Before & After: Masha's Rose

I am fascinated by garden transformations - whether those transformations occur through time (many years, or only a season), radical re-designs, or even little tweaks that make a big difference. I'd like to start a section here at Sweet Bean Gardening that features these changes in the garden. (You can see my before & after cottage garden post here).

This week I am very happy to feature Masha over at A Rose is a Rose.  She has a stunning rose garden, and I basically begged her to share a Before & After. :) Masha inherited a neglected Cecile Brunner rose from the previous owners of her home. She says that in November 2006, the rose "had five smallish canes lying on the ground and wilting. We lifted the canes off the ground and gave the rose some water and food. Next spring it bloomed and we had an ID."

 

 

1) How did you find out it was a Cecile Brunner? Do you have a guess of how old it is?

I found out because, being a rose addict, I have seen so many roses I'd know a lot of them at a glance (but mostly by the growth habit, frequency and type of bloom, shape of leaves). Also, this rose is very common in the area. It is hard to say how old it is, but it has some very thick old canes, I would guess between 10 and 40 years old (our house was built 40 years old, so it is unlikely to be older than that).

 

2) When does it flower and what else do you have planted in this garden with it?

It blooms from late April to early June, the peak being in May. It is such a massive rose that it is hard to have anything growing next to it (it shades most things, and the roots are pretty thick too). It basically spreads across the whole planting bed, but I do have a camellia next to it, and some Calla lilies underneath. Click here for the post on how we did the retaining wall for that bed.

3) Is there anything else you'd like to share about your rose and its amazing resurrection?

Cecile Brunner is a climbing polyantha rose discovered in 1894. Old roses are tough and care-free survivors and deserve a gardener's attention no less than the latest release hybrid tea.

 See? Didn't I tell you she had stunning roses?

If you have a Before & After you'd like to have featured, just send me an email. I'd love to see the transformation in your garden!