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celestialrose_nh

10 MORE roses I love and miss!......(long)

celeste/NH
15 years ago

Hi again....

I got a wonderful response from my original post and felt

bad not to have included some of my other personal favorites, so here's more!

Here are more of the roses I am counting down the days to see again.....it will be the 3rd week of June here. (Sigh)

For those of you already enjoying rose blooms or those who are getting closer to seeing them, you have my envy as well as my congratulations! For those of you who are also patiently waiting, maybe these pictures will help you as we get through the weeks/months ahead. Soon, we will all be in rose heaven!

Celeste

Here are my other Top Roses, in no particular order of favoritism.........

MADAME PLANTIER....

The Madame is a forgiving, compassionate rose. She is living in the worst possible spot in my entire garden, in almost complete shade except for some filtered morning sun. And yet she lights up that dreary corner of the garden with armloads of virginal white blooms because she knows that no one else dare grow there for such little care. She blooms to make me joyous, to make me dream, and to marvel that such beauty can transform an ugly corner into a radiant light-filled haven for my soul.

{{gwi:222617}}

MARCHESA BOCCELLA......

Marchesa is my never-tiring and always dependable friend who greets me at the entrance to my garden. When the other old roses have retreated to rest for the year, Marchesa still has a few more tricks up her sleeve. I will get more flowers later in the summer and fall, never as splendid a display as in June when she is so covered with blooms that one cannot see leaves or canes....but they will be waiting for me on mornings when I crave the fragrance of old roses and the sight of those swirling confections of pink atop their ruffle of green frosting.

She looks and smells so delicious she almost seems edible.

{{gwi:239285}}

PAUL NEYRON....

There's no other way to put it....Paul is a show-off.

Paul astounds and dazzles with the sheer size of his blooms. Visitors to my garden almost always notice Paul

first and he would have it no other way. He knows he's grand. With blooms larger than my hand, a color so vibrant he cannot be ignored, and that come-hither look makes him something of a celebrity of the rose world.

He enjoys the flash of the camera and the crazed fans crowding around.

But he's finicky about the cold, not quite sure if he'd rather live somewhere less frigid. Last year I almost lost him, but he came back for more of that attention.

{{gwi:239287}}

ISPAHAN.....

Ispahan is Mr. Reliable and is an incredibly low-maintenance rose. No fuss, no bother, no worries. He just gets taller and healthier the less I do for him.

I thought he would stop growing when he reached adulthood, but the boy is still growing. He now tops 8 feet and I give him a haircut each year. He blooms with great vigor and for a long time for a once-bloomer. And his cologne is a chic magnet. He smells divine.

{{gwi:239290}}

MRS. JOHN LAING.....

Oh, what a complex relationship we have! On the one hand, she is mesmerizing in her beauty and fragrance, and on the other, she causes me such frustration and agony because she breaks out with the 'measles' something fierce here.

That doesn't stop her from blooming and each bloom is rain-resistant, long-lasting and great for cutting. Gosh, she is gorgeous! That is, if you only look at her from the 'face' up. If you look at her 'legs' she is most often naked.

Darn that blackspot. I adore this beauty and that's why she still lives with me, in spite of her propensity to take her 'clothes off' when it gets too hot.

{{gwi:239293}}

LEDA.....

Leda is the magician in my garden. In mid-June, she robes herself in fat, blood-red buds, tricking everyone into waiting for a crimson bloom to open. Instead....presto!!

Pure white pompoms emerge with the tiniest edging of red lace. Even her name is magical.

{{gwi:222622}}

DUC DE GUICHE....

If you read my original post, you knew there had to be a Gallica in here somewhere!

Duc de Guiche is a handsome rose, not quite as flashy as Charles de Mills, but definitely a looker. His blooms are smaller, but still wonderful in that Gallica style. And his color is brilliant. Always reliable, hardworking and self-sufficient....great traits in a guy!

{{gwi:239295}}

FANTIN-LATOUR....

Fantin is always a sight to behold, a fountain of palest

pink. I peg him down to make the best use of his cascading habit and there are blooms all along the length of his canes. He is an artist for sure,

painting a picture of nostalgic charm that is timeless.

{{gwi:239297}}

THERESE BUGNET....

There is so much to love about this rose. She is the very earliest of my roses, blooming slightly ahead of the scots roses. She laughs at winter, needing no coddling or effort. She actually seems to like the cold. I love how her stems glow red against the snow and little red hips offer extra color and food for the birds. Her blooms appear fragile.... crepey, transluscent,luminous. But make no mistake about it. This is one tough broad. She is one of those low-maintenance natural beauties that can take care of herself.

