Wow 🤩 your bed expansion project is a dream BenT! How wonderful. I love your house and your bed and all your roses. Absolutely lovely. I bet your neighbors are a least just a tiny bit jealous or your gorgeous home and garden.

Another vote for the beautiful tree in the front! It really completes the scene.

So beautiful and so green! I love the over all look of the front yard, the house, the trees, the grass and the flower beds. So inviting!

Thanks for the wonderful words of encouragement, all! I lucked out with the Live Oak tree, it came with the house and has a nice natural shape with minimal pruning. I must admit I didn’t do the beds themselves, too much work, and I wanted it done yesterday! I did rent a tiller to mix in all the compost that was fun work and not as difficult as I imagined.

I was also happy with myself managing to transplant several mature plants in 30 gal pots with all roots intact

Charles De Gaulle

To my eyes one of the nicest shades of lavender among all roses:

Sheila’s Perfume

(notice large and heavy ceramic pot behind this tipped-over plant).

This has become one of my very favorite roses and was given a prominent spot in the new bed.

Just saw the pic of the entire project. What a huge job. Looks like it was supposed to be this way all along. You transplanted some mighty big roses!

We have had a nice long fall with very agreeable rose weather, resulting in lots of quality blooms and great color

Fragrant Cloud

Love Song

My Peach Patch...Tahitian Sunset, Evelyn, Peach Swirl

Tahitian Sunset close up...profuse, unique and super fragrant.

Another side of giant Evelyn

Barbra Streisand

I’ve been able to cut lots of bouquets to share with friends and neighbors

I thought my puppy Elon would nice with the flowers, but alas, he was only interested in dismantling my work!

Bad Dog! I fed him to an angry shark:

Alas, the little buggar escaped and snatched a treat

Later that evening I caught him typing on my iPad, probably complaining to all his buddies on social media and reporting me to PETA:

You yard is a rose lover's dream! Love it. Cute photos of the rose helper Elon too! Thank you for posting them on the Texas Garden Web as well as the Rose forum.

BenT, I love seeing all your beautiful roses, your yard is gorgeous, and it’s exciting that you are expanding, you do such a great job. Love your bouquets too! Your dog is so cute!

Your roses are stunning! Love the peach patch!

Oh my goodness Ben, what a fabulous expansion

Lawn? Who needs lawn ?

Your home is absolutely gorgeous and yes your tree adds such beautiful balance

You always have the most incredible roses. so full of blooms and those dark leaves in your peachy garden are stunning.

Your little helper is pretty adorable too.

Last weekend we moved some things in to pots and some from pots in to beds and the hardest part was getting roses out of those huge heavy pots. Whew, what a job as you know.

Well done Ben, enjoy!

I love your garden! Wow! Thanks for sharing!

Oh ben !!! It all looks amazing. I just love your garden so much and that cutie patootie Elon is adorable. Lucky he survived the shark attack 😂

Ben, I love your wonderful rose garden expansion!

Wow, absolutely fabulous. I feel like I can smell the wonderful aroma! I also love little Elon. What a cutie.

Beautiful photos and cute dog you got there. I love seeing photos like this. Inspiring for me since I'm in the beginning stages of building rose beds in the yard. It looks amazing and I love the front and center view with that beautiful big tree. Great job.

Wow, Ben, what a great job! Your home, gardens and roses are BEAUTIFUL!

Ben I wish I lived in your neighborhood so I could see your gorgeous gardens every day! And that pup is adorable!

BenT - I am in AWE!!!!! Utterly fabulous!!! I love all the pictures, but my favorite is the landscape view one where your whole front yard is visible!! I can't believe what an incredible job you've done!!!! Accidents must happen daily in front of your house!!

I'm still trying to get a Sheila's Perfume...so wonderful to know that you love it!! I want to get another Barbra Streisand as it died on me overwinter. AWESOME, BEN!!!! And I love your chihuahua!! His brown nose is adorable!!

Thank you for sharing the beauty you've created!!! I don't have the "vision" to create anything that wonderful!!

