Greetings everyone and welcome to my 90th issue of Arts, Gardens and Always Roses. When I wrote my first issue way back in December 2013, I could never have imagined all the wonderful gardens I have visited, the people I have met or the special events I have been a part of. Nor could I have imagined the unusual and historical times we have been living
through of late. But through all these ninety months, one thing has been constant, and that is my fascination with roses. So, this month, I am delighted to share with you a day out of art, gardens and, of course, roses.
On a sunny Autumn afternoon I made my visit to the Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery and the Mornington Botanical Rose Gardens. As I entered the gardens there were many fine examples of the Mornington rose which was bred especially for the gardens by Dr Bruce Chapman.
Having painted this rose some years ago I always look to see how the petals are ever so delicately edged in white.
The wonderful thing about visiting gardens is that they are never static, there is always something different to see from one visit to the next. And on this visit, it was the white roses which captured my attention, and it has been great fun for me to find out a little bit more about each of them.
Margaret Merril has been called 'Europe's most popular white floribunda'. It was bred by Harkness in England in 1973 and is highly scented with a citrus and spice fragrance.
White Cloud or Weisse Wolke was bred by Kordes in Germany in 1985, and it has a tendency to head for the clouds as it can be grown as a climber.
Maggie, a creamy white grandiflora bred by Meilland International of France in 2000, is named for fashion and media personality, Maggie Tabberer.
Princess of Wales is a white floribunda bred by Harkness UK 1997, not to be confused with Diana, Princess of Wales, a pink blend hybrid tea (Zary, US, 1998). Both were in flower on the day I visited Mornington.
Aspirin, a near white low growing floribunda, patio rose bred by Evers (Germany, 1989), is good for landscaping with the added interest of appearing pale pink on opening.
Edelweiss was bred by Poulsen of Denmark in 1969, it is a creamy white floribunda named after the European alpine wildflower.
Athena bred by Kordes of Germany in 2002 and introduced here as Athene, is creamy white with a sun-kissed edge of pink as can be shown in my painting of it below. In the cooler weather it looks very pale as it did this month at Mornington.
Tineke, bred by Boerlage (Netherlands, before 1989), is a hybrid tea popular with exhibitors. Below is a painting of Tineke from a photo taken at one of the Spring Rose Shows of the Rose Society of Victoria so if you were exhibiting 7 or 8 years ago I might have immortalised your rose!
The beautifully formed hybrid tea, Frances Phoebe, was bred by LeGrice , UK in 1979.
Tranquillity bred by David Austin, UK, 2012, is a very pale yellow which ages white, with a mild apple fragrance. The rosettes are very full of petals and are long lasting on the bush.
Fifi, was my pick of the day, but strangely I was unable to find out any additional information about it. I am intrigued, so the search continues.
Tarrawarra - an Australian bred polyantha from our very own John Nieuwesteeg, 1992 is a seedling of Rosa multiflora 'Nana'. Tarrawarra Abbey is a community of Cistercian monks, popularly known as 'The Trappists' in the heart of the Yarra Valley.
Jardins des L'Essonne bred by Delbard of France is described as voluptuous, double blooms of fawn, buff, cream, mother of pearl against dark green foliage. From what I can gather the region of Essonne situated close to Paris has many wonderful public and private gardens.
Do you have a favourite white rose? One of these or perhaps a different one altogether?
Just a short stroll across the car park is the Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery. I really enjoyed two of their current exhibitions which will continue to be on show until 23rd May 2021.
Lauren Guymer’s Among the Trees show Lauren’s water colour depictions of the Australian Landscape. Lauren spends hours observing trees and natural environs and then she paints from memory.
The second exhibition which captured my attention was The Overwintering Project which is a long term environmental art project to raise awareness of our migratory birds and their precious habitats. The birds which spend the Summer on our beaches fly to the arctic to breed, a round trip of over 25,000 kilometers. There were lots of fascinating and beautiful pieces to explore in this exhibition. The wooden bird sculptures
by Hank Tyler are particularly appealing.
And one beautiful painting in the permanent collection (pictured below) is Schnapper Point, Mornington, by a Australian Impressionist John Rowell (1894-1973)
who lived in Mornington and often painted from the cliff tops.
Postcards from my readers
Thank you for all your feedback following my striped rose feature in last month's newsletter, it would appear you either love them or hate them!
Melanie Trimper sent me this spectacular shot of Rosa gallica versicolour which she photographed in the Lyon Botanical Garden. Melanie has been busy researching and photographing striped roses for a feature article in the June issue of the SA LIFE Gardens and Outdoor Living magazine. For my South Australian readers make sure you keep an eye out for this special edition! Thank you Melanie for letting us
know!
I hope you enjoyed my special 90th edition as much as I enjoyed collating it for you. For my newer subscribers and anyone keen for a trip down memory lane, my full newsletter archive can be found here.
Until next month,
Love and roses,
Michelle
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May the beauty of nature inspire you everyday
Michelle Endersby Art
www.michelleendersbyart.com
phone: 0400 473 173
[email protected]
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