The Antique Rose Emporium: One Last Time

An invitation in the form of a newsletter from The Antique Rose Emporium was upbeat and offered one last chance to walk through their San Antonio gardens and share a refreshment before they closed down this location.

I was still a bit unsure if I wanted to return.  My last visit had been just before the closing of the gardens was announced.  Going back now meant knowing it was my last visit.  How did I want to remember these gardens?

When Sunday arrived, I decided not to miss this opportunity and It turned out to be a good decision.  Mike Shoup, founder, owner and legendary rose rustler of The Antique Rose Emporium, was there to greet us and offer homemade tamales and sweets.

Even though I have attended his seminars over the years, I'd never had the chance to speak with Mike directly.  There I am in the blue shirt and hat with the surprised look.  We're not talking plant business.  It turns out we grew up in the same area of Houston and attended nearby rival high schools at the same time. 

Time to tour the gardens for one last look

Mike and Robbie, the manager of this location, walking in the courtyard.  I will always marvel at his vision in creating this beautiful garden.

One more look at the stunning yucca in the blue adobe courtyard.

A view of the many native plants between the adobe courtyards and Hacienda.  I don't think I've shown this view before.

The resident cats are now in adoptive homes and report that their new people have adjusted well. 

A long view of the sales area with the bottle tree and gift shop in the background.

The windmill and hacienda

The windmill, cactus, greenhouse from the other direction

The A. ovatifolia bloom I wrote about this spring was dropping dried petals but had not yet formed bulbils.  The lower leaves are beginning to die out.

After a tour of the gardens, I decided to pick up the plants I kept planning on adding "next time".  Now or never I decided and finally bought that native Texas Sotol (Sotol Texanum) I'd been looking at.  A dwarf pomegranate, dicliptera/wooly justicia, red rocket russelia, clerodendrum ugandense, weeping muhly, and salvia argentea are also added to my cart there in front of the check out.

Clyda, a member of the staff working the register, was glad we stopped by one more time.  She thought the Agave americana bloom by the adobe courtyard might just fall over from sadness on Sunday.  It is very tilted but was still there when we left.

The remaining inventory will be moved to the Brenham nursery, which will remain open, and this property will be sold.

Mike put it simply, "it's time".

Thank you Mike for sharing this beautiful and inspiring place with us.  We'll visit you in Brenham.

Swan Song at The Antique Rose Emporium

These two agaves somehow knew this was the last chance to show their stuff.

 

A few weeks ago I wrote about the blooming of this Agave Ovatifolia I had often admired at The Antique Rose Emporium here in San Antonio. 

On Friday 15 June, I returned as promised to follow up on the Agave Ovatifolia bloom and check out the enormous Agave Americana bloom going up just behind the adobe courtyard.  In response to questions from readers my plan was to follow these two agave plants as they reproduced and then died off.

 

That's not likely to happen now since the next day news arrived in the form of an email from The Antique Rose Emporium.   They will close the San Antonio location in July due to downsizing.   The store in Independence near Brenham will remain open along with the mail order business.

Here's another view of the Agave Americana, the base plant is over nine feet high and the bloom appears to be 30 feet high.

I will miss these gardens and the staff whom I have gotten to know over the years.

I'll also miss the resident cats, especially Spot (on the left) who has followed me around on many a visit.

About the time I turned my attention to the landscaping at our home here in San Antonio in 2009, I also discovered The Antique Rose Emporium nursery and demonstration gardens.  On that first trip to visit these gardens I knew I had found my inspiration.
 

Walking through the large center courtyard planted with drought tolerant natives and adapted perennials was an eye opening experience.  This beautiful display is San Antonio gardening at its best.

Standing there that day, I immediately realized that my expectations about what could be achieved in my own gardens needed to be revised upward.

Just a few of my favorite ideas in practice here

Native wildflowers are beautiful in the garden

Cactus, succulents and roses are a great combination for a Texas garden

 

Bottle trees are cool

 
Yard art too

Go Texan and go big

I never wanted a rose garden and, actually, I still don't.  At The Antique Rose Emporium there are no formal rose gardens.  The roses are combined with perennials, cactus, annuals, and succulents to spectacular effect.



I often marveled at the vision that went into creating these garden spaces.  There are so many special spots here.  The adobe courtyard is a place I could spend all day.

Except when I'm enjoying the blue adobe courtyard

I surely will miss this place

 
A look back at my previous posts on The Antique Rose Emporium

Fall 2011 Festival of Roses
                Happy Halloween

Spring 2012  Springtime Roses
                      More Than Roses
                     Agave Ovatifolia Blooms

Ovata Bloom!

An Agave ovatifolia at The Antique Rose Emporium is blooming -- a very rare event.

Oh, what a bloom it is!

The bloom is about 20 feet tall since the base plant is over 5 feet high.
 
An email tip from a friend sent me to check it out.  There are at least two large Agave ovatifolia, also known as Whale's Tongue agave, in the gardens there.  This one is in a garden bordering the  lawn used for seating at weddings and special events at the Hacienda de las Rosas.

A unique backdrop for wedding photos.  The wedding party typically faces the set of wooden arches to the right of the agave.

  
Another look at this stunning beauty and the gardens around it.  Those are U.S. Navy F/A-18 Fighters flying past

A closeup of the blooms

 
This is the same Whale's Tongue agave I checked out in person before purchasing one here for my own front garden.

As with all agaves the plant will die when the bloom is finished, but the result will be numerous baby agaves.  I'm interested to see what they replace it with.  Meanwhile, I'll try to return a few more times to pay my respects before that happens.

Around the Block: Aloe and Agave Blooms

Let's take a break from the Plant ABC's today with a few photos from around the neighborhood.  I enjoy reading the posts by Loree at Danger Garden showing yards and gardens from her neighborhood and all around Portland, so I decided to give it a try.  Far from "nailing it" on my first few trips around the block with a camera, I didn't like any of the photos at all.

That doesn't mean I'm not persistent or will give up easily.  Finally, this past Tuesday, I spotted this pretty bloom which I think is an aloe.