Honeysuckle Cottage(Roses)

This nursery will be added to the online list of nurseries tonight when I have more time.
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Has anyone ordered from these guys? I really want some violets, mints and sweet peas from their collection!

They are a three hour drive from us. Dr Judyth McCleod( my teacher at AG college) and her husband Keith (photographer) are very good at what they do. It appears from all things in relation to the business, they are hard to contact, you can try. Their collection of old roses is very good, Judyth has written some good books.

hard to contact indeed lol try impossible LOL

I have ordered many hard-to-find plants from HC over many, many years. Their site is lavished with some of the finest prose ever written about flowers and herbs, climbers and creepers. Just filled with love and knowledge and a talent for the written word.

The site is a wonderful read. DO NOT ORDER FROM THE SITE ITSELF. It's a third-party thing, and it is as awful as the catalogue is divine. If you can't reach Judyth by phone, just keep trying. Whatever the case, don't use the online facility, or you might find yourself out of pocket or paying outrageous postage rates for a single plant if the rest of your order is out of stock.

Righto! Thanks for the heads-up.

Judyth wrote her pHD on parchment paper she made her self on something to do with water ecology from memory.

Haha sounds like my kinda gal! I remember seeing my dad's PhD, it was on invertebrate biology or something, but it was all typed up by my mum on her little type writer and dad had drawn what he'd seen in his microscope slides by hand. She said she almost refused to do it because my dad kept trying to infect himself with tapeworm for his research. Gross.

Anyway....

What a stunning couple, your parents! Ah those little typewriters. Once a most coveted possession, now a curiosity. How many millions of academic papers poured out of those keys and rollers? Your father is obviously a serious researcher in the best empirical tradition. Infect yourself! Watch what happens! And take notes, at least until you fall into a coma

I had the same experience as Betsyw with HC. About 25 years ago, when we were planting our first garden, I ordered some plants from them and still grow their lovely double white aquilegia. I found that many things I bought (violets, aquilegias and such) turned out to be not what I'd ordered, but I did get some real gems, and the catalogues were just wonderful to read and dream!
I ordered some things from them about 10 years ago, was told most of the things were unavailable, but instead of refunding my money, they sent me a $60 voucher. We visited the nursery when down that way, and yes, it was AWFUL!! Half dead plants, weeds, rude staff - I just couldn't believe it.
I've never ordered from them again, and actually wondered how they stayed in business.
I'd be interested to know of other people's experience.

Debbie, I normally take the "BULL" by the horns when thing aren't what they are supposed to be. This I have said in the past. I document everything. What I will do for an exercise is order something and show all movements here.
Word of mouth is not good, the only thing we have to be careful of is litigation, so words have to be changed.
We normally go to the 'Bilpin Rare Plant Fair' which was held there upto two years ago and is now held at Hawkesbury racecourse/showground from memory in April.

As Betsy says , the Honeysuckle Cottage website is such a good read , just need a lazy Sunday afternoon to take it all in ....

yes, all I knew about old roses came from their catalogues and magazine when I first started gardening. I almost knew them off by heart and I was enchanted by this whole world of heritage gardening.
I'd always loved gardening, but this was something I'd never heard of and I couldn't learn enough. So maybe I should order the catalogue and give them another go, it is a long time since I ordered from them.