New Rose Bed

Hi Suzy ..

You've arranged those rocks very prettily.
Near the edges, you could perhaps add some little campanulas and aubrieta ?

Hi Terratoonie, I do want to add something else... are they perennials? I don't really want to faff around with bedding plants.

Hi Suzy ..
Click on A at the base of the page, and then on GoYpedia Aubrieta. It is one of the categories which I edit, and you'll see lots of planting ideas for aubrieta. Yes it is evergreen and perennial.

The small campanulas are also usually hardy enough to be perennial... such as Campanula garganica Dickson's Gold which has lovely yellowy/green evergreen foliage. I hope this helps :o)

PS ... I also edit GoYpedia Campanulas under letter C .. there you'll see various sizes of Campanula.

Thank you! I will have a look and might add them to my shopping list for next weekend :O

:o)))

Well done Suzy, you are doing extremely well. Your rose bed looks great.

Ahh TT I've just looked at Aubretta and Campanulas, love the Aubretta (I've seen it lots of times on your photos/blogs), so think I might go in search of that :) The Campanulas, I think I have in my garden over the other side. It spreads like wildfire but is pretty. Mine hasn't flowered just yet.

Thank you Cinderella, well I wouldn't say it looks great just yet, but it has potential!!

Hi Suzy..
Some of the campanulas spread faster than others ...
good luck with your choices :o)

Suzy, to stop Merlin and his wicked ways - you can cover your beds (at ground level) with chicken wire or any other sort of mesh, with holes cut to accommodate your plants...or just cut up lots of thin canes and stick them upright in the soil around your plants - make it too spikey for comfort!!!

As to what to put in...there's good advice here... :)

I've made every mistake known to man...but...I've learnt from it!!! :))

That's a good idea Karen, I've got some canes but I've also got some pea netting which might just do the trick. I shall try and sort something out tomorrow! I'm sure he'll be fine once the plants have grown a bit more, just at the moment he can see all the soil and thinks its his litter tray!

Yes...they all like fresh soil... :(

The netting will work best, in my experience! :)

Do you know Karen, I think I'll go and do it now, I'm in my pj's... but who cares, its my garden!!! Lol :D Got to do things when you think about them that's what I say!

Atta girl!!! :)

great stuff - love those rocks !!

Job done Karen :)

And thank you Paul.... they were very heavy, hope I don't decide to move them again!!

LOL! You and me both!!! ;)))))))

I've just had a thought Karen..... think I should move them nearer to the fence so that I can have something climbing along the fence :O That'd be a job and a half now its filled with soil!!!!!

What! The whole bed??? \O/ !!!!

No...clematis, behind in the ground...head in the sun and feet in the shade...perfect! :)

You've been very busy Suzy. I love the rocks you've built your rose bed with. The Aubretia will soften the edges for you as well as adding lots of colour. Well done it's been lovley reading your blog and looking around your garden too! :o)

Haha, I was joking on that one Karen! But could have been a better idea lol.

It would have to be something in a pot.... unless I get the diggers in :O

Up until now I've been against the idea of having anything growing on the fences as its new and I don't want it ruined and I want to be able to paint it when it needs to be painted! But I'm starting to change my mind because it all looks bare. I've put a clematis montana at the bottom of the garden which, in time, should grow across a fair few panels. I'll certainly have something behind the raised bed in time but it will have to be in large pots... or another raised bed :)

Thank you Tracey, that was a recycled job from a pond I had over the other side of the garden. The pond leaked so I got rid of the pond and wanted to do something in this area to make it part of the garden. I will certainly look out for aubretia, is it available to buy this time of year or is it more in the Spring?

Looks a treat Suzy, I have lavendar near my roses, the greenfly don`t like it and since I started doing that I no longer have a problem or spoilt roses...

That raised bed look great Suzy - love the colour of your rhododendron. Know what you mean about annuals - too much faffing around for me too!

You're doing well. Bulbs always look nice dotted in between other plants. I hope you get some nice flowers on your new roses.

Thanks everyone :)

Good idea about the lavender Lincslass, do you think it would be too big to go in with the roses?

Will defo get some bulbs Hywel and put in in the autumn.

That's a great idea about the Lavender, Lincs...I think I might do that too! :))

Wouldn't it be a good idea to have a 'like' button to click? I see comments and I want to click 'like'. lol :)

Mineature daffs like Tete-a-tete etc might be nice. They seem to last longer, and don't get blown over in the wind as much as the taller varieties.

Not boring..great blog and interesting garden..

ive tried Gypsophelia here but never taken i dont know why..

lavender is a good idea..perhaps something also that drapes through and over the stones..looking forward to seeing the progress..thanks for sharing

Yeah I'd quite like something to through through and over the stones, to try and make it look a bit more 'lived in', sure I'll find something. Think I'm going to look out for Aubrietia which Terratoonie suggested. I did google dwarf lavender and there seems to be a few varieties about so I'll have a look when I next to go the GC. I think I've gone off the idea of Gypsophelia! Thanks for looking :D

Gorgeous! I see Merlin is over seeing the work!!!!

Destroying more like!!

Is the pea-netting working yet, Suzy?

Well I don't like to speak too soon Karen... but yes it does seem to be!!! I'm surprised he hasn't started 'using' the new rose bed... maybe he doesn't like the smell of manure! :D

Heehee...lion dung...that's supposed to be the best deterrent!!

Fingers crossed the pea netting keeps working!!! ;)

haha lion dung.... well I am about 2 miles from Marwell Zoo... maybe if I ask nicely... haha!!!

Lol! Poor Merlin...he'd be terrified to put his bum down anywhere!! ;))

Brilliant! Nothing I like more than a bit of early morning gardening in my pjs! In fact if it weren't raining.....;). I also wanted to put in my half-pence worth about the smaller plants and vote for Hardy Geraniums, some of which will flower all summer long under your lovely roses (great choices btw, my rhapsody is covered in buds this year, I hope the rain doesn't spoil them like it did last year). You are really getting in to your gardening Suzy....you remind me of myself when I first started at it...so exciting isn't it! :)

Hehe have to say Karen, I think I might be a little obsessed with it! I've already put other plants in this bed now, just need them to grow a bit!

Yup, me too....no, I KNOW I am obsessed with it! Still, if you have an 'obsessive' type personality, it beats alcohol, gambling, overeating, pornography, shopping or facebooking any day! ;)

...not that I have tried all of them you mind!! :O lol x

I'll believe you Karen!

lol :)