Our meeting on 2nd December, 2007 was held at Bob and Jackie Pauls' Oakleigh (just south of Whangarei City) garden. Rain didn't spoil the distant view of the lower Whangarei Harbour and Mount Manaia nor our garden wander under well established trees, viewing well established Heritage roses. This garden was a number of years old when the Pauls purchased it four years ago, thus the need to find out names, and with around twenty members (and some brave husbands) present, some were quickly identified.

We were privileged to have Stella Leather, from Kerikeri with us, talking to her seemed to bring to life Fiona's recent articles in HR Bulletin. Stella's presence has prompted the investigation into an overnighter for Northland members to visit some of those very interesting sites in the Far North.

Our lunch table was adorned with a vase of a wonderful selection of heritage roses from George and Olga Yuritich's Te Hana garden. When the car arrived, we all thought George had left Olga at home and brought roses instead, as she was totally obscured in the front seat, holding the vase carefully to stop the water spilling.

We look forward to Cuttings Day (April) in their Te Hana garden and were told to bring sharp secateurs and be prepared for a 'day of work', the garden suffered massive damage in the July storm and made pruning almost impossible.

Auckland activities are mainly based on our local groups' monthly meetings and this time it is the Eastern Groups turn to report. Our group area covers the Eastern Bays from Mission Bay to Howick, and we have about 23 regular attenders.

During the past months we have been busy with Auckland Branch activities. A good number of members attended the National AGM in October, and enjoyed the opportunity to meet with members of the outgoing National Executive from Otago.

After the meeting in the Friends of the Auckland Regional Botanic Garden's rooms Paula Lollback, the Rose Curator and a long-standing Heritage Rose member and enthusiast took us on a tour of the extensive plantings in the rose section of the Gardens.

November is always a busy month here. We had our customary tussie-mussie stall in the Nancy Steen Garden during the weekend of the Parnell Rose Festival. This is always a very successful fundraiser with the money raised going to fund plants and improvements to the Nancy Steen Garden. This year in addition to buying rose plants we have donated metal hoops to protect the planting around the fountain in the White Garden which was constantly being trampled, and have commissioned two large iron rose supports to replace the rather bent and tatty existing frames.

During November we also visited the Symonds Street Cemetery, where we were delighted to see the original roses and those we have planted more recently blooming beautifully.

As the finale to the year's activities, the Eastern Group was invited to join the Remuera group on an early evening visit to Mary Boscawen's large garden at Clevedon. Mary has a large collection of old roses, and many of us were busy noting must-haves to order this year. The evening concluded with a most enjoyable shared meal, and a desire to have further combined group activities.
~ Nancy Jordan

On 1st August our group met at Tauranga Technical College to hear Jocelen Janon on his favourite subject; the Nabonnard Roses. His talk was amply illustrated with photographs of the Nabonnard family, their nurseries, gardens, relations, relationships(!), associates, and of course some of the roses they bred - and not only roses, but many other plants and trees in the Cote d'Azur.

Gilbert Nabonnand (1828-1903) was born in Avignon and started his horticultural career at aged 16. In 1855 Lord Brougham offered him a job in Cannes. From there he went from strength, establishing a nursery where he bred many exotic plants, including palms and mimosas and landscaping grand gardens. But always, his first love was rose breeding.

He had two sons, Paul (1860-1937) and Clement (1864-1949), both of whom followed in their father's footsteps. They all went into business together for a while, but later they separated and took special pains to make that fact clear! They were on the whole, a dysfunctional family. Clement made a name for himself marketing amongst other things, unique palms, oranges, and mimosas.

Basically the aim of the Nabonnard family was to produce winter flowering roses to bloom and sell out of season. The glory of Général Gallieni covered in blossom all the year round, is testimony to their success. Other Nabonnard roses in New Zealand are Archduke Joseph, Papa Gontier, Lady Waterlow, and General Schablikine.

