English Roses!

After such a full day at Hidcote, I wasn’t sure that I was really up to more gardens, but I longed to see the home of David Austin Roses!  I had some of his roses in my old garden in Colorado several years ago and became a huge fan of them!  Especially Abraham Darby, which bloomed prolifically for me! 

It turned out to be right on my way north, so I had to stop! 

What fun to wander through the many gardens filled with nothing but roses! 

I loved all the climbing roses on the pergolas. 

Minnehaha was my favorite, which turns out not to be a David Austin Rose, but rather one of the old fashioned varieties that he uses to breed new ones! 

There were lots of new favorites, such as this “Financial Times Centenary” rose

And “Jubiliee Celebration”

I really loved these old Rugosa Roses ~ they look like tissue paper flowers to me

And their hips are huge!  The size of small apples!   

While I’m not a fan of orange flowers usually, these Lady Emma Hamilton Roses were stunning! 

Windflower was another favorite, also with a delicate tissue paper look to them. 

So many new favorites!  It was lovely to see them all together and have a chance to see and smell them.  Like at a wine tasting, when you have something to compare it to, the scents become clearer.  Now I know what it means when they say a scent is fruity or spicy! 

The road led on into the Peak District, where I stayed the night at the small village of Beeley, near Chatsworth.  It was a picturesque little place and my room was in one of the cottages.  It had it’s own private entrance and garden! 

There was a creek flowing through the town with little stone bridges across it, complete with ducks! 

I took a walk up the public footpath along the creek, then out across the upper side of the village. 

There was a friendly horse that came to the fence to greet me and then went about his way. 

Coming back into the village, the sight of the low walled gardens was lovely!  Such a picturesque place! 

I had dinner at the Devonshire Arms.  Dessert was a Crème Brule that was the best I’ve ever had, with that ever so perfect crisp caramelized crust and just the right amount of vanilla to make it sing!  A lovely end to yet another lovely day!