Sunday, June 27, 2010

Big Bob's Bodacious Bloomers

Ever had the sweet fortune of living in a small town? If so, then you probably have fond memories of a corner store that supplied the last minute necessities Mom needed when she was cooking supper.

This cute corner store is no more. 
It's now home to one of the coolest rose experts I've ever met. 

That's how I grew up ~ walking a block down our street to the Square Deal Corner Grocery ~ running errands for Mom and spending my precious allowance on all kinds of candy.

So, I felt extra warm and fuzzy when Bob, (who lives in this eclectic building that used to be a corner grocery) graciously unlocked the tall gate at the back of this place...

And, let us stroll the colorful paths of his astonishing secret rose garden!

"Don't be dainty," says Bob. "Shove your nose right into these blossoms. That's the best way to experience their fab fragrance!"

Enjoy the show:



Are you just dyin' to plant a rose garden?? I know I am!

Here's a list of his favorites - easy to find, easy to grow:
Betty Boop, Intrigue, Hot Cocoa, Abraham Darby, Fragrant Cloud, Eureka, St. Patrick, Wild Blue Yonder, Marmalade Skies, Frederick Mistral.

Even the dead ones were pretty cool...

23 comments:

Gail said...

Beautiful bloomers

Victoria said...

Ahh...just gorgeous..super beautiful!! Wonderful post! Always a treat and feeast for the eyes!! Love it!
Kiki~

jan said...

Wow! Those are gorgeous flowers! I have never grown roses before our current house, where they flourish despite my amatuer care. They have such amazing scents and colors!

Chloe m said...

I can't help but be enchanted by roses, even if deer and other nasty critters love to chomp them in my yard.

Sad to see the store go but I bet you are happy for the replacement expert.

KC said...

Beautiful job Kate! I bought four of the dozen or more roses on my list! I'm taking out grass for the roses, bushes for the iris and more lawn for a perennial bed. It is about time I turned this yard of mine into a MG garden!

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Oh, I'm so glad y'all loved Bob's roses. I just couldn't believe my eyes when we walked into the backyard of that corner store! :D

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

KC ~ Woohoo! 'Bout time you turned that pretty yard of yours into a jaw-dropping extravaganza! :D

Monica the Garden Faerie said...

Wow, how did you get on the topic that he decided to show you his secret rose garden? I also love the funky retro storefront.

Amy said...

Kate, I'm finally back! Beautiful slide show - I especially love Hot Cocoa - it actually smells like chocolate! I used to tend hundreds of roses in pulp pots ready to plant. It was very labor intensive but I did love the beautiful blossoms! Now I just have a few shrubs and climbers - and I don't deadhead very much at all. Heaven!

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Hi, Monica;
It was all Karen's doing. She can talk her way into just about any garden... :D

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Yay, Amy! Computer fixed! Such a pain. Nice to hear from you. I'll pop over and see what you've been up to.. :)

Melanie J Watts said...

Beautiful flowers on those roses I would love to be there, smelling them. I grow many hardy roses all with a delicious scent, of course.

Wendy said...

omg, what gorgeous roses! If I could get mine to look anything like this...

Cool storefront too.

D said...

Lovely Kate, lovely! My favourite roses in our garden are the David Austins for unbelievable scents: Wenlock, Gertrude Jekyll, St Cecilia, Louise Clements... any and all simple out of this world. ;)

Rose said...

These are beautiful--yes, they do make me want to have my own rose garden. How cool to have a secret rose garden hidden behind this old store! We used to have a store like this in the small town I lived in most of my married life. My sons stopped there on their way home from school every day to pick up a treat--and put it on our charge account:) Oh, those were the good old days.

Snowcatcher said...

I couldn't see your slideshow, so I went to your picasa... I had to see your photos! I just love roses!

I'm hoping to put in a bit of a rose garden this fall. We have some landscaping to do, and I've been looking at what others do for ideas. I'd really love to have a huge variety like this garden you've featured!

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Hi, Melanie;
I'm getting smarter on Canadian-bred roses. I think that's the way to go with my short summers. :)

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Hi, Wendy;
Me, too! I thought it was so silly that people were saying his roses are 'past their peak.' Could have fooled me... :D

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Thx, Di;
More goodies to contemplate. I most definitely need to plant some fragrant roses this summer...

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Glad you liked the Roses, Rose. ;)

A charge account at the corner store? Now THAT would have gotten me in loads of trouble during popsicle season!

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Hello Road Biker Extraordinaire!
Sorry the slide show didn't work but I'm glad you got to see 'em. His backyard is just amazing...

Lynne said...

You take beautiful photos! I drop by once in awhile from Iron Needles' blog, but I usually just drool over the flowers silently. I thought you needed to know how much I enjoy your images.

Keep up the great work!

www.rickandlynne.com/lynne

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Hi, Lynne;
Wow! Thanks! You made my day. :)