Creating a Rose Garden

My kids all went to Japan; I had all my "chickies" in one basket (on an airplane accross the ocean).  Let's just say I got a little nervous.  So, I decided to start this "Apple Rose Garden."  Well truth be told, I was actually at the garden store picking up some 6pack annuals for my deck plants when I discovered that all the roses were 50% off!  It was closing time so I returned the next morning and purchased like 40 roses... crazy!

I have an area to the side of my driveway that I have been struggling with for years, like decades.  I've planted all kinds of ideas there, from corn to hydrangeas and all have failed, partly because it got too much sun or not enough, and partly because I did not water enough, weed enough, whatever-enough!

But after years of trial and error, I'm giving a go on the apple trees and roses.  So this last fall, my girls planted three apple trees, Granny Smith, Fuji, and Jonathan, and last week, I mustered up an amazing level of energy (not sure how all that happened) and planted this rose garden.  Here are some before and after.  The wood boards were easy to put in.  My husband and I just leveled things out as best we could, he cut rebar that we used as stakes, and we set them in.  All the boards were 70% off as they were all damaged but that was perfect for us since they were just going outside.  I chose Doug Fir because I did not want chemicals from pressure treated wood leaching into our apple tree roots (not sure if that would actually happen, but seemed logical).

The other day, I fertilized all my roses with organic fertilizer, then it rained that night, and by the morning, I had aphid city.  So I'm hosing them all down when I water to wash those pests from the little buds forming.  They say aphids are a sign of unbalance in your garden.  I guess the fertilizer kicked things into high gear and blazed a path for those bugs.  

I will be posting updates of the progress.