Please do continue to ramble on. I'm looking forward to hearing about your woodland adventures

I look forward to your posts and would miss you if stopped posting. To paraphrase the compost forum - it all comes back to gardening.

Please please keep posting on here, about anything at all! Love to read your posts.

You reminded me of the old Brer Rabbit story, where the fox kept threatening to throw the rabbit in the briar patch, and the rabbit was crying and weeping and saying "please don't throw me in the briar patch!". Of course, the fox does, and the last line in the story is the rabbit saying " I was BORN in a briar patch!"

Jackie

Oh, if you can obtain tayberries, do! The plants are hard to come by in California (due to state Dept. of Agriculture restrictions, on the list of plants not even allowed in bare root), but I lucked upon some one year and very glad I did. Of all the blackberries I make into jam (I also have Ollallies and Marionberries), tayberry is absolutely the best -- I would even go as far as calling the flavor "sublime".

It does best here in cooler summers (it would probably prefer half a zone cooler, at least, so I'm sure it loves England), but is otherwise just as easy to grow as any other blackberry. I value it so much that it is one of the few plants I will fuss over. I throw shade cloths over it during heat waves and generally try to cater to its every whim.

I once gardened in the woods of Massachusetts, so I particularly look forward to hearing about your adventures in Norfolk.

By all means continue posting, Suzy. Most of us are interested in a great many garden plants besides roses, and you have plenty to say that's worth reading.
I've been gone myself for a good deal of the summer, and returned to find, rather than the usual August desert, this amazing jungle resulting from all the amazing rain. So I'm mainly hacking through the underbrush. In spite of all the fungal disease I'd say I prefer it to the usual desolation.
I'm too much at war with Rubus to be able to give much thought to its use as an ornamental, though I'm aware the possibility exists. Not a food grower, either. Lately friends have been loading me down with squashes, apples, and pears, though, and I do cook.
Melissa

Agreed - certainly there are people who grow only roses, but most of us are more wide ranging than that. It is fun to enjoy your adventures vicariously. Fewer thorny scratches for us that way!

Just be sure you keep a wary eye out for the dreaded Himalayan blackberry, Rubus armeniacus, Luther Burbank's curse to western United States. Here it is an aggressive spreader that will invade and render impassible pretty much any patch of land left untended.

Rosefolly

Cats - Tayberries are deffo on the list - I grow them at my allotment so will be tip-rooting some extras - which I can heartily suggest for you to try. Now is exactly the best time to do it - simply bend over the ends of the canes and pin them down into the soil. Don't worry - they will immediately change from vegetative stem growth into making roots from the meristemmatic tip. I use wire bent into a U shape to keep the tips buried in the soil. By next spring you will see the start of new growth but wait till autumn before you separate the new plantlet from the parent....so a whole year. You will have to wait a further year before it makes enough growth to flower (like raspberries, they grow on second year wood) but by the following year, you will have a new and vigorous plant with loads of berries. You could easily root 2,3 or 4 like this.
I agree about the flavour though-they are my favourite berry for making jellies and compotes and mix with damsons, plums, apples and other hedgerow fruits (I am experimenting with aronia and even fuschias). You have intrigued me with Marionberries and Ollalles which I have never heard of.....I knew it was wise to hang on in this forum!

And yep Ophelia, although it all comes down to gardening, some of it also comes down to friendships (albeit at a distance) - a rare commodity, it often seems..Thank you, forum mates.

Oh dear, Rosefolly, about 8 years ago, a 'friend' offered me a root of 'Himalayan Giant'.....but I backed off, making crucifix signs and muttering about garlic and silver bullets. Unfortunately, over at the other end of the allotments, they were seduced by the promise of 20foot canes in ONE season. The result is a whole plot end given over to vicious tangled blackberries which I swear is a handy rats nest. I have offered to go in with my mulching head if someone is brave enough to strim or hack back the horrible growth....but no-one ever does (and I am not going to either). It does, however, have well-flavoured berries.

The ones that really got me going were the white flowered 'Benenden' and the ferny rubus thibetanus (ghost bramble), both growing at my local botanics. In my minds eye, those white stems will be an alternative to the silver himalayan birch, betula utilis 'Jaquemontii (which I love, but cannot grow well).

Camps, I am wondering if marionberries and olallies are available in Europe? They are the top commercial blackberries on the west coast of the U.S., developed at Oregon State University, and related to each other. For berry nerds, there's a pedigree on the link below. Interesting to see that Himalayan blackberry, the bane of Rosefolly and everyone else, has a role background in the background of marionberry -- I didn't know that.

Here is a link that might be useful: Olallieberry on Wikipedia

I forgot to endorse your berry propagation instructions, Camps. My berries are very obliging and do this themselves, all over the place all winter with me constantly trying to thwart them and avert total chaos.

I do need to deliberately propagate new tayberries this year, though, as the older plants are getting tired looking. When I am on top of my game, I put a gallon of pot of potting soil on-site with the tips of the canes inserted and fastened on the surface -- instant new plant!

I have to say, Campanula, that family party sounded rather sedate... :-)
I love reading your posts too. Don't stop.

BTW, do you have R. moschata in your woods? I've never grown it, although I'd love to. I was just thinking, it should have a usefully long late season flowering. And haven't I read somewhere that Goldfinch is late-ish? (Possibly not..) Or Golden Wings for repeat bloom along with those single flowers I know you love, and Autumn Delight for a good autumn display? Sorry, I know you've listed all your roses before in long ago posts, but am feeling too lazy to search for same...

