Years of pulling and piling the weeds, and amending the impossibly hard native clay (every last peanut shell is recycled), has made the improbable possible. A lush display of modern roses and huge David Austin roses, has emerged from the harsh desert dust. The undeveloped half acre below was later acquired and the garden expanded. The garden now includes a growing collection of Hybrid Musks and Hybrid Perpetuals, and a sprinkling of ramblers and other OGRs. Teas have uniformly died, so Christine has now moved on to - as she puts it -"killing Chinas."

Planting with color compatibility as the focus is the crux of gardening Christine style, and areas of her garden have evocative names such as 'Ribbon of Lavender'.

I'm in the process of eking out commentary from Christine, picture by picture, to complement these pictures of her lovely garden. From the top you'll find those already penned in her insightful style. Click the thumbnails to expand the picture and read commentary from this avid gardener.