english roses

English roses. David Austin roses. These are my favorite flowers by far. I have three of them in my garden, and despite my ill efforts, they always put forth a bountiful harvest of ruffly blossoms every year.

This is Eglantyne, the first of my roses. Pink roses are my special favorite.

And this is Geoff Hamilton, a very spiffy gentleman. Much more compact and rotund than Eglantyne, but just as delicate and soft.

The reason I love David Austin roses so much should be quite evident. They resemble antique roses more than their highly altered, tea hybrid cousins. I love their unstructured ruffliness and soft edges. They also tend to be more open and full, and smell absolutely divine.

ottermei

I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted, and I hope to change that now. I’ve been having some health issues, and it makes it difficult to write. But hopefully I will be able to post more frequently now. 😀

cottage dwelling… I wish

Every cottage dweller in England tends a beautifully kept border brimming with bushes, dripping with flowers, and nary a weed in sight. Or so it seems to one raised on every British mystery series. It just seems to go with the territory.

Here in the deep south of America, it’s a little harder to make luscious verdure overflow in bounteous amounts. It’s a struggle to even keep the plants alive through the heat.

But I think this time we’ve at least gotten farther than we have before.

My ‘rose’ garden, (apostrophized due to the fact that there are only three roses), is looking fuller and fuller. Today we bought one more plant for it.

A lovely hydrangea. I’ve been wanting one for a very long time. It’s just the perfect old-fashioned cottage plant.

It will go here…

And yes, those are weeds you see. We’ve been steadily working away at them, but they do like to creep.

My roses are doing nicely. Although they aren’t very big. They’re supposed to get up to seven feet tall in a warm climate, but year after year they never break three feet. Ah well, perhaps it’s my neglecting them that does it. I shall endeavor to do better this time.

And the mint is growing voraciously. It will spread, which is exactly what I want. Mint is very useful. Smells divine.

One day I will live in England and own a cottage in the hills, near the sea, and have windblown firs and lots of rambling roses, an herb garden with foxgloves, just to keep things interesting, and lots and lots of hydrangeas.

ottermei