An Arbour and a Rose Garden

For literally years and years, I have wanted a white arbour in our garden, to grow a rambling climbing rose or weeping wisteria over. I also had my eye on the perfect spot in our garden – in the ‘new’ part of the garden out to the western side of the house (which once was paddock, but we claimed as garden when we re-fenced the yard). The little old gate in the long stretch of fence was originally at the front of the house in the old yard fence which we removed, we decided to keep the little gate and give it a new home. I love that it’s a nod to the original garden and our home’s history, but it was looking a little lonely by itself. So I started pointing out various arbours we drove past in local gardens to Matt and put my order in for ‘one just like that’. And sure enough, he delivered…

I was waiting for our lawn out this side of the house to look half decent for photos…but who am I kidding at this time of year?! The lawn here is a bit of a disaster zone, and we’re contemplating completely ripping it and sowing grass seed again – in Summer it just grows weeds and is very patchy in places everywhere, it may be easier to just completely start again. Sigh… Just imagine it with lovely perfect green expanse of lawn, yes? Good.

The arbour has turned out just as I imagined, a country garden classic. At the moment it’s looking a bit stark and lonely stuck out there by itself with all it’s shiny newness…but give it time and hopefully the climbing roses I’ve planted either side will meander their way upwards. We also have plans for garden beds of perennial shrubs either side of the gate to soften the fence and create a bit of a wind break (it is fairly exposed out this side of the house). I planted Climbing Cinderella to grow over the arbour, after having my heart set on the classic Pierre de Ronsard climbing rose it was unavailable when I was doing my bare rooted rose order from Treloar, of course I was impatient and got the Climbing Cinderella instead! Unfortunately overnight the poor roses were just decimated by rabbits/possums and stripped. I thought they were lost for sure, but put my trusty guards around them and they have re-shot well and have a fair bit of foliage on them now. With a bit of love and care I’m hoping they will be okay – roses are so tough and forgiving!

Another big job on the garden to-do list was to deal with the western wall of the carport and instate a garden bed along it. It is on a slight slope and so needed a small retaining wall of sorts to build it up, lucky we have access to lots of rocks from the paddocks! Matt carefully and particularly placed all the rocks just so, digging them in and positioning them to sit snugly against each other.

I didn’t have any roses in my cottage garden (a travesty!) so I wanted this bed to be a dedicated rose garden. It’s western facing so gets quite warm, roses would love it. I put in my order with Treloar for barerooted roses in Winter – Just Joey, Winchester Cathedral, Claire Austin, Princess Alexandra of Kent and another Climbing Cinderella to ramble up the corner of the carport. They have gone absolutely gangbusters! I’ve been so happy with how much they’ve grown, bushed up and bloomed. Roses! I have roses in the garden now! And I’m loving it. I can see many more years of rose appreciation coming my way. After not expecting much this season as I’d just planted them, I’ve been pleasantly surprised, and am already looking forward to next year’s blooms as I’m sure they’ll be even more impressive…

We kept the garden bed going around the corner and encompassed the back of the carport and behind the tanks, such a funny little area we’ve never known what to do with so making it a garden bed was a simple solution. It’s quite shady obviously between the tank and the carport wall so a friend divided and potted up some clivias for me from her garden (thanks Sandra!) and they are loving the shady spot. I also planted two hydrangeas (yes, more hydrangeas Matt) more towards the sunnier spots to hopefully bush up nicely and fill out the space.

Two big ticket items ticked off our always enormous and ever-growing garden to-do list! I’m so happy with how both the arbour and the new rose garden bed turned out – clever husband! Let it be known that I painted the arbour though. I can just see this western area of the garden with the perennial borders along the fence, the roses big and and blooming, the arbour covered in it’s climbing roses…and hopefully some nicer lawn. Better get back to that to-do list…