Well Ben I went to Garden Web just now to do a post to see if you had gone to ground and ask why no pictures. Our Dallas fall weather has been unbelievable for roses and I knew if my new beds were performing then your garden must be stopping traffic for miles. The first post I saw listed was this- of your new rose beds and a new puppy... not sure which will give the greater joy. Like our children not fair to compare. :) But now I know what has been keeping you busy.

My clematis are also spectacular, and they are one-year plants also. I need to post a thank you to all who recommended them for a Texas garden. What a joy to have 2 such super stars to give gardening pleasure.

clematis with heliotrope

I have loved the heliotrope this year as a front row annual in my lavender/orange/ buff yellow rose bed. It has been blooming nonstop since April never even slowed down when temps got over 100. This pic is from today. It is poison,

We haven't heard from Judith in a while, where are you gal?

The heliotrope does not take good photos for me but those of you who grow it know how splashy it can be.

Below are flowers I picked brought to a sad friend. IE the cardboard box. I still spilled water everywhere. Nice when we can share as Ben said.

Austin, what a lovely bouquet. Love the variety of roses and other plants you used. Your friend is fortunate to have a friend like you to think so dearly of them. Is your clem Multi Blue or Crystal Fountain? I get the two mixed up. I think I have Multi Blue. It toppled it's tuteur this year. I'm going to cut out some of the stems next year. Don't you love it's sparklers!

Thanks for the reminder about Heliotrope. Some of us have pets that like to nibble. There are so many that pets shouldn't even be near, like lilies that can destroy a cat's kidneys with just a lick of the pollen off their paws. I think it's bad for dogs, too, but to a lesser degree. Some pets aren't interested in flowers, but mine is.

Crystal Fountain, it has had at least some blooms all summer, never stoped even in Dallas high temps and it is a 1st yr plant. I didn’t know if got that large bet it was a beauty. My current big poodle nor my daughters who I babysit are interested in flowers so I feel safe. My Dobie, Austin often tried to help me by digging up and then replanting with his nose and he always stuck his nose in flowers and roses for a whiff coping me. I even took out my back yard azaleas because a sniff is too close to a taste. He passed little over a yr ago so my azaleas are back as well as the heliotrope . Scary when our pets get interested in plants.

Carol

Yes, Sheila’s Perfume is a must for me. Tons of beautiful blooms, strong perfume scent. I wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of sawing it out of that big ceramic pot if it wasn’t one of my very favorites.

Lotus

Yes, I wished all of us gardeners lived close together and could tour each other’s gardens.

Seil, Stephanie

I have been enjoying your fall pics, too!

B,

Hope you share pics of your new rose gardens

Texanjana

Thank you, Elon is my first dog EVER, he is such a good little buddy

Jen, Dianela

I think your gardens are on a much larger scale than mine, I am always so impressed by them. I think I will probably top out at 140–150 plants, and that may be all I can take care of properly. when pruning and deadheading time comes around, I’ll wish I only had half of that.

Kristine,

We must really love this hobby to keep moving all these heavy roses!

Rosalee

Welcome, I enjoy your posts from the Texas section of Houzz, I should visit more often

Merelena,

We are both fortunate this year to have a long rose friendly fall!

Joey

Thank you, I love peach/apricot roses , and my favorite is the one with your name

Just Joey will flush 6 times a year for me, always huge, fragrant, and the most lively color.

Austin,

The arrangement is beautiful, as are all those blue/purple flowers you grow, perfect companions for roses.

Some of my blue purple companions:

Thunbergia Battescombei with some Tropicanna. The Thunbergia is one of my best perennials, blooming profusely since May.

Tie Dye Clematis

Jacmanii Clematis, planted next to Abe Darby, I think next year both will be quite large and look great together

Unexpected fall bloom for Iris Absolute Treasure, one of the most stately and the most fragrant Bearded Iris.

The lilac blue Evening Scentsation Petunia made it through last week when it was replaced by pansie. Will definitely be growing it again next year.

