Very nice!

My fragrant roses are planted next to the house for winter survival. The design you posted allow maximum air exposure, and a nice run for the dog.

I love what you posted, Anne, that's a very smart planting design. My backyard garden is similar to that. The center garden is a no-water zone with landscape roses, trees lined my back yard to block out the neighbors.

Anne, I love that picture and am so glad I suggested the center bed as a solution to the "dog run" problem. I just love being a problem-solver. : ) But I love even more how you ran with the idea and the particular version that works for you.

Strawberry's version of it doesn't have the fence, but otherwise is most charming and hopefully will give you more ideas. Turns out there is a lot more variety in centered gardens than we might have thought. We are looking forward to seeing your new garden -- in all its stages of development.

Kate

Thanks, Seil!
Love your garden, too, Strawberry. I will need to include space within mine for my fountain - like your birdbath, it complements the plantings so well, doesn't it? And I DO have room up against the south wall of the house for tender roses! (I already had in mind a simple straight run of the same picket fence to protect those from trampling and chewing, too.)
Kate, if it had not been for you I never would have had the plan. A thousand thanks for helping me to think "inside the box" as it were.
I am just itching to get going. You can trust that I will definitely chronicle the project in photos. (In fact, I should run out and get a shot of the area under snow as it sits right now to begin the saga!) :-)
Anne

BTW, Strawberryhill: how big an area is that garden in your photo and how many roses do you estimate it holds?
Thanks,
Anne

I took a bunch of photos of the area of the yard where the new garden will go. If you click on the link below, you can see them all. This one shows the covered patio, the spruce tree slated for removal - and my two dogs, Forrest and Belle. I measured and the drip line area of the spruce is about 18 x 18 ft. I can't take the fenced garden any further to the right (east) because the septic tank is just to the right of the tree. I also can't go deeper into the yard (south) because the drainfield runs down the center of the yard also somewhere just beyond the drip line of the tree. (Really bad spot for a big tree!!) I can, however, take the fenced garden in a rectangle to the west across the back of the house, if I leave a path between the fenced garden and the fenced bed at the back of the house. I could go as far as an additional 30 ft., but probably not.

Here is a link that might be useful: Album of my new garden area

Hi Anne: The Spruce is 18' x 18'? Wow! I can see why my sister paid $10,000 to chop down the trees she planted 20+ years ago ... she wants more room for gardening

My neighbor paid $500 to chop down 2 poplar trees he planted 10 years ago ... they were only $7 each. Roses are cheaper than trees in that aspect.

My middle garden is 14 feet x 12 feet. I wish I had made it 18 feet x 14 feet, that would fit more roses in the front. The 2 large bushes at the corner are Burning Bush, they turn bright red in the fall, highly recommended. The centerpiece of the garden at the end used to be Rose of Sharon, but it died since my clay is too wet. So I put in Syrian lilac, and it likes it wet. Charles Jolly lilac didn't like my wet clay and died.

Since you have sandy soil, Burning Bush and Rose of Sharon would do well. I put professional lanscape black plastic edging sold at HomeDepot ... that stuff works best against grass. Then I put brown-paper bags, or newspaper down, and bricks on top. They are Holland bricks, 50 cents each. I made a shallow-swimming pool for my middle garden, heavy clay gets really wet, but your sandy soil would be great.

The white bird bath is plastic, sold for $7 at Menards. I got rid of my pottery ones ... they got broken. Menards have many pretty plastic birdbaths: Grey, and dark gold colored ones.

BTW, your dogs are so cute... esp. the white one.

Looks very pretty. And good for the pups, too. I would go rectangular because there always seems to another rose or perennial I want to add!

Anne

We got a bunch of used picket fencing from the neighbors and did something similar in the backyard. more long and narrow due to the space, but made raised beds with a walk down the center. I have roses in the corners but winter veggies in the runs of the beds. I like the way it came out and I could "hide" a hand rail in it for mom to use as she ages.

Anne, That's a great idea. It should be very nice.

Hi! I also had a problem with my bulldog in the garden. I thought maybe my pics could help as well! I decided to fence in my area as well and it turned out great. My bulldog loved tearing newly planted things to shreds , and even ate a bucket of roses I had started soaking the very same day they were delivered ! He is lucky he was so darn cute!

Here is the fence the day I started painting it ! It's kinda the only pic I have of the work in progress.

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Here is a rather busy but angle from the adorondack chairs. I do not miss the neighbors boat always being there! Lol

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Here's what the garden looked like from my swing. Mmmm I so wish o could sit there one more time! It was still being mulched and cleaned up . I never managed to take a good cleaned up picture so please disregard the mess!

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Here is one area I liked, I planted darlows enigma and lavender midland and just loved it!
The birdbath was from my brother so I just love it.

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Here is a redeeming picture that I feel makes my garden look like I may kinda know what. I'm doing! Lol

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And finally , the culprit. Guilty as can be .

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Hope to see what your garden looks like when you get started! :)

Strawberry, your garden certainly looked larger than those measurements. Wow. I would have guessed 20 x 20 or so. As AnneSFbay says, I better go with the larger rectangular. I have so much I need to pack into this area!
Kippy, what a great way to recycle - I'll have to keep my eye on local ads and Craig's List to see if I could score that way, but if not I will have to open up my wallet. And that's a great thought about the handrail. I could use the fence myself to help getting up from the ground with these worn out knees of mine. ;-)
Mendocino Rose, thank you so much for the encouragement. It will never be a Red Rose Ridge, but I hope it turns out to be a lovely little spot all the same.
Lilyfinch, thanks for sharing photos of your pretty gardens. If one can't have miles of hills as a backdrop then there is nothing like a white fence to set off flowers to their best advantage, IMO. Nice birdbath - what a good brother! :-) (And your bulldog is VERY cute and therefore completely forgivable, LOL.)

Annececilia, your white picket fence and interior raised beds are beautiful!!!
Lilyfinch, the birdbath picture is beautiful. And your dog, I just want to squeeze those adorable fat jowls and give him a hug, he is so adorable even if he is guilty!

Anne, I am so glad you have found answers to your problem of dogs and roses. It is always such a relief to be able to juggle all the things we treasure.

Lilyfinch, I love your pictures. It's so fun to see other's yards and how much we all value our flowers and animals. Gean