Magnificent! Your climbing clothilde soupert air gives me hope. :-)

The clematis next to the bench is lovely too! I love it's form.

chris, you have made a beautiful garden. It looks very peaceful where you are, and the picket fence sets it off to perfection. Such pretty roses, and those iris! I wish I was a neighbour.

Lovely pictures. I love Clotilde Soupert, and the climbing form in your picture looks delightful.

The peony is beautiful as well!

Olivia Rose Austin is a great rose... I'm very happy with mine...

Wow, Chris. Like, like, like,.... I so look forward to your garden photos! Viewing them is like cracking open a favorite garden book. The beauty escapes my screen, hinting that some things are very right in the universe and past, present and future are as connected as the scent of a rose or the colors of an iris. If we could all reside in spaces like your garden, peace would flourish! Maybe you could rent it out to world leaders. :-) Carol

Thanks so much everyone. It's definitely been a labor of love, and when I can resist the urge to pull weeds, deadhead and start transplanting things, it really is spectacularly relaxing. Carol, I love how you put that :)

Suncoast that's a great older variety of clematis called Henry Young. I love the ruffled edges. It's finally starting to reach for the top of the trellis.

-Chris

Wonderful photos, Chris! ...but I think your just sealed the fate of my Clotilde Soupert. We had a shockingly dry May here this year, but nearly every bud on Clotilde still balled. I'm used to it balling in the spring here, since we are normally very wet until June in the Pacific Northwest...but I thought this year I had a chance to finally see a spring flush, only to have to watch them all ball. Clotilde does bloom well here in the heat of August, but I had begun to wonder whether Clotilde wasn't not doing enough to keep her spot in my small garden... And then I see your photo of her in full bloom despite your wet weather! I may have to try Olivia Rose Austin in her spot - that's a lovely bloom and not too far off from Clotilde. How's the scent on Olivia?

Oh my! Your irises are so good! And the roses divine. A wonderful garden!

Chris , your Clementis is WOW. I see what you mean by ruffles. Great pics.

Your roses are beautiful. I never heard of Indigo rose or Riserai de I'Hay so I will look up . Those are new to me.

Jin

Great selection of plants and roses...love the 'Queen Of Sweden' in particular, and of course I love that white picket fence, we don't see those over here too much... I've always wanted one...

Absolutely beautiful chris! Thanks for sharing it with us . It looks so peaceful. I'm happy for you withclotilde , what a fussy rose but when it's good it's heaven!!

Everything is lovely Chris. Your Austin roses are all gorgeous!

Thank you for posting the close up! I love the ruffles too!

Your garden is just beautiful!

Thank you all so much!

John, I'm as surprised as you are. We've had a lot of rain, but not so much humidity, so maybe that helped? I'm not sure I've ever had more than a few blooms actually open up before. It was on the chopping block, but now I've given it a stay of execution.

Here are those Marianne buds a little further along.

Another peony

That's Mel's Heritage on the top of the trellis with some Bubble Bath on the left. Mel has hundreds of buds getting ready to open.

Susan-Williams Ellis starting to open.

-Chris

Amazing, Chris! Glad to hear I'm not the only one she teases!

Haha, no I think there are many! By the way, Olivia Rose Austin has a light, fruity scent. It's not strong but pleasant.

Chris, these photos are as lovely as the last batch! Feel free to keep posting day by day...or minute by minute. I'm trying to locate your Henry Young clematis. I hope Joy Creek in OR carries it. Gads, Marianne is beautiful! Her blooms remind me of what it's like to cut into a sweet, juicy, ruby red grapefruit with sugar on top. And your peonies... Your garden reminds me of the photos I've seen of Monticello, but better.

John, I have a baby Clotilde (ARE) sitting in my driveway pot garden. A bloom actually unfurled! You can see that the bud petals look rather like they've been superglued together. Time will tell what happens to the rest of the buds....

Chris, your Clotilde and bench are going to become famous like the Constance Spry and bench at Mottisfont. Tours! You should open Christopher's Garden tours. Carol

Be careful, Carol - she's a heartbreaker! This spring she was loaded with buds, and the weather was so dry,I thought this would be the year I finally saw a spring flush (instead of botrytis), but somehow she still managed to ball. Oh, one or two gorgeous blooms managed to open this past week... just in time for the rain this weekend!

Chris, thanks for the info about Olivia. She may well be moving in to Clotilde's spot if I happen to find it in stock somewhere. You hear that, Clotilde??? :)

But John, you could have blooms like this! Such a sweet fragrance and petals that feel like a baby's face. Click to enlarge:

When she's good, she's good - no doubt! Unfortunately I have to wait until late summer to see her look like that. :(

Awww! I'm growing her (climber) under the eaves of my house so she misses most of the copious rain we receive. She bloomed up a storm as a newbie last Fall and gave a sweet little flush this spring. I think positioning is key. I also somewhere rooted a cutting of the bush form, but don't know where I'll put her.

I may place mine on my front porch under full roof coverage. I'd better shove her up there before the rain hits! Carol

Remind me not to get Clotilde. It rains here mostly and thanks for the tip. I will be so disappointed and heart broken although she is beautiful.

Jin

I remember reading on here that the climbing version is better about opening than the bush version. Maybe at some point you can report back on your experience with both versions, vaporvac?