Zinnias are also great rose oompanions

Magellan Ivory big blooms on a compact plant

Starlight...a unique cherry base

Crystal White...probably my fav, little daisies blanket the plant until frost

AustinKisses - Fabulous bounty of flowers!!! I love your purples!!! And your bouquet!! Wonderful!! And how wonderful to share with your sad friend! What is the big red rose and the pink rose behind it? Gorgeous!!!

Ben - I'm waiting impatiently for rose list from a rose place in B.C....last year they had Sheila's Perfume on their list...I tried to get it, but they ended up not sending any. I really hope I can get it this year!! Did you name your adorable puppy after Elon Musk? You have 140-150 rose plants? That's a lot for those spaces...yay!! Your Just Joey is exceptional!!! I don't think I've ever seen one that wonderful!!! WOW!! And you get SIX flushes?? Holy Moley! I love your Tie Dye clematis...soooo cool!!! Your petunias and Zinnias...remarkable amount of blooms!! :) :)

Carol,

Hope you get that Sheila’s Perfume somewhere! Yes, my puppy is named after Elon Musk, because even though he is tiny, he thinks of himself as a titan.

Here is my garden buddy as a landscape authority, he has certified that this new garden bed wall can support 4 pounds!

And here is a rose that I grew because I first saw it in your garden:

Chartreuse de Parme was a bit slow to get started but is one of my most beautiful roses this fall, so thanks for the recommendation!

Oh my goodness Ben !! I cannot get over your garden !! It’s unreal. Honestly unreal .

Are your petunias in containers that raise them a little or am I seeing it wrong ?

I’m in love with that row of petunias. I don’t think proven winners even grows them that well !

Carol , if you want , I have a local source that sells sheilas perfume, own root.

I could mail it to you , but I am not sure how much shipping would be . The rose it’s self is only 16.95. I would have to trim the canes back and try to fit into a small box . It was expensive to send one to a friend not too far away but I left it heavy and a big box .

If you are interested, let me know. I could mail it in spring for you , or now if you prefer . Just holler if that would interest you ! :)

Oh my heavens. Of course you did a beautiful job with your garden. I've come to expect that. Lovely house. Gorgeous all 'round. But ELON! Be still my heart. What a little cutie!!!!

Ben - thanks!! I hope I find it too!! I may find out in November.

Just a little thought about your puppy. Make sure you're out with him...cause he's so wee that owls, coyotes, birds could get him. Our area has a lynx that is on the lookout for critters. He sometimes goes under our deck. My dogs are big enough that there should be no problem. But, Elon is so tiny. Talk about adorable!! :)

Oh, I'm so glad that you love Chartreuse de Parme!!! Your blooms are FABULOUS!!! The color is so bold...and I love that!! Does yours have a wonderful fragrance? Gorgeous blooms!!!

Jennifer - that is SO sweet of you!!!! You really are wonderful!! I wouldn't want you to do that...you would have to get a health certificate for it, etc. etc. I have a possibility of getting it from a place in B.C. I'll see what happens there. But thank you!!! :) :)

Jen

You are so kind to offer to get Sheila’s Perfume to Carol. I‘m rooting out cuttings of various roses I think have been neighborhood favs, if I get Chandos Beauty to take root I’ll send her your way.

Yes, the petunias are in urns of different heights to give maximum visual effect. I want those urns in the front of the house in bloom 365 days a year, I find I can do that with one switch of petunias and pansies a year, in March and October. I take cuttings or plants and overwinter the petunias each year.

Here they are in April after being put out for over a month, you can still see urns clearly:

In May:

By summer, the urns are largely obscured

And in winter/spring, they’re replaced with pansies

In different years I’ve changed up the petunia colors a bit, but it must be a large prostrate petunia to survive my long summer.

Carol

Chartreuse de Parme is indeed fragrant, especially when cut indoors.

Just Joey and it’s parent Fragrant Cloud are garden standouts for giving me 6 huge flushes a year, and they keep good petal count and size in the heat of summer. I had mentioned in another thread that all of Fragrant Cloud’s descendants do extremely well for me, and I’m always looking for more.

