Saturday, May 23, 2009

Welcome back, Cecile Brunner


When we first saw the front, back and side yards of our Deerfield house, it was obvious that what had once been a nicely landscaped lawn had been let go. Butterfly bushes were growing out of control. Natural rocks which had been used to line flower beds were scattered hither and yon. The forest was encroaching on the porches and decks.

My first order of business in 2006 was to start whacking, and whack I did.

One of the casualties of my chain-saw pruning technique was a glorious Cecile Brunner antique climbing rose growing on the split-rail fence in front, shown in a 2006 photo. We identified it by the tag on the huge base stem. It had taken over much of the front yard, and though its fragrance was strong and sweet, the rose had to be cut back. It had grown to a height of more than 12 feet. Fast forward to 2008 and Ms. Cecile Brunner, roots and all, is dead.

Betty bought a new Cecile Brunner, and I'm planting it today.

No comments:

Post a Comment