I dont know if many of you recall but about two years ago I posted a thread about my motherÂs rose garden, which had fallen on hard times since the passing of my father. To recap, the rose garden had gotten so bad that mom wouldnÂt even enter the backyard. As a gift to my mother I decided to renovate it so that she could once again enjoy her back garden.

Needless to say after years of neglect the rose garden was in shambles. The garden consisted of four flower beds arranged in a grid around a fountain, each bed containing an overcrowded mix of grafted Hybrid Teas and English Roses. Two arbors flanked opposite sides of the rectangular garden. Over half of the roses in the beds were dead. The remaining were stunted and completely defoliated from black spot. This pitiful state of affairs wasnÂt surprising given the years of neglect and the fact that the beds had never been properly measured in the first place. Overcrowding and poor air circulation had provided the perfect breeding ground for black spot and other fungal diseases. Furthermore, my mother got it into her head to plant mint as"living mulch" and it was choking out everything in sight. The broken fountain in the center provided the perfect focal point for a scene that looked like something out of a Southern gothic novel.

At the time mom was 68. Dad died when she was 66. Grieving over my father had literally broken her health (one night shortly after his death she screamed and hammered a wall with her tiny fists until her voice gave out). I knew she no longer had the physical strength or discipline to provide the kind of care required for Hybrid Teas and most English Roses. My sister lives with mom but suffers from an illness that limits her energy and cognitive abilities. Thusly, this garden had to be structured in a way that would allow it to look good with minimal maintenance during my once-a-month visits. I also wanted to reduce our exposure to chemicals. The design I came up with was colonial in style and organic. Spraying limited to a single application of lime-sulfur in the winter and the Cornell formula once-a-month during the growing season.

Work began two years ago. I ripped out all but two of the existing roses (see below entries for Fourth of July and The McCartney Rose in the Report Card section). Next the first bed was redrawn, approximately 4x12 feet with an additional 18 inch border. The bed held three roses with each rose getting a 4x4 growing space. Rose rings were constructed out of plastic edging material and positioned at the base of each rose to conserve water and maximize fertilization. The same edging material was also used to divide the bed from its border. A thick layer of cedar mulch was laid down on the rose growing area in the middle. The border was planted with lavender and rosemary (2-3 lavender plants for every 1 rosemary), then mulched with sand. The entire bed, including the herbal border, was outlined by scalloped concrete blocks tinted a red brick color.

The first bed took the entire first summer to construct (remember I was only going home once-a-month; I also got sidetracked by familial responsibilities). It was a difficult project because I kept hitting entrenched roots left over from a large maple tree that had once grown in the area (not to mention moving a monster McCartney Rose danged determined to stay where it was).

Planting began in April 2007 with Madame Joseph Schwartz (Tea), MooreÂs Striped Rugosa (Hybrid Rugosa) and CRAMOISI SUPERIEUR (China). I spent the rest of the summer constructing the second bed. In September 2007 I put in Duchesse de Brabant (Tea), Marie dÂOrleans (Tea) and BelindaÂs Dream (Shrub).

Last Sunday I finished planting the herbs in the second bedÂs herbal border. Sixteen plants in all. I also replaced two dead Spanish lavender plants (tip: not hardy in zone 7b) with May Night Saliva. It was a rainy day (perfect for transplanting) but I didnÂt mind at all. I felt an overwhelming feeling of joy when I finished and could really take a look at the garden. Yes there is the busted fountain; the bags of mulch for the third bed bulkily piled up in the pathway (to kill the grass) between the two new beds, and the iron arbor standing lonely at the other end of the garden. But I didnÂt really notice those things. Instead I saw the shining new beds with their professional two toned look. I smelled the fragrant lavender and the fragrant Tea roses (DdB). How could I possibly feel bad about the work to be done? This is a garden being built by love.

A ROSY REPORT CARD:

BELINDAÂS DREAM (Tea, 1857) Â medium pink. Earthkind Rose. Own root from the Antique Rose Emporium. Planted autumn 07 in the second bed. Reminds me of a Hybrid Tea. A HT that actually keeps its foliage without chemical sprays. Has three thick canes; nicely branched out and topped by clusters of big, fat buds. HasnÂt yet bloomed so I canÂt comment on the flowers. At least it looks healthy. Minimal black spot (less than 1/3).

