My Rose Garden

Remember this:

I blogged my new Rose garden as a blessing back in May this year.  I hadn't realised that I had written so little!   I was inspired to try and grow roses a few years ago after visiting the famous rose gardens at the National Trust property Mottisfont Abbey, which is about 25 minutes away from us.  Their gardens are planted in a way I had never seen roses grown before - in huge beds with lots of annuals and perennials growing up and around and through them.

During a visit from my step-mother-in-law, she insisted on taking me to a local rose grower Pococks Roses.  It was very daunting walking into somewhere as a complete and absolute beginner.  I need not have worried though - I told them about my plans and my lack of knowledge and they reassuring told me which of the many different types of roses they had, would suit my plans.  As I result I came home and planted, let me introduce:

 Grace

Seventh Heaven

Special Anniversary

and finally Sweet Valentine

I don't have a photo of the whole garden at the moment but look what I can see from my kitchen window now:

I don't have a picture of my 'Sweet Valentine' red rose yet, but have several about to open so will post it as soon as it does.  I am planning to purchase another in November when the next batch are ready - the one I am after is called Winchester Cathedral and is a beautiful white fragant rose.  All four that I have at the moment are fragrant and especially in the evening my whole garden has gentle perfumes covering it.  At the moment I have also got planted some perenial blue geraniums, some japenese anenomies and a lovely blousy fuscia.  Next spring I intend to do a bit of seed planting around them to see if I can get just a bit more of a Mottisfont feel to the patch.