Whitcombe House, a lovely private garden in the Cotswolds, England I

The first private garden that we visited this year on our vacation in the Cotswolds in England was Whitcombe House and it was an immediate hit. Located in the beautiful village of Overbury, the garden is completely surrounded by a charming stone wall and therefore seems to be very protected. The size is supposed to be only an acre, but it felt much bigger to me. It contained a pleasing mix of roses, perennials and flowering shrubs carefully arranged in pleasing color combinations surrounding an equally beautiful house. One special feature of this garden was, that there is a small stream flowing directly through the property. The gentle bubbling sound of the water gave it such peaceful atmosphere.

This is the first view that you get when you enter the garden gate. A walkway leading up to the house in a straight line surrounded by charming borders on both sides. The plants are encroaching into the gravel path loosening up the strict symmetry and giving it a more informal cottagey look.

The green door framed with two stone columns and a triangular stone arch is very pretty and the climbing rose growing by its side so very English.

A little closer look at the rose.

And a close- up of the same rose. Love the pastel pink color.

I have a crush on stone urns and this big one was a particularly pretty example.

A bed kept in soft pastel colors in a somewhat shady corner of the garden.

A shot of the house from a different angle. Do you see the dog sitting in the window? Well, that is not a real dog. It is a cardboard dog. Quirky, isn't it?

Looking down the pathway from the entrance of the house back in the direction of the garden gate. You see that there is a lot of symmetry in the design of this garden.

I loved this magenta colored rose, which I believe is 'Charles de Mills'. The fragrance was pretty strong in this one. 

It was so nice to see these children innocently lost in their play.

Uuups, there is even a hidden third one.

Back to 'Charles de Mills'. Isn't this rose absolutely stunning?

I just couldn't take my eyes (and camera!) off this rose bush.

There was another beautiful Old Garden Rose with a fantastic fragrance: 'Rose de Rescht'.

The playing children caught my attention again.

I couldn't help thinking how lucky they are to be growing up in an environment like this.

So cute!

Again, back to the roses. There was another stunning light yellow one, that was very charming.

I always fall for roses that are so fully petalled.

Looking over to the very left side of the house...

...and then to the very right. In the foreground, there is another rose that looked to me like an Old Garden Rose.

Lovely intense blue campanula!

To the very right of the house, there was a small addition with a wonderful ornate metal bank in front of it and other lovely rose to its side.

Of course, the English lawn can't be missing in a true English garden.

'Rose de Rescht' with friends.

The photo shows the symmetrical layout of this part of the garden very well.

A look to the opposite side of the photo above. I love, love, love hand-stacked stone walls. They add so much charm and character to this garden.

This is a close up of the rose that you see on the left side in the front of the photo above. 

I don't know the name of this delicate beauty, but whatever it is, it is so very pretty!

One post can't cover this whole garden so there will be a part two. Please, come back and explore the rest of the garden with me in another entry.

Wishing everyone a very nice weekend!

Warm regards,

Christina

I am linking up to 
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April And May Roses

No, in case you have wondered, this is not another blog that has bitten the dust, as seem to happen to so many lately. I just have been super busy with my job and two trips in May, one to Germany and one to Santa Fe, New Mexico that I simply couldn't find the time to post. But before spring is officially over I want to show you some roses that have been blooming in my garden in the months of April and May. Sadly, even when I was at home in April and May, I often couldn't find the time to take photos, but here are some that I got of my roses.

Interestingly, because of all the rain that we got this winter and intermittently even this spring I had assumed that my roses would bloom better than for a long time, but not so much. I have a lot of rose disease this year in the garden, predominantly rose rust, but also black spot, which was almost unheard of in my garden so far. I also didn't have the time to take proper care of my roses in terms of fertilizing and that definitely results in fewer blooms, but still, I was very happy about the blooms I got despite all the odds.

Undoubtedly one of my most beautiful roses in the last two months is 'Bewitched', an older Hybrid Tea rose.

Almost all the blooms open up to perfection...

...and they have a very strong and pleasing damask scent.

The bush has struggled after it was replanted from a five pot into the ground, probably because it had been in the container for too long and was pot bound. But now, after I think two years, it is finally strutting its stuff and showing what this rose can do. 

The blooms remind me of the super big ones that you can buy for equally big bucks at the florist.

No necessity for that, if you plant 'Bewitched' in your garden. You can have your own home grown ones yourself. 

The rose has also become infected with rose rust at the end of May though, but it continues to bloom and doesn't seem to mind. 

