Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Our Latest Project


Jamey finished up our latest project this past weekend and we are very pleased with the way it turned out. Since I dislocated my back a week ago I was only allowed to direct and was strictly forbidden to do any labor. I had come up with the notion we needed some type of hedge at the end of the patio bed. My original idea was to go with a traditional boxwood hedge, but after more consideration we decided the impact of Knock Out roses in bloom would be more appealing for us. We really wanted more evergreens in the garden… we just couldn’t resist the roses though.

We extended the right hand side of the bed an additional 2 1/2 feet to accommodate the roses and continued along the side of the patio. The area beside the patio just needed to be wide enough for the roses we don’t intend on adding anything else to this part.

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In the pictures this looks like just a small strip, but it’s only because this is a very large bed we are re-shaping. You can get a better idea of the size by looking at the patio table in the background.

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It was absolute misery sitting there and watching Jamie do this all by himself. I wanted to get in there and do something so bad I couldn’t stand it, but I was having difficulty just sitting and standing so I’m glad he put his foot down. Didn’t he do a fantastic job though? We were both very pleased with the way it turned out.

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By next spring this should be an incredible hedge of deep pink and red blooms. I think they are actually supposed to be red, but as the blooms mature they turn more of a pink. I can’t wait to see them in all their glory.

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In other news, our little winged harlot, Jezebel has settled down to just one fellow and is busy raising her family. He seems to be a good mate and kept her supplied with food during those last days on the eggs before they hatched.

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My grandmother's “English Dogwood” is approaching full bloom right now.

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The amaryllis are also starting to open up as well. Here’s hoping this post finds you in spring cheer.

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28 comments:

Monica the Garden Faerie said...

I'm not even a rose person, and I find the rose border to be a knockout! It's truly beautiful and I can tell you are "real" gardeners by how much space you left empty toward the grass for the roses to fill in.

Unknown said...

I am in awe of your backyard!! What a wonderful job with the flower bed, love the knock-out roses!!

Randy said...

Hey there Monica! Yea, we didn't need a terrible amount of room, but we did need to leave some room for them to grow. Our intention to keep them pretty compact, no larger than 3x3. That should be a nice size for them. I think they only get four foot.

Randy said...

Thanks Darla! This is our first time growing them. I hope they are as disease resistant as they claim. LOL We are waiting on the double yellow to come out.:-)

Annie in Austin said...

No Knockout experience here Randy & Jamie, but they do have quite a reputation for growing and blooming well. Hope the border becomes all that you'd hoped for! And also hope the back gets better soon.

Annie at the Transplantable Rose

Gail said...

Randy, Jamie did an outstanding job of enlarging the garden bed. I think your right...the knockout roses are perfect. gail

Dirt Princess said...

Looks great! I love knockout roses. I have several of them. They do great, very hardy. They just bloom & bloom & bloom

Roses and Lilacs said...

I grow some pink Knockouts and they are prefectly disease free here. Almost constant bloom. Of course your situation is probably worse because of your extreme heat. They make a big impact on the way the garden looks. They tie the expanse together. It looks really great.
Marnie

Phillip Oliver said...

I bet you'll have a hedge by the end of summer. Are these the regular Knock-Out or the double? Jamie did a great job - I can just see you sitting there supervising!

F Cameron said...

Randy -- Beautiful design!

I think you'll find that the KO roses are "almost" evergreen in your garden. They hold onto their leaves until about January/February here, but start growing new ones almost immediately. I have seven growing along one side of the fence in the cottage garden. They were planted in fall 2005 and have been top performers. The only problem has been Japanese Beetles. I use a mix of Neem Oil, bio-dish detergent and water to spray the rose leaves and keep the blooms cut off during the height of JB season. Then, they bloom until Thanksgiving.

Cameron

Randy said...

Annie, I think it will turn out good. Thanks for the well wishes on the back, I’m almost healed already. :-) I just have to be cautious about everything.

Gail, Jamie did do an outstanding job! He’s a very hard worker, and never grumbles about anything I ask him to do in the garden.

Dirt Princess, I mistakenly thought they had a double yellow, If the do I can’t find it online anywhere. Have you seen a double yellow anywhere?

Marnie, thanks so much. I really like the Pink too, an elderly woman beat me to them. LOL If these perform well for us we will most likely find a place for the pinks too.

Phillip, they are doubles, I don’t care for the singles they don’t last very long in our heat. I was so fidgety sitting there, partly from being uncomfortable, partly from being helpless.

Cameron,
It would be fantastic if they were evergreen! That would be perfect! We will keep our eyes out for the beetles, they didn’t seem as bad last year as they usually are.

Annie in Austin said...

Randy, I've only seen the single yellow Knockout but maybe you read about that heirloom double yellow called "Grandma's Yellow Rose" (formerly 'Nacogdoches')? It's had a lot of press and was named the 2009 Texas SuperStar rose.

Annie

tina said...

I do hope your back feels better soon. The new garden is wonderful. You should have your garden in a magazine every month for all its beauty. I think it funny the mock oranges are called English dogwoods down there. I read that on Dirt Princesses blog or I'd never know what you were talking about without looking closely.

Chandramouli S said...

Love the roses, Randy. You two are fine gardeners and no doubt you guys would turn that bed into a riot of colors soon. Hope your back gets okay soon. I know it's a misery not to be able to work in garden, but hey, once you get well, you can get back into the dirt! Think of that day and you'll be jumping around in no time.

