Old and new have been hybridizing in Hillsborough, North Carolina, since the
early 19th century, when travelers and regional farmers used the mill on the
Eno River and the nearby tavern and inn. This restored coach-house inn and tavern,
dating back to 1808, became the National Register home of Helen Blake Watkins
in the mid-1950s. But it is in the romantic gardens behind the house where old
and new most gracefully mingle. Here, Watkins introduced antique roses to her
modern blooms, establishing a horticultural legacy.
Watkins owned and cultivated Chatwood, the 20-acre property, which includes
6 acres of gardens, until her death in the early 1990s. She fell in love with
sturdy varieties of old roses she discovered growing untended in the region's
abandoned cemeteries, in neglected homesteads, and along roadsides. She spent
hours clipping them and replanting them in her organic, English-style garden.
Ultimately, Watkins gathered about 250 varieties, some of which are identified
principally with Chatwood and are unknown to modern catalogs.
"Her collection was extremely valuable because it represents an early
effort to bring these old roses into modern times," says Mike Shoup, president
of the Heritage Rose Foundation and owner of Antique Rose Emporium in Brenham,
Texas. "Without her, many of them might have been lost." (When hybridized roses
were introduced at the end of the 19th century, older shrub roses lost favor.)
The current owners, Rex and Ellen Adams, took possession of the house and
garden three years ago, vowing to preserve Watkins' legacy by returning the
garden to its original beauty and flamboyant blooms. After a series of severe
storms ravaged the property, "this place was really chaotic," says Ellen. Admirers
from Watkins' day spoke of dramatic vistas that spanned the cultivated roses
to the sloping meadows and woodlands beyond.
Interim owners had tried other approaches, adding modern plants and letting
some of the older ones recede. The space "had become closed-in," says
Ellen. "There were no vistas. We removed trees and opened the garden up.
In a number of places, we made significant moves back to old-fashioned plants."
Ellen was particularly committed to caring for Watkins' roses, employing expert
rosarians to help her mark, identify, and propagate the many varieties. In addition
to the salvaged roses, much of Watkins' original garden footprint is still evident
-- the herb garden, the gazebo area, the three-walled rose rooms bordered by
clipped boxwoods, and two Williamsburg-style well houses festooned with climbing
'Summer Snow' roses.