In depth details on this subject are available on the following websites: http://www.roses-nabonnard.com/ and http://www.rosarosam.com ~ Ann Mark

Sunday, 18th November, a cloud free sky, sun shining brightly and the promise of a leisurely, companionable excursion; all bode well as almost thirty members gathered at Ann Mark's garden in rural Te Puke. The news filtering through, that Ann had tripped and broken her hip the previous morning dampened our spirits. The garden is Ann, and Ann is her garden, so the lack of her was felt by us all. As Jack hovered, fielding questions about Ann, the Committee made themselves at home and the morning tea they supplied raised our spirits. We soon set off into Ann's garden. Dublin Bay was the only modern rose I spotted in this true old roser's creation.

Old roses swooped and scrambled, billowed and festooned the garden, and a beautiful old Tea caught everyone's eye, but no one could name it. Buff Beauty was at its best, Général Gallieni, the Rugosas, a stunning cream and yellow climber over a shed - we needed Ann to tell us its name - roses were everywhere and if our day had ended there, we would have been content.

Kim Unger's garden nearby took many of us by surprise. A roadside fence smothered in roses identified the spot, and in awe we entered this gracious and pretty garden surrounding an early New Zealand homestead. Kim was away and her friend Jackie welcomed us. Old roses and modern blended together harmoniously, no harshness of colour, soft and restful, corners to explore, one delight after another.

I unashamedly admit to peering through windows into the equally inspiring interior of the home. I sat on the verandah steps, lulled by the feeling in the garden. "Making a list?" someone asked me. "No, just sitting," I replied dreamily.

We had lunch at Fothergill's at Pikowai. We walked through roses galore, mainly modern varieties but a goodly smattering of "olds". Chianti caused a stir as none of us gathered before it had seen such wondrous blooms. All the roses here were immaculately cultivated and nurtured, in generous good health. There were not only roses in the large garden but thriving perennials, too, chosen with flair as companions for the roses. Our picnic lunch tasted fine in such an atmosphere and Bev and Hilton treated us to samples of the pickles and preserves they serve to their B&B guests. A little bit of shopping followed, and we weighed down our bags with bottles and jars of culinary delight. No one was in a hurry to leave but slowly we meandered off to our final rose spectacle of the day.

A spectacle it was, down a country road running parallel to the main highway, full of roses but much more as well. Diane Hintz not only loves roses, but begonias, succulents, and hothouse orchids, and has impressive collections of each. As in all of the gardens we saw that day, her roses just glowed with freshness and health. Amongst the modern roses there were some older varieties, middle-aged really, plus older Austins. Many of the roses here are not in commerce today so possibly destined to be the rare and sought after ones of the future. This is a treasure garden in the hands of an enthusiastic plantswoman. As with Unger's garden the roadside fence flew the flag for what was through the gate, and amongst the varied smells and noises of the dairy farm, the beauty of the roses prevailed as we came to the end of a most satisfying and rewarding day's tour.

The second outing for our group this season could not have been more different, weather-wise. Sunday 9th December was wet. No other word for it. That did not deter 25 keen old rose lovers who met at Joce McDougall's stylish home and garden, over an acre on the edge of Tauranga city. Pierre de Ronsard in its glory was the talking point, swathing one side of a large pergola with Climbing Duchesse de Brabant adorning the other side with the delightful formal potager at their feet. Across the wide sweeping lawn was the kitchen garden, with Joce's favourite herbs to hand and Climbing Souvenir de la Malmaison about to cover the sheltering wall.

Jean Richardson's two acre garden at Omokoroa is planted to suit the conditions, with palms, yuccas, aloes amongst many subtropicals and uncommon plants, the sort only a true plantswoman collects. Without intending to, Jean has succumbed to old roses and her collection is growing, scrambling up trees and along borders with many clematis in between. The wind and rain turned many an umbrella inside out but the garden was an inspiration to us all. It was very hard to walk past the fresh green peas in the abundant vegetable garden without stealing a pod or two, though of course, nobody did that. We shall return once Jean's roses are a little older because they will be a sight for sure.

Convenor Sheila White's garden was somewhat smaller than the previous two, compact and crammed with a selection of roses from old Teas to Gallicas and more. Companion plants blended pleasingly and many people left with pieces Sheila was generously handing on. Much discussion took place over the identity of a couple of old roses; was the pretty pink bloom with a green pointel Gloire de France or Antonia d'Ormois or something else? The suggestions flew thick and fast but no conclusion was reached. Old rose fanatics love nothing better than a good competition when confronted with a dubious identity. And was Sheila's Tea rose Souvenir d'un Ami?

