I bought banksia lutea about 5 years ago having seen it growing up the wall at Le Manoir. I didn’t realise it was a rose when I first saw it as it flowers so early, doesn’t have any thorns and the flowers are so tiny. Having planted it, it flowered beautifully the first year but I pruned it wrong, not realising that ramblers need to be done differently so very few flowers the second year. It is now absolutely beautiful but very difficult to control as it puts out huge long shoots. Hope you enjoy yours.
On the subject of the leather jacket, good for you. We spend too many years worrying about what people will think. I am 64 and stopped caring quite a while ago. If I like it, I wear it. My latest purchase has been dinosaur tights from Snag.
Love your jacket. We are both far more adventurous with our clothes as we've got older. I used to hide away in black or navy. Now it's colour, lots of colour which gives me joy!! My husband loved a pair of really on trend trainers but was reluctant to buy them. He's put me and our kids first always. They are adults now with kids of their own. I told him to buy them and enjoy them. Which he did. Then a young nurse said she loved his trainers. He said thanks. She then said, "You do realise they're very trendy right now?" As if he was a dinosaur 😆 He's 64!!
Love the roses. Our new garden is probably bit small for a rambler. We had rambling rector at our old house. Much admired by the local vicar. I bought him one when he retired. Known for his long, long sermons he saw the joke!!
Thanks again for writing your newsletter. Have a good week.
I'm so glad you treated yourself to a lovely frivolous jacket, I feel this is very important from time to time. I also came to the conclusion a couple of years ago that I would wear whatever the heck I liked and to hell with it being practical/what anyone else thought. That said I still haven't worn my beautiful tulle skirt because I feel a bit Mavis Cruet! One day...
Here for all the rose talk as I know nothing about them and my garden is very rose deficient.
Is it pink tulle? VERY chic, especially with a leather jacket! Come to think of it, there is a connection here with roses. - I used to have lots…and then I had children and gave them away because …why? Now we have come full circle. Yes let’s wear, (and plant) what we want.
Yes I definitely think 50 and beyond is about reclaiming all these pieces of ourselves we have shed over the past years. Don't get me wrong, I've loved the mothering years (for the most part) but am welcoming the change. Here's to us and new adventures!
The Generous Gardener is an absolutely wonderful rose. I had one planted in shade in poor soil, which I'm ashamed to admit, and it flowered its socks off for months. Loads of flowers and they smell wonderful.
It is, it completely covered the porch in the cottage where I used to live and greeted you with the most amazing perfume. I've had to move sadly but I hope to plant one where I live now.
Relieved you didn't choose Kiftsgate. It takes over your life never mind your garden. Sorry you didn't choose Paul's Himalayan Musk, which I have had ramble over two big gardens now but wouldn't dare let it loose in my present, smaller one. It's an absolute joy
Paul's Himalayan Musk has been a disappointment twice here, but Kiftsgate is happy to swarm over the garage and be totally neglected (Until one day when the roof of the garage will need removing. Horrors...).
One downside, maybe, of Belvedere is that the scent is not the wacking great thing I might have wished. But the flowers are incredibly sweet.
I don’t think you can ever have too many roses. I have a tiny space and not really a garden but have filled it with climbing roses and roses in big pots. And I’m definitely all for buying fun things to wear as life is really too short to worry!
I'm rapidly filling my garden with roses so I hope it will end up like yours. In fact, David Austin sent me the wrong rose in one order, and when I called them about it they told me to keep it, so that's going in too!
Thank you thank you thank you! It was so much fun to hear your gardening story. And oh how much do I love a banksiae..... lutea with its pretty primrose dots, the first rose to flower in my garden. And then the white, more tender but EXQUISITE, and so happy in London gardens.
I think you might like Cécile Brunner too, if you don't already have her. Tiny buds are the perfect buttonhole, and she'll go everywhere.....
Ha! Great minds think alike…..I just ordered 2 climbing roses for a fence and Im so excited. I also saw a lovely fringed bag the other day and was so tempted to buy it. The voice in my head was saying, “It will just sit on a shelf with all the other bags you never use.” It was a good price so I might just have to have another look!
