When Did You Begin Your Interest in Roses??????

When did your interest in Roses begin????
I think mine began when I was at boarding school, reading Jane Austin novels and the like. I was always drawn to the Old Fashioned style, the Perfume and Form. I also had a love of Cottage Gardens from an early age and had a lovely garden at boarding school complete with vegetable patch.
I started planting Roses in my own home garden around 30 years ago. The garden has undergone many changes since then and the present Cottage Gardens are around 6 years old, only babies but it hasn't taken long to fill them up.
I still love the Old Fashioned and David Austin's the best but when I see another I fall for, it is into the garden.
Enjoy Your Rose Gardening......  

A short reply to your topic Dianne, I am 60 years of age and can go back to the age of 5 years when my dad grew roses and have had them in and out of my life every since.

I was born and brought up in Jamaica until I was 10 years old.  I loved to watch our gardener with the roses in our garden even then.  My love grew even more when we returned to the UK and my grandfather and my father were both rose lovers, hence my addiction!!

SueH wrote:I was born and brought up in Jamaica until I was 10 years old.  I loved to watch our gardener with the roses in our garden even then.  My love grew even more when we returned to the UK and my grandfather and my father were both rose lovers, hence my addiction!!

RA(Rose Alcoholics) for you Sue, no turning back, 

roseman wrote:
RA(Rose Alcoholics) for you Sue, no turning back, 

I think you mean "Roseholics Anonymous" don't you?

 

 

I need help

I've always loved flowers. A long time ago when I was just a little girl, I was allowed to select and plant a little garden outside my bedroom window. So I planted Peace rose and so began my journey with roses, but I have always loved plants, animals and nature. (50 odd years later that rose is still going). For some years I hated many roses, especially floris in garish yellow and orange that seemed all the rage then. Sort of neon gerberas of the day. Ugh! I have tried different gardening styles and only in the last 10 years has my interest in roses been renewed. Now with more knowledge and experience do I feel my gardening ambitions are becoming achievable, with roses the stars. I like a little wildness, contours that follow the lay of the land (sounds a bit grand for a suburban block, but we have a gentle gradient), colours that merge and draw your eye further, accent points and textures and fragrances that delight the senses. Swathes of green (can't call it lawn Lol) to sweep around and draw it together. That's what I'm working toward. Not a formal rose garden, more an oasis.

I don't really know when ... Although, like Silky I've always loved flowers.
The very first rose I had a "MUST HAVE" moment with was 'Duet'. There was a bed of them at my Ag College and I fell in It was the first plant I had ever taken a cutting of. That plant is now.. 20? years old and 2m high.

IT ALL WENT DOWNHILL FROM THERE.

 

I truly am enjoying reading your stories, I neglected to say that I too was only a very young child at boarding school. I was only 4 when I was dropped off and almost forgotten so the Nuns became my parents, that is why I had my own garden and followed the gardener Nun around. I was there often through school holidays so had plenty of time to do and learn a lot about gardening.
Sue and David, how lucky you were to have Rose role models. And to live in UK so lucky, I would love to have lived in Europe and grown Rose and the other flowers I love so much, but just Try to grow here, with much success but I have to work at it.
Silky, I am reading a very good, interesting book at the moment, you may be interested, it is called 'For The Love of a Rose' it is the story of the creation of the famous 'Peace' Rose. It is an easy to read book and I really am enjoying it, It was written by Antonia Ridge, 1965. I can even read it while I am watering.
Something that is interesting to me is that you were all so young when you discovered the beauty of the Rose.
I only wish I had my first rose I planted. I hope it is still growing happily. Silky your garden sounds like one I would love to take a wander around.
Wendy, I am sure your garden is very beautiful.
Keep Growing Beautiful Roses,,,

okay where do I start lol

it all started when I was 7 years old , both of my grandmas grew roses , I remember asking both of them lots of questions and I guess I was curious little boy , unfortunately couldn't have any roses cause my parents and I lived in an apartment . growing up I still had my eyes on roses , so I would offer my grandparents help with their gardens , my grandma from mums side had a beautiful garden lots of space she lived on a big farm so space wasn't an issue , the roses she had were beautiful and very fragrant many are different then what we have here referring to the place where I was born (Lebanon)
at the age of 10 the family moved to Australia and I went to school for a short period then got stuck into work, since I was 20 have had few roses and the lack of room made me give up so I would give them away to good friends , not till 4 years ago I decided I don't care I will put up with the moving and the heavy lifting to enjoy my roses . I work in a garden centre now that's always been an ideal job for me (the money is crap lol ) but I love learning new things each day . so the passion keeps going or I should say the addiction lol

hopefully one day I get to buy my own place and have these beauties growing in the grounds , I would still have few in pots though. I find some do so well in there and easy to move around to a spot they love , so the journey continuous with well over 320 roses and still counting

happy roses = happy people

Oh Jordan, 320 Roses are they all different. Do your Grandmas know what an influence they had on your life. Do you still grow the beautiful Fragrant Roses of your youth as well as Todays Roses.
It is obvious you have a Love Affair with Roses..

