What a glorious collection! I hope very much to see it someday.

Rosefolly

What a gorgeous collection! My mouth is watering at the many teas you have. You obviously have a lot more room than I do to have so many large roses. Your spring bloom must be magnificent, especially since you've gardened long enough to have mature bushes.

Ingrid

Rosefolly...please do visit. Feel free to email me if you like. fatherjerome2000@yahoo.com

Ingrid, thanks very much. I wish I knew in 2004 what I know now. I had no idea how big things would get or how to garden in "big gestures". Now I'm grateful for the space, and plant accordingly. When I see some of the configurations I made a few years ago, I laugh out loud. Things I've learned:

Mme. Berkeley gets big!
Rosette Delizy gets really big!
Souv. de Pierre Notting gets enormous.

I'd learned these things before putting in Peachiekean's Teasing Georgia, so it had enough room from the getgo, and it's perfect. Gardening is great.

I also have a rose by Viru Viraraghavan, "Pat Henry" from Roses Unlimited. Forgot to include it. It's wonderful. Fragrant and beautiful growth. Just planted in April, so I don't know more than that it blooms a ton. Very glad I ordered it. The photo on HelpMeFind is lovely, but doesn't do the rose justice. I'll try to post pics soon.

Wow, Jerome, you have a lot to take care of, but it must be glorious. I hope my Souvenir de Pierre Notting isn't going to be enormous. It only has room to be smallish medium!

Sherry

Here is a link that might be useful: If only sweat were irrigation...

Hi Sherry! I can't speak for SdPN in your climate, because I notice Florida roses grow different from here. Souvenir de Pierre Notting here in about 5 years got to be about 6 x 6. I pruned them (there are 2 of them) rather hard this year. I would not do it again...they're pouting now. They're not damaged, just pouting. The evidence of it is the tons of mildew on the new growth and spindly leaves. Live and learn.

Some people who've taken cuttings from my SdPN have plants that have not gotten as large for them...so I don't know what's going on there.

What a wonderful list Jerome. I can just imagine walking through the garden. I really hope that Michael and I can visit some time. I wrote down your e mail. Have you put the garden on HMF? It's such a great way to organize everything and share photos. Others would enjoy looking at the garden there too.

Father Jerome, one day I will. I have family in the LA area that will bring me to that part of the state at some point. Thanks for the kind invitation!

R

Jerome,

Where oh where did you get 'The Doctor'? I love it but have not seen it available for years. It did not do well for me but I would still like to try it again. Maybe it likes sunny California better than our Ohio weather, HOT in the summer and COLD in the winter.

Cath

Jerome, I can't imagine two climates more different than yours and mine - but yet some of the roses that do well for you do well here. Okay, not that many but:

Faith Whittlesey
Spice
spray Cecile Brunner
Jacques Cartier

we grow in common and they are all fine here too. Isn't that wonderful?

Devoniensis survived the winter and has grown back; I planted Lady Hillingdon and Madame Berkeley this spring and maybe they'll do well too. High hopes here. Gean

I don't like to say this too loudly - but Devoniensis is not a rose I'd ever replace or try again. Here it is covered with mildew, is a scrawny plant, has ugly growth patterns (I speak of both bush and climber) and has shown these traits for 6 years. Every time I see Jeri Jennings photo of the beauty up in San Juan Bautista, I am overcome with the beauty of it. That plant is from a different planet than mine. I am not going to shovel prune them, but not because I wouldn't - I just don't want to have to admit on this forum that I shovel pruned 4 Devoniensis! :-/

It may be wonderful - but in this little corner of God's Garden - it stinks!

Cath - I got the Doctor from a friend (Luanne) as a gift. I think she ordered it from Ralph Moore's nursery. I also know RU has it. My plant pined away for about 4 years, and I finally gave up about 18 months ago and pulled it out of the ground with its 2 roots to throw it out. Our Fr. Ambrose saw it and said, "Father Jerome, may I take this....?" so of course I let him. This year, I was walking down by the novitiate and saw this healthy vigorous rose growing - "What's that one, Fr. Ambrose?" "The Doctor, Fr. Jerome..." Hmmm...sometimes they just want a change of scenery, yes?

Fr. Jerome,

Thank you so much for the sources for 'The Doctor', I would be ecstatic if "...a change of scenery..." would do it.

