There are paths through most parts of my garden, or there were.
Below the blue Iris, a path leads through the archway, then disappears into thickly planted roses
As the roses have filled out and grown up, so many of these pathways have essentially vanished. Sometimes the gardener has no choice but to fight through, but usually it is just easier to find a different route.
There is still a path here, if you want to crawl through to the other side.
Numa Faye overgrows a pathway
You would start your crawl from the open area in the center of this photo.
Just Joey, Lexington and Numa Faye in foreground
If you had crawled under ‘Numa Faye’, you would emerge in the open area in front of the spruce.
Numa Faye in front of the blue spruce; foreground Gene Boerner, Lexington, What a Peach
Walk west from where you emerged and find this view
Redcoat, The Alexandra Rose and Altissimo
Ah sweet relief – finally a nice wide open pathway.
Altissimo, Redcoat, Mary Rose, Cardinal Hume
The reason for this wide pathway is rather simple: the original garden property consisted of a half acre of rocky land with a house. At the time these roses went into the ground, they were planted along the lower property line. Since then, the adjacent half acre of bare land was added to the garden. Because plantable space was so limited, the little roses ended up being crowded together. Then they became big roses.
Tucked up behind ‘Mary Rose’ and ‘Cardinal Hume’ is this little secret, and all but inaccessible, scene.
Marie Pavie and Cardinal Hume
Along with the difficulties of access, there are some advantages to the way the garden has evolved.
1. The garden provides a sort wildlife refuge, particularly for Mourning Doves and California Quail, and also for the less welcome bunnies which like to dine on buds and young growth.
2. Privacy … It is an easy matter to work unseen and unnoticed.
3. Shade … Staying out of the full sun is always a possibility.
4. Protection from the wind …Windy days are really just not a problem.
5. Being surrounded by beauty and fragrance.
Imagine yourself here.
Numa Faye, Priscilla Burton, Old Master; above Othello and Opening Night