The Anniversary Garden

31 Oct '06 12:49 am

Having started the post on the Rondel Garden under 'Garden Diaries' I will continue it there - but let's start in the right place with this one!

For those who don't yet know: the Anniversary Garden which this year is starting at last to look something like I want it to, has been a four year project for my parents' Golden Wedding Anniversary. (I am safely legitimate Wink

) It contains yellow and gold roses, and a wisteria pergola which was part of the original concept for this area 11 years ago. Because of the wisteria, the concept of blue-mauve and yellow was central to the development of the area once I decided that it would be the Anniversary Garden. The pergola was one of the biggest projects I have ever tackled and it darn near got me down: the scale is huge. Because of the slope of the land in two directions one of the pillars is nearly six meters high, and the whole was difficult to stabilise. It is built of Sequoia wood harvested on the farm. (California redwood; Sequoia gigantea, which eventually becomes the tallest tree in the world.)

The pergola is narrow in the middle and deep on the sides; imagine a rectangular cookie with a bite taken out the long side. There is a central entrance looking down a central path to a focal point on the opposite side of the garden, and then two paths from the corners of the pergola are angled in to the focal point, so that the whole relatively square area is divided into 4 triangles. The central path is lined with rosemary hedges. Originally the two side paths were lined with yellow and blue flag irises, but the local moles have a sick sense of humour... besides which, my mom complained that she battled to get in among the roses, so they were moved to the long narrow bed at the bottom where the focal point is.

For the rest - let the pics speak for themselves - moan if this doesn't make sense and I will make a plan with a plan!

31 Oct '06 6:01 am

The concept of yellow -gold ,and mauve is so interesting and individual ,Jack ...I was given 'Golden Celebration 'by my work colleagues ,for one of my mumble birthdays ,and it would be right at home there .It has just started to flower here in NZ ,and has big luscious heads ,which droop under their own weight ...I have the gorgeous ,subtle ,Buff Beauty ,too,and very much want to find the right space for 'Just Joey' as it stopped me in my tracks the first time I saw it at a neighbours.
The irises would have been perfect for that site ,but never mind.It will be interesting when the lavenders are flowering ,as they give a misty effect .
Dixie

31 Oct '06 3:33 pm

What absolutely beautiful colour combinations. I love the shot of 'Rhapsody in Blue and South Africa'. They look stunning together.

I noticed 'R in B' at Wairere Nurseries (my fave rose garden centre) the other day, I was awfully tempted, now after seeing this piccie I may just have to have one. Very Happy

31 Oct '06 4:17 pm

I also get roses at Wairere ,Anna ; every rose from there is so very healthy and vigorous .I was meant to visit there tomorrow with our local garden circle ,with lunch at Willowglen ,but have just lost a special friend ,Mary A.,so don't feel like an outing just yet .Have you checked their website lately ? Imagine my astonishment to find some quotes taken from Mooseys pages in their newsletters. It is great to see roses in natural settings such as Jack's place.
Dixie.

31 Oct '06 8:44 pm

I've just read Mooseys 28/11/04 comments on visiting Mona Vale Rose Gdn. I could have written them myself, so well do they reflect my feelings: in fact when looking at the Anniversary Gdn with a critical eye on Sunday my mental note was: BEWARE MONOCULTURE!

1 Nov '06 12:38 pm

May I ask a question ,Jack ,referring to 'beware monoculture ' I will try to find the reference in Mooseys main site .Do you mean roses in their own beds ,rather than mingling with other flowers ?I would be interested in more of your thoughts
Edited later :I went to 'botanic gardens 'on Mooseys main page ,and found what Jack was referring to.Yes - why plant pansies in straight rows ? Why force roses into square beds?I adored the rose archways ,and wondered what the name of the white rose was -possibly 'Alberic Barbier '?
Dixie.

1 Nov '06 2:41 pm

Wairere is my favourite garden centre by far. I also use Palmers now and then and Oderings, but Wairere has the variety that can't be beat. Smile

I have peeked at their site in the past. Probably about time I went back for another look.

I'm sorry you lost your friend. My condolences. Perhaps when you're feeling better about things you might plant a rose (or something else she loved) in her honour.

As to regimented rows of anything in the garden, I couldn't do it.
I don't mind formality and symmetry sometimes as long as it's pleasing to the eye. But sterile (forgive me for putting it this way) 'old lady' gardens (not very tactful I know!) with roses in beds and no underplanting, and especially the gaudy orange red roses that have little foliage and just look like thorny sticks with blobs of 'in your face' colour on them (pretty much the way my grandmother would have planted. And the roses had no scent!!!!!), aren't my cup of tea. Smile

And don't get me started on the way they plant out the traffic islands! Just criminal! All expense and no taste!!!! *mutters a bit... well quite a lot actually...*

1 Nov '06 6:15 pm

Mono as in 'one' - anything planted to the exclusion of all other plants; a catch phrase around here where the varied grasslands are being lost to hectares of pine or worse, gum, trees.

Yes - it is very noticasble how in 15 years the fashion has completely swung away from beds of well-tended but sterile hybrid teas into treating most roses as shrubs in mixed borders.

The Anniversary Garden

The Anniversary Garden

colour scheme

Rose Nursery

no lone roses

Mono culture

Monoculture