Cath

I don't like to say this too loudly - but Devoniensis is not a rose I'd ever replace or try again. Here it is covered with mildew, is a scrawny plant, has ugly growth patterns

*** Don't feel badly.
We also shovel-pruned three or four of it.
The beauty from San Juan Bautista (we did not visit it this spring. I hope it still lives) yielded up healthy plants.
One is in the Sacramento Cemetery, and one will go into the ground here, this year.
It's disease-free and blooms generously.
I don't think it will reach (in my lifetime at least) the proportions of the mother plant -- but I don't care.

Gregg Lowery found another like it, in the old Santa Rosa Cemetery. Some fool pruned it, and it is gone.

Jeri

I guess my veggie garden roses Mme. Berkeley and Souvenir Pierre de Notting will quickly outgrow their space. I'll enjoy them until they do. I am about to sp Perle des jardins. Scrawny and mildewed. And replanting Catherine Mermet did wonders for her. I'm now treating her like a HT instead of a tea.
Mary

Jerome---I had no idea you had such a large and varied collection of roses--

You have no idea how thrilled I would be to visit your garden and meet you---

Doesn't look like it will happen but 'I can dream can't I'--( reminds me of an old song )

Florence

I should update this now...since we've planted about 100 more roses just this past 5 weeks!

And it was already an amazing collection before you did that!

Looking forward to the update---

Florence

Father Jerome would you consider getting cuttings from them?

Jessica

Sure, we give cuttings to friends all the time from the roses not under patent. I really need to revise the list soon. We have added, in no particular order:

Teas:

1. G. Nabonnand

Tea-Noisettes:

1. Jaune Desprez
2. Madame Alfred Carriere

English Roses:

1. Munstead Wood
2. Lady of Shalott
3. Princess Alexandra of Kent
4. The Alexandra Rose
5. Buttercup
6. Windflower
7. Jubilee Celebration
8. Lady Emma Hamilton
9. The Alnwick Rose
10. The Pilgrim
11. Tea Clipper
12. Mary Rose
13. Redoute
14. Winchester Cathedral
15. Gentle Hermione

Holy Christmas! That's crazy of me. Anyway, I should start to make a list and a map of all the beds...this is getting to be a big group of roses.

General Schablikine

so bizarre, here Devoniensis has never mildewed. So glad you're having fun in the garden.

I wish I could travel to meet you and your roses.
I love Tea roses most of all and you grow many of my favorites.

Would you possibly have time to list your top 3 (or 4 or 5)
favorites of each class of rose that you grow?

Thanks,
Luxrosa

Lux...I'm changeable, and my tastes have changed over the years. Right now, my favorites (in no particular order)

Teas:
1. Souv. de Pierre Notting
2. Mons Tillier
3. Niles Cochet
4. White Maman Cochet
5. Faith Whittlesey (sp?)
6. Rosette Delizy
7. Miss Atwood
8. Mme. Berkeley
9. Marie van Houtte....sorry so many Teas, but these really are splendid....
oh and 10. Etoile de Lyon and 11. Le Pactole

Hybrid Perpetuals:

1. Grandmother's Hat
2. Old Town Novato
3. Forest Ranch Pompom

Tea-Noisettes
1. Lamarque is stupendous
2. Reve d'Or looks promising....but all this class takes forever to take off here.

Chinas

1. Spice is great

Polyanthas

1. Perle d'Or is wonderful

Hy Teas and Grandifloras:

1. Firefighter
2. Secret
3. Gemini
4. DAMES DE CHENONCEAU (get it!)
5. Versigny
6. St. Patrick
7. Tchaikovski
8. Lemon Spice
9. Tahitian Sunset

English

1. Abe Darby
2. Golden Celebration
3. Young Lycidas
4. Brother Cadfael
5. Graham Thomas
6. Crown Princess Margareta
7. Molineux (sp?)
8. CARDING MILL
9. Teasing Georgia
10 Scepter'd Isle.

Also....Felicite Parmentier is a great rose here. Alba, that.

Sorry there are so many on my list...I was in a rush and didn't have time to make it shorter and really ponder. All the ones I listed are wonderful here.

I'd love to see this list ILLUSTRATED. I'll repeat a question asked above: Do you have the Abbey listed on HMF? Are you on HMF? Excuse my ignorance, but I don't even know the name of your Abbey. I know of one in So Cal called the Prince of Peace Abbey. Is that yours?

