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The Huntington Rose Garden May 2018
The Huntington Rose Garden was so glorious today I could not resist doing a photo-fat post. Our cool-night April and May has created marvelous rich flower color and flowers that endure longer than normal. All hail the Rose Garden Curator Tom Carruth, the two(?) full time professional gardeners, and the many many volunteers whose labor of love made this beauty possible.
It was just past-peak, but still near perfection thanks to our recent stretch of blessedly mild weather.
'Europeana', a fine older (1963) floribunda.
Pink 'Sexy Rexy' on the left
Everyone was busy snapping photos
'Stormy Weather' on the arch
'Burgundy Iceberg'
'Fourth of July' on the arch, golden 'South Africa' below it
'South Africa' has gotten raves from people growing it. It was loaded, loaded with big fat fragrant flowers. Oooh!
'Above All'
'Polka'
'Blue For You'
It's a wireless world now. This is a repeater on a nearby Brachychiton discolor
'Sarabande' with the saturated color of a mild spring
The climbing roses are finally filling most of their enormous supports. 'High Society' on the far right.
'Koko Loco' showing delicious tan coloring on a fat ruffled flower.
'Francis Dubreuil'/'Barcelona' in the adjacent herb garden, which was also worthy of a post--it also looked superb. As did the Shakespeare Garden, the Grassy Garden, the Entrance Garden, and of course, the Desert Garden. I'll have to do another post. Or three or four or five.
'Cecile Brunner', perhaps
The long pergola viewed from the Herb Garden
'Altissimo'
'Oh My' standard in the pot, 'Jump For Joy' adjacent
'Jump For Joy'
'Casino'
The skies remained grey for our visit. I tried the "Blue Skies" Photoshop effect on 'Sally Holmes'. Hmmm....
Hope you enjoyed the roses. More Austin Fling posts ahead. I've been gardening far more than garden-blogging in this mild weather. It's fun Out There these days.
HB, That garden is rose heaven! so gorgeous! so many varieties! I want to be there now!
ReplyDeleteThere was much more--I wasn't able to photograph half of it. It was a thrill to be there. Mild weather is magic!
DeleteIt looks even better than when I was there in late April! Your photos are also much better. They make me want to grow more roses but achieving greater success with the few I have is a prerequisite to further investment. Even feeding them more than I usually do hasn't made a difference...
ReplyDeleteTry lawn fertilizer with high "N". That gives them a kick. In our area it's what they need.
DeleteAw, I wish I'd known you were there (or you knew I was) - I was at the docent table this morning!
ReplyDeleteAw, I wish I'd known, too. Would have been so fun to talk roses with you. That 'South Africa'!!!!!!!!!!!
DeleteP.S. Tom Carruth has just sent a link to this post out to all Huntington Rose Garden volunteers!
DeleteOh, cool! :^)
DeleteSo beautiful! Last time I was there they were just starting - looks like it's time for a follow up visit.
ReplyDeleteGo if you can, everything looked great--lots of stuff blooming in the Desert Garden as well.
DeleteStunning! Now I want 'South Africa'!
ReplyDeleteMe, too. It's reported to be an excellent cultivar, and it sure looked like it there at the Huntington.
DeleteYou have to get into the garden when the weather is cooperating but I am glad you shared this series of rose photos. What a glorious place. I have never had the pleasure to see such a rose garden in full bloom. I can see why someone would fall in love with roses. Those climbers are magnificent. I have never seen a tan color rose before. I just love standard plants. I would think having a fragrant rose as a standard would be perfect so the fragrance is right there in your nose.
ReplyDeleteIt was a special visit; we and the weather just happened to time it right. Probably even better last Sunday on Mother's Day, (but without the gazillion Mother's Day visitors).
DeleteThat was the original idea of rose standards--that ladies in Victorian times would not have to bend to enjoy the rose fragrance. Corsets, yikes!
Glad you found the post of interest!
That is quite incredible. Nowhere in England have I seen roses growing as prolifically as that. It's almost too much to take in.
ReplyDeleteIt illustrates why I love cool overcast spring weather. When it is constantly warm and sunny the roses all blow too fast. When we happen to get weeks of weather hovering around 65F/18-20C in the daytime we get...that rose garden...
DeleteFor a rose lover, that is living the dream! Yes, compliments to Mr. Carruth and staff/voluteers.
ReplyDeleteJust about everything at the Huntington looked great. May has been good!
DeleteMild weather, grey skies... Perfection for snapping and sniffing.
ReplyDeleteI'm bowled over by 'South Africa' -- the gorgeous effect created by the smooth way the color intensity deepens at the base of the petals, the gracefulness of the fading blooms (a must on any rose as abundant as this one). And fragrant too? Wow.
The Huntington gardeners, pro and am, must be so pleased to see the arbors and arches filling up; it really did look a little sparse in the first season after the rehab. Now, it 's dizzying to think of the clipping required to make that pergola walk so tidy. (That's my absolute favorite shot in this lavish post, by the way. Followed closely by the 'Altissimo' against a sea of grey ?Achillea ?Anaphalis?)
Helichrysum tianshanicum, maybe? Helichrysum x 'Silver Mist'? I got an ID, once upon a time, and can't locate it...
DeleteAh ha! Found it. Senecio viravira.
DeleteHow very dreamy ! Back in the old days the rose garden was my main reason to visit the Huntington (and Descanso) and I was always thrilled with the experience. I would love to see it again in it's glory, even though my rose collecting days are over. For now.
ReplyDeleteThe roses will be there when you are ready. :^)
DeleteI gifted South Africa to the neighbour whose vegetable garden became our Porterville home. She loved it. Now I will admire virtual roses.
ReplyDelete