We're definitely like-minded gardeners, Jackie. Lush, abundant, and somewhat wild is right down my alley.

By the way, what rose did you decide to get from FoV/Greg L., and how is it doing?

You could charge admission for pedestrians walking down your sidewalk, it's so beautifully planted and maintained!

Moses

fig_insanity - I got a Reve d"OR. That was one of the climbing roses we had to take off of our house, and my attempt at rooting a cutting failed, so I was so happy to get a plant from Gregg. Thank you! It is doing well, although it did not really like our 4 months of non-stop rain this past winter. It was a tiny band, so I potted it up into a 2 gallon pot. It mostly sat there all winter, but then it started to grow, and about a week ago it burst into full bloom, which looks sort of funny - the plant is still so small the blooms look like 50% of the bush. The plan is to plant it into a larger pot, and then into the ground next to the fence (it is in my new fenced in garden) so it can eventually grow up the fence and onto the top of the Moon Gate arbor my DH built next to the fence, as an entrance to our old side garden. The hope is that it will join Duchess de Brabant and Rosette Delizy on top of that arbor to complete the tunnel entrance you can see below.

Jackie

My thought was similar to Moses': put a sign saying Botanical Garden and charge admission. Your property is so utterly beautiful, although I'm so sad about your house-climbing roses. I can't imagine how you must have felt, not to mention the sheer amount of work that entailed. Your moon gate arbor with the particular roses you've chosen to climb it will be a sight to see.

With those sidewalk plantings I'm afraid I'd never make it past your house, and pretty soon I'd be ringing your doorbell and begging to see the rest of that glorious garden.

Glorious!

Jackie, I'm so glad you got another RdO. I love that rose.

I can't imagine the trauma of taking down all those gorgeous climbers and having to butcher them. I almost cried, myself. But your new garden is becoming a wonder. I'm sending blessings toward your rose baby. May it give you as much pleasure as its predecessor did.

Thanks everyone, for your kind comments. My DH was very clever - he knew how sad I was to have to take down all of the huge climbers off the house, so he distracted me by having a space (which was actually full of 2 gigantic bushes, including what I called "the barbarous barberry" because it had such horrible & dangerous thorns) across the driveway from the house cleared. Then he "built me a rose garden" fenced against deer there instead. Here is a pic I just took of part of it - with another batch of volunteer hollyhocks being the star at the moment.

Jackie

For my part I'm glad there's no admission fee: what kind of world is it where all the beauty is available only for pay? I know people didn't mean it that way. My compliments for making such a beautiful walk past your house, and I do hope it gives passing pedestrians pleasure, and ideas.

It passes my imaginative powers to conceive of taking down the roses you had growing on your house. But plants grow, thank goodness. You started again, and more will bloom in time.

Have you ever had someone ring the doorbell and ask for a cutting, or to see the garden? I've done that myself once or twice.

Jackie - your yard is sooo beautifully presented!! Really well designed...your husband is a wonder!! I love that moon arbor gate...I want one. :) :) You grow your roses so well...I'm in awe. :) :)

Thank you all again - it does warm my heart to have this forum of like minded folks to show things to, and admire others' gardens. Melissa - people don't tend to actually ring the doorbell, but when I am out in the garden sometimes people walk down the driveway to chat, and I show them around. The sidewalk in front of our house is between the local college (about 5 blocks away) and a nearby high school, and a nearby elementary school, and the main street of our "downtown" (3 blocks away), and a nearby local shopping center, so that sidewalk gets a LOT of foot traffic. Mostly of course the "youth" have their noses in phones (except groups of teenage boys, who always seem to be kidding around and or roughhousing with each other - a good sign, I think), but the children and adults do seem to love to look at the flowers.

Jackie

What an inspiration! I could definitely get all of my steps in by walking back and forth in front of your house. Oh wait, I think that is the definition of a stalker.

Your husband is such a doll for helping you create such a magical retreat.