Luck of the draw then, @edhelka, we all get a weak/dud one occasionally. My Alexander is a tiny, weak runty thing, too small to go in the ground so potted just now. I will order another (from TCL this time) in Autumn if it hasn’t picked up by then.
@Mr. Vine Eye LoS is going to really pop against your lovely blue-grey bench.
We were due rain yesterday but got three drops, not enough to fill a thimble never mind a water butt. Time for a group rain dance methinks.
I’m not a fan of island rose beds, to me they can look rather municipal. I think that’s a horror of park beds with a bunch of bare, stick-like HTs and hideous roundabout rose schemes. However, I am putting the finishing touches to a large looping island bed as we speak! I’m having to work around an existing olive tree and maintain an access path.
I wish I could get rid of the olive, everyone says oh what a lovely tree but I hate it. It’s been so severely pollarded it’s all vertical water shoots and looks like it’s had a permanent electric shock. It frustrates me that the garden design is governed by things I didn’t plant.
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
I feel the pain of sloping lawns - Mine slopes in two directions! Down to the back of the garden and from one side to the other. It's also completely uneven and lumpy bumpy.
It's one of those things that would be too major a job to sort, and I'm hoping to be rid of it completely one day!
@edhelka .. pretty garden... in the first picture the shape is rather cute but a bit too fussy for me.. what you've done is more informal.. ..yes I think I was intimidated somewhat, but I ended up agreeing with them, as I started to feel a bit claustrophobic with the arrangement.. my lawn area simply wasn't large enough to accommodate an island bed.. I do think they suit larger gardens.. however, these days I wouldn't be so meek about it, and would be more confident about what I was doing.. ..it is said that if we worry about what neighbours or others think of our gardens, then we end up gardening for them, and not for ourselves.. and that just isn't right..
..they wouldn't like it if we entered their homes and criticised their internal arrangements.. so these days I would take exception to anyone, especially a non-gardener offering their advice on how I should garden.. as long as you're happy with it, that's what matters..
It's an interesting idea - what our gardens would look like if we ignored our neighbours and laws completely. I would have more trees and much higher fences.
I would hope that some social pressure comes to bear, such that neighbours feel they can not rip everything up and concrete their whole garden over with impunity.
Hi everyone! I’m new to growing roses, but I inherited
several with my new garden, so I’ve grown obsessed with this thread! Last
year my roses were a little neglected in Spring as I spent the first lockdown
away from home. This year, I’m determined to treat them better
These are some of mine:
Golden Showers, which seems to have escaped any frost damage
and is the first one to show buds.
Unknown creamy white climber.
Rosa Compassion, which I thought was supposed to be a
climber, but it’s been trained into a strange wineglass shape. I need to plant
something in front to hide the bare 'leg'. It's my favourite, the scent is
absolutely heavenly.
Unknown, coral red hybrid tea, with an unknown yellow hybrid
tea in the background.
One of several pale pink species roses with incredibly vicious thorns!
As well as all of the above, I‘m looking for a couple of
large-growing pink shrub roses to fill a large, very bare patch in my front
garden. Does anyone have any suggestions for me please?
..just to say, I wasn't advocating ignoring laws.. I have to comply with some here, like I'm not allowed to plant trees for instance... it's more to do with what the neighbours think and how their opinions, which some like to be quite free with, can affect how we garden.. I wouldn't like to live next door to a tip.. I would hope a neighbour wouldn't plant bamboo on the boundary, or other invasives.. I wouldn't plant Charles de Mills on a boundary fence either... but to tell someone they've overplanted and looks ridiculous, is out of order.. they need to mind their own on that one..
@SeahorseFriend ..you have some lovely large roses, well established.. we look forward to seeing those in bloom... difficult to recommend roses as it's a personal thing, and there are just so many large pink shrub roses.. but 'Bonica' is one of the best in the world for the purpose... and I guarantee you wouldn't need to spray it for anything... not even aphids, and it gets covered in them from top to toe... but like all great roses.. it takes no notice of them, whatsoever... and shrugs the whole lot off..
Agree, as long as you’re not creating problems for neighbours, do what makes you happy. Life’s too short to be worrying about other peoples’ opinions, especially when it comes to our garden sanctuaries. Some people are just plain annoying...can’t imagine bad mouthing someone’s garden to their face like that, makes the red mist descend just thinking about it 😤
Posts
@Mr. Vine Eye LoS is going to really pop against your lovely blue-grey bench.
We were due rain yesterday but got three drops, not enough to fill a thimble never mind a water butt. Time for a group rain dance methinks.
I’m not a fan of island rose beds, to me they can look rather municipal. I think that’s a horror of park beds with a bunch of bare, stick-like HTs and hideous roundabout rose schemes. However, I am putting the finishing touches to a large looping island bed as we speak! I’m having to work around an existing olive tree and maintain an access path.
I wish I could get rid of the olive, everyone says oh what a lovely tree but I hate it. It’s been so severely pollarded it’s all vertical water shoots and looks like it’s had a permanent electric shock. It frustrates me that the garden design is governed by things I didn’t plant.
It's one of those things that would be too major a job to sort, and I'm hoping to be rid of it completely one day!
.. pretty garden... in the first picture the shape is rather cute but a bit too fussy for me.. what you've done is more informal..
..yes I think I was intimidated somewhat, but I ended up agreeing with them, as I started to feel a bit claustrophobic with the arrangement.. my lawn area simply wasn't large enough to accommodate an island bed.. I do think they suit larger gardens.. however, these days I wouldn't be so meek about it, and would be more confident about what I was doing..
..it is said that if we worry about what neighbours or others think of our gardens, then we end up gardening for them, and not for ourselves.. and that just isn't right..
..they wouldn't like it if we entered their homes and criticised their internal arrangements.. so these days I would take exception to anyone, especially a non-gardener offering their advice on how I should garden.. as long as you're happy with it, that's what matters..
Hi everyone! I’m new to growing roses, but I inherited several with my new garden, so I’ve grown obsessed with this thread! Last year my roses were a little neglected in Spring as I spent the first lockdown away from home. This year, I’m determined to treat them better
These are some of mine:
Golden Showers, which seems to have escaped any frost damage and is the first one to show buds.
Unknown creamy white climber.
Rosa Compassion, which I thought was supposed to be a climber, but it’s been trained into a strange wineglass shape. I need to plant something in front to hide the bare 'leg'. It's my favourite, the scent is absolutely heavenly.
Unknown, coral red hybrid tea, with an unknown yellow hybrid tea in the background.
One of several pale pink species roses with incredibly vicious thorns!
As well as all of the above, I‘m looking for a couple of large-growing pink shrub roses to fill a large, very bare patch in my front garden. Does anyone have any suggestions for me please?
https://www.trevorwhiteroses.co.uk/shop/?swoof=1&pa_colour=pale-pink-deep-pink-roses&pa_size=tall-over-150cm,medium-90-150cm
You could narrow it down further by whether you want repeat blooming, fragrance, etc.
@SeahorseFriend
..you have some lovely large roses, well established.. we look forward to seeing those in bloom... difficult to recommend roses as it's a personal thing, and there are just so many large pink shrub roses.. but 'Bonica' is one of the best in the world for the purpose... and I guarantee you wouldn't need to spray it for anything... not even aphids, and it gets covered in them from top to toe... but like all great roses.. it takes no notice of them, whatsoever... and shrugs the whole lot off..