tolerant roses. That was not something I considered when I planted it, but now that the Annabelle Hydrangea is out growing it’s alloted space, they may be competing for the sun!

Since this rose grows to about 3 1/2 high and wide, she will fit nicely in to most any sized garden.

Gruss an Aachen has been on my wish list for some time and this year I finally added 2. Even though they are in their infancy, they have produced some amazingly beautiful blooms.

A Rose A Day: Celsiana

June 17, 2013June 14, 2013 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

Here is the enchanting and very fragrant Celsiana blooming in my garden. Many of you were aghast when you saw this picture on Twitter very early in the season given that I garden in Zone 5b. The truth is, Celsiana was adopted this year from Guinivere Wiley of Roses of Yesterday and Today. She’s a Cali girl–thus the early start!

I have drooled over this rose in catalogs for years and decided this was the year to adopt one… actually I adopted two. 🙂

Guinivere sent me the most beautiful plants and I protected them through some very cold days and nights.

Here’s what the Roses of Yesterday and Today online catalog says of Celsiana

Damask
Prior to 1750
4-5 feet
One annual flowering
Zones 4-9

The subject of one of Redoute’s most beautiful rose portraits, and a rose to inspire any artist. Leigh Barr Stamler, St. Louis, MO, says, “Celsiana is incredibly beautiful –
arching canes loaded with soft, lovely roses in the most perfect shade of pink! I sit on the grass in front of her for long minutes every spring, drinking in her beauty.”

A graceful plant with smooth, grey-green foliage and clusters of 4 inch warm pink flowers . . . which open wide with a special crisp twirl of crinkled petals showing tall yellow stamens. True damask fragrance . . . if you plan to make potpourri, this rose should be included in your order.

I would highly recommend you adopt at least one Celsiana for your garden!

How can you resist….

A Rose A Day: Gene Boerner Floribunda

June 16, 2013June 10, 2013 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

Gene Boerner is a beautiful, profusely-blooming floribunda with pointed exhibition form.

This rose was named for Eugene Boerner who many believe had much to do with the development of the floribundas we have today. He was hired by Jackson & Perkins in 1920 and spent his entire career with them. I think he would be very happy with the rose that bears his name. It has exquisite form, is disease resistant and is rarely without bloom.

A Rose A Day: Grande Dame

June 15, 2013June 14, 2013 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

The Grande Dame is a lovely and very fragrant hybrid tea.

Here’s what Weeks Roses has to say about this 2011 release…

“Everything old is new again … or is it the other way around?
Here’s a clean mean flowering machine whose big bountiful beauties reek with old rose romance, style & fragrance. Each lovely blossom invites you to bury your nose…to swoon from the perfume of the ‘old time’ roses of your dreams. A big vigorous ‘shrubby’ bush whose nodding clusters, abundant deep-green leaves & low-thorned cutting stems provide a perfect touch to a landscape or bouquet.”

This is my 3rd year to grow the Grande Dame and she always gets noticed.

This rose is a modern bloomer with old world charm and mixing old and new is what my garden is all about!

So, what do you think of her?

A Rose A Day: Carefree Wonder

June 14, 2013June 14, 2013 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

I don’t know about your grocery store, but many of our grocery stores have potted plants for sale. One that does it best is Kroger. They seem to pick all of my favorites and place them right by the door so I won’t miss them.

Last year I avoided gorgeous lavender plants, tall, fragrant phlox, a stunning butterfly bush or two, and others … But, the one I just couldn’t pass up was the Carefree Wonder rose. It was in full bloom, had a sweet fragrance and promised disease resistance and even shade tolerance. What rose gardener could pass that one by! Actually, I did pass it by but when I mentioned it to Mr. G, he turned around and went back and bought it for me. Yep, that’s my man!

As soon as I planted it, we went into drought mode. But, it just kept on blooming. This year this rose is almost too beautiful to believe.

This rose is shade tolerant, VERY disease resistant, has a mild fragrance and blooms like crazy. I love, love, love it! Easy … breezy … beautiful.

Did I go overboard?? I do love it! 🙂

Can’t wait for you to see tomorrow’s rose … it is a beauty too!

A Rose A Day: Reine des Violette

June 13, 2013June 28, 2013 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

Reine des Violette is a lovely Hybrid Perpetual that dates back to 1860. Hybrid Perpetuals were developed as hardy garden plants between 1840 and 1900, by crossing the Portland, Bourbon and Gallica roses and were mostly used as cut flowers in the days before hybrid teas.

The “Queen of Violettes” has double, quartered blooms that are amazingly fragrant. This year in my garden she started out deep pink and faded to purple. The color is so intense that it is hard to capture … especially when all you use is your iPhone! 🙂

I have 3 of these roses and find them oh so charming! The have that wild, old rose growth habit and multi-petaled, quartered blooms that I just love!

This year she is giving me a run for my money with Black Spot and Powdery Mildew. Just a little to damp out for her! Hey it’s been a little to damp out for me too! We’ll get through it.