Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Spring Open Garden Dates

The roses certainly took their sweet time this spring!  For the past two years, everything was way ahead of normal.  This year, the roses are lagging behind their normal time table by at least a week.  I walked through the garden yesterday, assessing things, and I am pleased to say that it is finally time to invite visitors to come share the roses with me!

My sign at the road is a bit of a lie now ... that phone is disconnected and I'm not selling roses anymore.
 
 
Spring Open Garden dates for 2013 are:
May 26 and June 2
noon to 5pm
rain or shine
(click HERE for address and directions)
 
 
I planted these two roses as a tribute to escaped rootstock suckers on grafted roses.  It's supposed to look like the red rose is the rootstock of the yellow one.
 
 
Please don't come expecting to find a comfortable Sunday stroll in a manicured display garden ... many parts of the garden are an overgrown mess.  Some parts are worse than others.  The Rose Field is almost completely choked with weeds, with roses sprawling over their neighbors and/or suckering into expansive colonies.  The Rambler Fence looks like a collection of haystacks.  The Hybrid Tea Garden in the front yard looks pretty good, and so does the Van Fleet Fence.
 
The yellow rose is 'Sunshine Sally' and the red one is 'Cadenza'.
 
 
There is a delightful silver lining to the neglected, out-of-control conditions this year ... the roses themselves have never looked better and there are going to be WAY more flowers than ever before.  (overgrown roses do that)  I stood at the edge of the Rose Field yesterday afternoon, and I marveled at how beautiful it is.  Couldn't get close to much of it, though, because it would take a machete to clear the way to walk down most of the paths.
 
 
Here are a few words of warning:  This is a country property with country conditions (tall grass, rocks, uneven footing, etc.).  Sensible shoes are a MUST ... and sun screen and bug repellant are recommended.  A tick check after you get home will probably be a good idea, though the ticks haven't been so numerous this year, thank goodness.  (Long pants, too, if you think you may want to brave the Rose Field.)
 
See the cicada?
 
 
Be sure to budget time to visit our next-door neighbors at Hartwood Winery.  (Their wines are excellent, and I have a few roses for you to see over there on the fence between our two properties.)
 
 
 
This is always my favorite time of year!  It's the big show after a long, cold winter, and it's going to be something special.  The whole point of creating a garden like this is to share it and to show people how wonderful these old roses can be.  I love visitors!!
 
Are you coming?
 
(If you live north of here and plan to visit, consider avoiding I-95.  The volume of weekend traffic has been absolutely intolerable ... with construction and the occasional accident to snarl things even more.  It's a little bit farther, but you will probably have a much easier trip if you take I-66 west, to the Rt. 234 Bypass south.  Exit onto Route 28 toward Route 17, then take Route 17 south to Hartwood Road.)
 

8 comments:

  1. I'm confused Connie. You planted Sunshine Sally and Cadenza as a tribute to escaped rootstocks? I didn't know either were common rootstocks...

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  2. Oh yeah, I can't wait to see the roses, weeds and all. My roses have never performed so well. :)

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  3. Oh ... I'd come IF I lived closer!! Otherwise, please share pictures. Love your description of things in the country. You should see my yard, trees are just now getting baby leaves, some things just look dead and the roses need to be pruned with new shoots less than 6 inches high. Long way to go before there are roses here. Hope you have a fabulous open house.♥♫

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  4. I am glad it's just not me who has part of a garden that should be pretty but a mess. I don't feel so bad...

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  5. Janie, sweetie, everyone has parts of their garden that are an embarrassment ... I stand tall, put mine on display, and make no apologies for it. (you're still a no-reply, otherwise I would have sent this to you via email.)

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  6. Oh Connie, I wish I could come and trample through your rose gardens. Roses Gone Wild! Love it.

    I think maybe we ALL sometimes do a little better when we let ourselves go .... :-)

    Thanks for your comment on my potted summer plants. I usually pot only those plants that can take my brand of tough love, but I have the best of intentions for this poor hapless fuchsia, and the geranium that I was promised could get to be ENORMOUS.

    We'll see.

    Anne chose a beautiful hanging Lantana at my friend's nursery, also -- charmed by the colors in the blooms -- but it's using up water at an alarming rate -- I think I need to tuck it into the real dirt where it can fend for itself for a day or two!

    Otherwise I'll be stuck at home for the entire summer.

    I envy you being only a week or so behind -- we are at least 3 weeks behind. Only one of my irises has opened, and we got the first two poppy blooms open today.

    So delayed ... what a winter, huh?

    Okay -- I'll shut up now.
    Hugs -- Cass
    PS My dogs say HEY to yours!


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  7. Got my virtual outfit on, Connie. Thank you for a lovely invite. Roses and wine ~ contented sigh!

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