The 2023 Gardener's World winter special #3 featured the amazingly skillful rose pruning and training of Cottesbrooke Hall Northhamtonshire Head Gardner Jenny Barnes. I took some screen shots:
These arrangements lead to results like:
Ms. Barnes explained her techniques. Rambler roses with their very long (20'+) canes were her preference, but it seemed valid to try this technique with a rose like 'Golden Celebration', which grows 10'+ canes, and plenty of them. I played a bit with re-working some of the long canes 'The Endeavour' grew last year. A few weeks ago I got them flattened against a wall. I went back this past week and separated them more evenly and arched a few over. The weeks they spent flattened made them easier to manipulate further.
The advantage UK has over Southern California for this technique is cooler summers. My experience is that our long, hot, constantly sunny, rainless summers tend to produce sunburned canes that die or become defoliated and unproductive. I hope 'The Endeavour's partially shaded location avoids or reduces this type of damage. We'll see what happens.
'Queen of Elegance', looking elegant:
I noticed 'Yellow Bird' Leucospermum looks unwell. Dead and dying stems. "The plants are relatively short lived and become leggy after about eight years.", says the South African National Biodiversity Institute.
Hard to tell unless you look closely:
Checking old blog posts, it appears I planted 'Yellow Bird' back in 2014. So, death not unexpected.
Aloe suprafoliata would appreciate more space:
Calendula 'Xeolites' with Pelargonum sidoides:
The 'Cara Cara's are almost ready:
Anything died in your garden lately? Or saved from the weather?
I noticed that a neighbor's Leucospermum is showing signs of die-back like that. My 'Goldie' (which I think is actually 'High Gold') has been in the ground nearly 7 years. I hope it has a few years on it yet. I've yet to see any evidence of self-seeding.
ReplyDeleteMy original Trichostemma 'Midnight Magic' appears to be giving up but I bought a second one a year ago. I need to eliminate a few 'Blue Flame' "pups" that are crowding out other agaves around them but that was my fault in failing to recognize how prolific they are.
We got almost an inch of rain yesterday but squat today. I'm hoping for more tomorrow. I'll see if I can find the GW winter specials to watch while I hibernate inside - thanks for the reminder.
Whoa, the rose training! I can't wait to see how your Endeavor responds to you taking a whip and chair to it. Your garden is stupendous in January. The aloe show, the oranges, leucadendrons. I'm embarrassed to admit, I didn't realize they were short lived plants. I had a small eucalyptus give up, I'm sure I under watered it.
ReplyDelete"Anything died in your garden lately? Or saved from the weather?" oh Hoov... isn't that the question! Unfortunately it will take weeks for the answer to reveal itself. At first look it appears I saved a few things, but there will be deaths.
ReplyDeleteI was amazed by the rose cane artwork on that Gardeners World episode, yours looks fabulous.
I didn't know that the leucospermums were short lived, which takes the sting away somewhat of having to remove a youngish one for lack of space. I saw that rose training episode too -- agree with your analysis of why SoCal roses prefer a UK summer -- then again the UK has been having some record summer heat too. It's getting complicated, isn't it?! Love the white ferox!
ReplyDeleteInteresting techniques with the rose canes--wow! I can see trying that with my climbing roses. Everything in your garden looks plump and healthy. The photo of the Cara Caras has me salivating. Enjoy!
ReplyDelete"Cottesbrooke Hall Northhamtonshire"... just saying it a couple of times and I feel better instantly.
ReplyDeleteAmazing rose cane training, or as you put it: Brilliant!! It will be grand to see how your handy work responds.
I don't believe I lost any plants due to weather, but I don't ever challenge my zone: it's too heart breaking and I'm not built for it.
I'm mesmerized by the button-like buds of Rhodanthemum.
Chavli
Looking forward to seeing what your rose can weaving produces. Sorry to hear about Yellow Bird but glad he's popping up elsewhere. As to to 'what's died in your garden', well it will be hard to tell. We just came off of recording breaking cold from a record breaking warm Fall and now we are going back to being very warm. Anything under the snow should be fine but very hard on any woody plants. Spring will be interesting.
ReplyDeleteOh wow, the color contrast on that Aloe ferox is superb. That is some masterful work on pruning and training roses. I am down in Temecula for the week and was surprised at the amount of rain on Monday - sounds like rain has hit the entire CA coastline this week. It's certainly lush and green down here and I wasn't expecting that. Aloes blooming everywhere and seeing a lot of ripening citrus. I was wondering why people weren't picking them because to my eye, they all look ripe. Yeah, that yellow on the Leucospermum looks worrisome - looks like many branches have an unhealthy color down in the interior. Back in OR, I've got a few blackened plants, but nothing devastating at this point.
ReplyDeleteMy garlic buchu left, but I have a different buchu flourishing. Making spaces, then I can look for my wish list plants.
ReplyDeleteIn spite of the resultant wounds there is something quite satisfying about pruning and training climbing roses. I finished up Reine des Violettes yesterday and Sally Holmes is next on the agenda-I might get that done this weekend before the rain. I haven't watched GW winter series #3 yet so I think I will before I start on Sally -she's a beast though , and could do with a bit of a renovation prune.
ReplyDelete