Witherspoon's Virtual Tour of Rose Gardens: Patty Roger's Garden

Welcome to Patty Roger's Garden

There is an excitement that surrounds waiting for a blossom to open.  Anticipation draws a gardener toward the bud over and over again in hope of catching an early glimpse into what that bud will blossom into.  This anticipation is one of Patty Rogers’ favorite things about growing roses.  As I spoke with Patty, I began to sense the joy she gets from her rose garden and how it fills a special place in her life.

Being a professional photographer, Patty is always searching for the perfect flower shot.  I can see her now, camera in hand, strolling through her garden on a quest.  Since About Face and Double Delight are two of her favorite roses, I am certain they are her first stops on her quest for the perfect shot.  When asked what about these roses she most enjoys, she replied with “Both the beauty and fragrance.  The appearance draws you in, while the fragrance holds you there.”

Patty is fairly new to growing roses, but she knows the joy of producing something so beautiful from your own backyard and enjoyment that comes from watching it grow.  As a young girl, she would work next to her Grandfather, who was an avid gardener, but while she was living in Chapel Hill, North Carolina she never had enough sunlight to grow roses.  She would stroll through the Sarah P. Duke Gardens to visit the roses.  The appearance of the roses would draw her in to visit, and the warmth of the fragrance would hold her captivated.  The time came when she moved from Chapel Hill to her new home on Real Quiet Lane.  Finally!  There was enough sun to plant her very own rose garden!  Now she is able to visit her roses every morning, which is by far her favorite thing about growing roses.  Even to the point that she feels a little selfish because she is jealous over her roses! 

As our conversation drew to a close, I asked her if she had any advice for people who are just now beginning their journey with roses.  The advice she gave was to visit other rose gardens before you plant your own in order to gain a better understanding of what you really like in a rose garden.  It is easy to become overwhelmed with all of the rose varieties and want to plant one of every variety in your bed.  So, she suggested that one consider planting an entire bed of the same variety for mass impact.

Patty’s journey began as a young girl learning to garden by her Grandfather’s side and it continues as she begins her new journey with growing roses.  She feels that there is a certain peace surrounding roses that embodies the name of her lane and considers her rose garden to be the crown jewel of her home on Real Quiet Lane.

Would you like for your garden to be featured in our virtual tour of gardens?  

Email Kelley Triplett at ktriplett@witherspoonrose.com

Witherspoon ships premier roses to all 48 contiguous states February- April.  

Visit witherspoonrose.com for product details

Witherspoon also provides professional rose care services.  We offer preventative and corrective spraying for pests and diseases, fertilizing, pruning, mulching, and planting.

Give us a call at 1-800-643-0315 to request a FREE onsite estimate.

Virtual Tour of Gardens: Strowd Garden

Witherspoon Rose Culture Presents:

Virtual Tour of the Gene Strowd Community Garden

We live in a society that champions speed and efficiency.  Smartphones make it easy to communicate without verbal communication and almost eliminate the need for face to face contact.  These advances in technology, frequency of relocation, and busier schedules have all contributed to an overall sense of isolation in our society.  We truly have to work to be a part of a community, but it is a refreshing experience to be a part of something larger than ourselves.  Gene Strowd was a man who championed community, and over four hundred and fifty roses stand as a testament to that fact in the Gene Strowd Community Garden in Chapel Hill, NC. 

Gene Strowd Community Garden

Gene Strowd was a rosarian on the national level, but his heart was obviously dedicated to his home community of Chapel Hill and Carrboro.  Mr. Strowd used roses as a way of engaging with people and bringing beauty into the lives of those he came in contact with daily.  In 1987, he proposed the idea of a community rose garden where everyone was welcome to come and experience the beauty that only roses can provide.  Gene Strowd, along with the Chapel Hill Rose Society and the Chapel Hill Parks and Recreation Department, designed the layout of the garden and construction began in 1988.

Climbing Iceberg

As you walk into the garden, you get a sense of what Gene Strowd hoped to accomplish by planting a rose garden in the middle of Chapel Hill.  There are benches around the garden where you can sit and have a face to face conversation with friends.  You will hear joyful giggles from the playground that is located directly adjacent to the garden, and if you take time to sit in the gazebo at the back of garden you will see how many people from the community take time to stop and smell the roses.  The copper fountain in the center of the garden provides a soundtrack to the rose garden with soothing sounds of trickling water, and the brick pathways lead you through the fragrant beds of roses that encourage you to take time out of your busy day to enjoy pure beauty.

