It all sounds so wonderful, Melissa. You have such a nice way with words. I almost feel as though I’m walking down with you to have a look at the garden. I’m so glad that the roses came through the drought much better than anticipated. I was hoping they would. You must be reveling in the sheer greenness of the garden, after the many consecutive dry seasons.

I am also among ‘Madame Alfred Carriere’s’ devotees. I admired her digitally for quite a while, before coming up with a plan. I really don’t have room for her, so I purchased MAC intending to give her to my sister or cousin. I just wanted to see a few blooms first, was all. Once I did see them, I couldn’t part with her. I just couldn’t! Her fragrance and perfect blooms on long stems captivated me. She IS wonderful, and mine is on the cusp of what looks to be an incredible spring display.

Again Melissa, it’s wonderful to hear that your garden has made it through and looks happy again. I’ll remind myself of that when we’re in the midst of the coming summer, after receiving only a third of of our “normal” rainfall this year. What a lovely and encouraging post! Lisa

Great news that your garden is holding its own on rainfall alone, even through drought conditions, Melissa! An amazing accomplishment for you and your roses...and your wonderful water hauling husband who, no doubt, kept your newest additions well hydrated and alive. I also adore MAC for her toughness, determination and continuous fragrant bloom and her romantic charm in vase or garden. I look forward to reading the next chapter of your gardening diary as the bloom sequence unfolds. May this season be more temperate than the last! Carol

Lisa, thanks for the friendly words, and Carol and bart, too. I'm glad to be able to share around the news that my garden got through a prolonged drought quite well. It's important information, which I couldn't have predicted on the basis of previous experience, as we've never had such a long dry spell. Though there are all those California roses that have lived for decades without care. What I think matters: we don't water our plants after the first year; we have heavy soil; we keep our plants mulched, with plant debris or little herbaceous plants (i.e. annual grass and company); we don't fertilize after the initial amendment of the planting hole with organic matter, relying on plant prunings and debris from other plants growing in the beds. It's a slow way to get plants up to speed, but afterwards they can take a lot of adversity. I was struck this year by how good the hazelnuts in particular look--the two purple leaved ones sat for years, then finally decided this year to grow--but overall the garden is handsome this spring. Nature is tougher than we think. Lisa, I hope you'll find this out this year as well. 2017 was a stressful year for us, but the garden and my family all survived, and so, I trust, will you.

Bart, I hope to get to see your garden one day and see how you do it. I don't have a mental picture of it based on how you write about it. By the way, is your 'Mme. Caroline Testout' the shrub or the climber? I only have the latter, and what a great rose it is. It appears that I share with you what sometimes seems to be a hopeless passion for magnolias. I have two tiny M. x loebneri varieties, 'Leonard Messel' one of them, that just barely survived last year, and that I've left to live or die as they will. This hybrid is supposed to be good in our conditions; maybe so but I haven't seen it yet--the planting sites may have just been too poor--but soulangeana magnolias are tolerably happy in this area. We have one that has been in place for several years, planted as a young plant, that has grown and flowered. It got knocked back last year but not seriously compromised. I may look for a white-flowered one.

I'm afraid how I found my helper won't be helpful. His wife and I are friends. They went through a period in the time of the Great Recession when they were both out of work and in financial straits; I needed help in the garden; so my friend came to work with me, and a good worker she was. Later she got a full time job and was too busy for a side job, so her husband took over, and was equally great. They're both really hard workers and proud of it, nice people, and they both like the garden.

Carol reminds me, kudos to DH, who had a quadruple bypass followed by surgery for a blocked carotid artery, and who STILL watered all year long! during a heat wave! DH has plenty of faults, but he's heroic. I like that.

Melissa after reading all the threads here, I also feel as if you walk us right through your garden. Lisa well said :)

It is like as if I was reading a book and picturing everything. Love it Melissa :)

Yeah, I remember reading about how bad the drought was last year. It is great that it rain there and I hope more rain in future. You can enjoy the greeny and the lush of of mother nature. I hope you will get a great blooms from those buds soon.

I been hearing a lot of MAC but I have to Google on mdm Caroline Testout. It is beautiful esp when I read about it although I am not ready for any climbers but the name caught my attention. And I love big blooms with scent and cut flowers is A Plus...hahaha.

I hope you will post pics soon, Melissa. I would love to see hazelnut tree and all.

Jin

Bart, I am glad your roses regrow from the roots. It is great that you plant it elsewhere. A new chapter for the roses to grow n bloom.

Jin

My Madame was/is the climber. I am hoping that this small own-rootie will grow; it's looking pretty good in it's pot.

"Leonard Messel" is just so beautiful! but I've read that magnolias have shallow root systems, and this makes me worry that in the long run they may not be adapted to my garden. I,too, only water plants in their first year in the ground ...well, for these specialty trees I water for the first two years, but less in year two than in year one.But after that they've gotta be able to make it on rain water alone. We shall see...

Melissa, your garden sounds so delightful with a feast for the senses with the visual splendor and aromatic plants.

I, too, grow Mme Alfred Carriere. I've grown more fond of it through the years. Charming blooms and it appears to be indestructible, seems to tolerate cold winters just fine with some dieback.