I'm 35-50 and I love vintage things. Like Sue's daughter, I also love mid century furniture, especially Scandinavian things. I am starting to collect kitchen wares and appliances from companies BEFORE they relocated their factories to China. Not because they are chic, but because the are BETTER. I bought Bernina sewing machines and Cuisinart pots while they were still made in Europe. They are made much better than the same brands in stores today.
I choose roses based on their form, color and hardiness. I haven't had much success with hybrid teas, but I would love to have a few in a cutting garden. It will have to wait until I am settled in my new place and I have time to build a large enough raised bed to protect them. I like to grow roses that are survivors! Dead sticks in springtime are too depressing.
I have a couple of vintage roses (very old, but not sure if they are true antiques) - Veilchenblau (Rambler, Schmidt, 1909), Souvenir de la Malmaison (Bourbon, Beluze, 1843)), Gruss an Aachen (Hybrid Tea/Floribunda, Hinner, 1909), New Dawn (Climing rose, 1930) - and want to grow more! I also feel drawn so some of the single roses like Ballerina for their simple grace. I like modern roses with full forms like the Austin roses, the Romanticas and some Kordes roses. I am not likely to buy a rose the first year it is introduced. I wait for reports from other gardeners, especially ones in colder climates. My goal is a romantic cottage garden with lots of roses, clematis and flowering perennials.
I also want to grow more Buck roses and Kordes Fairy tale roses. I am interested to see what new roses Radner develops. So far, I grow Carefree Celebration. It isn't my favorite rose, but it is one that is most consistently in bloom. I don't like the color, form, lack of fragrance or prevalence of the knockouts, but I admire their hardiness. I think they are making rose growing more popular in climates such as mine. People are realizing that they can grow roses if they choose the right ones.
I am sure there are more hispters in Colorado, Portland and California than PA, but the trendy types around here are growing heirloom vegetables organically and shopping at Whole Foods. (They are unaware of Whole Foods stance on GMO labeling. Some don't know what GMO means. Very few trendy types of my acquaintance have backgrounds in the sciences.)
My late lunch break is over, back to digging up my barely alive sticks to be ready for the move. There is a single forsythia bloom on a rose up the street, the ones in my yard just have buds.
