Cindi ....

Do you want me to post those photos to the May thread so people know what we are talking about ?

Sure!
One thing I do know about cedars is they are so thirsty, they can totally dry up a river. Cedars in Kansas are a noxious weed. If we don't burn, then cedars will overtake a field and nothing else will grow there. They can out-compete willows on a riverbank, and eventually dry it out so much the wildlife disappears. People still plant them for windbreaks, but the state is trying to get the word out that all the burning is a good thing, that the trees need to go if we want water in the future.
I think I am going to plant the willows on the bank and put the roses in an area where I have nothing else, give them a fighting chance.
Hopefully I'll get some good rose pictures today. It's overcast so the colors should be true. Maybe I'll go to McDonalds, buy a coffee, and use their wifi to upload them!!

May is detour month in my garden. I get a lot of walking done in May because the roses get so tall that they flop over and obscure my pathways. I often have to take the long way around to get from Point A to Point B. Here are a couple of former pathways.



This pathway's still visible, but only because most of the roses aren't in full bloom yet.



And here's a frog for Porkpal.

Glorious, zuzu Perhaps you need to grow wings to get around?

Zuzu, those photos made me so happy! I love seeing roses casually meandering like wildflowers- gorgeous!

gemini_sage said: roses casually meandering like wildflowers- gorgeous!

That's it exactly!!! Zuzu's roses look like they belong there, so natural, so relaxed. I love it!

I love the frog! And those are much prettier than average detours. I find the look of the rather unruly rose thicket most appealing.

RoseBlush1 said:I finally dug out the rose that failed to leaf out along with all of the rest of my roses yesterday, 'Sweet Afton'.

I hate to say that it was just one variable that caused the problem because there were several that probably caused the rose to fail, but I think the primary problem was root competition from the junipers on the slope above the rose. I think I failed to understand how that dynamic would play out during drought conditions ... or maybe even in regular conditions.

The rose had a root mass three times as large as the top growth and it still failed. There was no way it could compete with the juniper roots for both moisture and nutrients. The junipers won hands down. I won't be planting roses in that spot. My plan is to plant things that I don't care if they live or die in that spot. Superstition says, they will live if I don't care one way or the other ...

This is a photo of part of the root mass of 'Sweet Afton'



The slope above where 'Sweet Afton' was planted:



To end on a positive note ... those junipers are doing an excellent job of erosion control ..

Cindi ...

The photos are here .... duh ... I thought I put them on the April thread. That's what I get for posting when I am tired.

There are different kinds of cedar trees. Not all of them are weed trees. Believe it or not, I have a bird drop species rose growing up on the slope in those junipers. So, as usual, it depends on the rose.

I'll try and get photos tomorrow of the area under the cedar tree.

It's all casual and unruly here. I never have wanted a formal garden, and even if I had, the gophers would have quickly ruined any planned design.

Zuzu ... Your garden is lovely....

So much color Zuzu!!

Graham Thomas

Anticipation .......... it's getting ready to pop !

Those evergreens make a wonderful backdrop to all the roses! So many cool textures in there, and then the solid frame of the wall, really features the roses in bloom. I think your yard would be an excellent place to meditate, Lyn.
I can't quite get that right in my yard, and it ends up looking a bit chaotic. The eye needs a place to rest, or a border, or a focal point, structure or sculpture. Every year I plant more evergreens, but the ornamentals grow faster, so I still don't have that solid outline I want. There's no one center to the garden, and I need that, but I can't figure out what, where or how.

Cindi ....

I don't have it yet, either. I, too, am working on it.

The reason everything looks so invitingly green is that this year we finally got RAIN ... In the last five years we have gone from extremely dry for three years to dry for one year and now wet for one year. This last year was the wet year.

You can really see the difference in all of the plants in the garden and in the forests.

However, that may explain what's going on with the slope, but there are other variables impacting the roses. I don't know, really don't know, which one or combination of variables is creating the vigorous growth I am seeing in the roses, but I love it. That fence is four feet. Can you imagine how small a six foot rose would appear against that slope ? Oh, I do wish I had better soil. At least what I do have drains well. I should be grateful for my blessings.

In all of my other photos, you see tools, hoses, weeds, holes half dug, etc. In other words, something of a mess instead of a garden photo ...

Even when I look at those photos, I always remember what it looked like when I started and am so grateful I didn't just give up.

So, Cindi, with your love of plants, I know you won't give up either.

Lyn, your backdrop of conifers is such a pretty tapestry of varying green shades and textures- makes roses look even prettier against them! There's always tools and hoses or piles of debris awaiting disposal around here that interfere with getting perfect shots.

Neal,

I have Mrs. J to thank for planting that slope. Bless her. She was wise enough to plant four different kinds of junipers across that wide space with different growth habits for erosion control. Along with the white fir, she planted a couple of liquid amber trees, two types of forsythia shrubs, a cotoneaster, irises and the vinca. There are volunteer oaks and a species roses, too. Oh, and some digger pines that I'll have to remove.

Below the slope there was nothing but decorative rock between the fence and the house.

She did plant a 'Tropicana' in the side yard and a spieria near the woodshed and a beautiful dogwood.

Even the side yard was mostly decorative rock.

Getting that slope planted must have been a huge project .... even if she did have help back in the day.

She imported soil for a small lawn in front of the house and that is where her primary gardening efforts were.

I don't mean to hijack this thread in any way, (but pardon me if I do...) but here's a link to a video of one of the gardens from our garden tour this past weekend.
This guy has whimsy and garden art in abundance !!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

Wow, looks like a Disneyland theme display! Lots of imagination and hard work!
I didn't understand the stock photos toward the end.

I didn't get the stock photo's either...
but regardless, I think it's cool and fun !

Interesting Mike - not quite my scene but you have to admire the effort. Like Sue said - a lot of hard work!