I do love elder in England. Memories of Elderflower 'Champagne'; gooseberries stewed with elderflowers, elderflower fritters (campfire creations on the Kentish hopfields in the 1970s...) Not to mention the possibility of elderberry wine. Ate handfuls of eberries while walking on Mousehold Heath a few years back, before reading that you should never eat them raw. They were delicious though, and I'm still alive, more or less...
Incidentally, I'll be in Norfolk again soon for a few months (my dear Mama's funeral) so I'll look out for you in the autumn woods.
I'll recognise you instantly, of course, from the picture in my mind... :-)

Camps, I grow a Salmonberry cultivar, Rubus spectabilis 'Golden Ruby',though not for it's fruits or flowers but for it's golden foliage. It breaks the monotony of green....

Yes, camps, you mustn't abandon us! I haven't checked in here much lately but I was so pleased today to see you latest.

I had only read about brambles as they don't grow naturally in my part of Sweden but we got a Siberian bramble from Finland last year and have picked the first fruit this year. The plants are still well behaved and I hope I won't regret planting them. The berries are good and keep unusually well, not like raspberries. But the tastiest berry is Rubus arcticus, a native of the north but it doesn't like cultivation.

I have read too many articles about winter interest in the garden in English gardening magazines so I had to have a couple of Rubus thibetanus, unknown here, but only one plant is still alive and not giving much of a show.

I don't know if the Danish semidouble yellow spin Aïcha is available in UK? It has rebloomed unusually well for me this year. It has a long bloom period but I never count on rebloom, it's a bonus.

Yes, do keep posting camps! I'm very interested in all your plantings in the woods and the great info you share about species roses which are among my favs. Tell me more! I need a couple that are in the field marshall size range and self-supporting shrubs rather than climbers. For shady spots. What would you suggest?

As to berries, I have one plant of Rubus ursinus (a California native) but alas no berries yet because I don't know what sex the plant is, and I need the other one to get fruit. I also have a raspberry which produces yummy berries.

Melissa

Here is a link that might be useful: Rubus ursinus

I have a variety of new blackberries planted. I second that the olallie and. Marion berries. They can throw some canes too by the way. I also planted triple crown because they are thornless but so far am not a big fan of the flavor. We have Nectar berries too but they are mixed in with....those dreaded wild ones. I seem to have to dig those out monthly. We filled many trash cans while clearing them from what they had taken over. We looked like we lost in a cat fight.

They drive behind our garden has been that it has to feed you. Fruits and veggies of course. The roses feed the soul so they get a place.

And now I know where Norwich is! And that a lot of town names there end in "ham".

It looks as though species roses are true woodland edge plants - they laugh at shade, blooming perfectly well in 3-4 hours of dappled light. Even moyesii will do OK in a shady place. Singles seem to be less demanding than doubles - nutkana is much happier than nutkana semi-plena and the single white alba performs brilliantly as an understorey rose while alba maxima is sparse with its blooms (and gets really, really tall and gangly). New to me this year is r.wilmottiae and I am debating whether to get r.webbiana (might be better for you, Melissa) and dithering over Penzance briars (Amy Robsart, Meg Merrilees et al.....which are great woodland roses. Multiflora is also a great woodlander here but Nastarana, my nearest musk rose, is a bit of a sulker. I am hoping for a woodsii (happy for colonisers and spreaders) and a couple of palustris for the damper corner with (at last!) primulas. Hybrid musks are always mentioned as shade tolerant but I find in my garden that the Pemberton hybrid musks invariably stretch to the skies in search of light (must be the Trier/Aglaia Lambertiana parentage) but Len's HM's are much more floriferous (which I have always attributed to Ballerina in their lineage....which will bloom in less than 3 hours of sun). Darlows Enigma is relaxed about light, as is Sally Holmes (although blackspots horribly for me) and the old gallica, Tuscany is far better in shade than sunlight.
For larger roses, helenae is a favourite - the semi-double pale yellow Lykkefund is a delight. I grow the huge Scharlachglut as a freestanding shrub and best of all, rosa glauca - lovely at all stages.....ho yes, Mermaid, which will grow well on (large) shady bank.

It is 8 years or so since I successfully grew raspberries (every virus and pest congregates on a public allotment and sick raspberries go on forever - result - futiiity) so I am hugely excited at growing them at the woods - there are already wild r.idaeus growing (tiny and not very sweet) but I will be getting some good Scottish cultivars.
Marianne - bad girl! This is already the most expensive time of year and there you are - tempting me. One day I plan a raid on Pirjo Rautio's catalogue........
Comtessedelacouche (great name) isn't Mousehold a pearl? My daughter lives in Norwich and our woods are only 4 miles away in Postwick - we should meet up.
Cats - plants for free have an especial piquancy hey? (or is it just me being a tightwad?) Those hybrid berries! - we do have Hildaberries though.

Will try to get party pics (obvs I was too insanely crazed to take any myself).

Campanula, you are lucky not to have listened to Pirjo Rautio talk about her newest roses (with pictures) at the Nordic Rose Weekend in Turku, Finland in July. It would not have been cheap for you. Mathias Meilland was there too but his family's roses are not for us northerners, except a few like Bonica. My husband bought only one rose, not by Pirjo but from the KESKAS team (Peter Hoy et al), Tove Jansson, a spinosissima with Single Cherry as one parent. We'll put them close to each other.

This post was edited by mariannese on Thu, Aug 28, 14 at 4:47