I'd be ripping that hedge on the left out whether I was putting in roses or not! I do not like when the front planting gets higher than the base of the window. It's weighting down that whole side of the house. It can also trap moisture against the wood of the window and encourages rot.

You might consider a 12-18" boxwood hedge in front of the roses. It will give a bit of a visual anchor during the winter when the roses don't have foliage.

Very nice looking house! But the landscaping could, indeed, do with a facelift!

For the left front side, I'd recommend Austin's Hermione--the pink and white shades would contrast nicely with the brick house. In addition, Hermione is very healthy--an important consideration since a bedraggled BS-spotted rose out in front of the house isn't going to look too appealing. Hermione also has a nice "fountain" shape--which would look good even when not in bloom. The one thing I do not know for sure is how good it is (or is not) on the re-bloom. Hopefully, another poster can fill you in on that. At any rate, Hermione's blooms are quite lovely! Hermione at David Austin

If you want more color, Princess Alexandra of Kent would also look good there. She has a full and lovely bloom just like Hermione --in fact, the two should look lovely together in the same planting--and she is also bloomiferous and healthy. Princess Alexandra of Kent.

Austin's Scarborough Fair--a shorter but very bloomiferous rose--might work well in the fountain area--at the fountain's base. It is very healthy also and its pink color should go well with Hermione. Scarborough Fair at Austin

Over on the right front end, I'd go with Lady Emma Hamilton--her apricot/golden colors should go wonderfully well against that brick. And she is healthy and a good bloomer. Lady Emma Hamilton at Austins

Or maybe reverse Hermione and Lady Emma--since the Lady would form more of a contrast with your hydrangeas when they are blooming.

A shorter gorgeous red you might want to consider somewhere is Darcey Bussell--good continuous bloomer and bs-resistant, only 3 ft tall. Darcey Bussell at Austins. The red color is terrific, but I don't know how well it would look in front of the dark brick. But some people adore red roses, so it is a good choice if that is what you want.

Hope that gives you some ideas. Browse that David Austin site for all sorts of other possibilities. Just make sure the description says it is very healthy and blooms a lot.

Kate

I agree subk3! I really want to rip it out ASAP , however it will stay till spring so I can put some Christmas lights up. I definitly do not want it to cover the view from the windows . The long hedge runs in front of the garage so if it does a little , it's ok but not preferred. I do want it to be balanced on both sides , which it obviously is not .
A couple roses I am considering are bolero , the light pink double knock out ( tho I think it'll get tall ) and there is a pink rose really popular that's name escaped me . Wish I could think of it but it's on my list too.

Kate , thank you for the links to some great roses ! I do have a princess Alex elsewhere and the blooms are gorgeous ! I love the gentle hermonie rose you posted too . Definitely a great looking rose I'll read more about . I also think the shorter rose in front of the fountain is a great idea . You have given me some awesome choices to start with !
I also wonder about queen of Sweden , that may make a great border and leave me room for some perrenials . This will be fun !

This post was edited by lilyfinch on Mon, Oct 20, 14 at 13:54

Queen of Sweden is a lovely and bs-resistant rose, but I don't think it would work for what you want. First off, it gets 4-5 ft tall --although Austin's "English" site says 3 ft; his "American" site says 4 ft--but if it grows to 5 ft in Kansas, I'd say that is a truer height since Kansas isn't a place where roses grow extra tall.

The other problem with QofS is that it is not very good on the rebloom, especially in hot weather. And since it grows vertically, the blooms tend to be up on top and thus not show well when someone is viewing your house standing back from it a bit. That was one reason why I selected Herione and the others above--presumably they would show off their blooms better to someone standing back and taking in the entire view.

If you really want to go the Knockout direction, the pink Double Knockout is attractive and not too tall (and easily pruned down, if needed). And Knockout roses also come in an attractive yellow/cream--called Sunny Knockout. I'm not real sure how tall Sunny gets, but my neighbor's Sunny is rather short--maybe about 2.5 to 3 ft tall. The sunny yellow color fades rather quickly, but I rather like the combination of sunny yellow/cream/white that results.

I must confess, however, that I personally think that all the Knockout roses are rather ugly looking in-between blooming periods, and some of them (maybe all?) are not very quick on the re-bloom--lots of time for them to display their bedraggled appearance to everybody passing by. But maybe that is just my opinion.

There are a number of Kordes roses that are quite disease-resistant--especially the "fairytale" series--but I think they may be somewhat shorter roses. Not sure about that, so check with someone else also.

Kate

Ok I finally remember the name if the other rose , Belinda's dream ?
Kate , thanks for warning me of QoS rebloom issue. Maybe it belongs somewhere else . I have had the yellow knockout and it did well for me . I agree it can look scraggly sometimes .
Kippy , that is a great idea ! I did think if all things go well , of continuing the bed on the other side of the walkway .

Oh yes, you need roses there. Maybe even a clematis.

Don't most Austin roses stop blooming in heat? Or shatter very quickly when high temps. arrive. How long do your high temps. last?

'English Sachet' (Zary, HT) looks like a soft pink Austin and loves heat. 'Heaven On Earth' (Kordes, florib.) is salmon-apricot fading to pink, then almost white and also performs in heat.

Although a number of Austins cut back on blooming in the heat and some shatter quickly in high temps, I think it would be an over-statement to declare that "most Austins" are like that. "Some do" and "some don't," in my opinion.