What a glorious rambler AND jacket! Sometimes you need to quiet that practical voice and just give in to pleasure. It's the things that we will remember in the end, non? The fragrant wall of blooms and the tassels that take you back to another time and place. These are the good things, bravo you!
Agree 100% on the joy and fun - you sum it up very well.
Good work on the jacket! I bought a Rosa Bloom hot pants and top combo a few years ago (in lockdown in fact) and THANK GOD my daughter became obsessed with Taylor Swift as I got to wear it out in public when she dragged me to her concert and it was wonderful! But I need more everyday frivolousness.
I planted Cecile Brunner in my garden 36 years ago and now she has a trunk of 16” circumference and every year sends out 8ft shoots in all directions which I have to get a crew in to hack back every November. There is no careful pruning of this old rose that now covers 20 feet of my patio cover, just a vigorous hacking. But she blooms every year with a massive riot of tiny pink blooms. In fact, she has already started to bloom over here in Los Angeles as we have had a warm winter. She provides shade in the hot summer and a hiding place for the raccoon family that comes every night to poop on my roof. If I go out there in the dark and try to poke a broom handle up to chase away the raccoons, the dense brambles of my rose get in the way. I am looking forward to your piece about the words to your husband uses. Perhaps we can all compare notes? My husband is from Ohio and uses the same Midwestern phrases over and over again. I’ll leave you with this favourite : “This is as useless as tits on a board hog” 😂😂😂
I bought banksia lutea about 5 years ago having seen it growing up the wall at Le Manoir. I didn’t realise it was a rose when I first saw it as it flowers so early, doesn’t have any thorns and the flowers are so tiny. Having planted it, it flowered beautifully the first year but I pruned it wrong, not realising that ramblers need to be done differently so very few flowers the second year. It is now absolutely beautiful but very difficult to control as it puts out huge long shoots. Hope you enjoy yours.
On the subject of the leather jacket, good for you. We spend too many years worrying about what people will think. I am 64 and stopped caring quite a while ago. If I like it, I wear it. My latest purchase has been dinosaur tights from Snag.
Love the sound of those tights. And yes I adore the banksiae…perhaps I should have more than one!
Love Snag tights!
Love your jacket. We are both far more adventurous with our clothes as we've got older. I used to hide away in black or navy. Now it's colour, lots of colour which gives me joy!! My husband loved a pair of really on trend trainers but was reluctant to buy them. He's put me and our kids first always. They are adults now with kids of their own. I told him to buy them and enjoy them. Which he did. Then a young nurse said she loved his trainers. He said thanks. She then said, "You do realise they're very trendy right now?" As if he was a dinosaur 😆 He's 64!!
Love the roses. Our new garden is probably bit small for a rambler. We had rambling rector at our old house. Much admired by the local vicar. I bought him one when he retired. Known for his long, long sermons he saw the joke!!
Thanks again for writing your newsletter. Have a good week.
Lynn
I love a vicar with a sense of humour…also LUCKY him! X
I'm so glad you treated yourself to a lovely frivolous jacket, I feel this is very important from time to time. I also came to the conclusion a couple of years ago that I would wear whatever the heck I liked and to hell with it being practical/what anyone else thought. That said I still haven't worn my beautiful tulle skirt because I feel a bit Mavis Cruet! One day...
Here for all the rose talk as I know nothing about them and my garden is very rose deficient.
Is it pink tulle? VERY chic, especially with a leather jacket! Come to think of it, there is a connection here with roses. - I used to have lots…and then I had children and gave them away because …why? Now we have come full circle. Yes let’s wear, (and plant) what we want.
Yes I definitely think 50 and beyond is about reclaiming all these pieces of ourselves we have shed over the past years. Don't get me wrong, I've loved the mothering years (for the most part) but am welcoming the change. Here's to us and new adventures!
I adored being a mom to younger children. But you are so right, reclaiming the bits of us we put aside for a while is wonderful too!
Pink tulle and leather jacket..fabulous!
Hello! Generous G is a fabulous rose, gorgeous scent, flowers again and again x
It’s been on my list for so long and I’m now SO excited to watch it do its thing. Thank you!