I will do that gladly. I just wish my climber were more noticeable but I have her planted. She's just throwing up some adult canes I noticed yesterday.

Beautiful garden and beautiful flowers!

Chris, those are delightful photos! I know that I mentioned this just a few comments ago, but I absolutely love your garden--the plant collection, the design, the colors and habits, the way it seamlessly coordinates with your architecture.

Your dark and mysterious Rook blooms are especially rewarding this year since mine fell victim to squirrel attacks. Rook is a such a beauty! How large is your plant? Mine is around 2.5 feet so far.

My Marianne also got munched by squirrels. My current plant is younger than yours, and I look forward to (read: "can hardly wait for") her maturity. That's a gorgeous photo of her luminous and many shaded blooms!

Have I asked you about Violette Hood's remontancy? My memory is jello these days. Every year that you post VH, I become determined to snag one! I have a very baby Lauren sitting in my driveway pot garden, and it's first bloom is the color of Violette Hood. Wow!

The RVR site says Mel's Heritage is in stock. I am thinking seriously of placing an order today. MH is on my must have list! I've been revising my whole garden the last few years, passing along many roses and collecting some rarities that I deeply appreciate and wish to preserve and enjoy. MH is in that category, but it's taken awhile to create a home on my tiny lot. Your MH is perfectly placed! Ditto your Colonial White. The gated arches are stunning!

I'm so glad you grow Lyda Rose. Not only is she a great performer in shade or sun, the story behind her is enough to charm me! Carol

Carol, thank you so much again for your wonderful comments. You're like my very own personal cheerleader :)

I'm glad I took these pictures this moring because today was around 81 degrees, very breezy with low humidity and I came home to many fried blooms on the darker colored roses. I don't know how you guys in warmer zones can even grow reds and purples.

My husband built all the trellises, gates and arches. I love them!

That Mel's Heritage photo actually has Bubble Bath mixed in, mostly on the left side of the pergola. Not sure if they can coexist forever...

Violet Hood has been a real trooper. I moved it this spring and it didn't even seem to mind. I will have to evaluate it this year to determine repeat bloom. My guess it's like other hybrid musks in that deparment, which is to say, not all that great. I bought it because I love the color and it's parent Robin Hood is excellent.

Your Marianne will be mature in not time. It's a very vigorous rose.

-Chris

What an absolute delight to see! Your garden is so beautiful !! Oh my gosh !

I'll have to repeat myself too - your garden is just lovely, with beautifully grown plants. The photo of Lyda Rose is idyllic.

I'm glad you were gifted with some purple before the heat wave arrived. Ours is coming next week. Possible triple digits in the not-too-distant future. (Screaming emoji.) Please pass along my compliments to your husband for the beautiful woodwork! I'll try to pack up my pompons and megaphone, but I doubt I'll succeed unless you stop posting garden photos. :-) Carol

A lot of the hybrid multifloras are starting to come into bloom now. They are such charming and healthy roses.

Daphne

Ghislaine de Feligonde

Veilchenblau

Purple Skyliner

Violet Hood

And some others..

Created Damask

Apothecary Rose

Mel's Heritage, going strong

-Chris

I hadn't even heard of hybrid multifloras. They are lovely.

A wealth of such lovely roses, and your 'Daphne' is my favourite, and it's not one we hear about too much... I'm delighted to be seeing more of your garden these days Chris...

Titian, hybrid multiflora roses are often classed into other categories like ramblers or hybrid musks or climbers based on their growing habits. They all have similarities in their foliage and flowering in clusters of small blooms.

Daphne is a really good rose. I got my original from Vintage Gardens years ago. That one grows at my mom's house, but I have these two which I rooted. I provided cuttings to Angel Gardens, which now offers it. They have it listed on helpmefind, but it is not on their website. I followed up with her about it, and she said they do have it available, but they have hundreds of varieties available that aren't on their website. Be sure to ask for their availability list!

-Chris

Your garden is really looking amazing, Chris! I love how you have big areas mulched and planted, but leave paths of just mulch for walking through it. That's the style I'm going to have to borrow as I plan beds at the cemetery, but you already have it down. Great job!

:-)

~Christopher

I've been sitting here with my mouth open, taking in all this endless beauty, so perfect in every way. I do not dare go into my rabbit-chewed, arid travesty of a garden after seeing this. Just as well that I don't own a flame thrower. Seriously, you deserve every praise I can possibly bestow on you for this incredible garden, so beautifully put together for maximum effect, including the beautiful structures your husband has crafted. Your yard must stop traffic on a regular basis. Truly lovely.

Your garden is amazing all your roses look so healthy, you must be so proud of all your hard work , I especially like QOS and the clematis I can never seem to grow them ...

Thank you all! Yes, I am proud, but always looking at the imperfections and trying to make it better. Taking pictures and posting helps me take a step back and appreciate what I’ve got, rather than worrying about what I want to work on. It’s so great to hear such lovely things from all of you who have such beautiful gardens yourselves and whose optionions I respect.

Christopher, the paths came about because I had trouble planning the large beds and by breaking them up into smaller pieces, I could wrap my head around it a little better. SOme of the paths have stayed, but some have been removed as plants have filled in. I like that you can walk through the garden a little differently each time, and see new things. Your cemetery project is coming along nicely. I know how much work you’re doing there!

-Chris

Seriously beautiful Chris

Well done!

Absolutely gorgeous, Chris!