Here’s a little race around the roses just beginning to flower in the garden. Since I succesfully uploaded all the pics yesterday afternoon, I decided to go for it in one shot. Tomorrow is my last day, and I still have (happily), three pictures up my sleeve.
Flowering in the Iris Garden, ‘Blairii No. 2’ is a Bourbon climber (although it doesn’t repeat, like many of the other Bourbons, such as ‘Souvenir de la Malmaison’). It is just what a rose should be.
Bourbon rose ‘Souvenir de la Malmaison’ is showing colour in the Iris Garden – just in time for more rain, to which it will respond to by ‘balling’ and spoiling its own show. (How many of us do that?).
One of my favourites, which I’ve grown for years since my London garden in the 1980s, is Centifolia ‘Fantin Latour’, flowering in the Rose Walk, to the right in this picture.
Also in the Rose Walk, ‘Fantin Latour’s’ nearest neighbour is the Damask rose, ‘Madame Hardy’.
Just along from Mme Hardy is ‘Belle de Crecy’ – the little Gallica rose that seems determined to show its appreciation, by suckering, right through the whole area.
Over our garden gate at the end of the Rose Walk is ‘The Alchymist’, a climber bred by Kordes in 1956. I wish I had trained and pruned it better in 2019, just after it flowered (which it does only once).
Down below in the Hornbeam Gardens, ‘Crown Princess Marghareta’ (a David Austin climber, although also available as a shrub rose) is putting out one rather soggy, disconsolate bloom, but there are others to follow.
And many other roses to follow as well!
Garden Dreaming at Châtillon 
I continue to marvel at your beautiful garden. Thaks so much for sharing. STAY SAFE.
You stay safe too, John, and thanks so much for taking the time to read!
Beautiful..
Thanks so much. They are indeed (no thanks to me!)
An iris garden and now a rose walk. I am very jealous 🤢
I make the most of it. It’s often too hot for herbaceous perennials to do very well here in late summer, so the garden tends to be more colourless then. I have to celebrate now!
Oh I’ve fallen in love with yet more roses just looking at your photos Cathy. Here my first two roses opened one solitary flower each today. We may have the first frost we’ve had in some time tonight. Frost or rain never does comes at the right time does it? I look forward to seeing more of your fabulous roses.
Thanks so much Anna – no, they don’t. Today it is simply pouring and, because it is the Saints de glaces today, tomorrow and Wednesday (they signify the time of last possible frost in the season), we are now predicted freezing temps overnight!
Gorgeous roses and banks of iris, Cathy! It’s been great seeing your garden these past few weeks.
And thank you, Eliza, for taking the time to visit!
That first picture did it for me. Iris pallida is still SO rad!
My husband had to explain ‘rad’ to me – thanks for educating me again. This time, not plants!
Oh, yes; I speak Val.
By the way – he enjoys your blog too!
– and he speaks Val! Rad!
Beautiful roses and so reminds me of my time in France,