A New Rose Combination

Published on by Catherine

Since my last post two weeks ago, we’ve experienced such an unpredictable blend of weather, shifting from hot to cold, dry and sunny to wet and chilly. Yesterday I found myself reaching for the same jacket I wore during winter. I headed to a nearby town for some shopping, and found that I wasn’t alone in my wardrobe selection.

However, the garden seems to be thriving in these conditions (much better than I am) and it’s vibrant with colour. I am deadheading as quickly as possible, knowing that soon this initial burst of colour will fade, and the garden will transition into a more peaceful rhythm of flower production.

It’s time again for Six on Saturday!

Tree Rose ‘James L Austin’ grows to around 6ft tall and is approximately 5ft 6inch at the moment. It’s getting a bit difficult to prune at the start of spring, and next year I suspect it will be yet another job to pass onto my much-taller-than-me husband. I’m sure he’ll enjoy the privilege of being handed my pruners and being trusted with this rose. What d’you think? 😁

Tree Rose ‘James L Austin’

Papaver somniferum ‘Lauren’s Grape’. I had quite a struggle trying to grow this poppy from the seeds I saved from last year, only to be disappointed when they didn’t germinate. Happily, they showed me that they didn’t need me at all, and have self-seeded in the same bed where they grew last year. I’m delighted to see them return; they truly are a fabulous, richly-coloured annual poppy.

  • Papaver ‘Lauren’s Grape’
  • Self-seeded with clematis and a rambling rose nearby

Leucanthemum. This Shasta daisy has been growing in the garden for many years, often appearing it the most inappropriate of places and being ruthless dug out. I do love it when it’s fresh and white, but as the individual flowers start to fade, I find it too untidy and cut back the stems, probably earlier than necessary. Otherwise it’s bright and cheery in the borders.

Leucanthemum, variety unknown

Geranium x oxonianum ‘Wargrave Pink’ Even though the name ‘Wargrave Pink’ refers to the location where the plant was first found, in a nursery in the town of Wargrave, I always feel it’s a rather sad name for such a pretty little flower. It flowers approximately from May until October and I think it will be ready to be lifted and divided early next spring.

Geranium ‘Wargrave Pink’

Rosa ‘Dame Judy Dench’. My favourite apricot/orange. Beautiful colour, heavenly perfume, I don’t think I need say any more.

  • Rosa ‘Dame Judy Dench’
  • Strong, arching stems

Rosa ‘Scarborough Fair’. During March this year we emptied the border that runs alongside the path and widened it. It has now been replanted with four new bare root roses, one of which is this lovely ‘Scarborough Fair’. The roses grow alongside Nepeta, Verbena ‘Santos Purple’ and the border is edged with Stachys byzantina ‘Silver Carpet’.

Rosa ‘Scarborough Fair’

‘Scarborough Fair’ looks so beautifully delicate, though it’s apparently very hardy. Also in its favour, it has a beautiful fragrance and is very floriferous. The bush is still small at the moment but producing a surprising amount of flowers. All the new rose bushes should soon grow taller than the Nepetas.

‘Scarborough Fair’ with nepeta

The image below shows the top end of the border with Nepeta ‘Six Hills Giant’. The remaining nepetas further down the border are the smaller ‘Summer Magic’. So far, the one neighbourhood cat that wanders around the garden doesn’t seem to be interested in the nepetas. If that changes, I have plenty of spiky Berberis stems I can add to the borders as a deterrent!

I’m loving the colours of ‘Scarborough Fair’ with nepeta

The slideshow feature that I had a problem with some weeks ago appears to be functioning again – at least, it is on my computer. If you find any problems with it not operating as it should I’d really appreciate if you’d drop a message into the comment box to let me know.

If you’re reading this and are new to Six on Saturday – use the following link to pop over to Jim’s site at Garden Ruminations. Jim hosts the meme and on his site you’ll be able to see plenty more garden friends displaying what’s growing in their gardens this weekend.

Till next time – enjoy your garden wherever you are in the world!

Catherine x

32 thoughts on “A New Rose Combination”

  2. The slideshow feature seems to be working fine for me, too, Catherine.
    Gorgeous roses and poppies, like Fred I love the rose/nepeta combination, something I’d never be able to achieve as we have numerous local cats who demolish nepeta as soon as I plant it, so I no longer bother!

