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nami_gw

planning an antique rose garden

nami
16 years ago

..but cant figure the layout. i don't want just a row of roses i want a rose garden. i have a backyard that gently slopes upward when viewed from our back patio. the house u see in the picture is the back neighbor's.

irrigation will not be a problem, and i wont plant so high that i cant reach my plants to fertilize, deadhead etc. the yard receives full florida sun. i plan to go with chinas and noisettes.

the width of my pie shaped lot at the point i want to plan the garden is about 55 feet.

i am really lost on how to plan this garden. what shape shud it be? shud it be one continuous bed or beds? what shud i plant in between my roses?

please help me create a garden plan.

thanks,

nami

Here is a link that might be useful:

Comments (9)

  • michellesg
    16 years ago

    That's alotta grass! I don't know anything about planning an antique rose garden but I find that looking at pictures of how others made their gardens help. I have 2 links that I have found that I like. The one linked below (I found it in the Texas gardening section and love it!) and another that is an Alaskan garden (totally far from my zone but still wonderful) http://home.gci.net/~goodgame/gardens.html
    Neither are sloped but the meandering pathway idea can still be used and little details like that.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Mary Lu's garden build

  • fellsmere
    16 years ago

    Nami,

    It is helpful to look at gardens or books and get visual ideas of what you would like to see. I would suggest planting a few Hybrid Musks that would give a graceful effect on a slope like that. Add some companion plants that do well in the Florida area. Society garlic, daisies, tropical daylilies, etc. I have been purchasing plants that are labeled "Florida Friendly" from Home Depot recently to add to my gardens and have done quite well. You might also consider a few ground cover roses that will do well on slopes. Be creative and have fun designing! You can always correct mistakes you make.

  • jumbojimmy
    16 years ago

    i think it would be nice if there was a gazebo at the centre of your garden...imagine a nice sunny day, you and your friends could enjoy a cup of tea inside the gazebo, watching your plants.

  • rjlinva
    16 years ago

    Nami,

    I'm new to this too. I can offer some suggestions though...First, don't plant the roses more than a couple "rows" deep..you'll want to get up close to them, and you won't want to have to walk inside your beds...therefore, have paths with roses on each side. Second, create garden "rooms"...each room can have a slightly different theme...Stephanie in VA has an excellent example of a garden room...you enter it through an arch into a 50 ft diameter circle of grass, then, the roses are planted in a bed that surrounds the circle...the bed is about 10 ft wide as an outer circle. I hope this helps.

    Robert

  • buford
    16 years ago

    Do a lot of research on the roses, what size they get and when they bloom. Size is important because you will want to layer the roses so the taller ones are in the back and the shorter ones are in the front. It's probably less important because you are planting on a slope. I don't know if you plan on terracing the slope, but that would make it easier on you when you need to go up there and work on the roses.

    Companion plants that would work are day lilies, lavender and basically any flowering plant that color coordinates with your roses. Also some evergreen interest is nice as a background.

  • medusa_
    16 years ago

    I'm no good at planning gardens but I've discovered something this year that I will include in my plans from here on out. When I have a lovely rose that's in the middle of a bed, I just have to crawl in to get at it and smell it. Paths, walkways, catwalks, whatever it takes, include in your plan or you'll regret it. I'm tossing some flat stones in my front bed now so that I have a little path to the center roses just so I can enjoy them.

  • thorngrower sw. ont. z5
    16 years ago

    tivoli rose(mme.pierre oger glam shots) has a post on gallery, she has a link to three pictures which might be of some interest to you, all though not exactly the same slope as yours one could get some very good ideas on how to approach you garden plan.....mark

  • pagan
    16 years ago

    Michelle - I followed your link and what a gorgeous garden!! My flabber is quite gasted! I am going to borrow the idea of using a screen door in the fence - that is so original!!

    nami - throw in some tea roses too! I love mine - they are shaped like little tea pots, which is how I can tell them from the lankier Chnias! remember a garden doesn't grow inb a day (except on TV) and the main thing is to enjoy it!

  • nami
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    everyone, thankyou for ur responses.

    i have so much planning to do !

    re: putting some teas in the garden can they handle full florida sun from 8 am to 6 pm.

    thanks again, i am off to check all the links and (drool)