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Coleton Fishacre (Devon, England)

Coleton Fishacre was in my top 5 gardens on the tour. This Arts & Crafts style house and garden was the country home of  Rupert D'Oyly Carte and his wife Lady Dorothy Carte.   He was the well-known theater owner (The Savoy) and producer (Gilbert & Sullivan).  They spotted the property from their yacht and thought it would be a great spot for a country home and garden. Ah, to have that much money... They commissioned Oswald Milne, a former student of Edward Lutyens to design the house. Both Rupert and Lady Dorothy were interested in gardening but it was Lady Dorothy who mainly planted the garden, filling it with exotic and tender plants that survived with the influence of the Gulf stream. They employed six full-time gardeners! I often wonder if people who have that much money are really able to enjoy a property like this and actually live in it?  Their tenure here wasn't that long (a dozen years or so), although Dorothy lived here full-time in the late 19...

More roses from Portland

Here are some individual rose shots from the Portland International Test Garden. Since I grow mostly old roses, I have been out of the loop on the hybrid tea and modern roses front. It looks like the hybridizers have introduced some exciting selections. Here are some that caught my eye.

Rose "Rhapsody in Blue"
"Rhapsody in Blue" - isn't this color amazing?

Rose "Bewitched"
Another lovely lavender rose called "Bewitched".

Rose "Cinco de Mayo"
"Cinco de Mayo" was a 2009 AARS winner.
Rose "Daydream"
"Daydream" is a rose that we grow in our garden but it doesn't look like this!

Rose "Dortmund" with Pink Dogwood
"Dortmund" again - this time growing among the branches of a pink dogwood.

Rose "Dr. Dick"
"Dr. Dick" - I laughed when I saw the name of this rose. It immediately brought back memories of Christine Baranski on "Cybil". She was also dissing her ex-husband "Dr. Dick"!
Rose "Grande Amour"
"Grande Amour" - a stunning red rose. Perfection!

Rose "Heaven on Earth"
"Heaven on Earth"

Rose "Ketchup and Mustard"
"Ketchup and Mustard" - now who would name a rose this?
Rose "Kiss Me"
"Kiss Me"

Rose "Princess Alexandra of Kent"
"Princess Alexandra of Kent" - a lovely profuse rose. If I get the chance to grow roses again, this is one for my want list.
Rose "Sparkle and Shine"
"Sparkle and Shine"
Rose "Strike It Rich"
"Strike It Rich"

Rose - unnamed trial
This rose was labeled "Unnamed Trial Rose" and it was a stunner. It is sure to be a success.


Rose - unnamed (foliage)
I thought the foliage was quite interesting as well.

Rose "Barbra Streisand"
"Barbra Streisand" - I've read a lot about Ms. Streisand's demand for perfection in choosing her namesake rose. It looks like she made a good choice. Another superb lavender rose.
Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Comments

  1. Beautiful roses! Years ago I tried to grow some hybrid teas but with black spot and Japanese beetles I gave up. In the last couple of years I've tried some English shrub roses but they still seem to prone to black spot. Are there any you grow that show any resistance? I am growing several of the knockout roses.

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  2. I'm all of descriptive words. I thought "Rhapsody in Blue" had to be the prettiest one until the page finished loading. Now I don't know. I think I love 'em all.

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  3. That Rhapsody in Blue is much more blue than mine. I assume that's a camera/color thing? It's a blackspot magnet here in Kansas.

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  4. Rhapsody in Blue looks unreal. I like the yellow one best I think. No maybe that one you liked. No maybe the last one. Heck, I don't know which I like best. Beautiful, all.

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  5. Sue Ellen, I grow mostly hybrid musk, noisette, polyanthas, etc. They are more resistant than hybrid teas.

    ProfessorRoush, the color is enhanced a bit but it was pretty vibrant. It is like you said earlier, the roses out there just look different.

    Lisa, I know, it is hard to choose just one!

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  6. Wonderful collection Philip and your photos are marvelous as always! Larry

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  7. Oh my goodness, those roses made me drool! Mine are all resting right now, so it was fun to see all of those pretties in full bloom.

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  8. Cinco de Mayo! No, the next one, no, the one after that! Rose overload is right. Heavenly!

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