Everything Will Soon Be Coming Up Roses

As I have said in earlier posts, we have tinkered with our Master Plan for the Way Back Garden...consolidating the Kitchen Garden to the First Quadrant (left of the main path, as you enter through the gate), and creating a Rose Garden to the right in the Second Quadrant.

Easier planned than done.  Have I mentioned that we have clay soil?  Rocky, clay soil.  Rock-hard, rocky clay soil.  Still, we can dream...

No, we can turn that dream into a reality!  And, we've come a long way toward that goal since I last posted.  We now have planted 28 David Austin so-called English (shrub) rose bushes and 6 hybrid teas in the space that once grew corn and purple-hull peas.  Plus, we have completed an 8x10 patio of 24" concrete pavers (yes, they weigh every last ounce as much as you might think they would...:) and a new birding area we are calling the Bluebird Bistro in honor of its proximity to the fence with two active bluebird houses.

It's been a busy week indeed!

First, here's the skinny on our new Rose Garden:

1.  We first decided on where the "hardscapes" would be.  We added cottage corner fences to outline the edges of the Rose Garden (see photo). We wanted a paver-patio, sized large enough to place our new teak glider and a couple of side tables on...with plenty of "floor" space for rugs for the dogs to enjoy.  We sited its location angled across the southeast corner of the garden (the main "boundary" path runs south to north, on the west side of the Rose Garden, with the other "boundary" path running east to west on the north side of the Rose Garden; there is a fence and fence-row marking the east boundary of the Rose Garden.)  We also wanted a birdbath and bird feeders, sited opposite the patio...across the winding path through the Rose Garden.  In addition to roses, I wanted to use perennials (in the ground) and annuals (in containers) for color and interest.

2.  We made our rose selections using several sources, including the David Austin catalog and website (http://www.davidaustinroses.com/american/advanced.asp.  We had read an excellent book on the subject, entitled 100 English Roses for the American Garden, by Clair G. Martin (the curator of roses at the prestigious Huntington Botanical Gardens)...and we were hooked!  We had never grown English roses before, but were encouraged after reading about the successful trials of several of the varieties.  We decided on:

Rose Garden taking shape

• Abraham Darby (pink) - 3
• Brother Cadfael (pink) - 3
• Gertrude Jekyll (pink) - 2
• Golden Celebrations (yellow) - 3
• Huntington Rose (pink) - 2
• Molineux (yellow) - 3
• Pat Austin (copper/apricot - 3
• William Shakespeare 2000 (red) - 6
• Winchester Cathedral (white) - 3
• Susan Williams-Ellis (white) - 6

3.  We also ordered three each of some "special" hybrid teas:  the All America Rose Selections winners from each of our birth years:  Sutter's Gold (for Mr. T), Chrysler Imperial (for me), and Friendship (for Missy M).  I located a reliable source for these in Roses Unlimited, which is "almost" local in Laurens, South Carolina. (Their website won't win any awards, but we have been quite pleased with the roses we have received so far.) We already had the AARS winner from the year of our wedding (America, a climbing rose) on a trellis, and a Chrysler Imperial in the back yard, but I was concerned about moving it.


4.  We placed our orders online and received our shipments without a hitch.  Although we have one more shipment from Roses Unlimited due to arrive in May, I have no doubt it will arrive without a problem.

5.  We planned where the roses would go in the garden....first on paper, then Mr. T transferred this to an Excel spreadsheet.  He then made markers for the roses, using metal coat hangers that he fashioned into stakes.  I snipped pictures of the roses from one of the two David Austin catalogs we had ordered and put them inside plastic sleeves (like you find at Office Depot).  He sealed up the sleeves with heavy packing tape so they would have some weather resistance.

You may wonder why we took this step...until you realize how easy it is to forget what color/height/growth pattern, etc. a Gertrude Jekyl rose has compared to a Winchester Cathedral.  We used these neat markers to go out into the freshly tilled and raked...but completely empty...Rose Garden and "place' the roses for effect.  Should we put the Pat Austin next to the Golden Celebration...or across the path?  Believe me, it's much easier to move a marker than it is to dig up a rose bush and replant it!

