Plant for 100 year 'birthday'

[TheSpottedZebra]

My granny would have been 100 this year and my mum expressed an interest in a place to mark the 'anniversary'. Ideally I'd like to have the same in my garden.

But I can hardly find anything with 100 or centenary, centennial in the name! Anyone have any ideas? I've looked at rose catalogues and amazingly drawing a blank.

We're both on clay and don't really want a tree.

If it’s for her mum, rather than the age, how about a mum in a million rose?
www.primrose.co.uk/mum-in-a-million-bush-rose-5-5l-pot?gclid=CjwKCAjwloCSBhAeEiwA3hVo_fKOqqCUx0bl9MaM_-5mcDvTFsKxcJknyR73ZlvWNMZ3Ls6rjktSLBoC4YQQAvD_BwE

I feel the rose option is better than the plant of the centenary
blog.thompson-morgan.com/our-vote-for-rhs-plant-of-the-centenary/

Rosa ‘Letchworth Centenary’
www.gardenersworld.com/plants/rosa-letchworth-centenary/

Having said that, I love Rozanne! It is a beautiful small shrub.

She's got that geranium! That's what I found by googling century!

Re the roses, the mum in a million won't work, as they didn't have that kind of relationship...
But the Letchworth Centenary is an idea, thanks!

I celebrate every special occasion with a David Austin Rose. The quality and scent is unrivalled.

@Shehasadiamondinthesky

I celebrate every special occasion with a David Austin Rose. The quality and scent is unrivalled.

Can you think of any for a 100 year occasion? I'm stumped!

A rose kind of works, as she was a bit... prickly.
And it works with her surname too.

There are various Rhododendrons with centennial in the name
I think there is a centennial gold and a centennial celebration
Also found www.rhododendrons.co.uk/deciduous-azalea-washington-state-centennial/p2093

www.rainbowplants.co.uk/plants/rhododendron-centennial-gold/

There is also a Magnolia Centennial

www.rhs.org.uk/plants/72553/magnolia-stellata-centennial/details

Searching RHS came up with a few other options too

www.rhs.org.uk/plants/search-results?form-mode=true&query=Centennial

How about a centifolia rose - ‘centifolia’ means 100-petal. Fatima Latour is my favourite from this group, beautiful and it smells amazing. They’re old roses though so once flowering.

www.davidaustinroses.co.uk/collections/centifolia-roses

Thanks wonkylegs wrong soil for rhododendron unfortunately! And that magnolia is a beut but too big, really.
'Centennial' is a good shout. Ive been googling century /hundred / 100 -and there is surprisingly little!

OhRosalind (apt name!) Those roses are beautiful! Do you know roughly how long they flower for?

Fantin Latour and Chapeau de Napoleon should bloom for for a month or more, in my experience both were very free flowering and laden with blooms. I’m not sure about the others.

Is there a rose that shares her name (there’s a Gentle Hermione and a Teasing Georgia, for example)?

@TalesOfDrunkennessAndCruelty

Is there a rose that shares her name (there’s a Gentle Hermione and a Teasing Georgia, for example)?

There doesn't seem to be, I thought that!

Oddly her name is a tree name (which we both have anyway). And her middle name is a sort of flower name (but she hated that name apparently! ).

I thought there would be loads of choices and confidently said to my mum that I'd find something that suited but I'm really not! I guess there isn't really much call for celebrating 100 years that often, even of dead people.

There is a WI centenary rose, but can I find it anywhere? Nope.

@OhRosalind

Fantin Latour and Chapeau de Napoleon should bloom for for a month or more, in my experience both were very free flowering and laden with blooms. I’m not sure about the others.

A month of flowering should be good, i think? It seems like the centifolia roses are my best shout so far.

Centifolias are stunning, my mum grows the two I mentioned. They set hips so are nice to look at in winter too. Some centifolias are smaller and are suitable for pots so you could always have a potted one and move it depending on what it’s doing. Once-flowering doesn’t put me off roses personally (that’s all I get from other shrubs) and they’re often more spectacular than repeat bloomers, but obviously it depends on your garden size, location and so on.

Rose specialists like David Austin/ Peter Beales / Trevor White are normally very good at advising on specific varieties via chat or by phone/email if you describe your conditions, and they might also be able to suggest alternatives linked to the idea of centenary/your grandmother’s name.

If she’s a Hazel, there are contorted ones and purple varieties that look quite different from the usual shrub.

Similarly for Rowan, which comes in lots of varieties, including pink or white berries. But maybe she was a Laburnum or Sequoia or Apple!

If the Queen makes it to 100, there will probably be a lot more roses and other new plants with 100 or similar in the name.

Not much use to you now, though!

Two seconds on Google suggests that purple is often used for a 100th anniversary.

How about this? www.shootgardening.co.uk/plant/rosa-centenary

What about a rose that was introduced in 1922?

For instance, the hybrid musk Francesca

WelcomeMarch yep, you guessed the name! Granny Sequioa . Nope, you were right the 1st time but I'm horribly allergic to the pollen so there is no way I'm putting another of those feckers in my garden! I dont have a hammamelis though...

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g you're right, we'll possibly be overrun with 100/centenary plants soon!

Sprig that rose doesn't seem to be available in the UK anywhere, unfortunately

MereDintofPandiculation ooh that's an idea! I shall do more googling...

Thanks all! I really thought there would be SO MANY options, and there really really aren't.

Are there any common names of plants with one hundred i them, does anyone know? Like lady's mantle, mile a minute, lamb's ear type names?

I bought a rose in remembrance of my Nan and chose Kew Gardens because it was her favourite place. I used tottering by gently for my grandad’s as that was his “essence”. I bought a miniature cherry called “little pink perfection” for someone to commemorate the loss of a baby girl.

There’s a beautiful red rose called “thinking of you”... I’d find a plant with a name that resonates and forget the century angle 🙂

@Gribbit987

I bought a rose in remembrance of my Nan and chose Kew Gardens because it was her favourite place. I used tottering by gently for my grandad’s as that was his “essence”. I bought a miniature cherry called “little pink perfection” for someone to commemorate the loss of a baby girl.

There’s a beautiful red rose called “thinking of you”... I’d find a plant with a name that resonates and forget the century angle 🙂

I think that is possibly a good idea. But but but my mum said she wanted something to do with 100. And she never wants ANYTHING! And she said this on Mother's Day!

Aarrrrggghhhh!