{{gwi:239299}}

LA VILLE DE BRUXELLES.....

This is a rose that rivals Charles de Mills for perfect Old Rose form. Every bloom is perfect, magical, and precise. The color is wonderful, the scent is as strong and lovely as you would expect from a damask, and it is an undemanding rose who gives great pleasure. I feel sorry for anyone who doesn't grow it. My garden wouldn't be complete without it.

{{gwi:239301}}

I hope you all enjoyed my second post.....hope you're all having a great day.


Comments (18)

  • stanc
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Bad!Bad! Girl!

    Thanks to you I how have to add more to my list of things to order.
    Will add Leda,Fantin Latour,Ispahan,Mrs John Laing and Therese Bugnet.

    I have PAUL NEYRON will have to do some pruning due to winter kill.
    I also have 3 LA VILLE DE BRUXELLES ,think this is the second year for them so waiting for big things.
    I also have lots of Hybrid Rugosas so Will add 3 Thérèse Bugnet.I always order my Rugosas in threes seems like such a nice number.Have 3 Linda Cambell on the way also.
    It's always good to get info from others in our zones instead of LaLa land.

    Stanc

  • zeffyrose
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Celeste---

    I think your pictures and descriptions would make a wonderful catalog----

    You make me want to run out and buy every single one.---If only my DH and I had younger legs-----LOL--

    I think Madame Plantier would be right at home in my shady neglected garden-- and how can I resist your description of Leda---Be still my heart

    since we lost a couple of trees I now have the space and the sun but lack the energy and strength to take care of any more roses.

    Oh how I wish we had access to a the Garden Web about 20 years ago----

    Oh what a glorious garden we would have.

    Thanks again for these wonderful pictures---

    Your garden must be a joy to behold.

    Florence

  • senko
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Celesta, you only have to wait until June. I am just planning to start a new garden... It will be years before I will have anything as magnificent as yours.

  • organicgardendreams
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Celeste - thanks for posting about all these beautiful roses, again!

    I enjoy to get more acquainted with OGRs that are uncommon for me and OGRs I have never heard of (Duc de Guiche, incredible pretty!) through your posts. The combination of your wonderful descriptions together with the photos is very appealing to me. Too bad, that I can't grow many of the roses you are featuring because of the different climate zones we are living in, especially the Gallicas, sigh... But I for sure love to see them thriving in your garden!

    Do you have even more roses that you miss :-)?

  • User
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Celeste-
    Lovely post! We just recently moved into a house with no lawn, no flowers and just rocks. We aren't putting grass in, but pathways and flowers. We are trying to transform it into something that resembles a "Celestial" garden. I look at those pictures and imagine what our garden will look like in 10 years...

    Question: La Ville de Bruxelles- is that a Gallica?

    thanks again,
    Avalon

  • cincy_city_garden
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Another great post Celeste. I feel like this one was a "coming attractions" for me since I've got Mme. Plantier, Marchesa Boccella, and Ispahan coming this Spring. You also reminded me why I need to get Therese Bugnet, I've always been attracted to this one.

    Eric

  • celeste/NH
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks for the great comments!

    stanc.....I know I'm bad....but I'm not sorry! These roses make me so happy I am just trying to spread the joy. Its nice to hear that you were paying close attention to my enabling!
    This rose passion is contagious!

    avalon....you just reminded me that I forgot to list what class each rose is from.....La Ville de Bruxelles is a Damask.

    Eric....great choices! And yes, you need Therese.

    senko....keep hanging out here and you will find all kinds of wonderful enablers who will tempt you with pictures and ideas. We all started out just like you, with everything in the planning & dreaming stage. And I'm not through---every year I add at least one more rose bed. This planning keeps my mind occupied through the long winter.
    One day you will have your own photos of roses to share and people will be envying you.

    Organic.....I know it must be frustrating to see roses that don't do well in your zone, so thanks for enjoying my pictures just the same. There are roses that you can grow that I can't here in the icebox. But I am fortunate in that the roses I am the most smitten with (Albas & Gallicas) don't mind freezing for months on end. (I, however, am not so fond of that). And yes, I do have more roses that I miss....and I have photos....watch out, I'm armed and dangerous!