Annabeth

Hi Annabeth....it's St. Michael's Abbey in Silverado, Norbertine Order (Prince of Peace is Benedictine) I need to put some work into my HMF page. It's a question of finding the time. I'll try and take more photos and put them up. Thanks to all for your interest.

Please do...I'll be watching for them!

Annabeth

Just ordered Le Vesuve from Vintage....more varieties....

Do you have friends there who like to garden with you? I imagine that it feels like a family there. What a wonderful way to live. I'm sure that there will be loving hands to care for the roses for many many years. Even though I'm living by myself, I like to sing monastic chants when I'm in the garden because they are so beautiful and they bring joy and peace to my heart.

I didn't know Jerome is a father, a guy who has so many beautiful roses. What are you single ladies waiting for? Get him out of the Abby! It's totally doable. :-) I want to see more his garden photos, who is going there?

It's also a boys' school and there are some sisters who are there, at least the last time I was there I saw them preparing food. The abbey is a beautiful, peaceful place surrounded by native oaks.

Link to ST Michaels Abbey, Orange County CA

https://stmichaelsabbey.com

Thanks kittymoonbeam for the link. It looks pretty difficult/impossible to get him out of Abbey, they are really deep into bibles........

Which one is Jerome in the photo? The man in black?

P.S. Devoniensis is like a Live Oak tree...it gets better and better over time. Here, after 10-11 years, it's finally coming into its own. Now, I would replace if it died!

Nice photo, you aren't old!? You should write a rose book-roses in an Abbey. I hope my 2 Devoniensis can make it through this winter in zone 6a. Would love to see your Devoniensis photo. I hope Kittymoonbeam can visit there in the spring and come back with a lot of photos. :-)

Jerome, nice to see you back.

Thanks Melissa! Summersrhythm...I'm going to be 56 in March, not ancient, not young. The man in black in the photo is a Cardinal...quite a bit above my pay grade. Things have changed here a lot on the site. I need to get up to speed on how to navigate, post etc.

Only 56?! Hello single ladies of rose forum, go get Jerome! :-)

I like to see old friends; it's been a while. We're still here perched on our Italian hill. You're going to make my mouth start watering all over for warm climate roses. Most of mine have been failures, simply because at the time we were planting them we didn't understand how drastically the ground needed to be amended for them. That has become clear over the years, and perhaps we'll try again: it depends on our finances and manpower. They're the loveliest roses! Easier for us, and also very beautiful, have been the once-flowering roses of European origin. I imagine your garden is a wonderful sight.

Just looking at old notifications from years ago. I should post again on the collection. So many have died (lack of water probably....it's survival of the fittest here, and yes we do irrigate) and I should make a new list. Also, we're moving to the new abbey in about 3 weeks....gotta go to Compline now.

It would be great to hear updates on the abbey garden, and also any plans you have for the new one. :)

Yay, Fr Jerome! Good to see you. We miss you.

John

So good to hear from you, Father Jerome. I'm happy to hear that the long awaited move to the new abbey is finally going to take place. As for the roses, it will be interesting to learn which ones have thrived, and which ones couldn't quite handle the local conditions. I'm assuming that there will be a new garden in the new location, perhaps one with the toughest of the roses.

Wishing you a happy Christmas, and looking forward to hearing from you when you can spare the time.

Rosefolly/Paula

Thank you to K S, Joh and Paula!

Roses that didn’t make it here at the old place (that I can remember off the top of my head): Dames de Chenonceau; Versigny; Francois Blaise (sp?); Condesa de Sastago; Lady Emma Hamilton; and a couple others that I’d need to see the list to name.

They have transplanted 100+ of our old collection to the new place already. It’s going to be a much smaller garden, because of water concerns. I was amazed at how some of the bigger teas (really huge plants) survived essentially being “bare rooted“ and just started shooting out growth from thick, old wood the second they were in the ground at the new place: Niles Cochet; Mons. Tillier; Mme. Antoine Mari; Old Town Novato; Clementina Carbonieri; Rosette Delizy and many others I can’t recall. Now, if we can only keep the deer pressure off of them. We have been spraying deer repellent regularly, and it remains to be seen if that’ll help

So nice to hear from you again,Fr Jerome! Best wishes and happy Christmas!