Raised Brick Bed

Both Gene and his beautiful bride, Irene, have passed on from this world, but through Strowd Roses, Inc their commitment to the community of Chapel Hill and Carrboro continues on to this day.  Not only does Strowd Roses, Inc fund the maintenance of the Gene Strowd Garden, they also provide funding for community organizations that improve the quality of life for the community of Chapel Hill and Carrboro.

Living in a society where speed and efficiency are often championed over personal connection, it is refreshing to step into a world of beauty where we can slow down and enjoy the people around us.  Gene Strowd and his wife Irene dedicated their lives and their money to promote a community where helping one another and enjoying togetherness was advocated for above all else.

Carefree Spirit  

Climbing America

Copper Fountain

Seating area in the gazebo

Secret

Double Delight

Signature

CHECK OUT THE VIDEO BELOW FOR A 360 VIEW OF THE Gene STrowd Community Rose GARDEN!

Join us next time for our third stop on the Witherspoon Virtual Tour of Gardens!

Would you like for your garden to be featured in our virtual tour of gardens?  

Email Kelley Triplett at ktriplett@witherspoonrose.com

Witherspoon ships premier roses to all 48 contiguous states February- April.  

Visit www.witherspoonrose.com for product details

Witherspoon also provides professional rose care services.  We offer preventative and corrective spraying for pests and diseases, fertilizing, pruning, mulching, and planting.

Give us a call at 1-800-643-0315 to request a FREE onsite estimate.

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Witherspoon's Virtual Tour of Gardens: Welcome to the Bolton's Garden

Witherspoon's Virtual Tour of Gardens

Welcome to the Bolton's Garden

Peaceful sounds of trickling water drifted across the garden as I sat down with Steve and Karen Bolton to talk about their roses.  We sat on the top level of their two tiered deck that overlooks their secluded garden and had a conversation about how they began their journey into growing roses.  

A beautiful water feature adds peaceful ambiance to their garden.

Their journey began ten years ago in Oxford, North Carolina.  Steve pastored a church where they met a lovely woman, named Nellie Grey McFarland, who was an avid rose gardener and became a very dear friend.  As Ms. McFarland grew older, she approached Karen and said “I want to give you something to remember me by.” She wanted to give Karen a rose garden.  Thus, Karen’s rose journey began with Ms. McFarland’s small gift of three roses.  

As the centerpiece of their garden, they had a beautiful Abraham Darby rose climbing up a small trellis.

Ten years later, Karen still takes the first blooms from her rose garden to Nellie Grey who is now 104 years young.  I wonder if she knew ten years ago that her small gift would inspire such joy in the Bolton’s life.  When Steve and Karen decided to move from Oxford to Durham, North Carolina, the three roses that Nellie Grey gave them made the journey to their new home where they are still flourishing.

Look at that stunning Abraham Darby!  You can tell I fell in love with this rose!

  This gift of roses has inspired Karen to enjoy her garden by sharing her blooms with others.  One of her favorite things about growing roses is the opportunity to share the cut flowers with others.  She will cut her roses to take to her neighbors, as hostess gifts, and to her friends and family that are under the weather.  I’m sure Veteran’s Honor, being her favorite rose, makes it into most bouquets!

View of the garden from the deck.

I have learned in my lifetime that advice from others is one of life’s most valuable treasures.  As we concluded our conversation, I asked what advice they would give to people who are just beginning their rose gardens.  Right off, Karen said research!  Start small and learn all you can about roses and how to care for them.  Before she began growing roses, Karen never really thought of herself as a gardener.  Now, in tending to her roses and learning all she can about them, she experiences great satisfaction. 

Karen and Steve Bolton

As I stood up from their patio table to leave, I looked out over the garden one last time.  Steve said earlier in our conversation that he felt that the roses completed the garden, and I could see clearly what he meant.  Their secret garden has the perfect punctuation mark, roses.

Karen and Steve Bolton

Peaceful serenity is the theme of this garden.

Karen's favorite rose, Veteran's Honor.

The Heritage rose was gorgeous!

Roses, the perfect punctuation mark to this beautiful garden.

Check out the video below for a 360 view of the Bolton's garden!

Join us next time for our second stop on the Witherspoon Virtual Tour of Gardens!

Would you like for your garden to be featured in our virtual tour of gardens?  

Email Kelley Triplett at ktriplett@witherspoonrose.com

Witherspoon ships premier roses to all 48 contiguous states February- April.  

Visit witherspoonrose.com for product details

Witherspoon also provides professional rose care services.  We offer preventative and corrective spraying for pests and diseases, fertilizing, pruning, mulching, and planting.

Give us a call at 1-800-643-0315 to request a FREE onsite estimate.

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