Rogues and Roses

Bill and Ben’s garden was well planted, albeit several decades ago.  To paraphrase Tennyson, it is “red in tooth and thorn” out there in the horticultural world.  And we are talking about plants not the gardeners!  Unchecked, interlopers invade, the vigorous stifle the slow-growing and the neglected grow unkept.  I have been clearing an area over the last few months; bramble, couch grass, willow, Iris foetida, ivy, all fighting to be alpha weed, growing through a mat of Geranium procumbens.  Oh, and a couple of roses.   Spurred on by their presence this was to become a rose and wildlife garden.  Today we reached a milestone.   Already there are feeders and bird baths in place.   Today it was planting day.   More roses, including two single flowered which are easily accessible for pollinators, lavenders and penstemon.

This photo is of one of the existing roses, which after a rather late but much-needed prune and feed, has flowered well and is continuing to do so.  There is hope in the wilderness.