Landscape Challenge – A Terrace Of Roses
When building a landscape that has the challenge of a steep hillside or slope there are some things you can do to help in the design.
Low retaining dry walls can often do the trick. They keep soil from washing down and prevent rain from rolling off leaving rosebeds high and dry; instead of thoroughly moist.
Low retaining dry walls can often do the trick. They keep soil from washing down and prevent rain from rolling off leaving rosebeds high and dry; instead of thoroughly moist.
Gradually a Rose Terrace can emerge as in the case of a New Jersey couple.. If you did landscaping on a hill, the walls worked marvelously and proved to be interesting architectural features that heightened the beauty of their hill. They blended so well into the landscape that they seem to be a natural part of it.
Now they have 140 varieties and about 850 rose plants strategically placed throughout the landscape. Separate beds are provided for each group. Polyanthas, floribundas and hybrid teas are never mixed. They have no favorites among them for each has its period of near perfection and with roses in their hearts, they simply enjoy them all.
Three or more plants of one variety are grouped together in the beds because they think larger groupings offer better color harmony, more impressive display and, should one plant fail, theres still a good showing until it is replaced.
Except for the rock plants between wall crevices, nothing else is allowed to compete with roses, no edging plants, no other flowers. A detail, but an important one, is that they have identified each variety with a label clearly marked with its name.
In the early days when the Rose Terrace was conceived, the mass of unkempt shrubbery was removed and a border lattice fence put up to provide privacy and a background.
Not an inch of ground that could have been made lovely and hospitable was overlooked. On each side of the entrance walk blooms and foliage with welcome. It is planted at the front curbing to show visitors in search their home that theyve found it.
Although a curb is a trying location for any rose in the landscape, you can find a fine variety for superb performance.
Two long, steep terraces on either side of the front of the house had fences covered with trained ramblers and climbers. The concrete terraces adjoining the house were painted in a Dutch-splatter-dash style in three tones of gray to subdue their color and bring out and dramatize the color of the surrounding roses.
Amidst roses near the back terrace is an outdoor living-room. Decorating this terrace as well as the front terraces are pots of trailing ivy and the very colorful geraniums in Italian terra-cotta pie-crust containers of different sizes. This geraniums adds brilliance to various spots in the landscape and blends with the roses in a subtle manner.
Because it is the basic element necessary to set off the house and gardens, a constant effort is made to have a good lawn. Stepping-stone walks have been laid out wherever necessary for comfort, and loveseats have been placed about the garden for our guests.
The landscape throughout the property did not suffer because of the hillside.
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