Roses, Despite Fire and Clay

Today we’re in Redding, California, visiting with Carol Cowee.

Here’s how it started—bare ground that would become the new rose garden.

The soil was compacted, horrible red, rocky dirt. It took two men three hours to dig/chisel just 10 holes!

All that hard work paid off. Here is the rose garden at three years old.

A huge climbing rose, ‘Mme Isaac Pereire’, grows up a huge arbor made of chain-link fence posts. ‘Mme Isaac Pereire’ is an old rose in the bourbon group with incredible fragrant flowers.

A wildfire in 2018 destroyed 170 roses and the house. It was heartbreaking to see those burnt stems, which had been covered with fragrant flowers.

But there are survivors. Carol’s childhood wagon, made by her father, managed to survive the fire, and Carol found three baby cacti under the burned mother plants. Here is the cactus in full bloom; the little plant produced 35 blossoms.

A gorgeous, massive red lily (Lilium hybrid, Oriental group, Zones 4–9) is growing strong despite being in a small pot, and it blooms heavily in July when it’s 105°F daily.

A perfect rose is highlighted in a water bowl.

Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!

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