The Generous Gardener is an absolutely wonderful rose. I had one planted in shade in poor soil, which I'm ashamed to admit, and it flowered its socks off for months. Loads of flowers and they smell wonderful.
I am so excited for this…it’s sounds not only generous but also forgiving!
It is, it completely covered the porch in the cottage where I used to live and greeted you with the most amazing perfume. I've had to move sadly but I hope to plant one where I live now.
Relieved you didn't choose Kiftsgate. It takes over your life never mind your garden. Sorry you didn't choose Paul's Himalayan Musk, which I have had ramble over two big gardens now but wouldn't dare let it loose in my present, smaller one. It's an absolute joy
Perhaps I should get a second rambler... Thanks for this recommendation Susan!
Paul's Himalayan Musk has been a disappointment twice here, but Kiftsgate is happy to swarm over the garage and be totally neglected (Until one day when the roof of the garage will need removing. Horrors...).
One downside, maybe, of Belvedere is that the scent is not the wacking great thing I might have wished. But the flowers are incredibly sweet.
I now wish I had fifteen garages. Thanks Anne!
I don’t think you can ever have too many roses. I have a tiny space and not really a garden but have filled it with climbing roses and roses in big pots. And I’m definitely all for buying fun things to wear as life is really too short to worry!
I'm rapidly filling my garden with roses so I hope it will end up like yours. In fact, David Austin sent me the wrong rose in one order, and when I called them about it they told me to keep it, so that's going in too!
How good of them! So it’s meant to be! Every year I look at their roses and decide if I can fit a new one in
Love the jacket!
I like the look of that rambler too...
Love the Jacket 😍 well done you for not being practical, enjoy wearing it , we all need a bit of fun clothing happy swishing 😊
Thank you!
Thank you thank you thank you! It was so much fun to hear your gardening story. And oh how much do I love a banksiae..... lutea with its pretty primrose dots, the first rose to flower in my garden. And then the white, more tender but EXQUISITE, and so happy in London gardens.
I think you might like Cécile Brunner too, if you don't already have her. Tiny buds are the perfect buttonhole, and she'll go everywhere.....
You’re right I DO already have Cecile… and I think I may have to have banksiae too!
lutea is safest I think. It'll go bananas but looks utterly fabulous in late April/early May
Ha! Great minds think alike…..I just ordered 2 climbing roses for a fence and Im so excited. I also saw a lovely fringed bag the other day and was so tempted to buy it. The voice in my head was saying, “It will just sit on a shelf with all the other bags you never use.” It was a good price so I might just have to have another look!
GET THE BAG!
What a glorious rambler AND jacket! Sometimes you need to quiet that practical voice and just give in to pleasure. It's the things that we will remember in the end, non? The fragrant wall of blooms and the tassels that take you back to another time and place. These are the good things, bravo you!
Yes and YES! Thank you Francesca
Your comments about your teen reminded me of Tina Fey’s comments about her daughter. Here’s the link in case you missed it: https://youtube.com/shorts/l5SyBZdBi9M?si=lvvvJytk2rg-Vf38
Agree 100% on the joy and fun - you sum it up very well.
Good work on the jacket! I bought a Rosa Bloom hot pants and top combo a few years ago (in lockdown in fact) and THANK GOD my daughter became obsessed with Taylor Swift as I got to wear it out in public when she dragged me to her concert and it was wonderful! But I need more everyday frivolousness.
I planted Cecile Brunner in my garden 36 years ago and now she has a trunk of 16” circumference and every year sends out 8ft shoots in all directions which I have to get a crew in to hack back every November. There is no careful pruning of this old rose that now covers 20 feet of my patio cover, just a vigorous hacking. But she blooms every year with a massive riot of tiny pink blooms. In fact, she has already started to bloom over here in Los Angeles as we have had a warm winter. She provides shade in the hot summer and a hiding place for the raccoon family that comes every night to poop on my roof. If I go out there in the dark and try to poke a broom handle up to chase away the raccoons, the dense brambles of my rose get in the way. I am looking forward to your piece about the words to your husband uses. Perhaps we can all compare notes? My husband is from Ohio and uses the same Midwestern phrases over and over again. I’ll leave you with this favourite : “This is as useless as tits on a board hog” 😂😂😂