This is Just Joey in spring

...and Fragrant Cloud today

Deborah and Carol

Thanks for the kind words about Elon, he is my first dog ever so I probably go on too much about him. I had been a traveling IT consultant for many years and took a stay-at-home position early this year and decided I could finally get a dog.

Carol is so right about wild critters being a danger to pets, we have coyotes, bobcats and hawks that have been marginalized to live in my densely populated suburbs. So Elon only ever goes out with me on a leash.

It’s cold outside today, so Elon gives you a tiny puppy paw high-five from the comfort of his indoor igloo

👂🏿Great idea with those urns. I formally used masses of your same annual choices each season but an explosion in the neighborhood rabbit population causes me to abandon them. All the Easter bunnies dine at my house it seems. The urns may be an option for me to try. Is keeping them watered an issue? I find pots need daily often twice in high heat—sprinkler tubing and water crystals aside it seems my pots eventually suffer from the lack . Yours are inspiring.
Awww Ben, first puppy ever! wow, you have a world of pleasures and joy ahead just waiting for you. Nothing and no one will ever love you so unconditionally, i have bern well loved by people but our pets bring love and acceptance from a lane where only God walks. Enjoy!

Austinkisses - I literally just burst into tears when I read your post just now! So true. Wish they lived longer...

Ben, Elon is absolutely precious. He is lucky to have you because everything thrives under your care.

I cant get over your petunias

Is there a preferred fertalizer for petunias?

Thank you Ben for the breakdown on the urns !!! You really knocked it out of the park . It can take a couple years to find what really works and you sure did! I have bubblegum ones going crazy and I plan to do cuttings from them . Soon lol. I’m so happy you have such a sweet dog and he’s so well loved!! He looks like a great snuggler !

If you have luck with chandos beauty I will pay full price for one! Don’t hesitate to let me know . And carol I am more than happy to try if you want . We can label it “ perfume “ haha and who will be wrong ?

Austinkissss , you sure hit the nail on the head with that phrase. I am amazed at my dogs devotion despite moving down the attention ladder here after two kids. He was my baby when I thought we couldn’t have babies. Now he’s our shadow and so patient with Elijah and his fur grabbing .

Maybe we need a animal thread .

🥰

Jen, Austin, Kristine, Deborah,

You are all right about our furry friends. No one is more devoted , or in better spirits all the time. I’m very fortunate to get Elon just before the pandemic hit he is just the best company.

Kristine, Austin

I think petunias needs good drainage (that’s why most of mine are in pots, and frequent fertilization. I use Mills Rose Magic because that’s what the roses get, but something like Miracle Gro would work well too, or osmocote if there’s not time for frequent feedings. Like Austin, I have mine on drip irrigation, use moisture crystals , and supplement with hand watering once the heat sets in. A larger pot or urn will help retain moisture. Periwinkles are actually the summer annuals of choice in my neighborhood, they are more heat resisttant than petunias. But I just don’t love them, they are too stiff , they don’t have the same lush look, and the plants smell like petroleum products to me. So I’d rather do the petunias even if they’re a bit more work.

Jen,

No worries if I get Chandos Beauty to root I’ll send one to you post-paid. I still feel bad for buying 75% of Hortico’s plants, lol how did I know they’d only have 4 to sell! (And I only kept one, the other two were purchased for a friend and my mom). Lol on packaging ‘Sheila’s Perfume’ as just Perfume!

Austin,

One of my best friends in Frisco has a huge bunny problem too. Her bunnies are so voracious, they have killed off a number of her clematis, roses, perennials , tropical, even some of her cactus. My bunnies pretty much leave my ornamentals alone. The only difference I can think of is that I have softer more succulent organically-fed St Augustine grass that the bunny love to munch on. (When the roses get their milorganite, the grass gets some, too). She has drier more fibrous Bermuda...and maybe the bunnies don’t find that tasty so they go after all her flowers.

