Rose Constance Spry and Paul's Lemon Pillar together on the arbour
in front of The Humble Bungalow.
People often stop to chat when they see me out in the front garden.
I frequently invite them in
so that they can smell the fragrance of these beautiful blooms.
We get many compliments from passers by
about the roses and plants in our small lot garden.
I have often wondered what it would be like to have an acre...
I know that we would need many many more rose bushes.
Currently we grow about 30 roses
an acre would require hundreds perhaps thousands!
I would need to hire a full time gardener.
Jude the Obscure rose
a David Austin variety that has had me smitten as soon as we were introduced!
LOVE at first sight...
the apricot colour of those frothy petals
( the scent is amazing)
This bloom is about to open up fully.
David Austin roses
Jude the Obscure and Abraham Darby
both very fragrant
mixed with lacy fronds of the chartreuse green Lady's Mantle
Set atop the The Humble Bungalow bathroom sink.
Graham Thomas is a bright yellow David Austin rose.
This one is planted in our "work area" of the garden.
It is growing up a black trellis in the corner where we keep our compost bins, extra pots, wheelbarrow and stakes.
Gardeners NEED a work and storage area...
we've tried to hide ours by installing a latticework screen.
When we moved into The Humble Bungalow Garden almost 38 years ago
it was in shambles...
it was overrun with prickly blackberry bushes and invasive morning glory.
The clean up took months as we did it all ourselves.
The children were young,
Jennifer was 3 and Stewart was 15 months.
We worked together most weekends when the weather was decent.
The design has changed over the years
it has morphed into a cottage garden style
which features mostly on David Austin roses.
I pick a few roses when they are at their peak and bring them indoors to enjoy.
William Shakespeare and Jude the Obscure roses.
Constance Spry and Paul's Lemon Pillar roses.
This is Iceberg and prolific blooming climber.
This is what The Humble Bungalow Garden looked like when we moved in.
We knew that there was a lot of work required to fix this bungalow.
It had great "bones" and the location was good.
Mr HB designed and built the deck and arbour.
This picture is about 5 years old...
the rose you can see growing up the lattice is Climbing Royal Sunset.
The bed below has been completely changed...
it has 4 black pergolas with white Claire Austin roses and a boxwood hedge at the front.
Here is The Humble Bungalow before we moved in...
the transformation is unbelievable even to me!
The house next door has been torn down and a new one built in its place.
The benefits of gardening are many...
fresh air
exercise
a creative outlet
and a
calming refuge from life's struggles and stressors.
I hope you've enjoyed the rose parade today!
I'll be back again soon...
thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow Blog.
~ Be Well and Be Kind ~
38 comments:
I love seeing the before-and-after shots! What an amazing job you've done on the house and garden - you and Mr. HB are truly caretakers in the biggest sense. I get a kick out of knowing that house was in my own family way back in the day. :)
Enjoyed seeing your beautiful roses!
Phyllis
delurking to tell you how beautiful your roses are.
We really should arrange a time for you to stop by and see inside, perhaps when the bedroom reno is finished at the end of summer or early September?
Happy to share them with you Phyllis 💐
Please don’t be shy about commenting :-))
Delurking is good!
Your home and garden are so beautiful! I would love to grow roses but I simply don't have enough sun. So, I have a shade garden, which is peaceful if not colorful and fragrant.
Such beautiful roses! And the before and after photos are astounding. If you have more, we would love to see them.
What a delicious treat! It's cold (13 degrees!) and rainy today in Ottawa, so your beautiful garden tour was just what was needed. I could literally smell their fragrance - I have grown some of them ( not as many as you - Victoria has an ideal climate), and enjoyed every one. Have you ever grown Sharifa Asma - it also has a fragrance to die for.
Your renovation is amazing, the good bones of your house have been transformed into a stunning artistic creation. I can imagine how much work went into it over the years - but it is clearly worth it! Congratulations!
Such a gorgeous transformation - you both did an amazing job. It makes me wish we'd kept our first house...xo
Your home and garden are beautiful. Such a marvelous transformation! I wish I was able to grow these lovely roses, but alas my south Texas climate is so very harsh on roses.
You are so fortunate to be able to grow such beautiful roses. In the past I have grown many of these but here in the mountains they do not survive. The transformation of your home is a testament to both you and your husband's endeavours.
