for the love of roses and other gardeny goodness

The thaw we're having here is making me yearn for spring, even though I know that winter is far from over.




This week the David Austin catalog finally came in the mail.  Ah, pure bliss.  I love roses.  Flowers in general, really, but roses are special.  All those petals.  Those glorious fragrances.  I know most roses don't smell, but the good ones, do.  Every time I come across a flower, I must stick my nose in the petals, often to disappointment, but always with hope.




Matthias and I bought our house in 2004.  There was already some nice landscaping.  Rhododendrons, azaleas, hydrangeas, peonies, a huge lilac, a couple fairy roses, forsythia, some hostas and a row of lovely Japanese Kerria bushes (they have masses of small, yellow rose-like flowers).  Most of the backyard, though, was grass.  One of the reasons I wanted to move into a house was so that I could have a garden.  I'd been gardening in my apartment with every inch of window jammed with flowerpots and Matthias and I had also tried growing a plot in a community garden for a couple years, but having a house and yard was different.  Every year after we moved in we dug up more and more of the grass in order to plant more gardens.  This is when my rose obsession exploded.  I could always find room for one more rose plant.  I couldn't tell you how many are in the Cleveland garden right now, but the number's pretty high.
























People tend to think that roses are a lot of work, but really, I've found that they're not really much different than anything else you grow.  And the rewards... flowers, flowers, flowers!

Our yard has an interesting shape.  Out the back door we have a deck and the main bit of the yard is bordered by the house on one end and the garage on the other.  Our house is on a corner and our backyard is entirely fenced.  The fence on the road side is lined with privet hedge so it's fairly private.






















Behind the garage is a narrow strip of yard that leads to the back part of the backyard.  I imagine that back area as a secret garden.  It's surrounded by the garage and bushes and trees.  That's where we put our checkerboard patio and that's where we grow our vegetables.













The garden represents a lot of hard work and I don't even want to know how much money.  It's strange that it both is and isn't mine anymore.  I am going to miss those roses.














Comments

  1. Anne, the garden you created is gorgeous!!! It has all the things I love in it. Could you take some cuttings of the roses and grow them at the farm perhaps? I will be returning to this post for some gardening inspiration!!!

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  2. Your photos are breath-taking, beautiful!

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  3. What a beautiful space...but just think of how you can recreate it at the Farm...I am thinking about planting a garden, but it scares me a bit..will be back to see what you have in store for the new place.

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  4. In the post below I saw your adorable dog and Holden is an awesome name for a dog. Your flowers and pictures are beautiful and your garden is lovely! Your house is really cute too!

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  5. Thanks for visiting with such lovely comments. Your yard is an inspiration. We are lucky enough to live 30 mins from David Austin roses, and often go during June just to sniff at everything. It is the most gorgeous place.

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  6. Hi, I'm visiting you now from GYPO :) Your garden looks like heaven! I love David Austin roses. When I lived in CA I had a huge bush of Graham Thomas roses that hummingbirds nested in. Its really too dry in Boulder to grow DA roses ( although I have a few other modern rose bushes) but maybe I'll try again this summer to find a perfect pink one because I love their multi-petaled charms. Thanks for the memories :)

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  7. I LOOKED at this post the other day, was overwhelmed by the photos, and am back today to comment. Anne, you are one hard worker! The beautiful thing is that you have done all this gardening for your love of flowers. Such beautiful gardens - I'm so inspired! The photos give hope that warmer weather is coming and I just love the roses!! I'm sure you'll be bringing more beauty to your new home with new gardens. Thank you for sharing!

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  8. Thanks so much. In winter it's hard to remember just how wonderful the summer garden is. It's good to be able to look at photos and know that it will be summer again and there will be flowers again.

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  9. Beautiful garden & gorgeous roses. You obviously have a talent & passion for gardening so I'm sure you will work your magic at the farm too. And although it must be hard for you not to be there you know that the beauty remains; a reflection of your hard work and care.

    Kat :-)

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