rose garden update~

we all know april 15th is not a pleasant day, money magically disappears, but to offset the financial blues our irrigation district opens the floodgates and water begins to flow freely for the next 6 months. surprisingly enough, we are STILL raining today!

 

the rose garden started with its first rose planted on Christmas eve, I have since added several hundred more, but I get stymied, waiting for mulch as I back my way out of the garden. last week it was finally dry enough to rent a dumping trailer and haul home mulch from a generous neighbor down the road, we started bright and early hauling our tractor and trailer to spend the day ferrying home garden gold...

 

 

some girls swoon over diamonds and jewels, I melt over mulch!

 

 

I was the gate keeper, making sure her three horses and goat didn't escape as my husband traveled back and forth with my treasure.

 

 

home at last, I am almost positive I will have enough to button up the last of rose garden!

 

 

Katie adores mulch, stick is her favorite treat, she has been yanking them out and snacking around the property with the greatest of glee.

 

 

 I have 5 rings of roses, climbers over the center arches, 2 rings of florabundas, a ring of hybrid teas and 2 and half rings plus of david austins English roses. with over 10,000 square feet in this rose garden, you can be assured it is jam packed with color to come!

 

 

we weren't fast enough with the deer fencing, after a few nightly raids we got busy slapping up netting as the concrete posts settled in for wire fencing. since the garden is still being planted we still need tractor access, we have to leave large areas unfenced for future endeavors, the deer are eager to take advantage of our weaknesses... I will say deer netting is our nemesis, snagging on everything in sight, but so far we have kept them at bay, I dread every morning when I walk out to see if I was hit...

 

we have different types of deer fencing, depending on each planting. on two sides I loaded the fence with banksaie, one side white, the other yellow, we used 5' wire mesh and then threaded heavy rebar above so I could weave the banksaie into tall arching positions. in the years to come I will have a very tall, dramatically beautiful blooming, deer proof fence! copper caps to come on the 4x4s.

 

 

I am standing were a 30' long arbor will be one day looking out at the garden.

 

 

the garden will be sprinkled with clematis, this one will cover the swing in the right hand corner

 

 

the pedestal was put in place, waiting for our dancing girl statue to come one day

 

 

the view from the conservatory corner to come one day...

 

 

close up view of the rose garland on the base

 

 

Katie always has stick in hand...

 

 

from the south gate looking across the circle

 

 

looking towards the swing corner.

 

 

the southern fence is going to be long rose tunnels, my husband started welding together the arches for me.

 

 

this left side is where the tunnel will run, smothered in climbing roses and jasmine

 

 

 we needed strength with heavy galvanized metal, I will paint it a dark shade to blend in with all my rusty metals I adore.

 

 

this fence is planted with green giants for a solid evergreen fence, I will keep it trimmed to 8' to keep the deer out. this long boxwood border is filled with climbing roses that still need their pillars to support them, with bright red and pink ground cover roses beneath them.

 

 

 

thought these would make interesting gate toppers for a large wooden gate to come

 

 

the view from the swing looking towards the conservatory to be...

 

 

there are four large beds of david austins just outside the large rings.

 

 

the conservatory will be in the left hand top corner.

 

 

and Katie is always by my side!

 

 

this whole right side is where the rose tunnel will be, enclosing the rose garden. straight ahead will be the large wooden gate with the clay toppers on the posts.

 

 

I know its nothing to note, but we are extremely happy with its progress so far and I will enjoy looking back on these photos as the garden fills in over the years to come.