    Florence....you know I just love you and your cheery comments! Your beautiful yard is a paradise as well, and you yourself are a treasure.

    Celeste

  • organicgardendreams
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Celeste - no doubts on my side, that you have your own very effective weapons and know how to use them. I have been a victim of them twice, already! First Pretty Jessica and now Yolande d'Aragon! The only open question is, what is next?!

  • patricianat
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Just name me "Vacariously Living" through Celeste. How beautiful these are. Thank you for sharing something so lovely and so cherished and coveted by us all. Ah, do tell. Spring is on her way. We know she is spring. She is full of roses and surprises as well but all are lovely.

  • melissa_thefarm
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Celeste,

    It takes talent to make people envy a zone 4 gardener her roses! Beautiful pictures! Fine writing! I have most of the roses you've listed in your posts, but in many cases I greatly doubt that mine will ever give blooms as lovely as yours, as it's usually hot here by the time they come into flower. I'll have to comfort myself with my Teas and the fall flowering of the Hybrid Musks.

    People in all different kinds of climates can have beautiful gardens, but it certainly does help if they work with their garden conditions instead of against them. Your garden is a great example of this, and an encouragement to us all.

    Melissa

  • jumbojimmy
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    MADAME PLANTIER looks so CUTE!!! Do the blooms always look like that?

    Which one is better M.Plantier or M.Hardy? I can't decide. Please help. Thanks in advance.

  • celeste/NH
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks, Melissa & Patricia!

    jumbojimmy.....Yes, Mme. Plantier's blooms do always look like that for me.
    Not sure if I can answer which is better of the two. They both have pure white blooms with a green button eye, they both are fragrant and they both are hardy. The blooms are similiar. Maybe the difference is in the size and shape of the BUSH. Mme. Plantier can reach near-climbing proportions whereas Mme. Hardy is more of a manageable-sized bush. I grow my Mme. Plantier on an obelisk so that she can drape her smooth, supple canes over and around it and she grows like a short climber that way. Mme. Plantier has little to no thorns to contend with; Mme. Hardy has thorns.

    Maybe someone else can tell you which they prefer, but I think they're both great roses. Personally, I like Mme. Plantier better.

    Celeste

    MME. PLANTIER...(again)...to show how she grows on the obelisk and her smooth stems.....

    {{gwi:239303}}

    Close-up of Madame Plantier bloom.....

    {{gwi:239305}}

    Now, for a photo of Madame Hardy.....

    {{gwi:239308}}

  • cincy_city_garden
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hey Celeste, thanks for the comparison too. I checked my orders and I have Mme. Plantier AND Mme. Hardy coming! I'm a sucker for their perfect bloom form and button eyes.

    Eric

  • celeste/NH
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Eric....I found a closeup of Madame Hardy for you....

    Celeste

    {{gwi:239310}}

  • cincy_city_garden
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks Celeste! I really like the sepals too. I wish I could bury my nose in one of those blooms right now :)

    Eric

  • AnneCecilia z5 MI
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Celeste, again you have dazzled us with beauties - and again, many are my own favorites. Great photographs, but I must say your prose is the best part. How eloquently you describe each one! Do you mind if I copy and save both this and your first post for use as ammunition when trying to persuade other gardeners of the joy in growing OGR's?

  • the_bustopher z6 MO
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Have you ever seen Leda repeat flower at all? Supposedly it has been known to do it, but I wonder if anyone has ever seen it happen.

    All your pictures are quite nice. The two hybrid perpetuals look pretty good. How is their repeat flowering? Some of mine repeat while others don't. I'm curious as to how yours do.

  • celeste/NH
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Anne....you are so sweet...YES, please feel free to copy and tantalize others with the charm of the OGR's. We need to get 'the word out'. That is one of my missions in life!

    bustopher....My Leda has never repeated. I keep 'talking' to her, trying to convince her that there are supposedly other Ledas out there who repeat, but she falls asleep after early July so no luck there.
    As for the hybrid perpetuals, Mrs. John Laing repeats very well. She blooms about the same for me as my floribundas. As I said, she is blackspot-prone here but that never stops her from blooming. She will bloom right into autumn.
    She is my best blooming hybrid perpetual and I have heard from others that she blooms well for them too.
    Paul is not as good about it. He can be kind of stubborn.
    I will get a few autumn flowers, but not many.
    I don't think in zone 4 that I have a long enough growing season to make the hyb. perpetuals happy enough to bloom better.

    Celeste