I adore a cottage garden, and this is just the perfect place to have one! When we got here, there was a front flower bed with a lone trellis standing in it–just begging for some roses! I obliged by purchasing several “knock-out” (ever-blooming) rose bushes at Lowe’s. The great thing was that I hit Lowe’s when all the summer flowers were marked down 50-75%. I got my roses for half off, and I got some coreopsis and a rose “carpet” plant for 75% off. I also picked up another spikey blue flower that the bees and butterflies love, but I can’t remember what it is (should have saved the little plastic marker!). At left you see the triangle-shaped bed to the left of our front walk and at the corner of the deck. Right up against the deck are day lilies planted years ago by our landlord. They are glorious in mid-summer.

Here’s a close-up of the front bed so you can see the light pink roses in front of the trellis and the deep pink “carpet” rose in the center. I also have three more small roses (deep fuschia). The strange thing is that the one in the front corner is the same size as when I planted it, but its “sister” on the left-hand side next to the yellow coreopsis has tripled in size! Must be some good soil in that spot! I did use some organic dirt when I put these in, as well as rose food, but I guess there’s still a “sweeter” spot in the garden that the plants just like better! In the background of this shot you can see the little border garden along the front edge of the deck. It contains some boxwoods, hosta, and butterfly bushes. The children and I have been tickled pink to see both butterflies and hummingbirds flock to the flowers!

Here are two views of the house with the newly mulched flower beds:

And here’s a whole slew of shots to show off these blooming beauties. How I love the colors and scents!

Deep pink rose carpet

And a close-up

Light pink knock-out roses through the trellis

Closer still...

After a shower...

Gorgeous deep fuschia rose

Looking down from the deck...

Finally, here’s a view of the garden looking down from the deck. It’s a delight from all angles. Next year the plants will have doubled in size and be even more colorful! I look forward to adding more to our landscaping. We have a lovely shaded bed on the western side of the house that will be perfect for a couple of hydrangeas. I’ll be sure to share pictures once we get to work on that part of our landscaping. We were delighted to get a free load of mulch to do the front flower beds. The front now looks really trim and tidy. Maybe I’ll start thinking about planting some bulbs now that fall is here…. Hmmm….!

Oh, and I do have another short-term project I plan to take care of this weekend. I removed the butterfly bushes I had in my deck planters and put them into the garden near the roses. That leaves some very leggy petunias looking rather spindly. Time to re-do the front planters!