Sunday, February 10, 2013

Replacing favorite plants after a move

A Lyda Rose spray can sport 35+ blooms
 
Moving is often cited as one of the top ten most stressful events in life. I don’t doubt it, but in my case, I was so busy coordinating our 2011 move I didn’t have time to realize I was stressed.

We put our Maryland house on the market in late January that year, it sold a couple of weeks later and we closed on March 31st. And, oh by the way, a day after the settlement we left for son Sam's wedding in Australia.

I left Zephirine and the arbor behind
When we finally arrived at our house in North Carolina in May, we wasted no time starting a new garden. Because of the timing of the sale and trip Down Under, I wasn’t able to bring any of my beloved plants with me (even though the new owners had kindly offered to let me take a few special faves.)

My Maryland cottage garden has been hard to duplicate
 At first it seemed fun starting fresh with a completely different garden design. Now almost two years later I am beginning to miss some my old favorites from all the years I gardened on the Eastern Shore.

And I’m discovering how difficult it’s going to be to replace them.

Out-of-the-ordinary roses are hard to find.

We’ve been reading a lot lately about financial problems in the nursery industry and the bankruptcy of big names like Jackson & Perkins. 

If you’re looking for a Knock Out or a Blaze climbing rose, chances are the collapse of some of these businesses is not going to affect you.

But what if you’re like me and want to locate a unique variety called Lyda Rose?  The bloom of this shrub looks more like an apple blossom than a rose, but it puts out amazing sprays covered with dozens of simple, exquisite flowers.

Unfortunately, you’ll never find one at your local big box store.

Mesh fences save young plants from bunnies and big feet
A website called HelpMeFind indicated four companies in the country carry Lyda Rose. As it turns out only one had her in stock and I luckily snagged it from a nursery in Florida.

Unfortunately just as she was really getting going, my husband accidently stepped on the bush and broke it off at the soil level. 

I've found another  Lyda at one of my favorite  nurseries, Roses Unlimited in Laurens, SC, so I'll try again. (Rose Petals Nursery is another great source for old and antique roses.)

This time I'll protect her with small circular fence made of wire till she gets established.

Louisville Lady was another rose I tried to locate. I’d left six behind in Maryland and was having a hard time finding even one. Fortunately a Mississippi company, K&M Roses, came to the rescue.
Blooms of Louisville Lady hold their form for over a week

They not only had Louisville Lady, but another miniflora I was looking for named Whiraway. The plants they sent were beautifully packaged and extremely healthy.

Tracking down perennial partners

Pollinators love Centranthus
Some of the companions I planted with roses in my cottage garden were over 15 years old.

I’ve found some lavenders and catmints but was striking out when it came to a variety of Centranthus (also known as Jupiter’s Beard.)
Pierre de Ronsard (aka Eden)

I’d grown both the red and white varieties which produced beautiful clusters of flowers on long arching stems from May till frost if the spent blooms were pinched back.

The red variety is readily available, but I’d just about given up finding Centranthus alba when I discovered New Garden Plants. They had exactly what I wanted and I was very impressed with the quality of all their perennials.

So it seems smaller nurseries have helped me replace some old garden plants in a big way.

?? clematis and Cottage Rose
But I'm still missing many of my old faves including variegated camellias, plant names I neglected to write down, Cl. Pierre de Ronsard, the Hybrid Perpetual  Baron Girod de l'Ain, and the mini Marriotta.
Baron features white-tipped petals



So the search continues, but I've been forced to give up the hope of finding plants that are no longer in commerce.

Baby Blanket with red and white Centranthus at her feet




 Like the incredible weeping Baby Blanket tree rose.

Sigh.

22 comments :

Rose Petals Nursery said...

An amazing photo book of your previous garden - WOW! Maybe some new roses will be just what the docter ordered!

XXOO
Cyd

Lynn Hunt said...

Thanks Cyd, and I know just where to get most of those hard-to-find varieties! Your wonderful Rose Petals Nursery! xxx

HELENE said...

I can fully appreciate how difficult it has been to move and try to establish a new garden. I have moved so many times in my life that I have given up replicate each garden every time. Instead I have embraced the opportunity to do something new and only had a core of a few favourites.

I have however been in my current house for 11 years, should I have to move again it would be heart braking to move from some of the plants I have now. I would need to take a serious amount of cuttings!

Lynn Hunt said...
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Lynn Hunt said...

Hi Helene, I know exactly how you feel. Before we bought the house in Maryland we'd moved five times in six years, including twice in Kingston-upon-Thames. I made the mistake of planting a small garden at the second house, then had to leave everything behind when my husband was transferred to DC.

We enjoyed our garden on the Eastern Shore for 19 years so I can't complain too much. There is no way to duplicate it here -- the area with enough sun for roses is much smaller. But I am enjoying discovering new shade plants for the trail. I've never been a shade gardener before!

tina said...

