PAUSE BESIDE THE ROSE BOWL
FAY SHARES SOME HISTORY
On every garden tour I will always be asked, “What are those pink and red things?”
“Do you mean these?” I’ll break off a few different blooms. “These are a form of dianthus. They have the perfume of cloves, like carnations. This form is commonly called Sweet William, but the Scottish people didn’t like William of Orange, so they called them Stinking Billy.” My answer will bring a laugh. “See the variation? Although they are various shades of pinks, reds and white, each flower has a different pattern. The Dutch have another name for these – they call them ‘A Thousand Beautifuls’, and from what I’ve been told their particular word for beautiful is the same word they would use to describe a beautiful young woman.
Sweet William
Next, I’ll brush my hand over the gray foliage plant with the yellow button like flowers. “And this is Santalina, a Mediterranean herb that supposedly is a stimulant for roses. I grow it right around the rose bowl over the rocks. As you walk past, give it a brush – release the aromatic oils.”
It was an Italian born neighbour, Orris Romeo, who helped me construct the rose bowl. He brought over an old tractor fitted with a small dozer blade mounted on the
back, which swiveled in any direction. Orris used this to cut into the sloping ground at the north-western corner of the house, leaving a sharp earthen bank, and spread the soil evenly towards the house. It was in this semi-circular basin I later planted the rose bushes. Once more Orris had returned to his farm, swapping the blade for a carry-all tray. Together we surveyed the rocky outcrops around the farm gathering up boulders as large as he could roll or lever onto the carry-all. Orris dropped these into the excavation and then sat on his bottom, using the strength of his legs and back to push the rocks hard against the cut bank. Less attractive rocks were dropped down under the edge of the veranda, the tops just showing between the earth and floor boards. This barrier prevents dirt washing under the house during storms. Thus we created a terraced, rock-fringed bowl. I have so many memories associated with the Romeo family and the establishment of our garden.
Rose Bowl
Santalina herb
Early one warm morning of our first summer on the Granite Belt, when Eberhard was without a shirt, the sound of a motor bike brought him to the front veranda. The rider took off his helmet and requested directions. Eberhard couldn’t clearly hear his inquiry.
“What’s he saying?” Eberhard asked. “I think the cheeky bugger wants to know if I’m Mr. Australia?”
I was amused. “You might have a bare chest, but you would never pass for a muscle builder.”
Calling to the man, I asked, “Are you looking for Mr. Orris Romeo? ” He nodded and I instructed, “Go back out our entrance road, turn left and you will find that Romeo’s Lane is the next road on the left. Go to the end of the lane.”
After answering several more questions, I tell my visitors, “I’m going to cross over the walkway now between these rosa lavigata roses and lead you down through the vegetable garden.” This is one time when I have chosen to use the Latin name, as it was the first name by which I came to know this superb early blooming white rose.
Rosa Lavigata or Cherokee Rose
Rosa Lavagata or Cherokee Rose
“Have any of you read the book by Gavin Menzies – 1421 The Year China Discovered the World?”
A few amongst my audience will nod their heads, while others may say they saw a TV documentary on the subject.
“This is a very old Chinese rose, but its common name is the Cherokee Rose. It was given that name when discovered growing in the USA by the early settlers. How do you suppose it reached California? According to Gavin Menzies it was grown there by Chinese left behind to colonize the region when their ship was wrecked.”
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Technorati Tags: aromatic oils, boulders, Cherokee, China, Chinese, dianthus, Gavin Menzies, granite belt, herb, Italian, Mediterranean, rocks, rose, stimulant, Sweet William
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