It's Coming Up Roses

"I'm a rose gardener, I'm a rose gardener!" I say. -picture me doing a happy little dance while I say this. Sorry no photo of the dance, I don't want to get hits from people searching for photo's of pregnant dancing ladies :)

I have never in my life tried to grow roses, but I always pictured this little area of the landscape off the kitchen porch as a rose garden. This spring Tim surprised me with three plants, all of them hybrid teas. Both of them pictured above are from the Gurney's mail order catalog. The orange one on the left is called Mojave and the yellow one on the right is King's Ransom. Like I said I know nothing of roses but they seem to be beautiful bushes, they came to us as bare root stock.

Tim also purchased one from the mail order company Michigan Bulb Co. We planted this rose at the same time as these and nothing ever came of it. A month or so ago we called MBC and requested a new plant be sent. They told us they were back ordered until Spring of 2008. Well, much to my surprise the new rose (Double Delight) showed up the beginning of this week. It is planted and hopefully will catch up with it's bed-mates soon. I worry though because it had some new growth started when we planted it and now this appears to be dying off. If this one doesn't take I think I will ask to use to money for something else and by a replacement from Gurney's.

Next year I plan to place two climbing bushes on trellises on either side of the mudroom window. I've decided to take this garden one step at a time so I don't become over-whelmed trying to get a bunch of finicky plants started.

If all goes well I might also consider starting some sort of ground cover rose. My only worry with that is we have black landscaping fabric under the mulch and I don't know if the ground covers need to be able to reach the soil at points to start new root systems. Something to look into at Molly's next nap time I guess.