Proceeding towards Katikati, we stopped at Stephanie Boot's garden. Persistent rain deterred no one, and the large country garden provided excitement in every turn of the borders. A well-grown rose that bewildered all of us turned out to be Eugenie Guinoisseau. No one had ever seen such a large specimen of it. This six year old garden had irises outnumbering the roses as Stephanie specialises in them, and they flourished around the large pond in the garden below the house. So much to see and admire that we will have to return.

Very wet footed, we descended on Mary Anne Calver's garden with its stunning rural and harbour views, not to mention the roses that thrive under Mary Anne's care. The Australian Sunlit was large and dripping with perfect blooms, Bloomfield Abundance (or Spray Cecile Brunner, as it's also known) was a picture with the delicate flowers hanging prettily on an elegant bush, but her Chromatella (Cloth of Gold) has to be the largest specimen in New Zealand. I would like to hear of any that are bigger. This specimen, in full flower, filled a tree at least four metres high and wide - a very special sight indeed.

A happy hour was spent consuming food and drink before we dispersed, wishing each other the compliments of the season. A bonus on this day was the presence of Jocelen Janon and Maureen Keene from Auckland, HRNZ Executive members no less! We enjoyed sharing these impressive gardens with them. ~ Joanne Knight

Members of the Whakatane Heritage Roses group started their early summer ramble 'Around Town' at Kopeopeo. This is a brimming full cottage garden ramble with old-fashioned roses giving a colourful upper storey to die for. We then moved onto a garden of modern roses accompanied by perennials with a closely planted vegetable garden. Members shared a finger-food lunch which was followed by a sales table buying of plants, particularly avidly-sought heirloom tomatoes!

The third garden is only three years old, and uses mainly old roses. These are already showing the signs of maturity these oldies require. As with the previous garden, the vege patch and fruit trees are in evidence. Over afternoon tea the raffle was drawn.

All-in-all a very satisfying day for all. ~ Elysse Jones

Heritage Roses Taranaki Branch was in 'full bloom' the last weekend of November 2007. Having received a grant of $1,000 from the National Executive we were able to put on a public show.

Friday, November 23rd saw several members set up a 'bedroom' at the Percy Thomson Gallery in Stratford. A bed was loaned from a local furnishing store with pieces of furniture from members. All things roses decorated: a dressing table, side table, chair etc. Then there were mats, pictures, pot pourri, a dolls pram, and beautiful bowls of fresh roses. This display was in conjunction with the Kilmore Art Collection.

On Saturday 24th November Lloyd and Ann Chapman spoke at the gallery about heritage roses. The new owners of Trinity Farm Nursery donated five roses to raffle. The lecture was wonderful, and included pictures of the 100 roses Ann and Lloyd cannot live without. As well, Margaret Vickers from the Stratford floral art group did a lovely bowl of roses, and Selma Preston from our own group made tussie mussies. The free lecture was open to the public, complete with a 'rose' afternoon tea served in the 'bedroom' resulted in several new members. The gallery in Stratford is a wonderful venue adjacent to the Information Centre and gets a lot of foot traffic.

           
Sunday 25th November: ten members from Heritage Roses Wanganui came to visit. They started with morning tea at the home and very lovely garden of Edna and David Pretty. We then just had to go to the art gallery to show off our display.

Out to Toko to the garden of our Convenor Deidre and Peter Hancock. Roses dripping from old trees made a great backdrop for a lovely garden. Great views of our magnificent mountain on a perfect day is also part of Deidre's scenery.

Into New Plymouth for lunch at Shelley Young's. A walk around this garden is just so delightful with the roses at the peak of perfection. A rather large garden lake adds to the charm, but attracts a flock of pukekos. They can create havoc when they come to call. Lunch was delicious.

Then it was off to the delightful town garden belonging to Marie King. So much to see, including many rare plants, before we gathered for a final chat with our Wanganui guests. A very busy, but exciting weekend.

