I Never Promised You a Rose Garden

This is my new project. I'm pretty excited about it. I have been planning to put a rose garden in my front yard ever since I bought my house. Two years later, I'm getting serious.

I have picked out about 40 different roses that I want. Somehow, I've got to narrow that down to 15 or so. I've mapped out my yard and calculated how much sun every part of it gets. My house faces south, so most of the front is good for roses.

I've got my layout. I know where I want to buy my roses. I know where to get good free compost, and I've got a watering plan. Now, all I need to do is dig! I'm planning to rent a roto-tiller so it won't be so back breaking. I won't plant the whole bed this year. I think I'm going to spread mulch over the empty parts and put in a few colorful annuals. Then in the fall -- I'll put in bulbs! I've also got space for a smaller bed of peonies. I really can't wait until my yard is blooming. My house is cute, but looks really naked from the street. Scraggily grass and that's it. So - roses to the rescue. My hope is that this will end up looking a little like an English cottage garden.

There is just something about flowers that makes me happy. I love to look at them and think about how they work. They are pretty amazing. God didn't have to make them so beautiful, you know. He just did.

FYI - The top picture is "Heritage," a rose cultivated by David Austin, a British rose expert. The bottom picture is "Summer Fashion" (also called "Arc de Triomphe.") For some reason, this rose is unavailable. I have looked all over the internet for a nursery that sells it and I can't find one. It's driving me a little crazy. From my research, I've learned that this is a normal response. Rose people seem to be a little nuts. I'm okay with that. :-) :-) :-)