In front of the Bradford pear two or three dogwood trees in a semi circle. Let them grow all the way down to the ground (ie. don’t prune!!) which would give you a cozy area for a swing. Nothing grows under them. They don’t like heavy objects placed on top of their roots so install bricks/pavers before the trees gets big. Dogwoods do not have leaves in the center of the tree, they are all on the outer surface so once under the canopy it’s like being inside a tent. Maybe remove the pear tree once the dogwoods get large….. No droppings to clean up…. Just prune a few branches to give you a ‘doorway’.

If you want to plant climbers such that they grow horizontally instead of vertically you could do something like I did in this picture: I used #9 wire which is very hard to unwind so you may want to use a lighter cable. Note that the drip hose is tied to the wire. 1/4” drip lines run down to each rose bush.

I drilled a 1/2” hole through the 4x4x5’ post near the top, installed a cap so the wood doesn’t rot out, and sunk them down 2 feet into the ground. I have mine positioned about 16” from the neighbors fence but 24” would be better ( didn’t want to reposition my robot lawn mower’s signal wire).

Also, a Wild Flower garden would really give you color. Make it in the form of a tear drop so mowing around it would be easy. There are a few web sites that sell packages of wildflowers for your area. I suggest you only plant annuals which will allow you to plant something different each year. After the season is over just mow them down. Most will self seed.

That’s my 2 cents….

toolbelt

I must admit to not being a big fan of knockouts, but also realizing that they can definitely suit a purpose.

Lynn

Here are some pictures of my Easy to Love roses. Bennett's, Hanna's and Petals from the Past stock some of them in spring, but may be hard to find this late in the season:

Easy Going

Easy Does It

Julia Child

Cinco de Mayo

Hot Cocoa (between two Easy Going bushes)

Livin’ Easy

After weaving the first stems into the netting, all they needed was a little guidance as they grew to go in the direction I wanted. In a couple of years, they'll form a wall of leaves and blooms against the fence. And the Type 2 Clematis generally don't "need" pruning to continue blooming in late Spring and late Summer every year. You could also alternate Type 3 Clematis between them, since they bloom in the gap-time of the Type 2, but you'll have to label them so you know to prune them hard every Spring (they bloom on new wood).

These pics are from May and June, and the Clematis were planted only this year, but it gives you an idea of how easily they utilize the netting as a trellis. I'll have to take more pics to show how much the Clematis have grown already.

:-)

~Christopher