The year ended with Christmas dinner at the Tea House in Pukekura Park with husbands and partners. As it was the first night of the New Plymouth magical lights the park was alive with people. Now, back to the roses. ~ Selma Preston

Roz Grant organised her annual October Outing, this year to Lamb Hill, a 100 year old two storey home in Fordell. The young owners are starting to make an impression on a very overgrown neglected garden and trying to put in appropriate plantings for that era. We sat on the verandah for morning tea on a beautiful spring day. Then on to Bron Monckton's at Bonny Glenn. What a treat this was for us rose lovers. Even though some of the roses were not quite out there were enough to show us what wonderful work Bron had done in the design and layout - spectacular, we definitely want a return visit.

November 25th saw ten of us (including four husbands) heading for Stratford where Deidre had organised morning tea at Edna Pretty's beautiful home. The different "rooms" made for great variety in planting and the large trees provided shelter. We also saw the beautiful display in town which had been arranged for the seminar held the previous day. Then on to Deidre's home in Toko where we were all impressed with the variety of heritage roses, a particularly good collection of Hybrid Musks. Northwards to the edge of New Plymouth where Shelly Young made us welcome in a fascinating garden with roses, and the added attraction of a water wheel surrounded by water lilies. The Taranaki group gave us a delicious lunch here then off to Marie King's town garden. We all agreed we had never seen so much planting in such a limited section, Marie is very knowledgeable about plants and fielded many questions and provided several cuttings. On the way home some of the group were able to visit yet another garden in Stratford. A long day in perfect weather, with Taranaki Mountain in evidence all day, and great value in spending a day with a different group. Our thanks to Deidre and all her helpers. ~ Sheila Davies

Thanks to the $750 gift from the Executive we held a very successful event on 21st November. Nearly 100 people attended, so from that you can see that we had fantastic public support, and hope to have attracted some new members for this New Year. We couldn't have had better weather, making the gorgeous grounds a perfect setting for a picnic tea. The atmosphere was enhanced with the various artists' work and a wonderful garden-orientated book display. Providing a dessert of strawberries and ice cream with a rose syrup before the speaker made everybody feel a little spoilt, and was easier than a supper.

Lloyd Chapman presented a very informative talk, with the advantage of Ann Chapman telling us historical tales or facts associated with the naming of some of the roses. By the end, after hearing about them in the talk, individuals were desperate to be a winner of a rose in the raffle. Many came up and asked for a repeat each year, but this may be every second year instead. What to do with the profit made from selling raffles and the great attendance is to be discussed at the next meeting, with a recommendation to keep some aside to support a future event. The local paper is to print an article in January as a follow-up, which will have contact details for new members and we also intend to use the paper's What's On garden column to let people know of coming events. ~ Georgina Campbell

Once the roses began to flower the Wairarapa members made the most of seeing as many gardens as possible, with trips to view members, gardens in Grey town and Martinborough in late Oct (with a repeat in Nov to catch them at a better stage).

On the 17th November the group did its usual display of roses for the Rose Society Show, this is always very popular with the public. In mid November a trip to the Manawatu to view Sandra Wilson's garden was joined by some of that group's members, this included a slide presentation of the trip to France for the Heritage Rose Conference, then on to another garden Greenhaugh owned by Lyn Atkins.

Then in early December we met in Dannevirke to view two members' gardens, but also to view Olive Baley's and Sue Buchanan's gardens. For this trip we were joined by some of the Hawkes Bay group. In every case it was interesting to see the variety of roses grown and the different combinations (along with companion planting), and to enjoy seeing the progress in some of the newer gardens that have been visited before.

Plans are beginning to take shape for 2008 with Cuttings Day being the first event. This is planned for Sunday 6th April from 11.30am, meeting at Doreen Jolly's place. This year we hope to try something a little different to help each other source particular roses (and perennials), with members giving a 'hunting for' or 'I saw it in your garden and would love a piece' wish list to go in the newsletter before the day. Surrounding groups have been invited to join us for the day. ~ Georgina Campbell

Our congratulations to the new Executive Committee. We wish you well for your term of office and look forward to working with you. To past president Fran Rawling, it was wonderful to read that you have had Life Membership bestowed on you - well deserved.

