Too bad it had to happen by half a tree falling on my Volkswagen. Crap.

We are hoping it is not as bad as it looks. It seems like the tree limb split the dogwood in half, and that it took much of the weight. The other end of the main log is being held up by a big stone fireplace. So, perhaps the car is as not as badly damaged as it could have been.

I guess the lesson is be careful what you wish for.

On the up side, I didn't take out any roses, At least I hope. I think the bent dogwood branches may have buffered Black Magic, though it does look like it split the dogwood in half. I think the dogwood took most of the weight of the log. It was doing well and starting to grow straighter up. My plan was to prune it to provide more light for Black Magic, Morden Blush and Julia Child planted around it's canopy. That was going to happen in the spring, but mother nature beat me to it.

Memorial Day was in there, too, but it was the most shaded and even though it came back this season it never really took off. It bloomed twice, but seemed to die back after that. I didn't have the opportunity to move it. It was on the list of things to do. I did like that rose and may get another. I guess now I can.

Well, I guess I can look at the whole space differently now. Space to plant more roses!

I was doing searches for "shade tolerant" roses again yesterday, knowing that even they would not be too hapy in my last couple spots. Maybe they will be now.

Now, off to take pictures of the car and read that thread on the Antique side "Proper spacing aka 'How many more can I fit in?"

It is a good one. I think I can apply more of that info now that I potentially have more sun! And, all winter to make choices. What fun!

(I'm trying to see the positives in this situation, can you tell? The potential to plant more roses is always a positive.)

My Beetle and the neighbors Accord is under there.

But if you look really close, you can see Morden Blush poking up thru the mess! She still has her hips! :) I see bits of her lying down below that portion, but I'm hoping the rest of her pops back up once branches are removed. Hopefully.

Woo-hoo!

No sign of Black Magic, totally buried...
Julia is squashed under the dahlias, under the limb, I think. Can't quite tell...

The yellow mini still has her blooms in the foreground.

The Julia is own root. The minis are but they seem okay.

Black magic is not, but Morden Blush may be, I can't remember, actually.
She has been in the ground 3 years, maybe four. She was bare root but I totally can't remember a graft or not.

I'm not thrilled with the composters, they belong to another person in the apartment and were there before I started digging up the yard. I do my best to mask them but it's pretty hard to hide big composters in a small yard.

The cars I am praying, are going to be okay. Seems like (hopefully) much of the weight of the main branch is being held up by what remains of the Dogwood and the fireplace. Hopefully.

The fireplace was empty space for so long, total shade till this year. Trees were removed and fell, so it became sun space.

I built it into a planter this summer. Talk about hard work! I cut all the wood to fit in the spaces around the existing rock and cement. I did my best and in is pretty tight and has not lost any soil at all. It is pretty rustic, but I built it with wood lying around and spent zero dollars in doing it. Didn't even have to buy screws. Good thing, too, cause the budget for the transformation was Zero dollars! :)

There is enough drainage that it shouldn't freeze and split, hopefully, but I will be covering most of the top in the winter, I think. I planted it w/ passion flowers and various annuals this summer cause it was late in the season, but I would love to put a rose climber in there somehow.

Two days ago, I was considering starting a thread to see if my newly identified Pat Austin rose could live in there. I figure she nods, so being high up like that may be pretty and work for her so we can see her blooms.

I think that in the end, all will be well...if, on New Year's Eve, when we look back and think about what happened this year, the worst that can be put into the "bad" catagory is that a tree fell on some cars, you're doing well. It could have been people under that, or pets...but no, it's just a few cars and some tree branches. And, as Mother Nature is wont to do, now some new cleared areas.

And, as you said, new roses...the wonderful choosing process...the dilemma...the search. Perfect for long winter nights...

I say all this knowing I have a tree that needs to come down in my back yard...and hoping that I can do it before Mother Nature takes matters into her own hands... :)

best-
Herding Cats