Growing A Rose in Rocks And Concrete
As part of the renovation nation we bought a my parents home built in the 1950′s and it had a landscaping problem. The parents wanted something different. To keep the grass and weeds from creeping in from the lawn they decided to put the flowers in stone and concrete beds.
This would give a bed above lawn level and required less upkeep. The first step they took was to build a wooden form the desired length, height and width. The beds were raised about five inches above lawn level. A second form was built three inches smaller to fit inside the first form, and in which the concrete is poured. After the forms were built they used the outside form as a guide to dig a trench about six or seven inches deep by three wide. This trench acted as a form for the foundation and was below the frost line. The forms were then secured above the trench and ready to pour the concrete.
Ready-mixed concrete was used but mixed most of the beds using one part cement to two parts sand and a little lime which gives the beds a white appearance when set.
Crushed stone is also mixed in with the sand and cement. For a stone bed the trench was dug about six inches deep and four inches wide and stones set in concrete in the trench. Some of the joints between the stones were also concreted.
To eliminate bothersome weeds on walkways trimming a concrete apron was built around the bed after walls have hardened. Controlling grasses and weeds is done in such a way that a trench five inches deep and four inches wide filled with concrete to ground level did the trick. When the beds were completed the ground inside was spaded. Peat moss, dehydrated cow manure and enough soil was added to bring the planting area to the top of the walls.
This was allowed to set two or three months before planting roses. For climbing roses we set an old wagon wheel in concrete in the- center of the bed. Advantages of this type of rose bed are: a neater appearance, easier to weed (we mulch with peat moss), holds moisture better and can be made any size or geometric design.
Identifying markers have been made for the flowers by taking a piece of steel tubing about 30 inches long, the end is flattened and a metal plate is bolted or riveted to the flat end of the tubing for the name plate. They can be bent at an angle for easier reading. Signs are painted and lettered. They purchased six rose bushes which would give them flowers all summer long and this started our interest in roses. Today we have between 500 and 600 with approximately 350 different varieties in 30 different beds of various patterns. We plan to add two or three more as space permits. Visitors from all over the country have visited the garden and have been impressed with the way we grow roses and other flowers.