CRAMOISI SUPERIEUR (China, 1832)  red blend. Own root from Countryside Roses. Planted spring 07 in first bed. Last year I was worried about this rose. Instead of growing up it sent out spindly, sparsely foliated canes in all directions. It did bloom but the flowers were tiny and rather  well  boring. This spring it appears to be building up on itself and is putting on more height. The flowers are also larger and more globular in form. Lovely sweet pea and cherry candy fragrance. Superb black spot resistance, but susceptible to powdery mildew. Fortunately the Cornell Formula actually appears to work on the mildew. Definitely a keeper.

DUCHESSE DE BRABANT (Tea, 1857) Â porcelain pink. Earthkind Rose. Own root from the Antique Rose Emporium. Planted autumn 07 in the second bed. My favorite of the lot. She has it all! It hasnÂt even been a whole year and the Duchess is already the best shaped rose in the garden. Lots of thin canes growing out and up, forming a perfectly shaped little shrub. Lush, lime green foliage is the perfect foil for the delicate flowers. And the flowers! OH MY GAWD!!! They look like small, doubled tulips and the color must be seen to be believed: pure luminous clear pink that varies in intensity along the silky petals. The flowers nod on the thin stems. Now I donÂt normally like roses that nod but this trait actually accentuates the roseÂs overall femininity. And donÂt get me started about the fragrance. Strong Tea rose with hints of Damask and Sweet Pea. It ought to be bottled.

FOURTH OF JULY (Large Flowered Climber, 1999) Â red & white stripe. Found growing up one of the iron arbors in the neglected rose garden. Looked healthy with lots of shiny dark green foliage so I let it stay. Has responded well to removal of dead wood, regular weeding, watering and feeding (Rosetone). On Sunday he was blooming his fool head off. Striking flowers. Nice crisp green apple fragrance. Evil thorns but worth keeping. Besides, my mother loves it.

MADAME JOSEPH SCHWARTZ (Tea, 1880) Â blush white. Own root from Countryside Roses. Planted spring 07 in the first bed. A white sport of Duchesse de Brabrant and just as excellent in every way.

MARIE DÂORLEANS (Tea, 1883) Â deep pink. Own root from somewhere; I think the ARE but IÂm not sure. Planted autumn 07 in the first bed. The upright bush isnÂt as nicely shaped as DdB but the emerald green leaves are spotless. Covered in buds. Judgement pending.

MOOREÂS STRIPED RUGOSA (Hybrid Rugosa, 2005) Â red & white stripe. Own root from Uncommon Rose (the last rose I got from them; I could just cry). Planted spring 07 in the first bed. Has been a bit of a disappointment. On the plus side: it flowers continuously, has good vigor and isnÂt overly thorny (unlike most Hybrid Rugosas). Negatives include poor black spot resistance (last year it defoliated), unreliable fragrance and awkward growth habit. IÂm thinking about replacing it with Careless Love (HT, striped sport of Radiance, 1955).

THE MCCARTNEY ROSE (Hybrid Tea, 1992) Â deep rose pink. Grafted, from some unknown local nursery. Transplanted to another part of the backyard in autumn 07. The rose that ate Virginia! TMR is a study in contrasts. On one hand are the prissy high centered flowers on long cutting stems. Sinfully fragrant too. On the other hand there is the GIGANTIC BUSH. I canÂt believe this is a Hybrid Tea. Mom practically lay down on top of the roseÂs 7+ foot canes to prevent me from cutting it to the ground with a chainsaw. In order to move it, I had to first build it a new home. Yep, an entire new bed bordering the west backyard wall. I made that bed B-I-G. Getting it out of the weed infested old bed was torture. Those roots ran deep. At one point I actually felt like I was wrestling a mountain lion. But the rosarian won in the end and TMC got evicted to the new bed. Of course, I went home that Sunday all cut up from the evil thorns. If you ever plant this rose make sure you put in it in a permanent spot because TMR enacts a steep blood tax. OUCH!!! Minimal black spot (less than 1/3).

Image of Duchesse de Brabant by Randy (gnabonnand) at the Antique Rose Gallery

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