gertrudejekyll

Gertrude Jekyll

Gertrude Jekyll in my garden fall 1999

A new bud

June 2000

One of the shrubs
June 2000

Gertrude Jekyll

Breeder: David Austin

Parentage: Wife of Bath x Compte de Chambord

Introduction: 1986

Class: English shrub

Color: Rich pink

Scent: Intense old rose

Size: 4-10 feet

Zone: 5-9

     Late in the '99 growing season I was thrilled to find two Gertrude Jekyll roses at an "I can't pass this up!" price. They were in awful shape-- both shrubs were covered with blackspot, but hanging in there better than the other roses on discount. Though riddled with disease, the shrubs were still blooming, so I had the pleasure of discovering the wonderful scent Gertrude Jekyll has to offer. It's a heavy, yet refined old rose fragrance. No wonder it's used to make perfume!
      It took a day of digging and rearranging to prepare the garden to receive the two shrubs, but the end result was beautiful. The diseased leaves were stripped off, and I disposed of them. In a few weeks, both shrubs grew healthy new leaves. Just as a fresh crop of buds were swelling with promise the weather turned cold. I won't see blooms until 2000.
     Gertrude Jekyll has a reputation for being stingy with bloom, but pegging will encourage the formation of blooming laterals.

Full blown blossoms
June 2000

A perfect rose!
June 2000

See another lovely photo of Gertrude Jekyll
at the following site:

Peninsular Rose Club

[Home] [My Garden] [Index of Roses] [Sandy Soil] [Winter Prep]

[Old Garden Roses] [Gardening Tips] [Rose Links] [Chickens and Ducks]