I love to see gardens-in-progress almost as much as I enjoy viewing the mature results. You've got a lot of good things going there. Keep us posted on the progress.

By the way, great trellis and pillar! Your roses will look sensational growing on them.

Kate

Unfortunately Kate, I would rather see it mature. haha

It has progressed a long way though given that the soil was in such horrific shape when I started. When I moved here from Columbus, it was just a bunch of potted roses and cuttings I had, and they needed somewhere to be placed. Without giving it much thought, I just dug some holes on the vacant infertile clay stone pit and plopped in some roses. If I would have realized then what I know now, I would have made the space larger, rented a bobcat and scraped off the first 1.5ft of soil and amended it with better soil, but I think everybody does that to some extent. The soil was SOOOO bad when I started and it's still a rocky clay mess, but after digging some holes, I can see that the soil is starting to improve about a foot down and the worms are churning up the rest. Then again, I've probably dug enough holes and filled them in with garden/top soil, that it's about the equivalent of me amending it all. haha

This was what it was right after I plopped the roses in the ground in the fall of 2010...not a whole lot to write about and I still cringe at how bad the soil is/was.
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Seeing that tree really busts me up. I can tell it greatly appreciates the newer soil and the removal of the mulch bags that held water and nutrients back. I had to go out there this spring and cut out a lot of the branches on it simply because it has grown so much.
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The soil on the bottom right is a pretty clear illustration of how poor the soil was. Just rocks and clay and it was separated by old mulch bags underneath so not organic material or much water was making it way down further underneath. There used to be a garage here years ago and they buried some of the concrete here. I dug out some good 60lb chunks of concrete.
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Oh, what a wonderful trip through your garden. You have so much room and such good ideas. I hope you enjoy every minute of your gardening experience!

Wow, Nick! Please come to Kansas City! I neeeeed your help!!! Lol, lol. I have the most dreadful ugly garden, (roses are not ugly) but the garden certainly is!!!!I put surrounding perennials but it is taking them forever to hide the eyesores, lol! Mine will always be accursed with my wretched planning and lopsided endeavors, hehe!

Everything looks absolutely LOVELY and flourishing, Nick. And it's always so fun to read your commentaries on how things are changing and progressing. I also loooove your Mary Magdelene. So Beautiful! It totally does justice to the name of the rose....I know Evelyn is your favorite. But mine is your Mary Magdelene. Winchester is looking great too.

The companions are also very lush! Outstanding new additions!

Well I suppose I made it to DC this spring on a bus roundtrip for $85, so Kansas City probably wouldn't be too terrible haha.

The mother's "garden" is kind of tossed together and I'm just making the best of it now since it wasn't exactly planned out. It's nice for what it is. It will be nicer in the next year or two when every thing is mature including the perennials.

I did discover today that the rose that I thought was "Baron Girod de L'Ain" is in fact not Baron Girod. Now I have to hit the rewind button and go back 2 years to Columbus when I took cuttings at the Park of Roses and remember which ones I had and which one I could have mislabled and match it up. The scent is very familiar and very strong though. It could possibly be "Marchioness of Lorne" although I doubt it...probably another rose.

Today was mostly a dig out loads of scrap plants and "Lily of the Valley". I did manage to plant:
4-Rondo Penstemon
4-Husker Red Penstemon
1-Grand Marshall Monarda
1-Blue Centaurea Montana
2-Veronica Red Fox

Still need to find spots for Gaura Ballerina Blush and Violetta Verbascum. Should be pretty much finished on the rose side. I will add in buddleia and stuff around Crown Princess Margareta once I figure out the hose rearrangement situation.

Some more things are opening tomorrow, so I will get some pics. I was busy with stuff and it rained today so Mary Magdalene flopped over with all the blooms on young growth. Abe Darby, Unknown rose, and possibly Golden Celebration will open. The Winchester Cathedrals along the garage are openings and possibly even William Shakespeare 2000. Quite the guessing game. I'll update as they come along.

Wow, I love the color of the campanula. Thank you for the tour of your lovely garden.

Nick what is the color of your "Baron Girod de L'Ain" and its bloom form? Sometimes baby roses need time before they look as they should bloom-wise...Looking forward to the mystery "identification" photo, lol!

Hehe, I've had it with my lame a** self BTW....That's why you need to come to Kansas City, and repair all the damage I've created...I tell you, your Mom and I make a perfect pair, lol! Someone needs to keep the shovel away from me, just like they need to keep the clippers away from her, because I keep making things worse and worse.... Idiot me was distracted by a huge Global Warming debate and I ended up planting the wrong rose. I was supposed to plant Purple Beauty in the front yard because it is VERY THORNY, that way I would need minimal protective mesh netting....My anti-rabbit netting is a huge but unavoidable eyesore. But instead I saw Corona bloom this huge cheery flamingo pink rose that would not coordinate as well in my back lot pink section (need better contrast than that- and Corona is supposed to be more hot violet, but wasn't lol).... But then I thought that bright pink would look real good with the red stripey Broceliande and placed it there in the front yard, completely forgetting the rabbit issue. Then I realized CRAP, *%$#@!!!! GAAAAAAA! now I have to put this ugly *** mesh fence in the front yard now until things grow out...And yes, Corona has very little thorns too (facepalm)

I am truly hopeless Jeff! I don't want to redig up Corona...It is too stressful for a young plant, plus part of me does not know where else to put Corona...Colorwise there just isn't the ideal option it seems....So I'm stuck again at square one, waiting for the perennials to camouflage the nasty netting.

Penstemon! Would love to see that growing Nick. People at PB loooove this perennial.

I'm in Toledo. I've tried and tried Abe Darby, but it just doesn't look good here. I also have Baron and he too is a disappointment. I've no doubt shovel prune these this year. Most of my roses here in NW Ohio are doing rather good. Lots of blooms and I'm anxious!

Wow, your garden is really beautifully, Jeffcat! The roses look lovely and your campanula pictures made me miss mine!!

Pretty house. I like your trellis very much!
Renee