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Swapping Huckleberries

Himalayan Honeysuckle ( Vaccinium glauco album)  Himalayan Honeysuckle ( Vaccinium glauco album) has been an attractive feature along our north-facing foundation since I planted it in 2016. You will have to take my word for it since I cannot locate a photo although I know one exists somewhere in the realm of the Internet or floating on a cloud somewhere.  I did locate a photo of how it looked when it was first planted - It took a few years to fill out but it did so nicely to an attractive mound about 2 feet high by 3 feet wide.  Last year, it started to look bad.  I cut it back but it had not improved and this is how it looked a few weeks ago - I decided to rip it out and plant another huckleberry - this time Vaccinium ovatum , more commonly known as the "Evergreen Huckleberry".  This is a plant that I've wanted for ages and kept putting off getting one because I could not find a good place for it. By most accounts, this is an amazing plant, a native one and excellent for

New roses

I'm like a kid at Christmas time when I get an order from a mail-order nursery! Yesterday my order arrived from Chamblee's Rose Nursery. This is one of my favorite sources for own-root roses and their prices are the best. And best of all, I don't think they have ever made an error on my orders. I now have limited space for roses and my sunny areas are rapidly dimishing so I should be kicked for ordering more. In my defense, I have spots already selected for these and I did limit myself to 4 - that is saying a lot!



Here is what I ordered:

Graham Thomas & Heritage - Two David Austin English roses that are supposed to perform well in my climate. I have had limited success with these roses but they are so beautiful I can't resist trying new ones. People tell me that Heritage is the best performing English rose for the South.
Paul Neyron - A couple who have an extensive rose garden in a neighboring town swears by this one. They grow a lot of hybrid teas but this is one of the few old roses that they rave about.
Zephrine Drouhin - I had this rose for years on my pergola before it finally got choked out by Rambling Rector. I've always heard that this is a rose that should be planted close to your house because the fragrance is so divine. So I am replacing Climbing Old Blush (it just doesn't bloom enough and the flowers are not that spectacular) with ZD - it will be on an archway right next to the patio!

Comments

  1. Hello,
    I know just how you feel! Since I live in a cold climate area, my Christmas joy is actually first thing in the Spring when my roses are delivered! In my garden I have over 100+ roses and most of them on their own roots. I feel that own root roses do better and last for ever.
    I also like to collect antique roses such as Ispahan, Kazalik, Harrison yellow and so on ... they only bloom once a season but what a show! The scent is just unforgettable! However I am also running out of place so it will be very hard to cut down when the Spring catalog new arrival comes out around January!
    Believe me I understand your dilemma! P/S I also have David Austin roses and they are not doing as well as expected! But like you I grow them because of their loveliness! California climate is totally great for them though!
    Good luck! Marie Suzanne,dailyweeder.com

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  2. I really like both of the Austins you have selected. 'Heritage' is a really good performer (around here) and is a beautiful flower. 'Graham Thomas' has a lovely color and shaped flower. I hope when you get these in the ground and blooming that you post some pictures.

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  3. Thank you for that link, they look like a very reputable nursery. Their search engine was good, too....I did a "zone 4" search and got 4 pages!

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  4. Well, you've picked three of my favorites that I know you'll be happy with. Graham Thomas is a very reliable performer here - it may take a while for the blooms to get going especially after a hard winter, but it just keeps on coming through the fall. And it smells heavenly.

    Zepherine smells even better! I have it near my back porch and it's a perfect rose for my walk-through arbor since it's thornless. Gotta love that!

    I lost my Heritage through an unsuccessful transplant (Lost Roses, get it?) but it was the most prolific rose I've ever owned. You're going to be so happy with these!

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