Apparently because of copyright issues it can only be viewed in the UK. Just as well, I don't think I'm up for anything that will make me sad, although it's a very interesting topic. Trying to preserve anything in that country must be a struggle.

Since we in the U.S. can't watch that (pity) . . . Here is a book recounting a journey made by Mrs. Alice Fullerton and Miss Nancy Lindsay (of 'Rose de Rescht' fame) in the early 1900's. A very interesting read, about the adventures of two intrepid ladies.

https://www.amazon.com/Persia-flowers-Alice-Ogston-Fullerton/dp/B00085JJ2W

Dang! Thank you for posting the link, Daisy! It would have been a wonderful watch. Maybe I'll root around on the internet to see if I can dig up any articles about the series.

Jeri, I'll absolutely have to check out that book! Rose de Rescht and its history are two of my favorite subjects. Someday, decades from now, I am hoping that Portland, City of Roses, will still boast thriving plants of RdR. I've probably planted it in 75% of the gardens I've designed. The most recent garden belongs to a friend who bid for my design work at an auction. She is Persian-American, and together we created a garden with plants and hardscapes that reflect her heritage. Carol

Carol, could you please share what plants, especially roses, you chose for the garden of your Persian-American friend? Was Ispahan among them? I've planted Ispahan this year and I'm trying to find out as much as possible about its origin, most of which I'm afraid will remain in the obscurity.

The moment I saw that book that Jeri suggested, I asked my darling to pick it up from our local library on his way home. Can't wait to read it this evening!

Someone already posted that BBC program on Youtube. It can be removed soon though, if it wasn't posted with permission...

That was not the trip on which Miss Nancy collected Rose de Rescht, but it was the first of a series of them which she made -- and on one of them, she collected the rose. (Reading about her, and things that went on later, I decided that I really didn't like the sainted G.S. Thomas very much.)

Ah, yes. GST.... And Quest-Ritson. Carol

Vesfl, I'll get back with you as soon as I'm at my desk. There's an article by Allyson Hayward in the Rosa Mundi archive called "The Roses of Norah and Nancy Lindsay." (RM, Volume 23, #2, 2010.) It's a short but informative read. Carol

Quote: "Graham Thomas wrote in a letter to me that he knew that Nancy Lindsay discovered and named (at least) three Persian roses, which were eventually forwarded from the Natural His tory Museum with Nancy’s blessing to the Royal Botanic Gar dens at Kew to be held and cared for during the Second World War. Nancy was unable at that time to provide a proper garden, nor did she have the time required to keep the plants safe due to the rigors of war combined with her personal commit- ment to her mother’s ailing health and failing financial status. Thomas acquired the roses from Kew while he was working as manager at T. Hilling & Co., Surrey. Thomas indicated to me that he then assisted in placing them into the commercial nursery trade. The roses that he referred to were Rosa ‘Sharas- tanek’, Rosa ‘Gloire de Guilan’, and Rosa ‘de Resht’. "

Vesfl,

Congratulations on your Ispahan! What a magical Damask with its umbrella of super fragrant, candy pink blooms. And then there's the historical value which is, in my opinion, beyond a price.

I placed two Damask cultivars in my garden design: Rose de Rescht and Ispahan, both discovered in Persia and introduced to the West by N. Lindsay. Although once blooming, Ispahan boasts such a long flowering period that I like to use it as an OGR intro rose for gardeners new to the concept of non remontants. RdR produces several cycles of bloom in Portland, as long as it's deadheaded/lightly trimmed after each flush. Both have been very disease resistant for me and both make manageable shrubs (of different habits), so they are great easy care specimens for client projects. I grew a "tree" of Ispahan at my last residence and really do miss it! I still grow RdR in my current tiny urban garden.

When I began my Persian garden project, I searched online for websites which listed Iranian walled/paradise garden plants and then located viable candidates (or close relations) for this climate. A site called "Flora of Iran" was very helpful (botanical names only). It lists oodles and oodles of garden plants! http://flora-iran.com/plant-families-iran.html A no brainer for the design was Jasminum offinicinale. A pomegranate tree is another delightful, delicious plant which is native to Iran and can handle my climate. I learned that Alchemilla mollis, which I think of as an English garden plant, is native to N Iran.

Please share if you learn more about any of the roses Nancy discovered on her journeys and let us know how you like Ispahan. I'm a huge Damask fan! I'd grow a zillion if I had the space. They are lovely when they mingle with my beloved purple Gallicas. :-)

Carol

The article Carol mentions, "The Roses of Norah and Nancy Lindsay", is available as a download here. Or from the Rosa Mundi site... see issue #12.

Thank you! Carol

Thanks, Marlorena... I especially liked the gentleman who said that he talked to his plants, and they talked to him. I feel that way also.

Virginia

Thank you! That was excellent!

Glad you enjoyed it, Jeri you too. Virginia, yes I liked that elderly couple, when the lady said ''I'm in charge of the design, and it's so much better for it''... did make me laugh.

It also makes me think that the efforts to keep the Taliban at bay are worth it, despite the appalling cost in lives, and that perhaps they haven't all died in vain.

