What a difference!! Beautiful job, all of it. You're an inspiration!

Maybee, I really enjoy seeing transformations. You and your husband have put in a great deal of work and it is really beginning to show.

A few years ago, I did some biking in France and really enjoyed looking into peoples gardens. Now, I can look into your garden and see it transform.

Carol

Beautiful work! I love the B & A photos!

Cheers,
Michelle

That is remarkable. Good job. So much better now.

Barbara

That is an amazing transformation! Thanks for the photos...Your roses are beautiful!!

Michelle

How beautiful, Maybee.....I miss France and your roses only reminded me of how much........

Yep, pretty much what I think of when I envision "French country house"....sigh :) I love the stone of your house, the stone walls, and the tile roofs. It provides a elegant, yet casual backdrop to your roses.

Eric

Thank you all for your encouraging words! For us, the roses are really the backbone and the whole reason for the garden but we put an awful lot of time and planning into the companions and other stuff. Two years ago the area above the tank produced a bumper crop of tomatoes and zucchini; this year it's roses and strawberries. We are constantly moving things, adding, replacing and dealing with mistakes! But what surprises me most is that the problems always involve plants other than roses, and yet people are convinced that roses are "fussy". Just now I'm waiting for 6 different perennials and 4 annuals to "do something" while we have 6-inch-high rose cuttings producing full-size blooms ... go figure!

MayBee

Wow, what an amazing difference you have made, maybee. Three years IS a long time, but your roses are beautiful and maturing nicely. Sometimes it's hard to be satisfied and patient with just the things that we CAN do, but it all comes together eventually before our eyes. You two have done a great job!

Sherry

It looks great. I always feel at a loss in planning companions. Maybe with experience...

Oh my---what a wonderful post---You will be an inspiration to many "newbies"-----

When I scroll down it looks the the roses actually pop up out of plain dirt------very good three years
thanks for these pictures they are inspiring----

I too love your stone home and the tile roof.

Please keep the pictures coming---

Florence

Wow Maybee,

You've really made that work.

Now that's what I'm talking about!

C'est tres bien!

Pretty! You should get lots of OGR's, France should be riddled with them, no?

A rose, is a rose, is a rose. Whoever said that, never got a look at Maybee's rose's.

Thank you for such a display of beautiful pictures.

Simply....Jane

Thank you Florence, that was my hope - to encourage other newbies to give roses a try (I mean especially OGRs, climbers and shrub types). For me they are the easiest, most generous plants and anyone can substantially improve almost any area with a few well-chosen specimens.

Eric, there are a lot of stone houses around here, mostly farmhouses, but many have been covered in stucco or render, whatever it's called. The stone looks charming to me but the new houses tend to be built out of bricks and mortar with stucco on top, certainly more practical!

Oath, there are many venerable OGRs growing in old gardens, sometimes right on the pavement in back lanes and such. They are often unkempt, which is a shame. Unfortunately, the modern trend in gardens is lawns with a few boring shrubs and perhaps some HTs lining driveways like soldiers!!! On the plus side, we have access to some great European hybridizers. Many wine growers make interesting use of roses by planting a single rose bush at the end of each row of vines. As roses and vines are subject to the same diseases, examining the rose tips them off to potentially damaging conditions for the vines!

Mkrkmr (Michael, yes?), my favourite companions so far are lavender (the dwarf cultivar Hidcote), Nepeta (catmint), hardy geraniums (Johnson's Blue) and sage of which there are so many kinds. I have Russian sage (Perowskia), Mexican sage (Salvia Patens) and Salvia Officinalis. I also like annual Lobelia. I think companions are a personal choice, trial and error and whatever works for you!

Jane, you are a sweetie! You know these aren't my best pictures, I was limited in having to use similar angles and ... no luscious closeups ... but I have those, too!!!

So, for those of you who like pretty pictures, here is Albertine:

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MayBee

You've done a wonderful job. The hardscaping doesn't necessarily have to cost a fortune. I've used stones from a local quarry, bought damaged statues on sale. Things come up and ideas occur. You've gone far in three years. It's much better that a garden takes time to build.

You have really transformed your yard! It's beautiful now. Congratulations!

Maybee---Albertine is one of my favorite ramblers---nice picture of her pretty fragrant blooms-

Here is a picture from a couple of years ago---My DH ghad to climb up on the roof to give her a haircut-
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Florence

Thank you, Mendocino Rose, for your kind words. I know you are right on both counts! Other, more immediate, problems have diverted our energies of late, but the garden has already become a place for relaxation and quiet satisfaction, and that's the main thing, isn't it?

Alicia, thank you for saying that, most encouraging!

Florence, I love to see pictures of your glorious, monster roses! Quite magnificent. This one must be from the series "Find the house", no?

MayBee

MayBee, you have done miracles with your garden! It is so very lovely - what a difference. You should be very proud. Thanks for sharing your great before and after photos.

Karen, I'm glad you liked the pictures, and yes, I am kinda proud of my hubby's vision and very pleased with his choice of roses. Beautiful as they are (and hopefully, better each year), I love that they are ALL (more or less) fragrant!

Cheers,

MayBee

You brought back so many pleasant memories of 1964-65---the year I spent as a student at the Universite de Bordeaux. Thank you for sharing---your roses are lovely!

Mainerose, thank you! Bordeaux is 40 km from our home and we go there often. I could not believe my eyes when I saw some of the world-famous vineyards stretching right into the residential areas! It's truly a special place. It's good to know you have happy memories of your time there.

MayBee