Elon will lurch toward every bunny or squirrel when we take our walks. I have told him that he won’t catch a bunny unless one decides to give up its life and let him play with it and eat it. The only bunny he catches is this one:

Carol,

I saw on the other thread you have two poodles. Elon has two poodle buddies Neville and Tonks in the neighborhood, here he is with them:

Who is holding Elon in the photo??

Ben, last spring I finally found Supertunias here. I am determined to find more next spring. I may have to order them until my nurseries catch on. Just plain petunias have never thrilled me, but these newer varieties are a different story. They don't need deadheading - just like you said! And, they billow out and cover so much area. I have a regular petunia from years and years ago that comes back every year in a pot that never gets any attention until I see it's blooming, then I think to water it. It must be some kind of mutant perennial petunia. But, I can't say enough about these Supertunias. Thank you so much for telling us about them. Is that you with your darling boy?

Flowers,

Yes, the supertunias are far more vigorous and long lasting that regular petunias. The strongest supertunias are called supertunia VISTA (vista means 'Super supertunia in petunia-speak).

Also check out the Tidal Wave series, which can be grown from seed. Tidal Wave Silver (the pale lavender-white in my pics) ...my local arboretum named that the strongest of all petunias. I find the Hot Pink to be just as good.

Deborah,

That's my neighbor in the pic, she is mom to the 2 big poodles :-)

Ben, you have a beautiful garden!!! I love Elon. Perfect name for a mighty titan. Is he a chihuahua?

Ben - how in the world did you ever think of having different heights of your petunias?? I would never have thought of that in a million years....and it's AWESOME!!!! I'm amazed by your yard!! Oh, and that's so wonderful of you to root a Chandos Beauty for Jen!!! It's an amazing rose!!

Chartreuse de Parme was my best performer this summer...absolutely top notch! It's fun that we both love the same rose!! :)

G A S P ! ! ! ! I can't believe how utterly gorgeous your Just Joey is!!! I tried growing it for 4 years...it would get maybe 3 blooms/year. I finally gave up on it. Yours is a mass of soft orange blooms!!! AMAZING!!

Awwwww!!! Look at those pink pads!!!! So sweet!!! Oh my goodness!!!! That pink bunny and Elon are adorable!!! My dogs would have that stuffed bunny gutted in about 2 seconds. LOL

You could probably have put your puppy on the ground (unless you were worried about parvo)...standard poodles are usually good with dogs...especially puppies.

Austin Kisses - beautifully said...a lane where only God walks!!! LOVE

Jennifer - So kind of you...I really, really mean that!! But, I don't want to bother with customs, and all of that. I'm sure I'll eventually find it. But, thank you, our sweet Jen!!!

Ben you are obviously my new and best resource for Dallas roses. Since I don't have years ahead of me for experimentations, I often fee desperate to make the right selection and then tend to overthink. This and your other suggestions are my go-to. So many others on this site offer good and invaluable advice but your proximity to me make yours the trump card. Thanks for sharing. BR

Ben - I"m glad you clarified that the person holding Elon is your neighbor. I had a moment of ... I don't know what...shock? panic? I had assumed all this time that you're a man in Texas. So when I saw an older woman cuddling Elon I thought, "ruh roh..." And then was trying to think if I'd referred to you as him/he or done anything offensive in my gendered assumptions! And, even as I write this, I guess it doesn't matter, really, except for my own mental vision. Which, now that I think of it, I have no basis for my visual of you at all. Nada. Zilch. Zippo. Still, in my mind, I have these images of you in your garden and that photo didn't match. At. All.

I think your above pink one from Chamblees is Scentuous, yes? I love that one. Though mine has not been as quick to rebloom. But maybe it takes longer to muster up that fragrance. And -- you were not enamored of all your new ones. You had some clever little song for Julie Andrews, if I'm not mistaken. Though I have LOVED HER. The only thing lacking is the fragrance. But I"m hopeful. She is holding her own with an Olivia that decided to go wild. And my friend picked Julie Andrews to lavish her praise on -- despite blooming Koko Loco, Yves Piaget, Love Song, and Olivia nearby. There was also a Carding Mill, but I know how you feel about that one. I had to actively put your comments out of mind in order to fully enjoy that rose again!

