If you haven't followed this blog, I have been working on this rose garden since Dec 26 which was more involved than I thought I had completely lost my mind. In any event, I previously had August 1 as the deadline but I since removed that. The pressure made me hesitate working on it. Anyway, I may finish it by August but if I don't, I don't.
Last few days, I have been extremely lazy. In my defense, the last four days have been severe rain. There has been over 7 inches of rain in the last four days. When the house is clean and it's raining outside, what else there to do. I did actually read some gardening books.
What I have left for the project, is finishing screening that last sections, mulch the area, and place the irrigation tubes. Given that it is close to 3000 sq feet...it's a lot of area.
Sorry for the haze. When I bring out the camera, it fogs. Cody came by an we finished screening one leg of the L shaped garden. When you hire help, it motivates you to work. Today I worked hours so I did catch up. A truckload of mulch is going to be delivered this week. Isabella (the rose I have grown from seed) is a fast grower. You can't see it but she is in a tomato cage. We couldn't figure out what way was up.
This path is obviously not straight. We, initially, ran out of screen but when I straightened up the greenhouse I found a whole roll. I will need to definitely straighten it. I was going to leave it and do it another time..but I have learned, I will not get back to it. I could do a whole blog on how lazy I can be sometimes. I was going to fix it today but the rain stopped me.
This section I have no idea what I am going to do with it. We lined up bricks but the back section is bigger. Pipe is being run here so I don't want to cover it. Maybe a table or bench...will think about it. Cody he has heard that some construction sites will throw away whole pallets of bricks...Noted... anyway, I need to figure out what to do here....
This section is still unscreened. Probably about 400 sq ft. Will try to finish it this week. Unlike the rose bed, this is heavily spaced. It has some hydrangeas, camellias, cassia, crepe myrtles, azaleas....things like that.
I was going to line this up but I will cover up the pipe...what to do what to do. I could close up the back part of the rose garden. The bottom of the slope doesn't have good drainage...but I say that loosely. It did rain 7 inches over a few days.
The six zone manifold here is underwater.
I need to put bricks at the bottom of the slope. See how the mulch has moved on a flat area.
This area I may completely screen it but I wanted to leave a path...albeit...unofficial...
Here is how little I know about plants. The mum are trying to bloom again. They are overrun with weeds. I took hedge clippers to deadhead them...
We straightened up the greenhouse more...it was a huge mess...still not in good order but it doesn't look like a dump site.
We mowed around the freshly planted ornamentals. Mostly camellias an azaleas. We mulched them. Nell should be pleased that when I planted them...it rained heavily a week later. I did water before that. We mulched them..or at least the ones that were not. This is going to be screened but spaced enough to mow. These winter ornamentals are behind the rose garden for winter color....A ton of them. Probably 30 or 40 of them...
Other things that were planted were sago palms and junipers
Back path behind pool looking northwest.
This section is over run with weeds and the last section that will be screened.
I have four large crepe myrtles in the back garden. They are starting to bloom.
Mom said this is Althea. Cody has mistaken it for a weed several times but thankfully he didn't pull it. I don't really know what an althea is but I think its a Rose of Sharon. I have no familiarity with it. I found THIS on the web.
My pumpkin patch I think will need to start over. I have read that pumpkin should be planted near low water tables (check) but I think the seeds washed away. I'll redo it next week when it dries up.
Facing south of rose garden
Even though the roses are "sticky" The color sometimes can be a bit overwhelming when I step up on the front porch.
I think my red hibiscus died, but the peach ones are doing well. The planter that the red hibiscus was in did not have enough drainage, and I think it got water logged.
I have container plants on "blank" parts of the rose garden. Next year, I am considering companion plants to the roses, but this year I want them to get established..but right now it looks sparse.
The mulch erodes down the slope. I am going to put bricks on the back of this to keep the mulch from washing away.
Amazingly these are only four zinnia plants.
This week, I did repot a lot of plants. I moved the begonias out of the covered screened porch and this is a poinsettia.
Repotted Jude plant.
The garden does look a whole lot better when the grass is green.
I will delay feeding the roses until August. I am considering using weed killer around the brick edges because the weeds are aggressive.
The pool is still dirty. Note ...do not power wash were the dirt goes into the pool... Good thing is that so do Japanese beetles. Considering get grub killer.
Screened spots around
The screen is not so dark that weeds aren't growing under it. It's causing bubbles. I put sod staples on the "bubbles" so I can smooth it out for mulch. Put more bricks down to keep it from washing away.
The irrigation pipe I need to put the dirt back. Not sure what to do with this section. Perhaps screen and gravel?
This path is now multi colored and not fluid. Will need to fix it somehow.
This area is very grassy. Considering using spectracide weed killer outside of the bed.
Side roses need to be irrigated...it currently has a daily sprinkler on it. The plants do like the water.
Joseph's coat.
This theoretically is Joseph's coat too but it looks like paradise or blue girl.
Don Juan on the side bed. These were the distressed bare roots that I bought Dollar General.
Pinata rose. At some point I will need to have it climb up the wall.
Bottlebrush, azaleas, camellia, and japanese yew.
The weeds are getting high on the left side of this bed.
A vine is starting to grow over the sundial. It's the vine that looks like morning glory. I won't let it grow over the sundial but considering but it around the plinth.
Mulch is eroding down the slope.
I thought I had 4 small mexican heathers here but I only see three. I am sure the fourth will pop up.
There is no limit to my laziness. I should have killed the grass under the screen. Now it's bubbling the mulch. Stapled the bubbles and put more mulch down.
Only one of the Dahlias behind this fence are blooming. The morning glory is slowly growing up the fence but you can't see it.
The magnolias has been blooming for months. Bloom day should be very colorful.
The endless summer hydrangeas have black spot...I need to do something about it.
The Encore Azaleas are starting to bloom again.
Trimmed the popcorn trees behind the pool with the hedge clipper. Those things grow fast.
It started to rain about 2pm. June and July are very wet months historically.
3 comments:
You have to leave space, else things grow too close together in too short a time. That's usually the biggest mistake beginners make. I still make it.
Cassias: are yours growing like crazy? Mine have tripled in size since the rain started. I know they have to hurry and get tall before fall but they are really something. They're going to outgrow Pride of Barbados in no time and P of B is also a legume.
Your zinnias are fantastic.
I have an unfair advantage on the cassia...they were in the greenhouse during the winter...they don't like all the water to be honest but it's taller than me now....so about a foot in the last few weeks..easily...I can't get over it's only four zinnia.
My roses are pretty spaced out...I'm not gonna do companions this year..next year, I was considering annuals like these huge zinnias....I am not familiar about P of B...will look it up.
Pride of Barbados is a shrub in warmer climates than mine. They die back to roots here in the winter but come back the following spring. Gaudy, they need bright colored companions. In theory, cassias come back from roots. That was not my experience with the Candlestick Cassias, but they make many, many seeds.
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