It's really hard to find the words that can describe the kind of beauty that those roses have ! I always think I am so proficient in English until I see the photos of your roses on your blog. They are truly indescribably beautiful ! And I really love your home - that has always been my favorite type of home, and you have done such a lovely job on yours !
What a great transformation of your bungalow. Your roses are gorgeous - I have just 6 rosebushes, 3 of which are David Austins and I'm hoping to add more over time. They are so delightfully fragrant and beautiful.
So lovely! Jude the Obscure is my fave. I have David Austin Brother Cadfael which smells wonderful, but finishes quickly. Wouldn't it be wonderful to go on a David Austin rose tour of England?
Your home is beautiful. I loved seeing how you have changed it through the years. Your roses are magnificent! The fragrance in your yard must be amazing with all of those David Austin roses. Are they all repeat bloomers? I am going to go back and refer to this post when I pick out roses for my yard next year. When the David Austin catalog comes I spend hours going through it.
UNBELIEVABLE TRANSFORMATION.
Just beautiful, and filled with much love.
I applaud you !!!
Roses do need lots of sunshine and are greedy for water. I think they are high maintenance plants but worth the effort!
I have a photo album full of old before snapshots but they are not digitized...I will see what I can do about that.
I am not familiar with the variety Sharifa Asma rose...I will do some research.
Our home restoration was a labour of love and took us many years and it continues to bring us joy.
Oh I would love to hear more about your first home!
It’s interesting how our growing zones are so radically different. I noticed in California jade plants outside in gardens and Daturas both indoor plants here.
How disappointing that your roses did not survive...there must be some varieties that would tolerate your climate and conditions.
I know exactly what you mean...pictures are worth a thousand words!
Beautiful roses can take our breath away!!!
I am running out of space for more roses! Hopefully you can find some lovely roses to plant next Spring when the garden centres have their new stock.
I would love to go to Chelsea Garden show...the David Austin display won a gold this year!! Imagine going to the nursery! We can dream...
The Constance Spry scent wafts out to the street and front garden. I sat on our porch yesterday and could smell the fragrance in the air. Not all our DA roses are repeat blooming roses. That catalog is so impressive and has inspired my choices over the years.
We were inspired by the arts and crafts bungalow style although i must admit it was a daunting task bringing this home back to its former glory.
Lovely!
Oh my goodness how beautiful!
D.
What a wonderful vision you have carried out, the transformation of the house is amazing and so very, very charming. Every detail is perfect. You both should be so pleased with what you have accomplished...the perfect home!
Thank you for showing us your beautiful garden and roses. The colors are wonderful I bet the scent is equally lovely. Your trellises, arbor and deck make wonderful outdoor spaces. Truly an oasis. I, too, enjoy gardening and find it a great creative outlet. Susan
Thank you !
Roses are such an amazing flower...so many varieties and fragrances...its all rather overwhelming but all so lovely!
I know my husband takes great pride in our home...he had the vision and did a lot of the work himself. I can take credit for the garden...what works and what doesn't and what I will do to improve it in the future!
My husband is the creative force behind those trellisis and arbours...and he has indulged my love of roses which keeps us both busy tending to their needs!
How have I missed out on your blog for so long! I know I must have read it before I got too busy with life. I am dying to know where you live. I have Jude the Obscure, and have once had so many others you mentioned. William Shakespeare was a dud for me. I am still holding on to The Prince for the color but it really does not like my yard. My favorites are Molyneux, Teasing Georgia, Graham Thomas,and Golden Celebration. I am giving some pinks another try...any suggestions? Your story is so similar to mine. We must be almost the same age, we built our own house with the help of our two children, and taught them to garden. (now both great gardeners). I am hoping I get this via email signed up again. Love your blog!
Welcome! I love your Instagram posts!
We live in Victoria on Vancouver Island in BC Canada 🇨🇦 Our climate is considered Mediterranean, our garden has clay soil which holds the moisture that roses seem to love. I have two pink roses to recommend Constance Spry and Gertrude Jekyll both incredibly fragrant and hardy, very thorny but gorgeous. I am 64. Do you write a blog?
I have tags under labels on the sidebar and you can click on roses or Jude The Obscure to read older posts. Hope you enjoy them.
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