Nantucket is often called The Grey Lady of the Sea. The unique grey shingles on every dwelling, large or small gives it this distinction. Native Americans called it the Faraway Island. It IS faraway and it can be grey.
But this time of year, particularly this week, she is revealing her roses and appears anything but grey!
Roses are revealed at every turn, even along the roadside and at the beach where the rugosa grow wild.
‘Sconset roses
Rose covered cottages are an expected sight on Nantucket, so I was thrilled to visit a little later in June when the roses are bursting everywhere, most especially the climbers. A walk anywhere around the island is perfumed paradise.
Everywhere you look, roses abound.
They crawl over roof tops.
They adorn driveways everywhere. 
Roses clamor over any place they can with the familiar trellis against the grey shingles.
Privet hedges obscure your view and give privacy to the dwellers but the roses won’t be hidden!
The combinations of roses climbing and window boxes spilling with flowers are endless. 
In Town, the historical section, where the homes are close together, there is a compact use of plants and the climbing roses add a vertical appeal.
Pink roses predominate so the yellow is distinctive when you come upon it.
Imagine kicking back under this fragrant arbor at the end of a sun filled day!
Roses, roses, roses. But there is so much more to Nantucket. The history is evident and treasured everywhere from her insistence on maintaining her grey face to her revering the stars of the past, the whaling merchants. Starbuck is one such!
Joseph Starbuck home
In the days and maybe weeks ahead, I will introduce more of my discoveries this year on Nantucket!
Oh, how gorgeous! I’ve never seen roses growing on top of the roof of a home like that! What a fun idea! Love the roses set against the grays, too. Oh, this post has me thinking, and dreaming! 🙂
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Gorgeous post!! Seeing it on my phone….will look again on my comp. you captured the essence perfectly. Love Nantucket in all it’s beauty!!
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How beautiful! The roses rambling up the wall and over the roof – what an inspiration! Nantucket is gorgeous and I look forward to seeing more.
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A beautiful place made all the more so with all those lovely roses – I don’t think we make enough of them here in the UK – you put us to shame.
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what great timing – as your Connecticut climbers wax and wan, you journey to Nantucket where the roses are PERFECTION! next year I’ll be riding shotgun – promise!
We want to see MORE MORE MORE, please!
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I’m relocating to the coast and have plans for a house covered in roses but I had not thought about the roof. Everything looks so beautiful. Thanks for sharing something so lovely.
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One of my most favorite vignettes is a climbing rose up a grey shingled New England house by the sea.
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I will be posting photos of just that – a trip in nantucket! Stay tuned!
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