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Days are shorter and sun has dropped low.

13 years ago

Well, I found a place for Bow Bells that I didn't know I had a few weeks ago. Gee, I can so easily be fooled by myself. What a sap! I was piddling in the front yard Saturday afternoon. It was about 2 o'clock, I think, and I'm standing with the sun burning my legs. Hmmm, look at all that sun streaming into this area from which I had to move Niles Cochet earlier in the year on account of shade. So the brain wheels start turning. Bow Bells was going to go where Mons Tillier vacated, then dear rosey friend gave me Mme Lombard, conceivably a big bush, so in a great spontaneous decision ML jumped in front of BB and took the spot since it's a corner, ideal for a big overlapping rose. Inspired decision with ramifications, namely Bow Bells. Roses are coming and going so quickly in my garden, but for the life of me I didn't know where BB could go now. Until the low autumn sun spoke to me. So I started digging not exactly where NC had been but a few feet out from the shade-casting oak tree that is only getting bigger by leaps and bounds due to the plentiful food and water its been getting. My thoughts were that BB would have 6 or 7 months of good sun before old sol shifts north and up again. Yeah, but BB is an Austin not a disease resistant tea, so I wonder how she'll handle some shade/filtered light. We will see, won't we? At least she's in the ground!

Also, just read Ingrid's recent post to the tail-end of her "I finally get it" thread. I read the phrase "I believe I'll become a better and more tolerant gardener" with my emphasis on "more tolerant gardener", and I let out a big "HAH!" in a moment of self-revelation. I had just finished shovel pruning Rosette Delizy and Cramoisi Superieur and contemplated the removal of Climbing Maman Cochet. Gasp!! She is SOOOO huge in such a small area. I don't think I can kid myself about her anymore. Was thinking of replacing her with a rose I can espalier against the trellis. At least it wouldn't be 8' over my head and 10' in every other direction. DH is concerned for the house. Hmmm, evolving garden or revolving garden?

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Comment (1)

ingrid_vc so. CA zone 9
13 years ago
Sherry, I think an evolving garden is a revolving garden, or maybe it's just me (and maybe you?). I'd noticed that Coquette des Blanches looked a little odd in my row of tea roses because it has such an upright habit. Christina (organicgardendreams) was visiting and I gave her Mme. Melanie Willermoz because this beautiful tea, which was in partial shade, still couldn't handle the heat, and I knew Christina adored this rose. I also thought of giving her Coquette des Blanches, another rose she really likes, since I thought I didn't have a spot for it other than where it was. She convinced me to keep the rose, good friend that she is, and later in the day it dawned on me that I had ordered Mrs. Dudley Cross (my second one here, I love it so much), and that she could go where my CdB is now in the tea row, and CdB could be planted where I had thought to put Mrs. Dudley. Why does it take so long to come up such easy solutions? I've ordered 14 roses and I can't tell you how often I've changed my mind about the placement of most of them. This is not rocket science, why is it so hard?

I feel better knowing that you're encountering similar placement agonies. Sounds selfish, I know, but it's just reassuring to me, especially since you've found a solution. Just wondering, have you thought of a replacement for Maman Cochet? It's a sad fact that a wonderful rose in the wrong place cannot bring happiness. I hope you can find someone with enough room to accommodate your wayward beauty.

Ingrid
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