Some Backyard

Pride isn't a word I use very often. I admire humility in people. I pray for humility in myself. BUT (you knew there was a but) I am PROUD of my gardens. Here's why: When we built our house 9 years ago, it was in the middle of a pasture. Nothing. No trees. No flowers. No nothing but grass. Everything you see here, I did. I planned everything. I dug (almost) every hole. I planted every rose, every flower, everything (except for the big trees). I did it. I worked hard hard hard. I worked in the NC summer heat. I sweated. I got dirty. I loved every second of it. And look what I have now! Pat does help me with weeding. I don't want to leave him out! The pond is his baby (but my idea, ha!). He works like a dog on it. I will post photos of it when we get it all cleaned up for the summer. He did all the concrete step making and the patio paver laying and the gravel pouring. He does the "hardscapes," as he calls them. Oh, and he mows the grass!

This will probably sound extremely corny, but making beautiful gardens feels like my gift back to God.

This rose is Mutabilis. It's also called The Butterfly Rose. The single blooms start out yellow and go through color changes to peach to pink. It really does look like a bush full of beautiful butterflies! It's an ancient rose from China. It loves the South (like me!) and gets huge.

Another view of Mutabilis through the arbor that leads to the pond (going through the other way). Growing on the arbor are Cl. Souvenir de la Malmaison and Cl. White Maman Cochet.

Cl. White Mama Cochet


Mrs. BR Cant. Don't look at the mess around her! Some of Pat's pond supply castoffs. I have so much cleaning up to do!

Clementina Carbonieri. One of my very favorite roses. I wish you could smell her! Lucious.

My back porch! Everyone has a red geranium, right?

Coming up next: Peeks at my secret garden.