Container gardening, if the hour is late and you are fit to be tied for what to do, might be the best, cheapest, and most certainly quickest answer. DH and I moved into this house three years ago, and there really is no place suitable for a garden, except right up next to the house on the south and west sides, where the prior owners HAD rock, then barkmulched on top of it to cover the rock. Now, it's an ugly combination of rocks and bark, and since we both work full time and have three teenagers, time constraints didn't even allow for the "dig up and make it a real garden" option; besides, there are a few nice low shrubs that we didn't want to tear out. So, I did a little research and found the Earth Box. Did a little more research, and didn't begin to want to deal with their customer service, so continued to research. Found Garden Patch Grow Boxes, spoke with reps at customer service and felt pretty good about the company. Bought thirteen of them, and then found an Earth Box at a garage sale--great, this way I could compare. For the record, there is no comparison: the elasticized cover on the Earth Box (through which a gardener is supposed to make "X" hatches and plant starts), coupled with the butt-ugly black pipe sticking out, made the Grow Box a KO winner, especially when calculated in the GB came with the first year's supply of fertilizer. I have since discovered that their plastic covers will break down during the second year, so will be replacing all covers with some 4-mil plastic that I picked up in the Walmart hardware department, and using my own fertilizer, ala EB's original instructions, to make a "hybrid" growing box. Heat? Dry? Not a problem--the GB has a 4 1/2 gallon reservoir, and even on very hot days, if I water in the a.m. and check back in the p.m., they're never dry (and must NEVER be allowed to go dry). Weeds are not a problem, either; the bonus (that I didn't realize would be a bonus) is that we have terrible bindweed in our yard (okay, so that's not the bonus--wait for it!), and I didn't end up planting my garden into the ground right where the bindweed seems to be the worst. I never thought I would swear by container gardening, but I have grown carrots (in the same box with the tomatoes--who needs a separate stinking box!?!), peppers, radishes, eggplant, tomatoes, herbs, lettuce, cucumbers, squash, watermelon, cantelope, and flowers in my boxes. HUGE BONUS for container gardening: when we get our first hard freeze, I can take those suckers in the garage, and we'll have fresh tomatoes from our own garden well into January. They may not be as flavorful as those sun-warmed and -ripened that we miss from last August, but they're better than those pink mushy things loosely marketed as "tomatoes" at the local grocer, and not just cuz they're free! Good luck with your garden, and let us know what you end up doing!!!

Prairie When we lived in Katy, TX we gardened in raised beds and fire ants found that the area of the beds behind the South and West facing walls made excellent places for their nests. The best organic control that we found was to apply dried molasses whenever and where ever they showed up. It would keep them away for a month or 2 until rain washed away the molasses or until it was "used-up" by the micro-orgs in the soil. I have read from other posters on GW that the molasses application dramatically increases the bacteria in the soil and that the ants move on because they prefer a more steril environment. I doubt that you are dealing with fire ants in Z6 but perhaps the molasses would have the same effect. I was able to purchase 50 lb bags from a local garden supply store. You can also find it in feed supply stores. Before I found the supplier for the dried product I was using a hose end sprayer and filling it with non sulfured molasses from the grocery store and drenching the ant piles. It had the same result, but did not seem to last as long. Good luck. Matt

Lucky you! It sounds like a wonderful setting. I know absolutely nothing about the roses that will thrive in your location but I do have a suggestion or two. First, how close to the bench will these roses grow? Is the bench purely decorative or will it be used as a spot to relax and enjoy your garden? If the roses will be very close to someone sitting on the bench, consider how user friendly they'll be to your bench sitters. Most roses have thorns but some are especially thorny and vicious. Rose de Rescht is one of these, I'm afraid. I own this one and am about to do battle with it yet again as I have to move it. I believe that Felicia and Marie Pavie are near perfect choices if they will grow for you. They should combine well with wildflowers, perennials and herbs to make a wonderful little oasis. Why not consider another Pemberton hybrid musk? If one worked well, it's likely that another will, too, and their colors blend well. Or what about a tea noisette like Madame Berard? This is one that Marlorena recommended but I have no idea how it would grow in your location. The color is a changeable pastel that blends well with many roses and it is very fragrant, although the scent may not waft like a hybrid musk. I love tea noisettes and if you can grow this one, I'm envious. Whatever you decide, I hope you'll post pictures when it's complete.

So I thought I would update on the progress of my new rose garden. I have worked early and late with my pick axe, shovels and wheelbarrows to terrace this area. My children pitched in some here and there, but I did the bulk of the work by myself. I dry-stacked the rocks since the walls were under 18 inches tall and I like the rustic look. This area was mostly fill dirt with lots of rocks so I have added LOTS of horse manure and compost. I hope it grows well, and I think it should. That’s what I did for the pitiful soil in my vegetable garden and it proved to be just what my soil needed there. As you can see, the pet tortoise was moved. He is currently living in my vegetable garden where he is happy as a clam! (Though I don’t know much about the emotional state of clams.) On the first photo, you can see my memory garden which actually connects to my new terrace garden at the corner of the house. I like the way that worked out. It’s hard to see, but I planted 37 roses, 3 skyrocket junipers, 1 Philadelphus and a Black Lace Elderberry. I left room for a Silver Fountain butterfly bush over in the corner to hide the AC unit and lots of perennials between and in front of the roses, (nepeta, perovskia, lavender, etc. I even have room for several more roses! The bare circle in the center is for an arbor that my husband is going to help me build out of rebar. It already gives me a lot of joy and my teenage daughters love to hang out here, which makes me very happy. In two or three years it will hopefully become much more beautiful as the plants mature and fill out. I suppose my imagination might be at work here, but I think I can already see my roses smiling and spreading out since they’re released from their pots and have room for their roots to spread out and develop.