OwdPotter's new rose garden

Thanks @amancalledgeorge, @Sheal
Hard work indeed.
As the only access is via the one single gate between house and garage, it was all hand dug and carted by barrow onto front drive.
That was 5 years ago, and I feel like I have aged 10 since then. Don't think I could do it now

 

Oh well done for doing it yourself too. At least you get to enjoy the fruits of your labour now that is so much more usable.

 

As a complete rose novice (and only rudimentary gardening knowledge generally) the array of roses available, the different types, classifications and various characteristics, was overwhelming.
Much assistance, advice and suggestions from regular forum contributors helped to hone my preferences and develop a planting plan.

Between autumn 20 and spring 21, I salvaged plants from the existing rockery and relocated grasses from the temporary bed to a new island bed dug over the winter, and which also served to stockpile my recovered rocks.


The salvaged dias from the patio construction, was relocated to form a new sitting area in front of the pergola in the top garden.


The existing honeysuckle was subsequently severely cut back to base, and a new planting bed formed in front of pergola and planted up with Austin shrub rose, Falstaff & climber The Generous Gardener in Nov20.


March 2021. Temporary spoil heap bed and existing rockery demolished, and new rose bed built. Formed as a raised planter bed to create a good deep bed of fertile soil.


April 21. Into this bed were planted 3 David Austin bare root shrub roses, Roald Dahl, Lichfield Angel, Vanessa Bell plus rambler Ghislaine de Feligonde for the extended pergola.

 

What an amazing job! Thank you for taking us through all your hard work, I love ‘before and after’ garden photos.

 

Thank you @Golarne, for the kind compliment.
It's an interesting exercise, to review and attempt to summarise changes that have been made over the course of a few years. I tend to get so wrapped up in the 'as is state' and focus on stuff that I still want to do, that I lose sight of how the garden has developed.
It's nice (and very time consuming) to revisit and trawl through literally '000's of photo's to recapture the evolution.
It's also nice to know that it is of interest to others.
Many thanks to all.

 

During 2021 the roses established themselves well and produced a limited display of flowers.
Within the main rose bed, to complement my chosen colour scheme I wanted underplanting of silver foliage and added cerastium and Stachys. The cerastium rapidly made itself right at home (I was warned!) and is going to require a firm hand to contain.
I also added a couple small fescue grasses in bare spaces for colour and foliage contrast and tulip bulbs for some early spring colour.

Some photos of rose bed in 2021:

June. Planted as April bare roots, the roses were only budded up by end of June/ early July, about 1 month later than normal.
From L to R, these are Ghislaine de Feligonde, Roald Dahl, Lichfield Angel, Vanessa Bell


July.






Aug




Sept.


Strength of fragrance was a factor in my rose choices, but I found scents on all to be quite light.

 

Pergola bed 2021.
May. Falstaff (Rhs); Generous Gardener (pergola centre post), An own root cutting from existing pink shrub rose ID unknown)

June


Upon removal of the overgrown honeysuckle from the pergola in Autumn 2020, an existing climbing rose, previously completely obscured, was discovered.
I pruned back all top growth to the single main stem, which I then retrained horizontally, hoping to promote new regrowth lower down. This worked out well as can be seen on the rear of pergola on above photo.
It’s I.D is a mystery (possibly Paul’s crimson) and is referred to by me as Toyah.


July


Sept

 

Great minds think alike @OwdPotter, our back garden was much like yours before I got started! I can relate to all the hard work, the noise and the upheaval. Now terraced and stepped with four flower beds with 6 roses in them and lots more roses up the garden. Looking forward to more of your lovely pics and especially your roses.

 

Hard work and a lovely transformation OwdPotter. All the better as the plants mature.

 

Hello again @lizzie27, nice to see you here.
The good stuff is coming, promise.
It's taking a while to go through all my photo's and condense what was a 3 1/2 year thread into a concise and (mostly) chronological record of progress, and hopefully not bore my audience along the way

 

Thank you @Sheal,
It has.

 

Over the autumn/winter of 21/22 I added 2 more David Austin bare roots into the rose bed border, Desdemona & Lady Emma Hamilton, and this existing yellow floribunda rose (possibly Arthur Bell or Korresia), relocated from front garden.


Depiction of rose bed planting as of Jan 22.


At that, phase 1 was essentially done, and I could turn my attention to phase 2

 

Good morning @wiseowl,
many thanks for that.

 

April 22.
Good strong new growth on roses.
Pergola bed.
In it's first year GG produced one 3m long main cane already trained over pergola roof plus side shoots for beginnings of a framework.

Rose bed.