Poop or not, it is a pretty rose!

I planted a clematis in the corner of my fence last week and apparently the birds sit there a lot because it's covered in poop!! Never even thought about it.

What a beautiful rose. I have that one on my ever-growing wishlist, probably for next year! Thanks for sharing with us!

It's utterly gorgeous. I keep asking myself why my roses are such a mess when you have the most beautiful ones in what you describe as dire conditions. But I'm glad you do.....

Ingrid, this rose is not at my place or at Humpty Dumpty House -- it belongs to a client who has a big love for roses. That aside, at Humpty Dumpty House we don't struggle with the harsh conditions you have to cope with. We use decomposed granite only where we want nothing to grow, like pathways -- you have it as your native soil. Our soil was not-so-terrible to begin with, and we've been amending it for years. So our roses are planted in fertile, well amended beds; almost never in holes. Our "rough" conditions are things like too much sun, too little sun, reflected light from a white wall, shedding debris from a neighboring tree, etc. We don't have the challenge of an austere setting with scorching heat bouncing off giant boulders. I admire your tenacity, and that tenacity and your love of roses is reflected in the bittersweet gardens you create.

Beauty is in the click of a camera. I point my camera at what looks best, and don't show you the masses of dead heads I haven't been able to pluck off since my injury. Your gardens AND YOUR ROSES are powerfully moving. They're so much more than a "pretty face", and they bring many of us joy. I personally hope you never lose the courage to keep creating this savage beauty with your roses.

jannike

https://www.facebook.com/HumptyDumptyHouse

Mustbnuts -- thanks; I've considered getting this one too -- just too many beautiful Austins to choose from.

Michaela, I don't typically notice bird poop on plants either, but on this rose it's like checkers on a gingham dress -- almost part of the rose. At Humpty Dumpty House we don't have feeders; we just plant for wildlife, and have quite a show going on. Feeders, at least in this garden, seem to bring a three-ring-circus rather than a show, and the piles of bird poop below are quite amazing.

jannike

https://www.facebook.com/HumptyDumptyHouse

Jannike, thank you so much for posting these photos of such a lovely rose, St.Cecilia. Who cares about bird poop (I have lots of that in my garden, not to mention a deer charging through the yard last night. Now that I hate). If this rose can look good under the conditions it grows in, St.Cecilia might do well in my garden, since I have very similar conditions--roses crammed against walls, tiny yard, tree problems, water problems, desert soil, and dry heat. So, I am heartened by these photos. Does STC bloom frequently? My impression was the blooms in your photos are the correct color. Again, thank you so much. I hope there is lots of gardening in your future, and much success for Humpty Dumpty House garden. Diane

Diane, thanks for your well-wishes. This rose is barely over a year in the ground, so who knows its long term potential. I've never seen it smothered in blooms like so many of your drop-dead gorgeous rose shrubs, but it does always seem to have a few. Petal edges do brown slightly, unlike some of the heat loving Austins that look glorious even when I'm frying eggs on the pavement (Wollerton Old Hall and Claire Austin are examples). The color pales even more through summer, but always has a tint of pink or apricot. Even tho the blooms are very much cup-shaped, they have a cabbagey quality I haven't seen in any other Austin. I love sticking my nose in this bloom, but I've never noticed the fragrance waft.

Thanks for your recommendations when I was first starting out about a year and a half ago. I am so delighted with the roses you vouched for -- I would not want to be without them! Would like your thoughts about Jude the Obscure, but will ask in a separate thread.

jannike

https://www.facebook.com/HumptyDumptyHouse

Rick, thanks so much for this report from a cold zone. Interesting that St Cecilia does well in both extremes. Also good to get the perspective on own root, since my client's is grafted, probably on Dr Huey. Your photos show the color I like best on this rose; to me a very pale apricot. If St Cecilia would stay this color I'd have a spot her her at Humpty Dumpty House right now, but many of these "apricot" roses present as pink much of the time.

We have lots of
pictures of roses along with detailed evaluations on Humpty Dumpty
Facebook. If you visit, please give us a page "like". Your simple act of
liking our page can help us get our gardens restored and reopened for
public events after my lengthy hospitalization due to an injury. Here's
the link:

https://www.facebook.com/HumptyDumptyHouse

I invited all my Facebook friends to "Like" Humpty Dumpty House and got a pretty good response. I enjoy looking at the posts. Best wishes.

Pam -- you are so sweet -- thank you!!! The newest post is about this arbor we designed and built at Humpty Dumpty House: