The first ones we purchased were “cheap and cheerful” painted wooden ones, and they deteriorated quickly. One word of caution on the trellis panels: Make sure whatever you choose is sturdy and long lasting. So I fashioned a floral mural with freestanding trellis panels that created a living wall of blooms and a natural pathway between the two houses.īy mixing climbing roses, climbing miniatures, clematis, and hollyhocks, we can enjoy a bit of privacy as well as a parade of colorful flowers that lasts all season.
The lots are long and narrow, and there is very little elbow room in between. Go figure.Īfter the success of the "well bed," we decided to better define the space separating our side yard from our neighbor’s. Surprisingly, the bushes that take the brunt of the winds, including the sometimes-tender Pristine, have done better than those on the leeward side. One thing that surprised us was how well the exposed bed stood up to biting winter winds that whip across the garden off the creek behind the house. Mallard, who wishes to make her nest on top of a catmint each year. Annual moonflower vines were added to climb up the obelisk in late summer.Įach year the new bed grew thicker and prettier despite bunny raids, some severe summer storms, and Mrs. I also sprinkled in six catmints between the roses. 1 fear and objection to the project).īy spring I’d planted 18 roses, including hybrid teas, shrubs, miniatures, a floribunda, and a polyantha. We dug a circle four feet in diameter from the pipe, being careful not to crush the line transporting water from the well to the house (my husband’s No. But it also gave me an excellent excuse to buy more roses. It meant lots of work, first digging up the grass, then preparing the bed. So a few years ago, I decided to plant a new bed around the pipe in hopes that eventually we’d see posies from the porch instead of plastic. That’s fine, but a 2-1/2-foot white pipe sticking up in the middle of the backyard tends to distract the eye. You see, when you live pretty much in the middle of nowhere, as I do, you need a well to provide water. If not, I’ve succeeded after several years of trying to disguise an unsightly but necessary thingy in my garden. Can you see a wellhead pipe in the accompanying picture?