BSP Visit to 'THE GARDENS of the ROSE'

Thursday 1st July 1999

About 40 members and guests enjoyed a wonderful afternoon touring The Gardens of the Rose, near St Albans in Hertfordshire.

On entering the gardens, which cover some 20 acres, the senses of sight and smell were rewarded with a palette of colour together with the most breathtaking fragrances of some 30,000 rose plants, which date from the 15th century to the present day.

We strolled along President’s Walk, pausing frequently to appreciate the wonderful perfumed roses that brought us to a large round pond filled with huge pink, white and gold lilies.

In several of the rose beds, various experiments were being carried out, to test combinations of soils, feeds, and methods of planting, using identical roses to identify the best methods to produce the finest blooms and hardiest bushes. We chatted to one of the gardeners, a great character with a large ginger beard, who gave numerous tips and advice, he concluded by telling us that his dream was to have Charlie Dimmock on his staff!

The afternoon was made complete by a scrumptious "Hertfordshire" cream tea, served in a marquee, where everyone had a chance to chat and compared their experiences while exploring the gardens.

Some of the particularly interesting exhibits on view included:

The French Gallicas Roses which are probably the oldest known cultivated roses

The Great Double White or Jacobite rose of Bonnie Prince Charlie

"Officinalis " which is likely to have been the Red Rose of Lancaster of the Wars of the Roses, which was originally grown as a medicinal plant.

As we explored the grounds, we noted some of the names that in many cases seemed particularly appropriate, these included: -

Strawberry Ice an attractive mottled pink

Remember Me a particularly vivid orange

Warm Welcome another Orange coloured small bush

Polar Star well known white classic

Flower Carpet a delicious bright pink

Sun Seeker another nice pink bloom

Sweet Memories a beautiful classic cream

And last but not least, one that especially caught our eye, in a combination of pale orange and pink, was - Pensioner’s Voice.