November was a busy time for members with successful garden visits in Bolton Street Memorial Park during October - early flowering roses guided by Bill Weiben and later in November in conjunction with Rose Week another tour, both of which were well attended by the public, and joining us were Botanic Garden staff keen to learn more about old roses. We also visited Rosemary McLennan's home in Normandale and were amazed to see what has been accomplished on a terraced steep hillside with plantings of her favourite old roses. We welcome four new keen members to Heritage Roses Wellington and look forward their involvement in our activities. Have a good 2008. ~ Lorraine & Ron Clare, Convenors

The day dawned fine. Perfect for seeing roses at their best and enjoying the views of the mountains from their gardens. About 22 members and friends gathered at Monterey House at Orinoco for brunch. The first thing that takes one's breath away are New Dawn and Albertine that entwine and luxuriously adorn the high entrance-way path. The next is the huge flower arrangement right in the middle of the restaurant, which are actually artificial but one only discovers this after smelling them. This must cause the wait staff a few smiles. The dining room is small, but the verandah is also used for dining, sheltered by a vigorous, and at that time prolifically flowering, Wedding Day. The food is delicious, the drinks unusual, and all the puddings we had were decorated with gorgeous heritage roses. After enjoying the spectacular view across the valley to the mountains and admiring the roses that surround all the dining areas, framing them like small outdoor rooms, we moved on to our next garden after a group photo in front of the roses.

Craigholm is also in Orinoco. Lovingly created over many years by Viv and Tony Whitiker it is a very large garden, sheltered by a mainly sycamore woodland and bordered on two sides by a stream. Viv told me that many of the heritage roses were grown from cuttings, some taken locally, but some also brought from the goldfields in Central Otago. At one stage the veggie garden was home to literally thousands of cuttings, so it was not surprising that some of the labels got mixed up but we were able to positively identify Indica Major; Paul Ricault looking gorgeous in front of a large, reddish pine trunk; and Rosa roxburghii, the Chestnut Rose, whose buds are like prickly sweet chestnuts; with many roses growing up into the trees including Sally Holmes. The borders that surround the lawn in front of the gabled weatherboard house are planted with many roses and a middle layer of shrubs including different viburnums and two varieties of the snowdrop tree, Halesias monticola and carolina, and Styrax obisia which has crab apple-like green fruits.

Growing prolifically under the trees are huge Cardiocrinum giganteum or Himalayan lilies, at their majestic best in mid-December. At the bottom of the hill is a pond surrounded by primulas and iris. A summer house romantically smothered in white roses and wisteria makes a welcome shady break before wandering back up the hill to inspect the extensive vegetable garden, no longer home to rose cuttings. Marlene Cresswell showed us a lovely bouquet of many varieties of heritage roses picked from her Marlborough Sounds garden, whetting our appetite for our visit to this garden in November.

Next was Philippa Foes-Lamb's new garden and embryonic perennial nursery in Maisey Road near Richmond. Philippa is particularly fond of hardy geraniums which grow very well in her woodland garden, and quite a few of them found their way to my garden as well! She has a very exuberant personality, and this was reflected in her perennial border which has huge Queen Anne's lace sheltering, among other things, lots of different clematis, which she has allowed to ramble and scramble among delphiniums, poppies, and cornflowers.

Fiona Shaw and I attended the North Canterbury Day of Indulgence and thoroughly enjoyed the talks, and lusted after the raffle prizes and arrangements of roses. Sally Allison's garden, Lyddington was superb and a huge inspiration, and we felt privileged to be there when it is open so rarely. Thank you to the organisers, it was a wonderful day with a terrific atmosphere.

I am completely awed by people's vision when creating these heavenly places and so grateful to them for sharing them with us. I also appreciate the knowledge that our members have and share so freely.

