If only sweat were irrigation...: 2015

Saturday, May 2, 2015

In the garden again

Tada! I was digging in the garden today, first time in two years. Such elation!

My garden had deteriorated to such a state that I hired a lady, Angela, to rescue it for me. And she did! She works as hard and as carefully as I do, and she's faster. The front looks better than it has a right to after such neglect. Two beds were buried in Bermuda grass but no more. Today I was busy with the driveway bed, spraying RU on all the germinated weeds that appeared this week, digging up leftover Bermuda roots, spreading Black Kow and topsoil to raise the sunken level, and planting a new rose.

Believe it or not there are three roses in this mess. With apologies to the neighbors it remained like this for months.

After Angela! She had the brilliant idea to divide up several liriopies and plant them along the property line, creating a wind-break to block the neighbor's weed seeds and Bermuda grass clippings when they fill in. The debris pile got even bigger.

Here it is all cleaned out and bigger than before. You can see the darker soil is the old rose bed. The lighter (sandier) part had azaleas and liriopes in it.

After adding 15 bags of topsoil and four bags of Black Kow. The new rose is closest to the camera.

I nearly fainted when I saw Kordes roses at Lowe's. This is the biggest potted rose I've ever bought. 'Zaide' is said to be very disease-resistant. After lots of DH's questions about what I want for Mother's Day I decided this was it.... along with a 'Blue Girl'. It was a very large plant as well and healthy and full of buds so naturally I couldn't resist. Though it's also a Kordes rose, it's older and not disease-resistant. Oh, well, you win some and lose some.

I'm definitely on a buying spree. Yesterday I bought three Endless Summer hydrangeas, thinking I can fill in with these easy-care plants and forget the roses. Twenty-four hours later.....

May I also add a postscript that I have been eager to tell. These roses of mine are truly none the worse for wear after two years without feeding. At this point I don't think I need to feed several times a year. I fed them last week, and I think that will be it till next spring. I really believe by using the composted horse manure I built good organic garden soil that has been able to sustain the organisms and the worms which have done their work of providing the nutrients that the roses needed.

Organic is the keyword.

If I had been using synthetic fertilizer, I'm guessing this garden would be dead by now.

'Pink Pet' rooted through the bottom of the pot, but she's moving to the driveway bed soon. Whoever heard of not having to feed potted roses for two years? That is not what the experts say!

After Angela

'Madame Abel Chatenay'

My garden brain is totally out of practice, so I can't remember the name of the red climber, but the salvia is 'Victoria'. The climber is now three years old, ready to leap.