I ordered dear son Mark's birthday present before he went in the hospital (btw, he went home Monday and is doing well except for the small wrinkle that his new kidney is "asleep"). DS owns a 1938 bungalow and is considering purchasing a larger 1900 bungalow. I was browsing Half.com the weekend before his birthday when I saw this book, "Outside the Bungalow: America's Arts & Crafts Garden" with a cover photo of a wisteria climbing up the front porch column. I did not consult DH or even hesitate to order it. It finally arrived today after being returned to the sender because the label got damaged and was unreadable.
So I settled onto the sofa after work with the book in my lap wishing I had two of them. I came across a landscape plan that would be perfect for the "new house". Wide borders down each side of the large front yard and along the sidewalk with a curvy walk running to the front door. In my mind I could place roses, evergreens, small trees and the flowering plants that I have learned will do well here in those borders in such a way that it would be a garden with roses not a rose garden. It would involve a lot of digging, but my heart was ready to dive in. Instead of a wisteria on the front porch there would definitely have to be a climbing rose, perhaps Climbing Cecile Brunner or Reve d'Or. And since it's the front yard, I would choose roses that have proven to hold their green leaves in the face of frigid temps. There would be gaura, salvia 'Victoria', echinacea, coreopsis, double hollyhock, evergreen liriope, loripetalum, crape myrtle, Ilex crenata, azalea, purple fountain grass, reblooming hydrangea, perhaps a dogwood, and the roses would be Mrs B R Cant at the two front corners, Enchantress, Bermuda's Anna Olivier, Clotilde Soupert, Souv de Francois Gaulain, Souv de la Malmaison, Blush Noisette, Le Vesuve, maybe some others and maybe two of some in mirrored positions. And some of the roses would certainly be from cuttings taken from my garden.
Just one issue comes to mind, and that is the dear son himself who rarely wants to take suggestions let alone give up design control. Ah well, perhaps there will be no garden with roses at DS' new house, but at least now my blood is rushing and my heart is pounding to get to work on my own garden. This awful, incessant cold weather has put such a damper on my enthusiasm and on my get-up-and-go. On top of that I was afraid it was my age. I've been feeling too old lately. Perhaps I'll hold on to this book for just a while longer.
So I settled onto the sofa after work with the book in my lap wishing I had two of them. I came across a landscape plan that would be perfect for the "new house". Wide borders down each side of the large front yard and along the sidewalk with a curvy walk running to the front door. In my mind I could place roses, evergreens, small trees and the flowering plants that I have learned will do well here in those borders in such a way that it would be a garden with roses not a rose garden. It would involve a lot of digging, but my heart was ready to dive in. Instead of a wisteria on the front porch there would definitely have to be a climbing rose, perhaps Climbing Cecile Brunner or Reve d'Or. And since it's the front yard, I would choose roses that have proven to hold their green leaves in the face of frigid temps. There would be gaura, salvia 'Victoria', echinacea, coreopsis, double hollyhock, evergreen liriope, loripetalum, crape myrtle, Ilex crenata, azalea, purple fountain grass, reblooming hydrangea, perhaps a dogwood, and the roses would be Mrs B R Cant at the two front corners, Enchantress, Bermuda's Anna Olivier, Clotilde Soupert, Souv de Francois Gaulain, Souv de la Malmaison, Blush Noisette, Le Vesuve, maybe some others and maybe two of some in mirrored positions. And some of the roses would certainly be from cuttings taken from my garden.
Just one issue comes to mind, and that is the dear son himself who rarely wants to take suggestions let alone give up design control. Ah well, perhaps there will be no garden with roses at DS' new house, but at least now my blood is rushing and my heart is pounding to get to work on my own garden. This awful, incessant cold weather has put such a damper on my enthusiasm and on my get-up-and-go. On top of that I was afraid it was my age. I've been feeling too old lately. Perhaps I'll hold on to this book for just a while longer.
Hope your son's recuperation goes well. If reading that book makes one feel younger, well, I'm ordering it too:) I hope your son will go with your plans. They sound perfect. Is your son a gardener? If so, please share what he does with his new "digs."
ReplyDeleteYour gardening idea is great, Sherry! I hope I will see pictures of it some day.
ReplyDeleteI have been feeling older too recently. I usually read at the kitchen table and have been finding it harder and harder to do recently. I was sure my eyesight is going... It finally turned out that four out of six light bulbs in our kitchen chandelier went out one by one (and I didn't notice) :-). I guess I don't need new glasses after all, just some light bulbs. I know your mood will change soon too, maybe with a bit more sunshine?