It's Spring! Despite the magical rebirth of nature, the arrival of spring loudly heralds the imminent approach of the dreaded summer heat. Time devoted to working in the backyard garden has to be optimized now before the sun becomes blistering to both plant and animal alike.
The Bradford Pear trees were in full bloom a few weeks ago. The blossoms were dainty, yet non-fragrant.
The sky was a glorious, crisp blue color.
The reason I've spent time in the backyard has to do with the renewal of an unused area. The heavy snows in February 2011, followed by the scorching summer drought, caused the demise of a large pine tree. I removed the dead limbs and left some of the trunk (for later use as a multi-level bird feeder). The area around the stump was heavily composted after any leafy vegetation was destroyed. Hardwood mulch was hauled in and spread atop the soil.
Why was I going through all this trouble?
Let me backup a bit. During my lunch hour I walk around the paths of the community greenbelt near my office. Late in the autumn there were some pink roses blooming whose fragrance was so strong they could literally be smelled for quite a distance before and after the bushes were approached. Seeing some of the parks department employees at work one day, I asked if they knew the name of the sweet roses. I was given the name of the Landscape Manager for the area and told she would know everything there was to know about the varieties.
I contacted the woman and she instantly replied with the name... Quietness. She told me the nursery the city used as a source for the roses and I jumped into rose gardening feet first after that. I immediately contacted the nursery and ordered a Quietness rose.
Having invested a good chunk of change into buying the rose and having it shipped to my house, I figured it would be to my advantage to learn all I could about growing roses in this area prior to the arrival of the shipment. As I googled for soil preparation, bed preparation, watering tips, and more, I came across the name of a woman I used to know from our PTA days. She is regarded as a rose expert in the area and I immediately contacted her too, mentioning how surprised I was to find her name so frequently mentioned on the North Texas rose gardening sites.
She invited me to see her roses in a few weeks when the first bloom would be happening and also told me of a rose-gardening class that was currently in session at the rec center of the community in which I work. The Landscaping Manager who told me about the Quietness rose was the coordinator of the classes! I was thrilled and immediately started going to the weekly classes.
The best part was the ability to purchase more roses from the same nursery I'd purchased the Quietness rose, but without the additional shipping charges. They would be delivered to the rec center and we only paid for the plants!
I ordered SEVEN (yes, 7) more roses to go with the one I'd received via UPS shipment and then began planning my rose garden.
This weekend was planting weekend. I've added perennials to the bed as well. The overall diameter of the circular bed is about 20 feet. The bushes are spaced about 4 feet apart. The colors of the roses vary from light salmon pink to vibrant pink and yellow. The perennials will all be white and purple. (I've always wanted a garden that had the look of an English garden... lots of walkways between various showcases of flowering plants.. and very little, if any, lawn grass).
Here is a picture of the small plants on the day they were planted (today). I also installed a do-it-yourself drip irrigation system for the plants. I hope to show a progression of photos as the plants take hold and begin to grow and then eventually bloom.
As part of my sprucing up the yard project, I've purchased the supplies to repair some of the fence, have some awning material to attach to the gazebo frame, constructed an arch for a couple climbing roses, and have plans to convert the frame of the old swingset into a raised garden.
The onions, peppers, tomatoes, cilantro, and basil are all planted in the veggie plot. I really should take a photo of that area as well. Photos document so clearly the overall health of the plants.
Here's to happy gardening!!
Until the next time...
