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Any suggestions for making rose gardens?
I am new to rose gardening. Well, to gardening in general! We are
beginning our second summer in our new house. My gardens are all around the outside of our backyard, with varying amounts of sun and shade due to trees in other yards around us. We're in Ontario, zone 5. Right now my flower beds are a mixture of perennials, annuals that re-seeded themselves from last year, and some roses. I have bleeding- heart, pink phlox, daisies, lavatera, hollyhocks, pansies, various herbs, lots of mint, elderberry... it's a real mixture. What I *want* over time is to have lots of greenery as a backdrop, and roses as the main source of colour, with some perennials... as you can see, I am unsure and unfocused right now! I should add that on two sides of the yard, the back fence and one side, there is ugly chain-link fence. On the other side is a nice wooden fence courtesy of my neighbour. So some taller plants would be nice for privacy to cover the chain-link. I'm thinking, bigger, green plants or small trees in the back of the beds, then room for the roses, then perhaps something smaller like dusty miller or alyssium scattered in the fronts of the beds, and that's it. So, any suggestions for greenery/trees/shrubs? Hedge plants? Is this a bad idea in general? Please help! Thanks. Elizabeth |
#2
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Any suggestions for making rose gardens?
Elizabeth asked:
I am new to rose gardening. ... varying amounts of sun and shade due to trees in other yards around us. We're in Ontario, zone 5. Well, a couple of suggestions right off the bat. Roses need 5 to 6 hours of direct sunlight per day in order to do well, so don't do anything (like planting trees that will interfere with your precious sunlight). Next, pay very close attention to whether the variety of rose you are considering is winter hardy. The Canadian government sponsored a rose hybridizing program that produced roses that are winter hardy to Zone 3 and 4. These are the series of roses called the Canadian Exlorer roses and the Parkland roses. In zone 5 you have a lot more varieites to work with besided these of course. ... What I *want* over time is to have lots of greenery as a backdrop, and roses as the main source of colour, with some perennials... You can have climbing roses as a backdrop, if you have enough sunlight. If you want roses as a main source of color, make sure you get varieites that rebloom regularly and in quantity. Floribundas and modern Shrub roses fit this bill. Clematis, Delphinium and Salvia make good rose companions. I should add that on two sides of the yard, the back fence and one side, there is ugly chain-link fence. .. So some taller plants would be nice for privacy to cover the chain-link. There are rose varieties that will grow tall and close for good cover, but may I suggest that you install your own board fence on your side of the chain link, or suggest to the neighbor that you would like permission to remove the chain link fence in order to install a more good looking fence. (A more expensive, but I think better option). I'm thinking, bigger, green plants or small trees in the back of the beds, then room for the roses, then perhaps something smaller ... Climbing roses for the back shorter roses for the front. Low perennials in front of that is my recommendation. I would avoid planting any new trees unless you have a huge yard. Light. You need light. Light is the key to great gardens. Another suggestion, is to not just use flowers as borders. Putting a raised flower or rose bed in the middle of a lawn is a great solution. Have a good one, Bob Bauer http://www.rose-roses.com/ |
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