What a pretty front garden. I have three plants of Le Vesuve and I think she's very worthy of a special spot. She is such a bloomer. I also have a newer garden (this is year two) and it's so exciting to see the roses getting bigger and having more blooms.

Sherry,
Good work! I think your neighbors are lucky to have a chance to see what a front yard without grass can look like: lawns are so overrated. Perhaps you'll start a new fashion in your neighborhood.
Melissa

Awesome.

Mike

Is the house next door for sale? ;-)

Congrats Sherry, it's looking grand!

Sherry
what a lovely front yard you have. I can only HOPE mine starts looking as nice next year.

You should be on the rose tour for CFHRS. I got an email that it's this Sunday but alas I cannot go :-(

Denise

I love your front yard and it will be really glorious as it matures. So many of my new roses are new and small and in new beds (did I really just say that!) and I can't wait until they get bigger. The path is very interesting also!

What is the red rose on the trellis?

Lynn

Sherry looking at your garden it's hard to believe that it's only a year old. :) It's beautiful!

It's beautiful! I hope your neighbors appreciate you. I certainly would.

Sherry, your front yard is very pretty! It is an inspiration! You must have put in a lot of hard work. I really like the circle shaped bed with LeVesuve in the middle and the surrounding path.

Thanks for sharing! Please, post more photos as the garden matures.

Absolute great use of space. Love it! You should be very happy with your garden. Denise

Just gorgeous! It is looking really, really good. I love the design. I second what Melissa says, your neighbors are very lucky indeed.

Thank you for sharing your most lovely pictures of a great job extremely well done. You are really going to be surprised when you compare Spring 2010 to these pictures, too. They will be so much bigger and better. It just gets better every year (when you don't get late freezes). You should not get late freezes; you have done a spectacular job. Can you come help me now.

Absolutely wonderful----Did you design this lovely yard---

Diane--you gave me a good laugh---I was thinking the same thing

Lucky---lucky-- lucky neighbors----

Florence

Thanks for sharing! This is absolutely beautiful! Your neighbors must be green with envy! You're probably known as the rose lady there. What an inspiration! Thank you.

You're all so sweet. I got a little teary at all the nice things you said.

Ingrid, I recently received the LeVesuve Climber which will go in the backyard and was just looking at Maggie and thinking shovel. Maybe LeVesuve would be a good replacement but she came from Vintage and shipping is so expensive. Maybe I'll try cuttings :))

Melissa, I'm sure you remember St Augustine grass. Well, I learned the hard way it isn't meant for small spaces. Edging it was killing me, and when the edger died, well, that indicated a change was needed. I loved the look of that emerald carpet - just not the upkeep and the diseases and bugs and freeze damage. Interestingly, the "path" seemed much smaller when it was grass. Once the gravel was down it looked huge and even too wide. But the thought of making it smaller gives me the shakes. I can't just 'think it and make it so' though if I could I'd have room for a few more bushes. I'm the second in our small neighborhood to go 'grassless'. The neighbor who did it first (at the time of construction) drove by one day, stopped and said "I admire your courage." I pondered that a while, thinking it was an odd thing to say. Then I figured it out. Being different takes courage, I guess, but I never thought about it before or would describe myself that way even now. But it was gratifying to hear such a thing from a neighbor.

Mike, you're a man of few words. Thanks.

Diane, you made me laugh, too, but there's no for sale sign next door. But I'll give you the owner's name & phone number. He currently is living in two houses - more in the other a few blocks away than in this one, so this house and yard are neglected. You'd like Ocala, very friendly town. And I'm a Connecticut native.

Denise, I'd be surprised if they'd come all the way up here, though our Society just went on a tour of four Tampa gardens, but they were mostly growing modern roses. And there absolutely is hope. We just need the patience to go with it.

Lynn, I know the feeling. ***So many of my new roses are new and small and in new beds. Makes sense to me. :)) The red roses on the arbor are both Don Juan on Fortuniana - very vigorous and popping new growth like crazy! I don't know if you can see them, but I also have a Red Cascade on each side at DJ's feet, trying to hide naked legs. I may or may not need them. They're in partially buried pots.

Alicia & Pam, recently my neighbors are very complimentary. (It's amazing what a few flowers will do.) Before they probably just thought I was wacko and had a thing for digging and redigging.

organicgardendreams, hard work is exactly what it was. Gravel is very heavy stuff, and St Aug grass is tough stuff. We have to be careful that our "heart's desire" doesn't write a check our bodies can't cash. There were times when I was afraid I was in over my head and still when the water bill comes.

