minflick, remember I've had six years instead of your two, and that makes a huge difference, but I really don't believe in comparing gardens anyway. Each has its own flavor and style, and from looking at your other post I can see you've already done a lot. Keep on trucking!

Ingrid

Well it looks like a healthy rose in a well-prepared bed with a beautiful fence to me. And I love the sentiment of your having carried it around so long & being able to finally settle it in the ground. Enjoy!

Total agreement with Ingrid here. Congratulations, and enjoy your garden!

Your pictures are fun to see - your CB looks happy in its new home :)

Keep this picture and compare it to next year, and the one after that..you'll be amazed at the changes.

Have fun this year :). Any plans for additional roses?
Marleah

Possibly. I have nearly maxed out the available sunny locations, and even that front bed starts losing sun by 1 or so. I've got Rock & Roll (new bare root from Regan) in a half wine barrel up on the porch where it gets nearly as much sun as Cecille Brunner. I've got Monsieur Tillier by the steps up to the front deck (6+ hours sun). I've got Sombreuil, Blush Noisette, and Louise Odier over on the North edge of the property, where they don't get nearly as much sun as they deserve. Blush Noisette and Louise Odier are slowing growing. Louise is blooming nicely right now. Blush Noisette hasn't opened any buds, but there are a lot of them waiting for their time to arrive.

The back yard has Madam Alfred Carrier (blooming and leggy) and Cornelia (nothing yet... and small) I have a band coming, eventually, when it's big enough to ship, of Kim's Porcelain Rose, and I truly have no clue where it's going to go. It tolerates some shade, which is one reason I wanted it, aside from being beautiful!

Melinda

It sounds like it's time to start raising the skirts of your trees. Get out the chainsaw and take out some bottom branches! It's amazing how much more light it will let in--or are they neighbor's trees?

Eventually Cecile will be trying to take over the world. You will be amazed. I agree with everyone. Please don't think gardening is a competition. Gardens are wonderful and interesting at all stages. As time goes by you will have much to share.

I don't truly think of gardening as a competition. I just don't think my progress is as amazing as Ingrid's (At least I never had to take out all that lawn! Holy moly.) I know mine is only 2 years of work; had no idea how long her work had been going on, but I knew it was more than 2 years. Also, extremely different property, which makes a big difference. I'm a HUGE fan of before and after pictures. Even property wildly different than mine can be educational and amazing to watch transform.

The trees that take out the majority of my sunlight are next door, on the next lot south, in the middle of their property - and I think they have several dozen of them!! Tall mature redwoods... While my own redwoods (all 5 of them) do some blocking of their own, where they block isn't that important to the garden scheme. I also have to leave a very wide avenue open to the back yard so the propane truck can make it all the way back there without destroying plantings. The propane company wouldn't care at all, but I'd care a LOT. I'd like to shoot the person who put the tank so far back on the property, but relocating it to the front edge (like a majority of our neighbors) would involve also relocation of the pipeline that brings it inside the house - and I suspect that would cost me money I haven't got. I have limbed mine up some, as the goobers who used to live here stored all kinds of fun construction stuff (one former owner) and car stuff (another former owner!) under and behind the branches. Since I'm not fond of spiders in my hair, I cut off the bottom small saggy branches so I could get back there and clear things out. Voila! Fence line! Who knew?! I'd have to take the bottom 20 feet of branches or so to make any difference in light levels in that small section of the property, and I'm not doing that to my trees, and I don't want to see in the neighbors yard. I like the privacy the trees give me, and I can learn to deal with shade! All my glads and lilies fell over last summer, from trying to follow the sun in the afternoon as the house shaded the front bed. THAT was interesting... I have moved most of them (during Digging Season) and we'll see if their new location helps them be upright!

The tree I would LOVE to have a whack at is an old oak, which is holding up part of the cliff that keeps my house out of the river. It's got a trunk over a yard thick, but it also has punky branches that shed in any wind. I'd really love to have an arborist come out and look at it and properly thin it.

Thank you, minflick, for a picture of your very healthy rose. I love those green leaves.

My sister in CT spent $10K to chop down her trees, since she wanted more veges & flowers. I'm glad that I planted short trees near my house: dwarf cherry, dwarf dogwood.

In my last house (ranch) we had to climb up the ladder to clean the leaves in the gutter along the roof. Awful job ... sticky wet leaves. That taught me a lesson never plant tall trees near the house.

I planted 26 trees in my current house. The only regret? I wish I had planted less deciduous trees, when they lose their leaves, it's a real mess. I have no regrets with the evergreens, they give me the privacy I need .... so I can wear pajamas in my backyard!

I'm giving serious thought to gutter guards, let me tell you! Serious thought. We pay one of the kids to get up there and muck it out, but it's not easy to do. The oak tree is the main transgressor for the gutters, as some of it is over the roof.

I have worn pjs in the back yard, and in the front yard. Also nighties... Hell, I've weeded in my nightie! My kids cringe... Even with deciduous shedding in fall and winter, there are SO many trees everywhere here that nobody can see from house window to house window. I can see outdoor security lights across the river, but not windows, even at night. I have no back blinds or window treatments so we look out and see the trees and the raccoons, and the birds, and (if we look down) the river. I love it out here.

The big adjustment has been the shade and the colder winter than I'm accustomed to. I lost most of my succulents my first winter here, as they were tender, and the temps get into the high 20's for at least 18 nights every winter (of the 2 we've spent here). Still, I really love to garden, and even with learning to know shade plants and placement, I like having a garden to mess with. It is one of life's big pleasures for me.

The picture is taken at our north property line and driveway, in late afternoon, looking south. I have some serious trees around, as you can see.

Wow, that is a beautiful wooded homesite. Yeah, it might not be ideal for roses & other sunlovers, but, wow. I bet there are all sorts of lovely ferns & alpine forest plants that will thrive there.

When I lived on the hot humid TX coast I futilely tried foxgloves, campanulas, hellebores, lupines & many other poor plants of cool forests. Guess plant lovers always like to push the limits of their zones. Have fun experimenting:)

What a pretty homesite! I have seen a theme with everyone's pictures - there is some sort of serenity and peace in all of the different locations and gardens. I think it speaks to who we are as a group.

Even homes that are located in crowded suburbs, the gardens transport you to a different location with a much more relaxed vibe.

Thank you for sharing :)
Marleah