“The best laid schemes of mice and men often go awry…” Robert Burns
Well, instead of meeting up with dear friends and hosting a new set of house guests who’ve come from overseas, our plans have gone terribly awry and we’ve spent the better part of this week in bed, each one of us quarantining in a different part of the house (hence the wonky blog schedule…) We fell ill like dominoes, one after the other starting last Friday, and have been trying to get back on our feet ever since.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
My bedroom window overlooks the garden and I can’t tell you how many times I look out and smile at the sight of our rose-covered arbor. What a lovely, yet simple, thing to have – especially at times like these… Books, birdsong and some ridiculously funny movies have kept our spirits up so far and since one of the prettiest things I’ve seen all week were my roses, I wanna show you them and tell you a little bit about this part of the garden. It will take my mind off of things and, who knows, maybe it will inspire you to plant some roses in your garden. (That is if you don’t already have some…)
At the side of our house there’s a little patch of grass between some really tall trees and our neighbors’ property line. This little patch started out as a soggy mess of muddy soil and fallen branches for which I had absolutely no plans initially. I don’t think I have a close-up of it from “before” but this photo of the front yard we took on the day of the open house gives a pretty good idea of its location.
We didn’t have a very clear idea about what we wanted to do with the garden but we knew we wanted to add some structure and divide the space into smaller, more manageable “garden rooms”. A couple of months into our move we decided to install a picket fence with a small gate to add some definition and a touch of cottage charm. I painted it white in late fall and called it a day.
The next spring, at the beginning of lockdown, we ordered an arched trellis and then had it placed around the garden gate. The white arbors were out of stock so we ordered them in a natural wood finish and spent a weekend painting in the driveway!
I had visions of cottage gardens and rose-covered arbors so almost immediately after the trellis was in I got us two New Dawn rose climbers and planted them on either side of the gate, with the hopes that the roses would grow (preferably overnight) and cover the entire arch. Here is the New Dawn rose in its first year:
The flowers are a very soft pale pink that slowly opens into a larger blossom with a pink center. The petals are quite delicate yet dense and fragrant, and I’m still learning how to keep them happy and deadhead at the right time. By the second year we were feeling a bit more hopeful:
And here they are in their third year dress, blooming for the first time this year as we speak:
In the meantime, a gravel path was added and slowly the pieces of the puzzle started to come together… We created a garden bed in front of the fence and added Annabelle hydrangeas, irises and coral bells. It’s all still a work in progress but looking at these pictures makes me realize just how far we’ve come with this space.
Late last fall we also got a bird feeder from Etsy and created a small bed filled with hostas and irises around its base. It gives a wonderful focal point and eventually it will line up with a second arbor and, hopefully, more flowers.
I don’t know about you but I have a complicated relationship with hostas. I used to despise them, in part because where we live they are pretty common and you’ll see them everywhere, in part because I had never seen them flower. But once I actually started gardening and realized just how difficult it is to keep my plants alive and thriving (hostas are about the only plant I cannot seem to damage) I became fascinated with their resilience and am now a big fan. There are many varieties to choose from and different kinds have different foliage colors but their flowers are long spires of pale purple / white that look incredibly pretty in the shade garden. They must be divided every 3-4 years which is always great because this way you can have new plants to share with friends, or plant somewhere else in your garden.
I’m slowly working on adding other shade-loving plants (and some color) to this space and have found astilbe (both the white and pink varieties) to be lovely. In time I hope this little garden nook will be filled with blooms from early spring to late fall (a girl can dream 🙂 ). Suggestions for plants that love shade are welcome!
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this visit to my shade garden… Wishing you all a great weekend!
Sources:
Arbor (similar)
Bleeding hearts come to mind!
Gail.
Author
Thanks for the suggestion, Gail!
xo, Eva
I love the shade plants Lady’s Mantle (Alchemilla mollis), it has lovely pale green umbrella shaped leaves that hold raindrops, it is a nice contrast to hostas; and Blue Cardinal Flower (Lobelia Siphilitica), it has lovely blue flowers in summer.
Your garden looks lovely.
Author
Thank you for the suggestions, Martha!!!
xo, Eva
I love Ladies Mantle, too, and was going to suggest before seeing that someone else did. I think you will love them, Eva. They also have the benefit of covering any faded foliage from spring bulbs, and add the loveliest shade of pale yellow to the garden. I do hope you are feeling better! And I’m glad your garden has given you some joy during your recuperation. It’s looking wonderful.
I’m sorry to hear you all have Covid. Hopefully, you’ll be back on your feet soon.
Your roses look beautiful and your garden is coming along nicely. I love your bird feeder. Looking forward to see what you do in the future.
Author
Thank you so much, Maureen! You’re always so kind, I appreciate it!!!
xo, Eva
So beautiful! Gardens are such a charming place to visit and roses make them all the more special. Your New Dawn’s soft pink making its way over the white trellis couldn’t be lovelier or more smile worthy.
White and pastel hydrangeas for the more shaded area perhaps? Keep up the great work, anticipation is half the fun and best wishes for you and your family to all feel better soon.
Author
Thank you so much for your sweet message, Sherrie!!! I agree with you 100% – anticipation is half the fun!!! Will they? Or won’t they? 🙂
xo,
Eva
Wishing all of you a quick recovery!! I’m in love with your bird feeder!
Author
Thank you, Janet! I am happy to hear it!!!
xo,
Eva
Eva,
I hope you are all on the mend. Your garden and trellis are beautiful. Gardens make me smile too.
Thank you for always giving us entertaining posts.
Get well soon.
Karen B.
Author
Thank you so much, Karen!!!
xo, Eva
Hope you are all starting to feel better!
I have an arbor with pale pink roses I have been babying for 3 years and they are beautiful this year. I also have a collection of hostas. The lime green ones really pop in the garden, unfortunately I have stopped collecting them since the deer cannot be deterred ( trust me I have tried everything).
My Japanese ferns are the new winner in my garden! Changing colors, spreading nicely and seemingly deerproof!
I think you will love them
Author
Hi Pamela,
Thank you so much for your message, I am sorry to hear about the deer and your Hosta… What a shame!
As for the Japanese ferns, such a great find! Will look into adding some to our garden.
xo, Eva
I hope you’re feeling better and getting your strength back. Your garden is beautiful! I love the picket fence and the trellis. Lovely!
Author
Thank you so much, Sheena! You’re very kind!
xo,
Eva
I like your posts very much and today the roses were beautiful on the trellis..Hostas are very diverse and a pleasure in a shady garden
Author
Thank you, Dominique! I am just beginning to discover how wonderful they can be!
xo,
Eva
I used to have a beautiful garden in Georgia with two arbors. Each had new dawn Rose’s climbing over that bloomed each year for mothers day. Every year I would take pictures of me and my children under the Rose’s. So sweet!
Think about clematis to climb that bird feeder! Also astilbe, stokes aster, purple coneflowers, lily of the valley, bleeding hearts, impatiens.
You have a beautiful garden!
Author
How wonderful to have those memories, Melinda! Thank you for sharing a glimpse of them with us.
Useful suggestions for plants, too, thanks!
xo, Eva
Everything is so beautiful. Go to the site American Hosta Society, for lovely Hosta gardens.
Author
Thanks, Gina! I had a look at AHS and their website is pretty cool!
xo, Eva
I am so sorry to hear that you and your family have been ill, and that the timing spoiled such anticipated plans with friends! Be well!