yes Dianne , they are all different roses , unfortunately both of my grandmas have passed away , the roses that I refer to they have growing overseas its some you will never see in Australia . their perfumes which I can remember was so intoxicating . my grandma farm now is turned into apartment blocks so the garden was destroyed with all those  stunning old roses

majority of my roses are old fashioned ( bourbons, damasks , h/p , moss , china's, gallicas , the odd teas.. and for the modern I have David Austin  , delbard , guillot , few wonderful hybrid teas and floris

I can only dream on to have so many Old Fashioned, but Moss, I would love to grow, I am planning on getting a couple in next years order so will see how they go but the heat may be too much for them here...

planting them in a part shade Dianne , where there is a will there's a way

you can call me Dan if you like

Thank You Dan, I will certainly give them a go, maybe in pots to start off with.

If a Rose puzzled its mind over the question of how it grew, it would not have been the miracle it is.....William Butler Yeats  

I grew up following my mum around plant nurseries , myself and my three sisters and brother , she loves all plants , but roses are probably her favourites , we would go to the nurseries and buy her plants for her birthday , we didn't know what they were , but they looked nice , mum has always had roses in her garden , and gardening is just in our genes ,just as roses are in our genes, when i first moved out of home as a teenager , i dug up a tiny bit of dirt in front of the flat i was renting and started a garden . I am constantly changing my garden and i like seeing it evolve as new ideas and compulsions grab hold of me . Roses are undoubtably my favourite plant , and i like it that you have such a big selection to chose from ,and of course the more fragrant the rose is the better ....

Dimity Cottage wrote:When did your interest in Roses begin????
I think mine began when I was at boarding school, reading Jane Austin novels and the like. I was always drawn to the Old Fashioned style, the Perfume and Form. I also had a love of Cottage Gardens from an early age and had a lovely garden at boarding school complete with vegetable patch.
I started planting Roses in my own home garden around 30 years ago. The garden has undergone many changes since then and the present Cottage Gardens are around 6 years old, only babies but it hasn't taken long to fill them up.
I still love the Old Fashioned and David Austin's the best but when I see another I fall for, it is into the garden.
Enjoy Your Rose Gardening......  

Off topic a bit
Awe Jane Austin novels, well here is a bit of trivia for you Dimity, one of my direct great ancestor on my mothers side had a relationship with Jane starting in 1796, she invented the character Mr Darcy Pride and Prejudice with Thomas in mind so we are told. You just don't know what is in your family tree until you start looking.

Mi interest started about 3 years ago, my other half always wanted to have a small rose garden. So when we moved she got what she wished for. What started out as only having a small garden with 3 or 4 roses ended up being around 50..so far lol not being a garden minded person, well I hated anything to do with the outdoors garden life, i got bitten buy the rose bug, which has turned into a hobby, and now I love being in the great outdoors, well our outdoors. lol

Maree, you are so lucky to have a Mother so interested in Roses, that is a part of my life I sadly have missed out on, I have no family role models, but I was very lucky to have the Nuns there to encourage me to plant and enjoy the garden.
Paul, What a buzz to have had a family member linked to Jane Austin, it must be very interesting to sit around your dinner table.
Keep on Smelling the Roses....  

Off topic a bit
Awe Jane Austin novels, well here is a bit of trivia for you Dimity, one of my direct great ancestor on my mothers side had a relationship with Jane starting in 1796, she invented the character Mr Darcy Pride and Prejudice with Thomas in mind so we are told. You just don't know what is in your family tree until you start looking.

Wow Paul.  How interesting!  Love Jane Austin author and rose!!

What an interesting topic. I would like tell my story but at the moment we are five days out from the Australia Rose Championships that I am organizing at Penrith Paceway next Saturday  so I am going to take a raincheck for a couple of weeks. On Wednesday Steve Jones the President of the World Society of Roses arrives in Sydney and will open the show on Saturday. Following the show there will be a series of talks with those giving the talks being Cecily Rogers (Floral Art), Bruce Chapman (Hybridizing) and Graham Ross of TV fame general gardening.

Ausrose, Wish I lived in Sydney to attend, please take lots of photos to share with us. Look forward to reading your story in a couple of weeks. Have fun...  

Oh Ausrose, how lovely. Like Dianne, I wish I lived in Sydney now!! Remember the photos!