MJ's GraphicGarden Page 1

Pandora's Box Day Lily

Growing Peonies and Perennial Flowers has long been a passion for me~~thier freshness and beauty is both rejuvenating and peaceful. So when I had a chance to create an entirely new garden where no man (or woman) had gone before, I was delighted. This garden began in June of 1996, and has continued its journey into new paths since then.
Our yard was a field of weeds before we began the garden in 1996. See the picture below:

Wait a minute! That doesn't show all the 5 foot weeds!

Trust me, they were there.

Since then we've disposed of truckloads full of weeds, added about 20 tons of various rocks, a deck, a small pond, a huge peony bed, and, of course, perennial flowers.

And here is a view of the backyard today.

Backyard in early June. The larger whites and pinks you see are peonies. To the right are orange and pink oriental poppies. Jupiter's Beard, both hot pink and white, came back strongly this year.

The deck's lattice work is host to Cecile Brunner Roses, Pink Wisteria, and Sweet Autumn Clematis. In front of the deck are 3 tiers, separated by walkways. The first two tiers include mostly perennials and the pond. The herb garden is directly in front of the deck. Lower we have shrubs, both evergreen and flowering. Included is a butterfly bush, cotoneaster, Japanese Maples and two yellow tree peonies that have not bloomed yet.

Below are Cecile Brunner Roses. Just two of these climbing roses, planted June, 1996, cover 24' of lattice work, and that means 12' across the top as well! These are fragrant, pale pink. Start out as sweet, small buds, and open into small but thickly petalled roses which then pale in color. The fragrance is not overpowering, but you will smell them when walking by, especially on a breezy day.

They bloom on second year canes. I remember being worried, in 1997, that they had gone wild, as they were not blooming. (And it is natural for this climber to have 7 leaves. In some roses, seven leaves can be a sign of "going wild", i.e.no longer producing buds). Good thing I didn't pull them up.

If seeds in the black earth can turn into such beautiful roses, what might not the heart of man become in its long journey toward the stars- G.K. Chesterton

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