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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