Thursday, February 25, 2016

Roses in the Sun - Finding the Perfect Obelisk

What a crazy storm we had last night - thunder, lightening, heavy rains, high winds - whew! The creek on my property is roaring again - I could hear it from the bedroom with all the windows shut!

I jumped out of bed and couldn't wait to get outside. It was lovely and warm out, and although everything was absolutely drenched I had to go for a little walkabout. 

Which of course got me thinking again about spring gardening. 

The folks that owned the house before me came from a family of gardeners - I really lucked out. 

The steps that lead up to my deck walk right up through a lush perennial garden. What a lovely welcome to my home!

August 2015 - Looking up the steps towards the small set of stairs to the deck and kitchen door
It got a little crazy in those perennial beds this summer, as shown in these August photos. however, in my defense, this was my first season in the house and I had to let everything grow to see what's what. 

August 2015 - Looking down the garden steps towards the large set of stairs to the deck
There are lots of lovely evergreens as well as flowering perennials already established in the garden. What a bonus for me! I also added a selection of hostas, ground covers, lilies, roses, clematis, shrubs, perennials, and spring bulbs throughout the property this past summer. And of course, everything was peppered with flowering annuals to keep things colorful. 


What you can't see are the three rosebushes that were in the garden when I bought the house. In the photo on the top, they would be to the right of the steps, buried under the taller perennials. I have no idea what kind of roses they are, they never flowered at all last season - probably because they were so buried under the masses of perennials surrounding them. They never saw the sun. 

When I cleared out the garden bed in the fall I did not cut back the roses. I decided to get some obelisks and train the roses onto the obelisks, to rise above the perennials - up into the sun. 

Via
I've been browsing around online looking for the perfect ones. But I don't want to pay a fortune....who does? The one above is gorgeous - but at $142.00 each (I need at least 2) + $32.00 shipping (insane!) it's a little pricey for me right now. 

Via
I even thought about  making my own. But honestly, I have barely enough time as it is, and I'm not ready to start working with a power saw. Nope, not there yet. I'm thinking about it.....maybe starting out slow with a jigsaw....but I'm a little scared to pull the trigger on that one. 

So I kept searching. And I found these:

Via
At $160.00 for all three with free shipping this is much more along the lines of what I would like to pay. I looked at a couple of less expensive ones but they got terrible reviews (big surprise) and really, I'd like to be able to leave these up in winter as well so I don't need them collapsing on me after a week in the rain. 

I like the open nature of these obelisks and the rusty green patina - they will be a nice accent in the garden without being 'too much.' 

Another thing that drew me to this grouping is that I love things in threes in the garden - plus I have three rosebushes that need to be supported so that's perfect. I was originally going to go with two obelisks and just try and make one work for two of the closer-together rosebushes but this is even better. Win/win!


The pups are happy - they say bring on spring!  They want to play among the flowers again!

So do I. 

Bring it on. 


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29 comments:

  1. Those look nice! There is a nice tutorial here http://www.lowes.com/creative-ideas/lawn-and-garden/easy-garden-trellis/project for making your own without tools. They are pretty cute but probably wouldn't hold up like the ones you are looking at. They might be good for another area in your yard though! I'm gonna try one for my clematis!

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    1. You just know I had to head right over there for a peek...and a pin....right? Thanks, Diane, for the link - I would totally try that for another area, perhaps in my veggie garden! Such a super cute idea for sure - the only thing that scares me is the saw....I'm such a baby about saws!

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    2. saws scare me too but those trellis boards are pretty thin so you could probably cut them with a small hand saw. Or just get your boyfriend to do it!

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    3. Your gardens are so lovely! I'm glad your found some supports that will work for those roses and are really pretty too.

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    4. Thanks, Debbie - they are kind of rusty and will suit my little country garden!

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  2. It must be so fun to discover what previous gardeners planted. You're going to have a blast when it warms up! You and your pupsters!
    Brenda

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    1. It was fun and also surprising. I was shocked there was not so much as one spring bulb - I guess because I had thousands at my previous home. I even planted spring bulbs at my last rental house!

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  3. I'm with the pups! Bring on spring.

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  4. You are so lucky that you got a house where the previous owners were gardeners. Plants are so expensive and take awhile to get going. You are one step ahead of the game! I've always love obelisks, too - but don't have one. Hmm, perhaps this spring that will be one of my purchases. In fact, that would be a great Mother's Day present! I might have to drop some hints. ;-)

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    1. Oh, absolutely, Melanie! I can divide a lot and create new gardens, which is nice. There were no clematis on the property which I found odd...and not enough roses for me...and no spring bulbs. And all the hostas were green - no blue or lime green to break up the hosta bed. I'll be making changes this year but the bones are great - stone paths, established evergreens and trees - the previous owners were here 29 years so that helped! And absolutely a wonderful Mothers Day Present!!

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  5. Your gardens are beautiful. I love all the evergreens.

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    1. Thanks, Valerie, as do I!! They really keep me sane in winter!

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  6. Oh I do love the idea of the obelisks too... but building my own would be a bit of a challenge too. Your garden is so beautiful already, thanks in part to the previous owners, but I can't wait to see what all you plant and grow this year! :)

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  7. Dear Mountain Mama:
    Your garden is a Paradise and I love the Evergreens which make it seem very English. You are right to figure the former owners put in quite an investment. I am getting ready to leave my garden in Colorado to move to Missouri and I hope whoever buys our house really loves and appreciates the garden. Here is Colorado we could still have a lot of snow yet but I see the daffodils coming along.
    I love your ideas about the obelisks. I also see Queen Anne's Lace which I adore - even if it is considered a weed by some. Thanks for sharing your beautiful garden.

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    1. When I moved from the last home I owned I was sad to leave the house but even more sad to leave my garden! And I love Queen Anne's Lace also, that's why I let it go mad in my garden - it makes me smile!

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  8. Stunning! I had an obelisk in my yard at the last house that I found at Lowe's. Not sure if they might still have them....it was about 5 1/2 feet tall and made of metal. I loved it!

    Thank you for linking up to TOHOT but mostly thanks for the spring inspiration. :)

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    1. I'm happy with the ones I ordered, they are very much my style. Perhaps they could be a little taller....oh well!

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  9. Dear Mountain Mama:
    Congratulations as the post was a special feature from the Monday party on BTTCG Blog features today!

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  10. When I left a thank you message to you I hadn't read Bernideen's note yet so congratulations on your feature, and as I said you live in such a beautiful spot. Your flowers are gorgeous..Happy Monday..Judy

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    1. Thanks so much, Judy! I do love the location of my house...it's peaceful and I can hear the birds and the creek in the mornings....quite a difference from where I grew up, in NYC!

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  11. Looks like you found a winner (3 winners!). I'll be featuring your post on Friday night at Best of the Weekend

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    1. Thanks a million for the feature, Amy - and for your visit!!

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  12. What a lovely garden you have! Good luck with your obelisks and the mystery roses. Visiting from Best of the Weekend.

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    1. Hopefully they will bloom for me this year, Melissa! Thanks for popping over!

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  13. Great find, and what a lovely garden you have!
    Cheers,
    Merisi

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