I'm waiting to see what your eagle eye is selecting for 2021...with bated breath... Side note: I just looked up bated breath to make sure I'd got the spelling correct. I did (bated being short for abated). But then I was thinking about how disgusting (if possibly apt) "baited" breath would be...fish eggs? minnows? stinky cheese? crickets? worms? none of those would be good to associate with breath, now would they? Unless, of course, you're a dog...

Deborah, sorry for the confusion, I can certainly understand since I go by Ben and then post a pic of a lady with Elon!

I’ve now corrected that the Chamblee’s rose I searched all over for is indeed Scentuous. Thanks for the catch! I guess it is a bit slow to repeat, but there’s lots to like about it otherwise.

I specifically left out Julie Andrews, ‘The So Long Farewell Auf Wiedhersen Goodbye Rose’ , from my new rose review lol! I’m glad it does so well for you. I find it too stingy, non-fragrant, weak growing and ordinary in my garden. I really lIke every one of the 20+ new roses I got except for Julie and Tiphoney. (Tiphoney is a body bag that was labeled ‘Sterling Silver’, but put out a very mundane pink bloom , a bit like a scentless Tiffany). Remember when someone randomly planted a coneflower into Lisa’s front yard? I’m tempted to do that with Julie and Tiphoney, some neighbor will wake up one morning and find 2 squatters in their yard! Or maybe I’ll throw them by someone’s front door, knock and run away, as if the rose stork left them. Don’t get me started on Carding Mill!

I’m still on the lookout of new introductions, but I’m afraid this year it might be lean pickings. Last year a bunch of roses were introduced as 2021 ‘sneak peeks’ ...Larger than Life, Sweet Rose of Mine, Like No Other were introduced this way. So this year they no longer seem new, and I’ve not seen any 2022 ‘Sneak Peeks’. Of course Austin will have a couple of roses introduced in England last year, and Certified has ‘Coral Miracle’ and ‘White Lies’.

Your garden is beautiful , and all that work on your soil seems to work out well. Little Elon is so cute. A tiny dog can live a long time. He looks serene and happy.

Ben, I LOVE chihuahuas! We always had them growing up. As a matter of fact, so did my grandparents, aunts and uncles. They are just so loyal.

Glad to hear your thoughts on Larger than Life as I have her on order for the spring. Really like your pictures of Like No Other. Is she healthy?

Ben - that was nice for your neighbor to give cuddles. I often think about people who get puppies during a pandemic...if the puppy has a great personality no worries...but for the puppies that are nervous or too bold...without proper socialization with people/dogs...problems could arise. Your puppy seems wonderful! :) :) Yes, I agree...we like the same kind of roses!! Oooh!!! Your QoE is GORGEOUS!!! Mine was nice...but could have done better. I'm hoping for mine to be like yours next year! Oooooo!!!! Fun in the Sun has wonderful color to it! But, the stems don't hold the blooms up?? Oh my goodness!!! I really want to get Like No Other now that I've seen yours!!!! I want it. I want it!! I looked up Larger than Life on hmf....couldn't find it. But I love yours!! I would love to get Perfume Factory!!!! We really do love the same type of roses!! I also want Moonlight in Paris!!!

Deborah - I actually thought that maybe was him...but that he looked like a woman. Eeep!!! Oh, you are so funny!!! :) Ruh roh...and baited breath...LOL

Ben, Fun in the Sun just went on my list. And, don't you just love Moonlight in Paris for it's multitude of subtle colors all blending into one another! Most interesting rose I've grown in years. There's already a Mother of Pearl, but that would describe it perfectly. And, I had forgotten all about La Park. We've had so many similar roses from the Painter's Series, but t's just as beautiful as the roses in that category.

Yes I agree flowers !! Fun in the sun is coming here too . And Ben , your pics of queen of elegance have made mine get another season to prove itself. Mine is so flat and meh , not a lot of rebloom and really just annoying me but I’ll give her one more year . That’s how good yours looks !!