Coming up this year is a cuttings demonstration in April at Thackwood Garden, Wakapuaka, by Marlene Cresswell; a mid-winter pot-luck and talk at Fairfield House by Rosemary Bygate on her visits to Canada and the Czech Republic. There will be a spring outing to gardens in Richmond, and in late November, to the Marlborough Sounds. Dates to be finalised. ~ Clare Haig, Convenor

We decided to visit some of our members' gardens this spring, and on a very warm Sunday in early November we set off. Our first stop was Maureen Kolkmans' immaculate garden which had a memorable collection of gorgeous bearded irises planted in abundance amongst many rhododendrons and roses. From there it was a short drive to Zena Clark's, where we strolled around her lovely garden of established, and some quite new plantings of roses, old fashioned and modern. When I think of Zena's garden I think Veilchenblau as there was a magnificent plant of it in full flower. Next stop was Judy Grant's garden where we had our picnic lunch amongst the masses of beautiful David Austin and Heritage roses. After lunch we went to Ali Grant's garden. It was quite hot by then, so we appreciated her sheltered garden of mature trees filtering the sunlight, and so enjoyed viewing her combination of rhodos and roses flowering.

Our final visit was to the Winchmore Gardens, a very large area filled with specimen trees, rhodos, azaleas, and of course roses, but the most memorable feature was the large amount of home-grown box hedging everywhere. Just fabulous. It was a small group of us that attended this day and I for one was glad to be part of it.

Our next get-together was our well attended Christmas party held at Janice and Bill Hogg's home on December 10th. It was a fabulous evening. Janice's garden is incredible, and she has made it from scratch in just seven years. From the large circular white garden to the two enormous herbaceous borders, masses of trees etc. it has been a labour of love, and well planned. Her roses were fantastic. A wonderful large collection of Heritage roses - a visual feast! During the evening we ran a successful sales table, which covered the cost of the beverages. Janice's two daughters had their own table, with the proceeds going to the SPCA.

We have another day planned for early autumn, plus our AGM still to be organised.

~ Sara Grigg, Convenor

Three consecutive weekends kept us busily occupied this season! First was the Day of Indulgence at Fernside: ten of us in a minibus driven by Michele McMonagle made the trek, and were informed and entertained beautifully by Fiona Hyland, Robyn Kilty, and Barbara Lea Taylor. The afternoon was spent having lunch and exploring Sally & Bey Allison's Lyddington - a most enjoyable day. We thank the Otago team, and Sally and her team, who combined to make it special.

Second was our chance to see a garden full of cuttings-grown roses. Penny Seyb started with a bare paddock in 1972, planted native trees for shelter, and plugged the rose cuttings in with them. Now Rambling Rector cascades down from the tree daisy Olearia dartonii, and Ispahan, keeping pace with its shelter, now flowers at the end of twining 5m long branches! Penny has a bed of Rosa moyesii hybrids grown from seed from the Botanic Gardens Species Collection: delightful shades of reds and pinks. If only all roadside gorse hedges could have Penny living nearby, our countryside would be so much more beautiful! From Penny's farm we drove into Timaru and checked out four town gardens. Felicia at Jan Bird's was a stunning 2m tall bush with delicious scent. Priscilla McLaurin had Rosa moyesii Geranium confined to an obelisk - not what we usually see, but so effective! Joy Hall's boundary fences and terrace walls were smothered with pink roses - Malaga, Clair Matin, Bantry Bay, Cécile Brünner, and Souvenir de Madame Leonie Viennot. Two of my favourite white roses - Alba Semi-plena and Rosa brunonii were enjoyed by others. Thank-you to all for having us visit.

For our third weekend, the long-awaited visit to The Briars, the garden of Marylou and Don Blue at Omarama took place. Seventeen years ago Marylou and Don retired to this block of briar-infested land, and have since made a very interesting garden. Marylou has tamed and trained the Rosa eglanteria into hedges, giving off that delicious apple scent. The extreme climatic conditions have been a great proving force for plant hardiness, so Marylou now has herbs, perennials, trees, and roses which cope with the extreme temperatures (-16oC to 38oC). Many of her roses are species and species hybrids: Omar Khayyam is an ancient Damask we seldom see, doing very nicely here. Marylou and Don have worked hard to achieve their garden paradise, and welcome visitors from around the world.

In the afternoon we travelled down the Waitaki valley to visit retired member Elizabeth Matheson. This has been her garden for 61 years! Even more exciting, it is possible to see today roses planted by her late husband's Great-Aunt Minnie in 1906! The property was originally the home of the Waitaki ferryman William Cain, and his house was built next to two reliable springs which still provide needed water. In 1906 Donald Matheson bought the property, and the house was extended - and a circular rose garden planted in front by his wife Minnie (see photo). Marie van Houtte is visible in the photo, and still blooms there! As is a very prickly Rosa eglanteria hybrid, as yet unidentified.