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    1. Oh yes, I forgot to say that letting my husband loose pruning a plant would be a surefire way to end up in the divorce courts! Just kidding, but your husband must be a very brave man:-)

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    1. Weather’s not so great here either. Heavy rain and winds overnight meant we had to lift a flower-laden rose from the ground this morning. It’s now propped up with three rusty bows. Deadheading has taken the weight off. Dame Judy’s still looking good though – she seems to cope with rain better than most.

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  4. So much to comment on, I like them all! The poppy is such a gorgeous colour as is your tree rose, your combinations are all so beautiful, they must make you very happy.

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    1. There’s not a single bloom left on the tree rose today, Pauline. Last night’s horrible weather took them all. Plenty more buds though. The garden creates challenges – but yes, it’s my happy place! Have a great weekend!

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  5. Lovely to see your gorgeous roses, I love them all but specially ‘Dame Judy Dench’ as I can’t resist apricot roses. Interesting to learn about Geranium ‘Wargave Pink’. I love learning how plants get their names. P. Lauren’s Grape is lush. Now I need to know who Lauren is.

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    1. I can perhaps help you with the name. 😁 The poppy was named after Lauren Springer, a garden designer based in the US. If you have time, just google to get some more information about her. I’m a bit like you in that I like to know the people behind the name.

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  8. Oh, thank you for sharing the Roses…swoon! I will scroll back through to view them again. Others from the U.K. are posting that it’s cool there lately, too. We are still sweltering around 32C here today, but much more comfy highs (27-28C) are in the forecast. Enjoy the beauty of your colorful garden. 🙂

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    1. Thank you, Beth, for your nice comments. 32C is much too hot for me – but I do wish that temperatures here would creep up a little! ☀️

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  9. Every time I see your photos of your beautiful roses I am tempted to rush out and buy some, but my garden really isn’t that suitable, although my neighbour has a reddish rose that seems to flower forever. Maybe it’s just me who can’t look after them properly. And  ‘Lauren’s Grape’ is a poppy I want for my Midnight Border. She is just perfect!

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    1. P. ‘Lauren’s Grape’ is rather nice. I can send you some seed if you wish, Jude. I had no success this year sowing them in trays – but they self seeded easily and I could have saved myself the hassle. I think I’ll scatter some here and there this year to see what comes up in other borders…though might I regret that! 😂

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  10. I have a rather weedy red poppy that seeds all over the place and would love to displace it with better varieties like Lauren’s Grape but if I sow good forms how am I ever to distinguish them from the rubbish ones before they flower? Would they work from cell trays do you think?

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    1. I grew them from bought seed last year, straight into half size seed trays. Pricked them out into 9cm pots and then into the ground when they were large enough. Possibly all the things you’re not meant to do with poppies. But it worked fine. This year, they didn’t germinate in seed trays, but they had self seeded, so no problem. I can send you some when the seeds are ready if you’d like to try them.

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  11. Lovely selection this week. The colour of the poppy is stunning. Wargrave Pink is probably my favourite geranium. It caught my eye years ago because it was so different from the purples and blues.

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    1. It’s a very pretty geranium, isn’t it…but not one that’s as often mentioned, or sold, as all the others. The flowers are thinning now and I wonder if I should be cutting the plant back to reinvigorate it for the remainder of the summer?

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  12. That last photo is simply glorious Catherine! Your roses look so lovely next to the Nepeta. Nice Geranium… does it like full sun? And I love that poppy – the foliage alone is so striking. 😃

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    1. Thanks, Cathy. The geranium grows in shade in late afternoon, full sun during the rest of the day. It does well in either sun or part shade and exposed or sheltered locations. It’s in a particularly windy spot but seems to cope.

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  13. ‘James T. Austin’ is a glorious colour Catherine. I have a much taller than me husband too – they do come in handy as long as you supervise them 😂 ‘Lauren’s Grape’ is beautiful – I have grown her for several years now and she always self-seeds – this year with abundance.

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    1. Tall husbands do come in handy, Anna. 😁 As far as the tree rose is concerned, it’s a choice between a ladder for me or trusting my OH with the pruner!

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  15. I tend to leave all my x oxonianum types, although I might make a half-hearted attempt at dead heading. They do continue to flower, which sets them apart from the single flush plants.

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