Skip to main content

Featured

A Closer Look at Winter Damage

But first, take a look at this gorgeous rainbow that we had on Friday! The five-day stretch of warm temperatures last week really jump-started the garden. Now that plants are putting out new growth, it is easier to see what kind of damage the winter left. Back in mid-January, we experienced five straight days of below-freezing temperatures. This caused much damage in Portland and areas where frigid winds were a factor. Here, we were fortunate to not get the wind and the cold temperatures were dampened by a blanket of snow. That said, it was a tough time for the garden and there are noticeable casualties but no outright deaths that I have seen. The bottlebrush ( Callistemon 'Woodlander's Red') did not like the cold at all. It was planted six years ago, in the north-facing garden no less, and I've not experienced die-back on it until now. A local expert said to cut it all the way back so that is what I did. If it doesn't make it, I won't be too distraught. It is

Climbing Cecile Brunner - the view from above

Climbing Cecile Brunner is glorious at the moment. Unfortunately, the best way to see it is from the roof of our house. Planted at the back entrance, it quickly overcome the little roof-top over the back door, so we built a big 10-feet tall arbor to grow it on. It is so high up that, unless you look up, you'll miss the blooms. This evening I decided to get up on the roof and photograph it from above.

First, the view from below, the way we normally see it:




 The view from standing on the roof:





Now, there are two windows upstairs that overlook this rose but they are small and we are rarely upstairs. Maybe this view will lure me upstairs more during the next several weeks. Quite a difference!


Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Comments

  1. Wow! You're brave! Great shots. Now get down from there before you hurt yourself! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. So beautiful! I just placed an order for six new antique roses at a local nursery....and I'm really KICKING myself I didn't check the availability of Cecile Brunner. Ahhhhh!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. She's magnificent, that's for sure. Is she very thorny? Do you prune her or just let her be? I've loved your website in the past, and now I'm one of your blog followers.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Gorgeous! Mine is just beginning to bloom. This is such a lovely rose with wonderful fragrance that I will always grow it even if it takes up half of my entire back yard!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wow. This is magnificent. Do you have any issues with BS?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Beautiful blooms! I have this rose also but not as big. That is a real show stopper.....Julian

    ReplyDelete
  7. M.A., you can always place another order!

    Sherryocala, it is a thorny rose. I don't do much pruning on it because it is so hard to reach (even with a ladder).

    Jess, I've not noticed BS on this one but, as you can see, it is hard to monitor it. I do have many other roses that are fairly resistant to BS.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Your rose looks like the one I had except mine had 7 or 8 blooms together like a bouquet. It sure was thorny. It was very pretty. It got so big I gave it away but they have come out from the roots. It could take over.

    ReplyDelete
  9. That is beautiful! I had one of those roses years ago and it quickly outgrew it's spot no matter how much I pruned it. It now lives at my friend's where it has more space to grow, but I don't think it has ever had that many blooms.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I revel in your photos as I prepare for 6-10" of snow flattening our gardens tomorrow... L

    ReplyDelete
  11. That view from above is stunning and you are quite the brave sole to clime on the roof for those pictures.

    ReplyDelete
  12. That is beautiful. It is really performing. What a great view from upstairs.

    ReplyDelete
  13. So, so beautiful....you be careful!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thanks for risking your neck to show us. They are gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Holy moly, Phillip! That's one plant? Amazing! Thanks for risking your life on the roof so that we could catch a glimpse :)

    ReplyDelete
  16. Lovely - all that bloom & fragrance too? Doesn't get any better than that.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Magnificent! That rose is amazing. Such a profusion of blooms.

    ReplyDelete
  18. An ariel perspective is something to see indeed. What a gorgeous rose. You have captured her in all her glory.... Great photos

    ReplyDelete
  19. hahaha...you're so right, it really is amazing from above...then again, the view from below is pretty good too ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  20. what an amazing rose. We cannot get quite the lush growth on our hill, but some of the roses certainly do their best. In June, not April.

    ReplyDelete
  21. This is the stuff of gardener's dreams! Great aerial shot! You have great pergolas and trellises to hold those monsters/beauties!

    ReplyDelete
  22. That is one happy rose! Phillip, it's gorgeous! gail

    ReplyDelete
  23. Mine has just finished. A windy day this past weekend ended what has been one of the most beautiful flowering times for roses in our location.

    Looks like yours has been beautiful as well!

    ReplyDelete
  24. OH my goodness Phillip! How wonderful! Yes get upstairs and enjoy!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Hey Phillip,

    Beautiful roses!

    Why is UNA closed today?

    We went the other day and Z had a great time using the microfilm machines. I enjoyed reading from the Thoreau Quarterly, I think it's called.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Hello. I followed your post from the Redneck Rosarian. I am having a nice 12' by 16' pergola built over part of the deck behind my house and am trying to decide what sort of climbing plant to put on it. My question was if a climbing rose would work and from the pictures of your Cecile Brunner it appears that a climbing rose would work just fine. I have a climbing New Dawn that has swallowed half my garage and your rose looks even bigger. I have 2 questions. How old is your Cecile Brunner, and does it just bloom once in the spring or does it repeat? I like your blog.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Wonderful shots, Phillip. I, for sure, would be motivated to live on the roof for weeks for that view. :D

    ReplyDelete
  28. Wow! Thank you for climbing on the roof so we can fully appreciate your rose! It is gorgeous. I have heard rave reviews of this rose, and I can see why. I also enjoyed the previous post on your garden in April. it is a glorious month for flowers!

    ReplyDelete
  29. It still looks good from the lower view but the top is amazing.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts