Today the sun was shining, and my bare root roses arrived from David Austin Roses. I have literally been ordering from David Austin Roses since I think the 1990s. Through many places and gardens, including my parents’ garden, I have planted many David Austin roses and old and antique garden roses.

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I have to be honest that the roses I received today are literally the best looking bare root roses I have ever seen in all my years of gardening. Beautiful big roses with well-developed root systems.

The roses I am planting are two antiques (Louise Odier, a Bourbon and Comte de Chambourd, a Portland) and one older climber that I have been unable to find since Winterthur closed their catalog plant business named Eden Climber. I bought it from Winterthur in the 1990s and planted it in my parents’ garden, along with the other two who came back then from someplace like Antique Rose Emporium in Texas.

And these three roses were among the 53 different roses that the subsequent owners of my parents’ house wouldn’t let me take any of when they bought the house. Yet some time after they had bought the house they ripped out the beautiful garden I had planted including the roses.

So it finally is the time to add these old roses to my current garden. It’s like welcoming three old garden friends home. I can’t explain how happy it made me to open that box today. Now they are all soaking in a mixture of water and liquid kelp/ seaweed. I will plant them in the morning with rose food, some coir instead of peat and chicken grit.

Roses make me happy. Even in a COVID19 world.

Happy gardening!