Garden Roses

Anonymous roses in the Moosey garden cannot be ignored. It isn't their fault that they are nameless.

Often garden plants are rescued from bargain bins and sale tables at the local nurseries, and come to live in the Moosey garden. Others are offered a good home in the country from existing gardens - I've gained many of my treasures this way.

Then there is the head gardener, who hates the 'look' of white labels hanging from a low stem of a newly arrived rose bush. There are boxfuls of these old labels in the house, but alas the position of the rose in question was never written down.

Then there is a group of roses which were already here when we first came to Mooseys. Some of these are well known, but others could be any rose! The original garden was planted in the 1980s, and I don't really know which roses were fashionable in New Zealand then.

So rather than stare at the photographs in my rose book and try and match my roses up, I've decided to let the anonymous roses have their own section. There's no shame in not knowing your name, if you're a rose!

Ivory-Cream Rose...
Mon 3rd Jan 2005

This lovely ivory-cream rose was gifted to Mooseys from a gardening friend. I can't think why she wanted to get rid of it - the rose has shown no signs of ill-health, forming a medium-tall compact shrub with lots of flowers.

Pink Rose - Unknown No. 3...
Thu 2nd Mar 2000

This is a taller hybrid tea rose which was in the Island Bed when I first arrived. Its blooms are slightly salmon coloured. I'm not totally enamoured of hybrid teas, and this rose seems to flower quite sparsely, but the blooms are brilliant for picking.

Pink Rose - Unknown No.2...
Fri 25th Feb 2000

My garden is full of unknown pink roses. This beauty is one of the free roses I was lucky to get from a bare root sale. I suspect that it is a David Austin, but as yet I can't find out the name.

Pink Rose - Unknown No.1...
Fri 25th Feb 2000

This pink rose was here when I first came to the garden. Since then it's been moved three times, and at the moment is in Jeremys border surrounded by catmint.

Pink Rose - Unknown No. 4...
Thu 27th Jan 2000

This fluffy pink rose is another of my free roses which came here without a label. I think it is one of David Austin's, but I really have no way of finding out. It has a very light fragrance and is waist high and healthy.