Lisa at Greenbow said...

I know just how you felt Randy. I had neck surgery a couple of years ago and couldn't do much in the garden for one whole summer. It was very frustrating.

Wow Jamie certainly did do a great job. What a border you have now. Everything looks so neat and tidy. I almost makes me want to go into the garden and get busy. Almost I say. ;)

Pam/Digging said...

I can never resist the Knock Outs either. Is that 'Radrazz'? I have two, and they bloom beautifully and are evergreen here in Austin.

Randy said...

Annie,
My aunt was the one that told me about the double yellow. She said she saw it on a gardening show and it was supposed to be released this year. I think she was mistaken and only saw the “Sunny” yellow. ---- I just looked up the yellow to confirm I was correct on the name Annie, and accidently found an article that was released in October 2, 2007. It was an interview with Steve Hutton and he says at that point in time it’s “still in the works” so we may have to wait another year for it. She knew what she was talking about after all; maybe it will come out next year. Is Grandma’s Yellow Rose as disease resistant?
Tina, I call it that because that’s what my grandmother called it. I’ve hear it called beauty bush too. Down here we have another tree called Mock Orange that actually produces fruit, Maclura pomifera. So when you say Mock Orange here, that’s what people think about.

Mouli,
You are right about my back and I know that, the only think has me so frustrated is it just took me eight months to get over the last back problem and I messed it up again. I have four bulging disks in my lower back. Fortunately, this latest injury is an old one that heals fast. I need to some good Ayurvedic medicine. Do they practice that in your region? If they do then what do you suggest?

Lisa,
Surgery is just what I’m trying to avoid. I know how to fix my back with exercises; unfortunately what works for one area seems to aggravate another. I’ve got to get a new plant going. People that don’t have back/spinal problems have no idea what it’s like, do they?

Pam ,
I’m almost certain that it’s ‘Radrazz’ , but to be honest I haven’t even looked at the tag, which is odd because it’s usually the first thing I do. I’ve been a little distracted, but I’m sure you are right about it.

sweetbay said...

I love the rose hedge! Very nice. That looks like it was a supersize project.

They should be evergreen for you, as Cameron said, and they have a very very long bloom time. The hype is true, they don't seem to get any disease at all.

Hope your are feeling better soon. That injury sounds serious.

Randy said...

Thanks Sweet Bay! I'm so glad to hear that it will probably be evergreen here from you guys! That just tickles me!

My back is much better, I think I'm on the road to recovery. IF I will just behave a little while. It's just so hard for me not to do things that I see need to be done.

Frances said...

Hi J and R, first off, I am so sorry about your back. Gardeners with back problems are so common, sigh. Hope it is just temporary for you to be back helping Jamey in no time. The work was meticulous, many congrats to you on a job well done. Our neighbor down the street with the huge garden has a hedge of knockouts that are absolutely stupendous. They needed something that was less labor intensive than the mixed border that was there before. I miss the cottage look, but those roses in bloom look good all year, nearly evergreen. The foliage is such a pretty color, they really are a good choice. Happy bloom day to you both! :-)
Frances

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful new addition to your gorgeous garden! I love the idea of the Knockout rose hedge around the border. They bloom for such a long time here, I adore them. :)

Cindy, MCOK said...

Jamie did a fabulous job ... I love the curve on that bed. Watch your back and don't reinjure yourself!

Randy said...

Thank you all for your kind words and encouragement! I DID do a thorough job puttin in all fourteen of those roses and I know Randy desperately wanted to help, but I kept barking for him to just to "sit down and get over it". I wasn't about to let him do ANYthing that would put any sort of strain on his back.

He's been quite annoyed with it all because he couldn't even cut grass today, which he normally does and we have company showing up late tonight and he's fussy about the yard not looking as trim and proper as normal! But such is life, right?

I can't wait for the roses to grow larger into our desired hedge we've envisioned. It will certainly be a sight to see!

--Jamie

Anonymous said...

It all looks so good. That is a fortune in roses but they will pay off with blooms. Mine bloom their heads off. You two can be proud cause it is so orderly.

Randy said...

Frances,
I’m glad to hear they are almost evergreen up there; we are a little warmer than you so they should do well here. Happy late bloom day to you and enjoy your weekend.

Racquel,
Everyone has had such positive things to say about the Knockouts, I feel secure we made the right choice now!

Cindy,
It’s always good to hear from you! Jamie is a good gardener. As far as my back is concerned, I’ve come to realization that I just can’t do some of the things I use to anymore, so I will use more caution in the future.

Anna,
You are right, it was a fortune in roses, but Jamie and I don’t go to the movies, we don’t wear expensive clothes, we rarely take a vacation. We sacrifice those things so we can buy for the garden. LOL We both need new work clothes right now. As gardeners we all know how expensive it can be, but my gracious, what would we do without it? You are so right, it will pay off a 100 fold for us.

Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog said...

Yes Jamie did a fantastic job. Love those roses. I'm afraid I wouldn't have any problem sitting back and watching someone else do all the work. Okay, maybe I'd have just a little problem. :-) Hope your back gets better soon!

Jan said...

Great job, as usual. I think you will be very happy with the Knockouts there. They are great performers and you still will have your hedge, just with flowers. You two have done such a great job rebuilding your garden. Hope your back is better.

Jan
Always Growing

The Redneck Rosarian said...

Just found your blog today. Very nice roses! Glad to see some Alabamians blogging their gardens.