Bare root roses in the bath before going in the ground

6.  We followed the directions we gleaned from our research and from both rose growers.  As the David Austin roses were all bare-root, we soaked them in a large, galvanized tub for at least 6 hours prior to planting.  Mr. T used this time to get the holes ready in the spots we had previously identified as the permanent homes for the named roses.

7.  He dug the hole with the shovel, lifting out some of the heavy clay soil.  Then he used the Mantis tiller to turn that hole into a receptive location for tender roots.  He added about 1/2 bag of shredded, composted leaves we had collected last Fall and about 1/4 bag of an organic compost called Moo nure to each hole, tilling as he went.  I then added 1/2 cup bone meal and a scant 1/3 cup Epson salts (remember, it's not a salt at all; it's magnesium sulfate...and noted for helping build a strong stem structure in roses), and he gave it one more whirr.

8.  Once the holes were ready, we brought the bare root roses out of the tub, into the garden.  DO NOT ALLOW THE ROOTS TO GET DRY!  We build little mounds of amended soil in the middle of each hole to correspond to the root structure of each bush...making sure that we were NOT burying the graft.  We live in an area of hot, humid summers and usually mild winters, so we do not cover the graft with soil, as other parts of the country might need to. We covered the roots, made sure we tamped the soil down to eliminate air pockets, and then created "berms" or moats around each rose with more of the soil.  This will help in the watering process later on this summer.  We also added another layer of leaves as mulch as a "topping" to the moated areas.  Then, we watered well.

9.  We will make sure the new roses receive at least 1" of water every week, with more if this summer is particularly hot and dry (as last year was).  We will not fertilize until we see a good deal of new green growth or for another 4 weeks, until the roots begin to take hold. And we will follow all the good advice on pruning to help establish the "bushy" structure of shrub-type roses.

Whew! A lot of work...and we have high hopes for reaping great rewards.  We'll keep you posted.

In my next post, I'll update you on all the gardens in the Way Back, as April is an exciting time for the Kitchen Garden, the Orchard, the Berry Patch, and the Rose Garden!

Until then, happy hoeing!

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Third Time's the Charm

It's Year Four for the Way Back Garden...and Year Three for my Gardening with the Giants blog.  Just as the start of Spring brings hope to every gardener and opens the possibilities of the coming months, so too has this Spring brought hope and possibilities to me.

Reclaiming the Way Back
100 bags of mulch

Paths done!
Only 50 bags of mulch to go!!

I am happy to report that, after a sad and unproductive 2011, this year is looking fantastic!  The Way Back went neglected and unattended last year, while our energies and efforts were directed to helping Mom in the final steps of her journey (the details of which I posted on the family blog The Adsit Adventure). But, in the first quarter of the year, we are making great strides at reclaiming our quarter-acre of paradise.

So far in 2012, we have:

Mr. T fills the potato grow bags

1. Redesigned the Four Year Plan, designating the lower-left quadrant of the Way Back as the Kitchen Garden and the lower-right quadrant is now the Rose or Cutting Garden (we call it both...:).  The upper-left continues to be designated the Orchard and the upper-right continues to be the Berry Patch. (To recap, the Way Back is an almost-square quarter of an acre, fenced on all sides, nestled under the transmission lines of Duke Energy...the "Giants" of this blog's title.  The only trees are on the periphery, which means we have almost full sun in this area...great for veggies, fruit trees, berries, and roses.  We are making a silk purse out of a sow's ear, if ever...:)
2. Planted a row each of cabbage, broccoli, spinach, lettuces, carrots, and beets in the Kitchen Garden. Onion sets were interplanted with the cabbage and broccoli. All are doing well, with the exception of the carrots...which have been slow to break through the crusty clay soil...and I still have the cabbage and broccoli under row covers to protect them from pests.  Weeded the asparagus bed, which is in its second year and beginning to produce shoots. 
3. Planted 6 grow bags (purchased from Gardener's Supply; photo, above/right) of Yukon Gold potatoes (from seed potatoes, purchased at Tractor Supply) and one row of Russets (from potatoes sprouting in my kitchen, originally purchased at Harris Teeter grocery...:).
4. Used over 100 bags of mulch (see "before"  and "mid-task" photos, above) to re-mark the paths and the Rondel, which is what we call the center oval where the paths dissect.  Prior to putting down the mulch, Mr. T put a layer of old newspapers, covered with a layer of Preen black landscape fabric. Hopefully, this will block the grass and weeds that sprouted through the original mulch in the Rondel.
5. Ordered, received, and planted 11 new fruit trees from Stark Bro's Nursery in Louisiana, MO, in the previously-prepped holes in the Orchard. [Mr. T had triple-tilled the holes and added several bags of leaves as compost.] We now have planted 18 dwarf fruit trees (remember, we are limited by the easement agreement with Duke Energy to trees of 15 feet or under), including two cherry trees, three pear trees, two peach trees, ten apple trees, and one crabapple tree.  All are doing well, with the exception of one of the apple trees, which is one of the ones we purchased at Tractor Supply and planted last Spring.  I think it will need to be replaced this Fall.  Meanwhile, we plan a rest area in the Orchard, with a paver-patio and a covered swing (which we got on our last Tractor Supply run...:).
6. Ordered, received, and planted 12 new roses from David Austin Roses (3 William Shakespeare, 3 Golden Celebrations, 2 Huntington Rose, 2 Gertrude Jekyll, and 2 Susan Williams-Ellis)  in the newly-tilled and prepped Rose Garden quadrant.  Mr. T has also assembled and stained a new teak glider that will be placed on a stone-paver patio we will lay.  We will place a bird bath and a feeder across the path from this patio, so that the bluebirds will have their own Bistro near the two bluebird houses on the fence.
7. Tilled and retilled...and populated the new strawberry bed in the Berry Patch with runners from the "old" bed (that was tilled under to create the Rose Garden). We had so many runners that I have planted strawberries in every empty pot and hanging basket I could find.  All are doing well...and many are already flowering and fruiting. 
8. Fertilized all the blueberries (which are already flowering), the blackberries, and the grapes in the Berry Patch.  Also, fertilized the crepe myrtles and privet.
9. Seen our first snake of the season...and lived to tell the tale about it..:)
10. Ordered and installed 2 (of 5) cottage garden corner fences, to mark the corners of ...and the path between...the Rose Garden and the Kitchen Garden.
11. Pruned and started the feeding of all 18 rose bushes, in the back yard and in the Rondel.  Two didn't make it through the heat of last year's summer and the (mild) winter, so I replaced them in February.  All are looking good; most have buds already!
12. Started 4 kinds of tomatoes and fish pepper seeds in peat pellets/egg cartons.  They are now under the grow light on the screen porch (which is still plasticized).  The tomatoes are getting their first true leaves (the ones that arrive after the seed-leaves) and will be ready to move into larger accommodations (3" pots) this week.
13. Placed...and received (while I was composing this...:) our Lowe's order for the materials to construct two patios in the Way Back and one "pad" that will run from the driveway, under the double gates, and into the back yard.  More on this in a later post.

Whew!  I'm tired just recounting what we've already accomplished! Here are a couple of shots of some of the work:

Rondel and paths are mulched in the Way Back.
Row covers on the cabbage, broccoli, and lettuce (left)

Standing in the Rondel, looking toward the Berry Patch:
Blueberries in raised beds...blackberries behind them.
New Strawberry Bed on lower right.

We have an outstanding order with Roses Unlimited for 9 hybrid teas, and another order in with David Austin for 14 more English roses...all of which are scheduled to arrive over the next few weeks.  I got several perennials at Home Depot on Friday (when we took both cars to pick up 35 more bags of mulch to create mulch rings around the fruit trees...and to cover the path in the Rose Garden), and I will be adding those to the Rose Garden to give us some color while we are waiting on the English roses to grow.  I also picked up some herbs that I shall pot up in larger pots.  I am trying Boxwood Basil this year, with the plan to use it as a border between the Kitchen Garden and the center path.

Gus says...time for a break!

I have a long to-do list for the garden for this week, but I'll save it for the next post.  I don't know about you, but I need a break after all of that.

Lemonade, anyone?