Thursday, October 21, 2010

The Grand Dame of Flowers: Roses for My Monthly Garden Bouquet



Noelle who hosts 'Monthly Garden Bouquet' at Ramblings from a Desert Garden suggests we might want to make a bouquet of autumn colors this month. That was my intention as I headed outside to check out what was in bloom.  However, my roses caught my attention and it occurred to me this may be the last chance to show them off. Now, flower arranging is not my forte, so I just stuck them in a vase and let them speak for themselves...








I thought the rose petals on the table were a nice touch.








Roses at tea-time are always appropriate ...




I picked these blooms from the new flower bed. The main purpose of my blog is to make a record of what I accomplish in the garden each year. So if you will indulge me, I would like to document the construction of this bed.

Regular followers may remember we had two large catalpa trees removed from the back of the house last year.  I had fun planning what to do with the new spaces. We decided on a patio tree where one catalpa stood and this will be planted next spring. I wanted to grow more roses, so a new bed would go where the other tree was removed. I thought a vertical element was needed, and when my daughter gave me a very tall wrought iron trellis, I knew this would serve the purpose.


I marked out the bed and H.H. prepared the soil. This was no easy task as there were tree roots from the old catalpa to contend with. However, he was able to dig quite deeply and then he amended with compost, horse manure, and peat moss.




If you look carefully at the above picture you will see the trellis leaning against the pasture fence near the goat. I was hoping to detract from the ugliness of the pasture fence with the trellis and judicious plantings.


Following a rough sketch I had made, and with the trellis in place, I happily began planting. I put golden biota, Platycladus cupressaceae, on each side of the trellis to ground it. A climbing rose was placed at the foot of the trellis with a clematis. I relocated some garden ornaments to fill the gaps.

Rosa Cl. 'Iceberg' by Weeks Roses

Clematis x jackmanii 'Mrs. Cholmondeley'
At the back of the trellis I added a sweet autumn clematis for Dude (mini horse) and Billy (goat) to enjoy as they passed the hours in their pasture. But if you look at them in the picture above, you can see they weren't really interested - ungrateful beasts. Sweet autumn clematis is a very vigorous grower, so I expect it to reach the top of the tall trellis eventually.

Sweet Autumn Clematis
The focal point of this garden was to be my first David Austin rose, 'Lichfield Angel', which I have talked about a lot this summer, so I wont elaborate further. I added two Knockout roses for easy care, Russian sage, lupines, perennial geranium, and crocosmia. I did not want this to be a rose garden per se, but a garden with roses.

David Austin Rosa 'Lichfield Angel'

Russian Sage Perovskia atriplicifolia

Lupine Lupinus polyphyllus mix

Crocosmia 'Lucifer'
Finally, around the edge of the bed, I planted miniature roses.

Miniature rose Rosa "Rise 'N' Shine"
I installed a soaker hose and added mulch. We found the perfect birdbath to complete the picture.


I was happy with the result. And when we added the fish pond to the area, the new flower bed seemed perfectly placed and really came into its own.


So today I celebrate the Grand Dame of flowers, the rose. Now let's go over to Noelle's blog to see what bouquets other gardeners have made today.

Happy October gardening,
Pamela x



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I look forward to visiting your blog in return.

23 comments:

  1. Pam,
    Thanks for stopping by and your sweet comments. Your roses are so beautiful and how true, they hold their own no matter the arrangement. You must be a couple of zones warmer than us with so much still in bloom. Crazy though my Christmas cactus is about to bloom?! Blessings Meg

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  2. Dear Pamela, I love the soft shades of your roses, and how wonderful to be able to gather a bouquet of them in October.

    Your new border has established very quickly and is certainly looking pretty. I am sure that next year, when filled out even more, it will really look beautiful.

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  3. I love the peachy colored one in the front. I really like the soft colors. Balisha

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  4. Pretty picks and china.
    The new bed has to be exciting.
    What your daughter got you is pretty cool. The autumn clematis are great looking. Know that there are all kinds of clematis...must investighate.

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  5. Beautiful roses ... the colours are lovely. I just adore the peachy coloured rose. Your garden bed has turned out to be such a great success ... the Lichfield Angel is absolutely stunning. But then I just love white in the garden.

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  6. Hello Pam,

    I do love roses and the more, the better. I am so glad that you shared them with us, before they cease blooming for the winter.

    I am looking forward to my roses blooming again now that the summer heat has gone :-)

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  7. You are a natural flower arranger Pam! Very lovely bouquet! It is interesting too to see your process. ;>)

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  8. I think your flower arranging is just fine. I don't have any roses in my garden, but I'm still looking out for a lovely pale yellow one which I will be able to grow in a container. I'm sure Billy would have been more interested in the Clematis if you'd planted it in his field, he'd have been able to reach it to eat it then. I think you've made a wonderful border and I agree that it blends with the pond very well.

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  9. Roses really don't need any greater embellishment than their own bloom, do they? Your roses are wonderful! I do get a bit jealous of the wide range of roses that can be grown further north.

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  10. What a lovely bed you have created, clematis are great for quickly hiding unsightly spots. although I really enjoyed peeking at the animals behind! and the arrangement was lovely. Sometimes just a pretty flower in a pretty vase is all that's needed.

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  11. Pam, the roses are lovely (nothing can beat roses!), but the new bed which you created from nothing is even more impressive! Wonderful!

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  12. Pam it was great to see how your border has progressed - I read every little bit of it imagining the scene as I went along. It really has established itself well for it's first year. BTW I loved seeing a little glimpse of Dude and Billy.

    Now as for your roses - they look perfect together in that little vase - the colours compliment each other so well.

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  13. Dear Pam - how quickly and easily your trellis garden seems to have come together - but then there was all your planning that we can't see. The clematis and rose are so good together. Look forward to more pics as this garden grows

    Laura

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  14. Dear Pamela,
    So happy to have stumbled over your site. Love the pics...we too have roses hanging in over here in UK.
    I'm presently starting my own cottage industry selling sustainable cut flowers in my local town of Cambridge, England. I shall be visiting your site regularly for inspiration!!!
    Kind regards
    Ranners.
    www.higgledygarden.com

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  15. Hi Pam, you have the most romantically pastel roses! With flowers like that, there's no need for fancy arrangements. Your new bed also looks lovely, and I envy you that bird bath.

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  16. Pam, your garden is so lovely. The Litchfield Angel is mounding up nicely and I am sure has the most frgrant blooms. The color of your miniature is very vibrant. This is my first year to grow minis. Of course, the Iceberg is a showstopper in any garden setting with continuous bloom! Great post.

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  17. The roses are enchanting. It was interesting to read about how you created the bed. It already looks great; when everything is in full bloom it will be heavenly.

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  18. Hi, Pam, Your roses are beautiful. I enjoyed reading about and seeing the progress of the bed you made. Isn't it great to see it all coming together!?! :)

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  19. Pam, your roses are the sweetest pastel colors. What a beautiful collection. You new bed is looking lovely. Next year it will be smashing.

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  20. What lovely comments, my dear gardening friends. Thank you so much.

    I am in England right now, and cannot get on-line very often, so have not checked your blogs lately. I promise I'll catch up soon.

    Thanks, again. Pam xx

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  21. a successful garden venture to be sure. such wonderful roses for your vase. I do like the petals too.

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  22. Nice job with the new bed. Your pond is looking great, too! Your bouquet is pretty.

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  23. Pam, the roses are gorgeous. They are so 'old-fashioned' looking. Your Grandmother probably had ones just like them in her garden.

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