She never promised me a Rose Garden

She never promised me a Rose Garden.

 

My mother was a bit of a tease.  I always wanted to visit the Garden of the Rose and as it was in the county where my son lived it seemed a strong possibility, but somehow we never managed it.  Often it was the wrong time of year.

Then my mother stopped off at her grandson’s en route to the States and couldn’t wait to tell me she had been taken to see this special place.  She almost crowedJ

 

When my long awaited granddaughter Alice was born I was so thrilled.  We already had two lovely grand sons but never having had a daughter I longed for a little girl and remembered what a special relationship I had had with my Grandma.

Mum refused to get old – she already had six grandchildren including two girls but she decided to skip a generation and pronounced herself Alice’s Grandma.

 I was appalled.

‘You’re not her Grandma you are her Great Grandma!’

Mum was not amused and things started to get a bit stormy but MTL, as usual, calmed things down – quite firmly – and it was decided that I was the Grandma and Mum was Granny May.  (Great Granny May I muttered.)

 

Twenty one years later I got my wish and Alice, her Dad and I spent a lovely morning there.

The Gardens were opened in 1963 by HRH the Princess Royal sister of George VI and aunt to our Queen.

 It was a hazy sunshine day – and past the garden’s zenith so I am a little disappointed with the photos and discarded quite a few.  Still there are worse ways to spend a morning than drifting round fragrant gardens with my son and granddaughter.  FinallyJ

      

“The gardens were recently re-built by Adam Frost Landscapes. Recent re-planting was by members of the Board of Directors with the help of the garden team. The roses forming the History of the Rose Collections come from all over the world. They are a living illustration of the development of roses and rose-breeding trends, past and present. The beds trace the development of rose breeding, following along the broad grass walk, from the Albas and Gallicas by the species border through to the more modern Hybrid Teas and Floribundas by the Presidents' Walk. They include examples of rare roses, bred in Britain but lost to cultivation here, which the Historic Roses Group of the Society has recently reintroduced from abroad.”

 

See photo below