Showing posts tagged Roses
Rosa ‘Handel’ Earthquake! Knock me down, I’ll just stand back up and bloom again! View high resolution

Rosa ‘Handel’

Earthquake! Knock me down, I’ll just stand back up and bloom again!

Rosa ‘Letizia’ of the Past, Present and Future - For Jose Marini, who gave me this rose bush early this spring because it refused to flower at her house. And soon we’ll have to move Letizia again, poor thing.

Rosa ‘Bobby James’ This becomes a whopping big rambler in no time… grows up to 30 feet tall and 20 feet wide. At the moment it’s about 3x3, standing inside the castle gates, to the left as you enter… View high resolution

Rosa ‘Bobby James’

This becomes a whopping big rambler in no time… grows up to 30 feet tall and 20 feet wide. At the moment it’s about 3x3, standing inside the castle gates, to the left as you enter…

Roses at the Castle of Galeazza, Italy View high resolution

Roses at the Castle of Galeazza, Italy

Rosa ‘Complicata’ View high resolution

Rosa ‘Complicata’

Rosa ‘Handel’ The first rose I planted here, and definitely not one I’d plant again if I could start over… Doesn’t it look spray-painted? View high resolution

Rosa ‘Handel’

The first rose I planted here, and definitely not one I’d plant again if I could start over…

Doesn’t it look spray-painted?

Rosa ‘Elina’ For Chiara Bardelli View high resolution

Rosa ‘Elina’

For Chiara Bardelli

View high resolution
Rosa ‘Sally Holmes’ This rose has only been here a few years, and is just beginning to flower. When it matures it will make big clumps of roses, but I’m enjoying the simplicity of the single buds for now…  View high resolution

Rosa ‘Sally Holmes’

This rose has only been here a few years, and is just beginning to flower. When it matures it will make big clumps of roses, but I’m enjoying the simplicity of the single buds for now… 

Rosa centifolia f. muscosa ‘Blanche Moreau’ I know so little about roses that a couple years ago I was convinced that this moss rose was covered in horrible insects… View high resolution

Rosa centifolia f. muscosa ‘Blanche Moreau’

I know so little about roses that a couple years ago I was convinced that this moss rose was covered in horrible insects…


Rosa lutea I learned today it’s LUtea, not luTEa, as I’ve been saying for a couple years now… che figura di merda! This thornless beauty, one of my favourites, was a gift from my rose specialist, Claudio Baldazzi. View high resolution

Rosa lutea

I learned today it’s LUtea, not luTEa, as I’ve been saying for a couple years now… che figura di merda! This thornless beauty, one of my favourites, was a gift from my rose specialist, Claudio Baldazzi.

Hmmm. I wonder… a) who would buy these fugly roses… b) if they would actually survive. They look really sad inside those garish boxes… c) what makes this company “green” - I ‘m preparing new pages for the galeazza website, and I just wrote about how many companies slap that word on everything - and here they go again… I bet they’re absolute planet destroyers! View high resolution

Hmmm. I wonder…

a) who would buy these fugly roses…

b) if they would actually survive. They look really sad inside those garish boxes…

c) what makes this company “green” - I ‘m preparing new pages for the galeazza website, and I just wrote about how many companies slap that word on everything - and here they go again… I bet they’re absolute planet destroyers!

Rosa ‘Ballerina’ comes back to Galeazza Garden for a second performance in mid to late August. She’s a bit hot and tired now, and not as impressive as she was in spring, but it’s good to see her again. View high resolution

Rosa ‘Ballerina’ comes back to Galeazza Garden for a second performance in mid to late August. She’s a bit hot and tired now, and not as impressive as she was in spring, but it’s good to see her again.

Pumpkin Leaves and Bean Flowers I once had a problem identifying the problem of a sickly rose that was here in the Galeazza Garden, so when Claudio “Rose Man” Baldazzi came for a visit this past winter I asked him what he thought the problem might be. He not only knew what the problem was (now I forget) but he even knew what kind of rose it was just by the shape of its thorns. At the time I was astounded by his knowledge of plants, and then I learned it’s not so incredible, really - its just a question of experience. In the same way that he can tell roses from their thorns, I would love to one day identify pumpkins by their leaves, and beans by their flowers. I’m already getting there - it’s just a question of remembering! Fortunately these photos will help - as will the limited number of pumpkins that I’m attempting to grow this year: only five! These big round leaves are from a plant which makes big round pumpkins (not sure this is a rule you can normally follow, but in this case it works). The large leaves in the photo are of Cucurbita Maxima, the “Big Max” pumpkin. Seeds from LIDL. Not really a  huge pumpkin, but heavy enough to be tricky to carry long distances without dropping - and never by the stem… oh, and a deep dark reddish orange, which is cool. Edible, yes, and good for a Jack-o-lantern, too! View high resolution

Pumpkin Leaves and Bean Flowers

I once had a problem identifying the problem of a sickly rose that was here in the Galeazza Garden, so when Claudio “Rose Man” Baldazzi came for a visit this past winter I asked him what he thought the problem might be. He not only knew what the problem was (now I forget) but he even knew what kind of rose it was just by the shape of its thorns.

At the time I was astounded by his knowledge of plants, and then I learned it’s not so incredible, really - its just a question of experience. In the same way that he can tell roses from their thorns, I would love to one day identify pumpkins by their leaves, and beans by their flowers. I’m already getting there - it’s just a question of remembering! Fortunately these photos will help - as will the limited number of pumpkins that I’m attempting to grow this year: only five!

These big round leaves are from a plant which makes big round pumpkins (not sure this is a rule you can normally follow, but in this case it works). The large leaves in the photo are of Cucurbita Maxima, the “Big Max” pumpkin. Seeds from LIDL. Not really a  huge pumpkin, but heavy enough to be tricky to carry long distances without dropping - and never by the stem… oh, and a deep dark reddish orange, which is cool. Edible, yes, and good for a Jack-o-lantern, too!

Rosa Alberic Barbier This rose is historically important, but it gets bad-mouthed for its expolsion of flowers, here and gone before you know it. I don’t care - it smells amazing, is a soft white, and is lovely to touch. It’s headed up the castle wall and toward an elm, and I’m guessing it’s going to be huge in no time. You already know my secret - lots of chicken poo! View high resolution

Rosa Alberic Barbier

This rose is historically important, but it gets bad-mouthed for its expolsion of flowers, here and gone before you know it. I don’t care - it smells amazing, is a soft white, and is lovely to touch. It’s headed up the castle wall and toward an elm, and I’m guessing it’s going to be huge in no time. You already know my secret - lots of chicken poo!