I can't even imagine moving my garden or leaving it but soon we will also be doing this. It sounds like you had an ever so hectic move but promising in that you are finding some of your beloveds. It think the time it takes to grow them is the hardest thing to get back even if you find them. Perhaps even the new homeowner would let you take cuttings?

Janneke said...

Beautiful photos of your Maryland cottagegarden, the Lyda rose and Louisville Lady are stunning, but as far as I know not for sale in Europe. You should find Eden rose again, it is such a beauty. A shade garden can be very nice and that will be your new challenge. There are some roses for shade too, I think of Gloire de Dyon, an old climbing rose which grows and flowers very well in partial shade, which has a lovely amber colour and fragrance.

Lynn Hunt said...

Tina, you are so right about the time it takes to get a garden established. My Cl Souvenir de la Malmaison took about six years to get to the top of the roof. To be honest, I don't know if I have the patience to do it again.

Having said that, I am planting Wollerton Old Hall this spring -- it can be grown as a small climber but I think I will train it as a rambler along the front porch. Photos to come!!

Lynn Hunt said...
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Lynn Hunt said...

Hi Janneke (just realized I misspelled your name in my original reply so am redoing!) Thank you for the tip about Gloire. I know I can find her here. I can also find Eden, but as I said to Tina, I don't know if I have the patience to grow another. It didn't repeat bloom for at least three years and was fairly stingy. But in the spring it was so gorgeous. If I had a bigger garden maybe I'd consider it. But with my limited space, any rose that doesn't provide a long season of bloom must go.

HolleyGarden said...

It must have been sad to leave such a beautiful garden. And it's heartbreaking the number of roses (and other plants, too) that have gone out of commerce. Not because they were bad plants, but because something "newer" came along. Good luck with your searching!

Lynn Hunt said...

Hi HolleyGarden! Fortunately companies like Rose Petals Nursery are keeping some of the "oldies" going. David Austin continues to offer most of his English roses, even back to Constance Spry which was introduced in the UK in 1960. But sadly you are right, something newer often pushes very good varieties out of the limelight.

Sunil said...

Hi Lynn, the Lyda Rose looks wonderful. I'm not a fan of single roses but that one is just gorgeous, the pink-tinged white and bright yellow center; I'm glad you managed to find a replacement. I'll be facing this same dilemma at some point soon as I'm "growing out" of our small garden. Plants that have had several years to establish like roses, wisteria and bamboo will be missed.

Lynn Hunt said...

Oh Sunil, I feel your pain already! Obviously you are thinking of moving in the not-too-distant future so you'll have more room to garden. I think you should be able to take a rose or two.

Some friends of mine moved fairly good-sized bushes and I have too, in the past. The key is trimming them back, then digging them out around the drip line. When do move, let me know and I'll get the experts to give more details.

Unknown said...

Lynn, I can't imagine how difficult it was to leave those beauties behind. As exciting as it is to start fesh with a new garden, I'm so sentimental about my plants! I have a rose bush my mother gave to me that's moved two times, and now resides in the only bit of sun in our shady garden. I hope you can find your favorites. Good luck to you! I love seeing all of your beautiful rose photos.

Lynn Hunt said...

Thank you so much, Julie. What is the name of the rose bush your mother gave you? My late mother-in-law gave us The Fairy when we bought the Maryland house but I wasn't able to bring it with me. (Of course I have photos!)

I'm so pleased you enjoy seeing my rose pictures. Can't wait to take more this spring.

Les said...

You could spin the loss of old favorites into opportunities to try new plants. Although for Southerners it can be difficult to not dwell on the past. Good luck to you!

Lynn Hunt said...

Les I am trying to embrace those new shade plants and leave the past behind. And of course I have a bunch of new roses coming in April. Maybe there will be some new faves in the new faces.

Janet, The Queen of Seaford said...

I understand completely about not having all your plants from your old garden. I though I had all I wanted...until I went back and saw what they did to some prized shrubs.....should have dug them up and brought them with me.
by the way...Laurens is just across the lake from us...when you head there let me know.

Lynn Hunt said...

Janet, that is one reason why I didn't want to go back by my old house when I was visiting the area in December, 2011. I didn't want to see what had happened to some of my beloved plants!

I have an order coming from Laurens in April but need to go there one day! We will definitely get together (though I don't have room for all the roses that will tempt me!)

Marcio Wilges said...

I would think that you would need really green thumbs in order to successfully transplant your greens when you go through home removals. It's not easy keeping plants alive when they're being uprooted!

Lynn Hunt said...

Marcio, my husband actually took cuttings of our Maryland hydrangeas and they are now five feet tall!

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