New dawn

When my parents came for Easter they brought us a house warming present-- a climbing rose called "New Dawn". They hadn't realized the name-- but it's wonderfully fitting.

New Dawn is a prolific bloomer, reportedly pretty pest/disease resistant and is a very pale pink color. Since the inception of the trellis on the deck, I've pictured growing climbing roses up- so I was thrilled. It became apparent, however, that the placement of the two AC units made the area not so ideal for the roses. Also, planting them in the ground would mean they would have a LONG climb. Window boxes seemed the perfect solution!

I went to the Farm at Green Village-- which, I've decided is one of my favorite places in the Entire world-- and they had exactly what I'd envisioned. White boxes made of recycled plastic which means they will be as resilient as the rest of our deck. Thing is, they were NOT cheap.... I bought one, asked about their return policy, and hastily signed the credit card receipt while distracting myself with the gorgeous organic perennial display.

Dear husband had to take me to the hardware store to buy a properly sized drill bit (3/8") so I could drill the drainage holes... (thank you! my very first drill bit all my own!)

Then I had to mount the brackets to the deck... (Thanks again to the cordless drill my in-laws loaned to us for move in!) ... and finally I mounted the box! Looks great! Next step was planing the climbing rose.
Here we are, the New Dawn climbing rose in her box and me, looking proud! I had dear husband come out to take a look and he gave me the go-ahead to just buy two more boxes. His words were, "While we're still hemorrhaging money from the construction, why don't you just go ahead and buy them."

One box will go in between the two air conditioning boxes and the other will go right next to the one I've already installed. I'd like to get one more climbing rose and a couple of clematis to climb with them.

(This photo also shows the holly bush I planted today. It seems that our landscaper missed one- thinking it was a goner maybe. I think it stands a fighting chance, so I threw it in the ground. Worse case, I'm digging it up again next year... but fingers crossed it'll take.)

Here's New Dawn roses along with clematis... pretty combination, right?

The good news is that with the amount of money I spent at the farm this weekend, I got some "Farm dollars" good for my next purchase. I think that more than justifies a trip next weekend and I'll have to remember to bring my camera... it truly is a heaven-on-earth place that I could get lost in for days!