Thank you

Marlorena, I've just finished watching it. Thank you so much! It was inspiring to see how they are remaking their ancient gardens from the rubbles of war. That cute elderly couple also made me smile more than once. Another line from them, right after he says that plants talk back to him that Virginia mentioned, he continues 'They say "Scratch my back, give me water, give me food." Hahaha. I'll remember it when I prune, water and feed my plants next time! What a beautiful journey into the tranquility of their private and public gardens as a refuge from the shadow of war.

Carol, your gardening projects are, as always, interesting, blending tasteful designs, history, culture, thoughtful plant selection. I first heard of the rose 'Ispahan' from the title of a beautiful song by Fauré (Roses of Ispahan) and then learned that there is still a rose with that name, which may or may not be the same as one of the roses in this poem, but that its provenance is from the distant lands gives it an extra magic. So glad you included it into this gardening project. I'll post photos of mine when it blooms next time.

Edited: My comment already got too long that I inadvertently forgot to thank you Daisy for starting this thread. It gave us a chance for this wonderful discussion.

Thank you so much, Vesfl!

vesfl, glad you enjoyed it too, yes | also chuckled at that remark.

Thank you ALL for the wonderful links. I think my evening is set! : ) Let's not forget Omar Khayam and R. Persica!

Marlorena, thank you for the original post and the link! Daisy, thank you for picking up the thread! Carol

GARDENERS OF KABUL (some of my favorite quotations):

"I planted roses first."

"Gardening is a kind of temporary peace."

"I wish someday that we hear music everywhere...."

"There weren't any flowers. I was depressed."

"Then I began to gather seeds...to plant."

"Flowers freshen your mind and bring you peace."

"My family had to leave because of the civil war. We came back. The first thing I planted was a wallflower."

"The garden we had then still needed watering. My husband went to fetch water from the river across the road while rockets were falling. So, I said let's dig a well. We worked hard...until we reached water. I will never forget how happy we felt. Nothing else mattered--not even rockets as we watered our vines and flowers. This is a story of war, flowers and our friendship with them."

"I couldn't sleep for grief. When my friend died, I decided to plant some flowers. And when they grew, it was like I had a new friend."

"During the war, Babur's garden was completely destroyed. It was a frontline...."

"Babur...loved the smell of roses so we planted them around his tomb."

"Gardens are a symbol of peace and solidarity."

Thank you Daisy and Marlorena, that was a lovely program. I wish we could get BBC2 here with its gardening programs but we cannot. More BBC1 would be welcome as well.

Cath

One has to use (illegally) some way of presenting a UK ip address in order to watch it on iplayer outside the UK. There are vpn services that let you do that.. I can't be bothered.

I can watch all FTA UK channels (and more) over here through IPTV (I'm not telling how..) concurrently with the UK. The problem is I find about the programs only after they are shown.. Maybe I have to visit BBC program pages more often (or ask Marlorena to notify me in advance....).

Yes Nik, I have heard of some ways to watch BBC without living here, always a way around these things apparently. We pay equivalent $US200 per year to watch the stuff, and although we moan about it, I think overall it's worth it, otherwise we would have advertisements with every programme, as per the other channels.

Incidentally, a few months ago I watched one called 'Greece with Simon Reeve', he's been around to lots of countries and this was the turn of Greece and so very interesting it was too. Not so far on Youtube, it's still copyrighted, so only a trailer here.

youtube trailer

There is a bit more about it on this BBC info page, but I'm not sure if you can access it. I should like to see it again when next it comes around. Wonderful scenery, especially further north but I forget the names of the places.

BBC Greece info

Carol, yes, so full of wonderful quotes, relevant to us all I think. Amazing really when you think about it.

Cath, I do hope you get to watch some on youtube, they seem to find their way there, eventually. Conversely, I would like to see more from American gardens, and I sometimes catch up with these when I find them. Monticello always fascinates me.

Marlorena,

When I used to live there a TV license used to be 50 pounds (if my memory doesn't fail me).

Long time ago then Nik... it's now nearly £150. Sky TV is much, much more, nearly £400 per year, for what is generally the biggest load of tosh on television. If it wasn't for my husband wanting some of the ''entertainment'' channels, and I use that term loosely, then I would have FTA only on Sky, and even that I could do without, as we have Freeview, which is an alternative.

My husband loves 'Judge Judy' and all the Crime investigation channels, like ID etc.

It's on virtually all the time, and occasionally I find myself talking in an American accent as I hear so much of it.

Marlorena, I didn't so much relate to the woman who's in charge of designing the garden as much as I wished that she'd come sort out my jumble of plants, and help me figure out what goes where...

Wistfully,

Virginia

ha!... yeah, she was in charge, no doubt o' that...

50 quid went much further back in the '80s...

I have watched seasons 1-3 of Line of Duty non stop in the last couple of days and I'm starting season 4 now.. lol Great BBC cop series which had escaped my attention up to now. Good thing Kalliope is away for a few days..

My husband and I are British mystery addicts. We devour them with ravenous appetites! I also scour our public television station and the internet for BBC documentaries and read a couple of British news publications along with others from around the world. I am grateful for all that offer English editions because I am the most hopeless language learner on the planet. If I hadn't absorbed in early childhood the one and only language I know, I'd probably be speechless today! Some might say that would have been a good thing? :-) Carol

Nik,'Line of Duty' looks like something I'd like. Another good reason to sign up for Hulu again.

Very poignant, and shows us that the love of beauty unites us and nourishes us all, no matter what the circumstances are.