Garden disaster recovery (aka climbing roses update)

[OTheHugeManatee]

Thanks to everyone who posted advice when I asked about climbing roses a while ago. Here's my combined garden/neighbour grumble and roses update.

I came back yesterday from a weekend away to findthat my neighbour had butchered the laurel tree that sheltered the end of my little garden from the back of her L-shaped plot. Our gardens were subdivided from a single plot and hers continues behind my compost heap, which was also hidden by the laurel. So I'd gone from a nicely balanced if small garden to a scrappy patch, bordered by a low wall, ornamented with some mangled laurel stumps and a scenic view of my co
post heap and another neighbour's greenhouse.

When I looked out of the kitchen window this morning and saw how awful t looked I burst into tears.

Anyway, I've decided to solve the problem with trellises and use the excuse to get some climbing roses to give some shape to my plot and shield the compost heap. One is already up, and I like the effect so much I'm going back as soon as I Have time to get more.

Just wanted to share as I want some sympathy was so gutted when I saw what she'd done but am now tentatively starting to feel excited about growing some roses

Trellises are great! Just remember that if you do plant a climbing rose, it will tend to flower on the sunniest side (hopefully yours). Clematis are nice to plant as well with climbing roses :)

Mine is definitely the sunnier side.

I've planted Summertime and Bridge of Sighs , and though I still grump a bit when I look at the mangled stumps where once there was a lovely green expanse, at least now I can enjoy watching my new roses grow.

My new next-door neighbour totally gutted their house and is in the process of rebuilding it completely. He also did a Ground Force clearance job on the garden so it now looks like The Somme. Because of the roots interfering with his new foundations, he persuaded me to let him remove a big tree in my garden. That prompted me to ask him to take out some other trees and then got someone in to clear the rest of the border. A bit of work and a lot of planting later and I now have a truly lovely 60' long herbaceous border that I'm very proud of.

So take heart. Sometimes what seems like a total disaster in a garden can lead to great things happening. :) BTW... honeysuckle (lonicera) another lovely one for your trellis.

You're right, Cogito - sometimes it can look like devastation but with a bit of work the end result can be a huge improvement. I was just so when I saw what she'd done, and how it had completely wrecked the shape and symmetry I'd been working on. But my new roses are bedded in, blooming and starting to shoot upwards so I'm hopeful that it'll be a good thing in the long run