Nearly all my roses (Austins and non-Austins) slow down and cut back on blooming during the heat. A few become really slow (Queen of Sweden being one), and a few (both Austins and non-Austins) slow down but keep on blooming--just at a reduced rate. And out of the dozen Austins I presently grow, only one (Scepter'd Isle) shatters quickly.

In other words, my experience having grown over 20 Austins is that they are quite variable. I read the catalog descriptions carefully and if Austin says the blooms on a certain rose shatter quickly, then I probably wouldn't buy that one. Usually I pick the ones that are described as blooming nearly continuously or as being very floriferous or having excellent rebloom--or something like that.

Kate

I like the idea of fronting the roses with dwarf boxwood or a short nandina. An island bed with a short tree (crape, japanese maple, smoke tree, etc) is a super idea. Personally I prefer grass along both sides of a sidewalk so delivery men carrying large objects or groups of people don't wind up in a flower bed. If furniture or appliances were delivered to your home, would they go in through the front door or the garage? Everything comes in through my front door so I need plenty of "elbow room" along the front sidewalk.

Do you plan to spray for Black Spot, and which side of your house faces prevailing winds?

These are Tennessee specific questions.

I will also support the roses + boxwood suggestion. It is quite common here and it looks great. It also allows you to use more varieties of roses that may have more bare legs, which won't overwhelm the front of the house, as the hedge on the left is doing at present.

The boxwoood would also anchor the hydrangea very well and of course give you the classic look you are going for with the fountain.

For roses, Kordes Kosmos, Lion's Rose or Souvenir de Baden Baden?

Boxwood is a new idea to me , but I will look into shorter varieties to find something ! I was thinking liriope ( monkey grass) as edging . I guess I hadn't thought too much of it , excited about the rose possibilities !
Iris gal , I love heaven on earth !! I will order that one if I can find it for my mixed beds , if nothing else . I'm not sure about hybrid teas . While I love the blooms I prefer a full shrub . I've actually never grown any so maybe I coils give a couple a try .
Kate , I love Austin's so I appriciate your expertise . What about Abraham Darby ? Only had it in Pa and loved it . Not sure about down here.

Anntn , hello neighbor ! The back side of the house gets all the wind . We are up on a hill . I can spray but really prefer not to.
Ninkasi , I will be sure to look up those you suggest ! Thanks for the ideas ! :)

But what about the deer? If you are living in an area that deer are abundant like mine, an unfenced front yard with roses would just be an open invitation for deer. There are of course electric fences and deer repellant.

Hope that deer are not a major concern for you though.

Standard landscaping advice for correct proportions is to make foundation beds 1/3 the height of the home (yours is really beautiful, btw). I would widen the beds considerably--if there is a walkway, extend the bed to the other side of it, and plant in several layers. This will visually anchor your beautiful home to the landscape surrounding it. (and give you plenty of room for more roses).

I think Bolero is a great choice! I saw several at nursery last weekend and it was beautiful and it's fragrance wafted, it's smelled so pretty. If you like yellow Julia Child would be a good choice too. Can't wait to hear and see what you finally decide on what to plant, have fun!

lilyfinch,
Trim the hedges that are already there in front of the 2 windows, also trim the purple bush.
Don't get rid of them, they are evergreen, and will give your home a NON dead look in winter.
THey will take forever to grow in.
If you want to plant roses, you have a whole front yard to make a gorgeous rose bed in, so just plant one out.
Your landscaping will look nice all winter, if you rip if all out, it will be bare looking.
Unless you don't mind bare looking, to each his own.

Can't help you with Pat Austin--have never grown it. I know it is loved by some gardeners, but I always avoided it because I was under the impression (rightly or wrongly) that it had BS problems. Maybe someone else can fill you in on that.

You are getting some wonderful advice. Have fun playing with all the possibilities.

Kate

What a fun project. I would mix in some Encore azaleas bc they stay green all yr and put out three flushes of blooms. I have started using them in my beds to give interest during the winter. Fixing to remove some loralpetalums that grew huge in my beds by house and replacing with Vanilla Strawberry hydrangea, encores and roses. Can't wait to see your beautiful finished project. Judy

Forgot to mention a few roses I love that bloom great here in North Georgia. The Alnwick Rose, Carding Mill, Heaven on Earth, Gruss, Quietness and Cream Veranda. Those seem to be my favorite, at the moment, and they all have slowed down right now but bloom consistently all summer!!! Oh boy!! I'm soooo excited for you. Keep posting pics!! Judy

Belinda's Dream can get quite tall, to 5 feet or more, so you'd have to be careful with placement. Bishop's Castle is a beautiful and fragrant Austin rose that does very well in the heat. It can spread but I keep mine trimmed short, to about 3 feet, and it still keeps on blooming. Carding Mill is another great hot-weather rose.

I agree with hoovb; you have so much room that a wide border of roses and other plants would be beautiful and have a lot of impact. I wouldn't have just roses. As beautiful as they are, they can become boring planted en masse without anything to lend contrast to their shapes and colors. Bolero and Julia Child are both very good roses, with a nice bushy shape and lots of bloom. Boxwood hedges are very attractive but can be labor-intensive with all the trimming to keep them tidy looking.

With all that room you might want to visit the Antique Roses Forum and find out about roses that can grow to 10 x 10 feet and more with time, depending on your climate. There are on-line nurseries, such as Roses Unlimited, that have wonderful choices of mostly antique roses that would look perfect with your style of house. Once you begin with roses it can quickly become an absorbing passion, especially with the fascinating older roses.

Ingrid