Those are really neat pictures. I wouldn't say it's " cheating" a hundred years ago is still before now

Yours is such a rich heritage, Jackie. i love seeing these photos and knowing the metal gate went to the war effort always makes me choke up. Your home is a gem and it's apparent you truly treasure the rich legacy it holds. I wish the practice of homes staying in the family was still common today.

Yes, flowersaremusic - I feel so lucky that I married into my DH's family - his great grandparents immigrated from Germany in the late 1870s, and were culturally conservative & also all about gardening. They saved their money, hated debt, and flatly refused to divest real estate, once they had it. The original 1905 mortgage on our house was $5,000, and they paid it off in 1910! My DH's other great grandparents on his mother's side were all from Scotland, which just added another culture which liked to save money and keep hold of houses.

If you look at the second old (dark brownish) picture above, you will see that there was a small metal garden gate on the front path to the house which matched the metal driveway gate. It not only survived WW1, it is still there - you can see it in the AFTER picture.

I try to honor my DH's ancestors by taking good care of their garden.

Jackie

Jackie, you have succeeded in honoring your husband's family. You have done them proud. And, what a wonderful gift to your husband. That generation had what is often lacking these days - common sense in how they lived and cared for the things they had. If you have more photos and stories of the history of your house and garden, I think I can speak for everyone here - we would love to see more.

Jackie thank you for sharing your lovely photos and the history of your house. I think that your husband's family would be really happy with how you have cared for it and the stunning gardens.

OK, one last ancient "BEFORE" picture of our house, although as you can tell there are now more and more roses! Almost everyone in this pic is a family member of one sort or another. This is obviously before WW1 - the metal gate is still there, and the ladies are definitely wearing pre WW1 hem lines! Also, the baby is my DH's aunt, who was born in 1910. The man holding her is my DH's great grandfather, so she is his grand daughter. Three generations already!

Now, I am hoping to see more of other people's garden BEFORE and AFTER pics!

Jackie

Love the history! What a treat to live in a home filled with family memories and to have the family photo collection.

Jackie, I'm loving the old pictures! I've seen pictures of your present day garden and it is lovely. I know you're here in NorCal somewhere near by but not exactly sure where.
I enjoy seeing the old rose gardens and homes when we're out exploring. Patti