Denise, I am absolutely happy. And when the blackspot arrives in force I will be culling out the worst & replacing them with healthier ones - if there are any.

jbfoodie, thank you. I agree the design really is key, and I can say that because it was providence not me that birthed the idea. A very happy accident on my part.

Patricia, you're right (and very sweet), future prospects are absolutely exciting. In spirit I am with you with my shovel and wheelbarrow, but my body still has to dig out a bed for Blush Noisette and LeVesuve, Cl - hopefully, before April is over.

Florence, I don't know if I'd call them totally lucky. After all, their 'scenic view' of a sweaty, dirty, red-faced woman in T-shirt and baggy shorts may not be what they bargained for.

holleygarden, you're welcome. Everyone mentioning the lucky neighbors has made me rethink. Until now I just figured they thought I was nuts, but I guess they might just be glad I live here. I know one thing. It would be wonderful if you all were my neighbors!!

Sherry

Sweetie,it's the thought that counts. Cannot wait to see pictures later and more next year.

Sherry, it looks great, I can't believe it's only been a year. I made a new bed 4 years ago and it looks about the same. It will look even better next year. Now all we need is a way to get rid of thrips for good!

Sherry, I have only just seen your photos. I love your garden.
The design is perfect for the space.
I think grass in a front garden is pointless. How often does anybody sit on the grass in a front garden?
Also as the roses grow, they can spill over the edge, and soften the look even more.
The archway is just the icing on the cake, and all the roses look gorgeous.
Daisy

Buford, I'm always amazed by the difference a couple of zones makes. I've lived in Georgia, and I know how hot it gets but that's not all that matters, I guess. But it's startling that you say my 1-yr old roses resemble your 4-yr old roses. I'm thinking mine is the right zone for an impatient gardener like me!

Daisy, you make some interesting points. I needed a design for a small space (basically 30'x30') that would display the most roses (I have 28 out there) attractively. Not being a student of garden history or design, I didn't have a clue. So I really appreciate your compliment. As to spilling over the edge, that is a nice luxury. Though I need to wait to see how some roses are going to mature, I have noticed a couple of spots that could potentially take a smaller rose, but I have very limited choices for small rose bushes that are healthy in a no-spray Florida garden. I'm learning the hard way that Teas are my best bet. My question would be what effect planting them so near the edge of the bed might have. My unamended soil under the gravel is compacted limey sand - not the best home for rose roots, I suspect. But there are four Encore Azaleas (summer blooming) along the edge of the gravel that will get to be 3'x3' so they'll be spilling over, too. The next few years will be very interesting.

Sherry

hi, Sherry,
I've seen the pics of your garden that you've posted over the first year, and it's been fun to watch you add roses and to look at the garden as it's grown. I've been glad you're so generous with your pictures and commentary, so we can watch it grow too.

Ain't it fun!!

Gean, I'm a photo-aholic, and I'm glad you don't mind. I usually take tons everyday and download right away to the computer. It works like a journal for me, and as you say, it's fun!! I'd love to see everyone's garden. I think it would be a cool "requirement" for membership on the Forum. :)) I know there are gorgeous mature gardens out there and new ones full of potential and ingenuity. I want to see them all. And like you said, watching the gradual changes and maturation of a garden is fun, too. Thanks for looking. I always appreciate your comments.

Sherry

Sherry,

Thanks for sharing your lovely house and garden. I've watched your posts with interest, as I started my rose gardening about the same time you did. It's very helpful for a newcomer to see roses in their growing phases. It gives me personally a better perspective about whether my roses are growing as they should and what I can expect in later years. It's also very helpful to hear from someone who has a vision as you did. I hope you'll never quit sharing your pictures with us.

Thanks,
Mary

Mary, I just hope others don't get tired of seeing them. I mean, sometimes a good thing can be driven into the ground. You need to post yours, too, so we can see what's working for you. This year my attitude has gotten pretty ruthless - no more tolerating plants that obviously don't like it here. I'm replacing them with Teas. At least, they're happy.

Sherry

Sherry;
Keep posting. It's the kind of garden I would slam on my brakes to see if I was on your street. Love it!
Mary