I have often shown rosa 'Auckland Metro', one of my favorite light colored Hybrid Tea roses, on this blog. I am still in love with the blooms, but unfortunately, this rose has also become heavily infected with rose rust this year for the very first time in my garden.

Rosa 'Reine des Violettes' has admittedly small blooms, but they are exquisite and the perfume is enchanting.

I also like the informal old-fashioned flower form of this rose very much.

If you follow my blog for a while you know that I am not a fan of yellow, but rosa 'Charles Darwin's ' particular yellow tone won me over.

I have planted two bushes of this variety in my garden lately and both of them are still growing in, but so far things look very promising. Besides the gorgeous blooms, what I am the happiest about is, that both bushes haven't shown any signs of disease so far.

Love this shot of rosa 'Pierre de Ronsard'. The blooms of this rose are one of the biggest in my garden and they are jam packed with rose petals.

I think I will always be smitten with this rose.

Rosa 'Yolande d'Aragon' is a wonderful Old Garden Rose with a very strong and lovely fragrance, but in my garden, this variety has disease problems and the blooms have also trouble to withstand the strong winds that we receive on our top of the hill location. The blooms get often so damaged by the wind that they become unsightly.

Not all is rosy in a predominantly organic no spray garden. Aphids can have a feast, but usually, with a strong ray of water from the hose, I can keep them in check.

This is rosa 'Rose de Rescht, which I had grown for a long time in a five gallon container. Lately, I have removed the second of my 'Our Lady of Guadalupe' roses because of increasing problems with powdery mildew and replaced it with this variety. I am curious how 'Rose de Rescht' will fair in the same location. It is too early to say anything, though.

A scene from the front yard. To the left you see my last remaining rosa 'Our Lady of Guadalupe' and to the right rosa 'The Prince'. I am quite pleased how this part of the garden looks, especially considering the little bit shady location.

A closer look at rosa 'Our Lady of Guadalupe'. Despite an almost ongoing infestation with powdery mildew, this bush is very floriferous.

I am excited about the first bloom of this recent acquisition. This is rosa 'Princess Alexandra of Kent', one of the newer varieties bred by David Austin. The first bloom was huge, very full, and had an exquisite color. It is not clearly to see in the photo but is was a warm pink shade with some yellow hints at the base. Can't wait to see the next flowers.

Rosa 'White Meidiland' is really coming into her own. This rose is growing in an unsuitable area for roses, because it is so shady and the rose still manages to do well, blooms very prolifically...

...and produces nice big sprays of magnificent blooms.

My last contender for today is rosa 'Mary Rose', which you can call almost a classic by now. It is bred by David Austin and blooms very early in the season and repeats very well. It has a white sport called 'Winchester Cathedral', which I would love to grow in my garden as well.

I sincerely hope you enjoyed this post about some of the roses that have been blooming in my Southern California garden in the last two months.

As I am writing this, I am with my husband on vacation in the Cotswolds, one of the most beautiful areas of England again and the next posts will be about some of the fabulous gardens, pretty little towns and picturesque villages that we have seen here. So I would love for you to come back soon and visit with me this wonderful part of the world. It is truly a gardener's paradise.

If you want to get a glimpse of the Cotswolds see my posts from our vacation last year in the same area here:

Hidcote Manor Garden I
The beautiful village of Blockley in the Cotswolds, England I
The beautiful village of Blockley in the Cotswolds, England II
An English Afternoon Tea in Bradford on Avon, England


Warm regards,

Christina

I am linking up to
Cedar Hill Farmhouse - The Scoop // Between Naps On The Porch - Metamorphosis Monday // Dwellings - The Heart of Your Home - Amaze Me Monday //  A Stroll Thru Life - Inspire Me Tuesday // Sweet Sensations - Celebrate Your Story // Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesdays // A Southern Daydreamer - Outdoor Wednesday // A Delightsome Life - Home And Garden Thursday // 21 Rosemary Lane - Share Your Style //  Peonies and Orange Blossoms - Thursday Favorite Things // French Country Cottage - Feathered Nest Friday // Rattlebridge Farm - Foodie Friday and Everything Else // Shabby Art Boutique - Create, Bake, Grow & Gather // How Sweet The Sound - "Anything Goes" Pink Saturday // My Soulful Home - Sunday at Home //  Angie The Freckled Rose - Dishing It & Digging It // Dwellings - The Heart of Your Home - Amaze Me Monday  // Everyday Living - A Gardens Galore //