I planted a passel of new roses again this winter, and this time they all went in along the lakeside. I watered them in, heaped piles of compost over them, and let them be. In April, I pulled away a bit of the compost from around the stems and that's all the care they've had. I'm overjoyed to report that is seems that they're all in bud....and they're some of the healthiest looking roses that we have right now.

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Isn't it wonderful when they survive the winter? (not that I had much of a winter to talk about)

Congratulations.

Thanks!!!

...And, yes!!

I'm so tickled.

Pix?

Okay. They're not blooming yet, but I'll get some pictures.

I have pictures!

I'll load them up after I see if I can find the turkeys...

Ha! Those wonderful birds were right where they should have been - debugging the veggie garden. They gave me a look like, we're stuck in here and we can't find our way out!
I know better, 'cause they didn't run straight to the water dispenser! They hadn't been in there all that long.

Here's those new roses.


These are the ones that have had all the care they're probably going to get for the year...

Our little cottage is across the lake, with the picture windows facing this way. The logs are along the mowed edge for mechanical protection.


They all look pretty much the same right now...



I left the tall grass to help in keeping the leaf mulch from being blown away.




Then we get to the ones growing amongst cattails...these haven't been *done*, yet.
The stretch along the lake here is the other new area.






Have to close with one in bloom...
...this one is along the driveway, in the *golden* area. Not a new one.

They look Great Congrats

Thank you.

Hopefully, they'll still look okay by the end of summer.

In this batch is -

Pink and White Grootendorst
Red Fountain
Diamant
Fruhlingsmorgen
Mount Blanc
Snow Dwarf
Adalaide Hoodless
Applejack
Cloud Nine
Elmshorn
Cicely Phippen Marks
Jim Bowie
Herbalist


I'm hoping that most of these choices can flourish in a half-wild setting. I really think it would be neat to see them blooming along the lake trail, year after year; all in a somewhat freestyle twined-together mass.

That last phrase pretty much describes how I grow roses...

Good luck; I like your plan!

Wow, that's a great looking park you have there. And the roses you've chosen seen well suited for just such a park setting. Can't wait to see them tall, intertwined, and covered in flowers.

Thanks!

I'm jumping up and down waiting to see them bloom, even when I'm standing still!!

(If that makes any sense at all... )

It does to me.

Tough as nails, but much prettier!

No water for two months, on the heels of a very dry spring ...


[Adelaide Hoodless]

First year plants, blooming along the path on the far side of the lake. Most are still blooming and all appear to be quite healthy. I'm not at all sure how they're doing it...do you suppose their roots went deep enough to reach moisture pulled from the lake? They're not at all close to the edge - perhaps 30' from it.

Where did you buy these amazing roses?
What kind of soil are they in? I'm very impressed, and wish I could do something like that.

Looks like you have created something that is not only beautiful, but sustainable.

That's one of my favorite words these days, Cindi...sustainable.

They're in moisture-retentive clay, possibly clay-silt. I watched trees and other plants grow like crazy in this area for 14 years - whatever started growing there grew well all by themselves. I finally thought, what the heck, might as well try it. I have the feeling that when they dug out the swimming hole, years and years ago, the removed mucky soil was probably dumped in this area.

I think the position of the *helper* plants is key as well; there are a few smallish trees to the south to cut the worst of the midday burn, and the tall grass along the path, and a wild mess of a mixed shrub grove to the west might aid in blocking some of the hot and drying winds.

I buy all of my winter plantings of roses from Hortico. I did try to research these first to see if they might be able to "go it alone".

Here's 'The Herbalist'; photo taken a little over a week ago. The bugs aren't even chewing on them. No signs of disease either...

Looks like a great success!