When Ashley Truong and her family first moved into their home on Carnegie Drive in 2022, the yard was completely empty. The side of the house was missing an entire fence. Both the front and back yards were full of the heavy clay soil that is prevalent in Milpitas and throughout the South Bay.
“But we saw the potential,” said Truong.
When Truong was younger, she used to watch movies that took place in England during the 1800s, in the Victorian era. In those films, houses were often surrounded by countless beautiful roses, evoking feelings of romance and joy.
“So when I looked at the empty lot, I knew that what I had seen in those movies and what I imagined in my mind would come true,” said Truong.
Although she had no experience with gardening of any kind, she had a vision.
In 2023, she officially started planting. Truong built her garden out across three phases. For the first phase, she began with the front yard, planting roses that she ordered from David Austin in the U.K. For the second and third phases, she added roses to the side yard and went on to complete the rest of the backyard.
And now, three years later, the garden is overflowing with lushness, beauty, and abundance, boasting thousands of roses and over 200 species. When one steps into the garden, there’s a distinct feeling of being transported to another time and place.
“This garden is a lot of work, but it’s worth it,” said Truong. “A garden brings such a sense of calm and balancing.”
Every corner, every section of the garden was nurtured into existence by deep planning and strong attention to detail.
Truong was very intentional about the layout and all the colors, working to design every area of the garden so that it has a focal point.
“Without a focal point, it doesn’t give you anything to remember,” Truong explained.
She also made sure to plant in such a way that from every window of the house, one would be able to see flowers.
Her advice to others who might be hoping to start their own rose gardens is to research and do a lot of homework…
“Figure out what the soil is in the yard, and what the light condition is,” said Troung. “Know your plant zone, too.”
Roses do, however, come with a distinct set of challenges.
“Roses can get black spots, powdery mildew, and rust,” said Truong. “So I work weekly to prevent problems before they happen.”
The clay soil was another challenge that had to be figured out over time.
“The first year, there were a lot of struggles,” said Truong’s husband, Thanh Nguyen, who has helped to put turf, pavement, and an arbor in the yard.
When asked what her favorite rose is, Truong said, without hesitation, “I love climbing roses. I love them because you can train them over the wall. You get abundant roses. Especially when you see climbing roses surrounding an area, you get the feeling that it’s very romantic and very beautiful.”
When Truong is out working on the garden in the front yard, neighbors and strangers will often walk by with words of gratitude for her having brought such beauty to the neighborhood. She has even had people knock on the door to express their awe and wonder.
“That makes me happy, that other people enjoy the garden too,” said Truong.
Although Truong has a fulltime job, any chance she gets, she works in her garden. On average, she puts 40 hours per week into maintaining it.
“People say they don’t have time to do something like this. I don’t have time either! If you really want to do something, you will find the time to do it,” said Truong. “Rather than spending time on your phone or social media or watching television, you can spend time in your garden. If you’re passionate, you can make the time to do something.”
All photos courtesy of Ashley Truong and Thanh Nguyen.