Elizabeth (86 years old) gardens every day from 6am until evening: cherries, figs, asparagus, and heaps of old roses. Amethyst is up and over a cherry tree, while Mermaid at least 15m up a thuya (they were planted together 20 years ago). Elizabeth's latest favourite tool is a battery-powered hedge trimmer: it runs for two hours at a time, which she thinks is just the right amount of time! Now there's a gardener to emulate!

Out thanks to Marylou and Don Blue, and to Elizabeth Matheson and daughter Debbie for such welcoming and fascinating visits. ~ Daphne Whitfort

We had the best fun in November, travelling to North Canterbury for the Day of Indulgence, and making it a weekend of fun and indulgence. With a full bus of Heritage Rose members from Southland, Central Otago, Otago, and a couple picked up along the way, we meandered slowly up to Christchurch, stopping at Gwen Pullar's garden in Wakouaiti, a willow weaving farm in Hampden, lunch just south of Timaru, and then pressed on to Ashburton to Diane McKenzie's fabulous garden. Our only regret as we pulled into Rangiora was that we had spent rather long meandering, and had missed out on a surprise garden visit.

Gwen Pullar's garden was entirely magical -

I could feel the tension from weeks of non-stop running around just melting away, and could have happily sat on the bench watching the inlet for nearly ever. To my enormous delight I was able to secure a plant of 'Eugenie's Rose', a chance Rugosa rose cross between Blanc Double de Coubert and something pink which I can't remember, but perhaps Fru Dagmar Hartopp, resulting in an very unusual shade of pink which I have lusted after since I first saw it.

At the Withies we saw a wealth of ideas for using living willow within the garden - from living fences around the orchards, where very happy hens will live, to this excellent method of disguising an ugly lamppost. Any variety of willow will work, although of course, some are better for some purposes than others.

There was a lot to see at Longbeach in Ashburton, especially new plantings of roses in lawn, but also many roses, the chapel, the cob house… But sitting on the bench under the big oak tree, soaking up the peace and beauty of the scene was heavenly.

Saturday was spent at the seminar day - a talk on roses in early Canterbury was followed by Robyn Kiltie, a well-known local newspaper columnist, and then our favourite, Barbara Lea Taylor in fine form. The afternoon comprised a wonderful lunch matching the wonderful setting at Sally Allison's Lyddington. A very satisfying day, and a chance to catch up with our Heritage Rose friends from Christchurch, North Canterbury, South Canterbury, Nelson, and even Auckland, and for everyone present to meet and hear our new President, Jocelen Janon.

The fun was not over, for dinner at Jo Seager's restaurant followed - a gorgeous meal, and entertainment led by Ainslie Bannister's beautiful voice with a presentation from a Dunedin group which will be spoken of for years. Lastly Jean Britton led us in a true New Zealand sing-a-long for a lovely end to the evening.

There was no sleeping in the following morning, as we were up and off to visit the Christchurch Heritage rose garden. My dreams for drawing up a little cottage to this garden and living there have been matched by the dreams of several other rosarians. This is a magical and well-established rose garden with much companion planting, near the band rotunda in the Christchurch Botanic Gardens, behind the old Nurses Home, and should be on every visitors sightseeing agenda.

Family commitments meant I had to leave the bus trip at this point, to my great regret, but the remaining members then visited Robyn Kiltie's renowned garden, the Beverley Park rose gden, before quitting Christchurch for Diane McKenzie's Ashburton garden, then progressing on down the island and back to Dunedin.

Very many thanks are owed to our excellent bus trip organiser, Midge Ruka, ably assisted by the excellent Angela Whitehead, and our long-suffering bus driver Brad, who accommodated our endless purchases of willow baskets, roses, and more roses.

There was just time before the end of the year to meet at Fran's Wilde Willow for a barbeque tea and a chance to see the garden at its rosy best. It was a wonderful break from Christmas madness. Thank-you Fran! ~ Fiona Hyland