The sweet fragrance of ‘Gertrude Jekyll’ rose drifts through the early summer garden. Jekyll (pronounced JEE-KILL) was a famous horticulturalist, garden designer and author from England in the late 1800’s through the early 20th century.
Her books were transformative for me while beginning my garden journey. When I discovered her namesake rose, I knew it had to be added to the garden as a reminder of this wonderful author.
The double pink flowers open in early June and then again in September. David Austin roses are known for their beautiful, old-fashioned blooms with great fragrance.
The plant was introduced by the company in 1986.
Several years ago, I was interviewing Michael Marriot, the former head rosarian for David Austin, he was discussing recent introductions.
When I wondered about my beloved ‘Gertrude Jekyll,’ Marriot beamed about its’ perfume. One of his jobs was to evaluate fragrances on roses and had the highest praise for Gertrude’s rose, with a caveat; the plant was never going to be as disease resistant as newer varieties. He also added though, that the rose was happy without full sun.
On a trip to London with a group of gardeners, we visited Kew Gardens, which has a large rose garden filled with David Austin roses, including Gertrude. With a traveling companion in tow, we explored the fragrance of each cultivar and agreed Gertrude was at least in the top three for its’ aroma.
When my friend got back home, she bought and planted one of the roses, which is thriving in her Texas climate.
When the pretty pink flowers bloom, I think of Gertrude Jekyll and spend a little time pulling her books off the shelf, looking for the same inspiration as the first time I read her prose.
There are many different ways that certain plants find their way to the garden. I’m often asked, “what should I grow?” Although I’m always happy to share plenty of ideas of plants that are nearly maintenance free, the most important things in the garden are those with a special meaning.
Every gardener has their own story of why particular garden plants are so important in their landscape. It could be plant moved from the family homestead or a garden gift from a friend.
Sometimes just the name of a variety makes it something to plant. ‘Matt’s Wild Cherry’ tomato is added as my son’s name is Matt. ‘Violet’ tomato is planted, my granddaughter shares the name of the cultivar. ‘Ostergruss’ radish shares my last name. A hazelnut tree is in a pot, waiting for planting and reminds me of my granddaughter Hazel, as does a witch hazel tree planted long before she was born.
When a plant reminds us of people we knew, love or loved, they mean more than anything else in the garden.
Len Lehman and Al Deurbrouck would show up at my garden talks whenever I was north of the city. Both were amazing gardeners and members of the Allegheny Chapter of the North American Rock Garden Society.
Every time they came, I would ask why, as they were expert gardeners. Even though they heard most of the jokes before, they still laughed during the presentations. Afterwards, as the crowd would thin, we’d sit together and talk gardening.
One day after finishing a presentation about fall bulbs, where I expressed my love and obsession for snowdrop bulbs, Len told me about his affection for them too.
He had a rare variety in his garden named ‘Wasp,’ and promised to dig and a few bulbs for me.
A year later a few little bulbs came in the mail at the perfect time for planting. I thought long and hard about where they should go. The bulbs needed a special spot so they would not be confused with any other snowdrops in the garden.
I chose the side of a bed in the vegetable garden near the front gate.
About six months after the bulbs were planted, Len and Al passed away.
The next spring, that tiny patch of snowdrops happily surprised me when taking the dog for a walk in the garden. In only their second season, they had already started to multiply.
As I laid on my stomach photographing the diminutive pure white flowers, I couldn’t help but smile, thinking about Len and Al. They had an encyclopedic knowledge of plants, but most of all, I thought of their kindness and willingness to share his garden treasures.
Even though it’s bittersweet to think about those two characters, the snowdrop blooms always remind me of a couple of gardeners and friends who touched my heart.
There are lots of reasons, that plants find their way to the garden.
It’s not too late to plant
Don’t worry if your garden isn’t planted yet, there’s still plenty of time to plant annual flowers and add some hanging baskets. Maybe fill up some containers with flowers. There’s a great template to follow. In the center goes the star, the thriller, around it, some smaller plants called fillers and then the spillers that soften the edges of the pot.
Heat loving vegetable plants like tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash along with many herbs can still be put in the garden.
Seeds for beans, Swiss chard, beets, lettuce, other greens and many other vegetables can also still be sown.
Some local nurseries are already putting plants on sale too.
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Host of "In Doug's Garden" on CBS KDKA-TV Streaming
Host of the Talking Trees podcast for The Davey Tree Expert Company
Consultant for Farm to Table Buy Fresh Buy Local
Columnist for Pittsburgh Earth Day's "The Green Voice"
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