A Special Garden for a Special Couple
Today, we finished a rose garden for clients with 250+ plants and more than 40 varieties. The garden was an absolute dream to work on! The clients were engaged, knowledgeable, and entranced with the possibilities. No expense was spared. They have had rose gardens in the past at their various homes and wanted this garden to be used predominantly for cutting. They chose some roses they knew and had grown, some they had heard about, and finally, some new varieties to try just for fun. As the garden was planted, we all realized that it would be a show-stopper as well as a cutting garden!
The native soil was hard clay, lacking all the juicy nutrients roses love. We dug it up and replaced it with our own special mix. Replacing the soil allowed us to add exactly what we need to grow beautiful rose plants in our climate. Of course, it’s not always necessary to pull up an entire yard, however, knowing the composition of the soil and making adjustments to it can greatly improve the health and longevity of rose plants.
We excavated the ground and hauled off the hard clay. We then laid two inches of gravel as a foundation for proper drainage, surrounding the area with a buried "french drain." On top of the gravel, we added two feet of ‘new’ soil (a combination of top soil, organic compost, two types of sand, and a bit of gypsum). Roses love good drainage and particularly hate to have ‘wet feet’! One can never do enough for good drainage. When in doubt, do it all! From start to finish, the project took 8 weeks to complete, which included two weeks where we let the new soil settle and cool off.
The homeowners designed a cutting garden with a walkable path through the plants. We chose to start in the middle with reds for a dramatic focal point. Around the reds is a hardscape path of stone. Beyond the path in a broad circle, we placed the plants to create a rainbow effect, beginning with clear tones and working towards the back on both sides with darker colors. Size (height and width) and growing habits of the plants were considered in arranging the colors. The final result is whimsical and classic, easy to cut, and incredibly enjoyable to walk and sit within.
