Hotty Training

This house came with a handful of climbing roses but, with nothing to climb on, they really look like piles of wet towels on the bathroom floor. They are some kind of old-school roses, only bloom in June but the few blooms are pale pink, with 3 million petals each and a fragrance that makes me feel like I could dance like Leslie Caron.

So, what to do with them? My yard is tiny so I hesitate to add any structures for them to climb on, I feel like it will only shrink my yard...

The plan? Stretch those babies out and create a living arch over the glider. I won't lose any "floor space", I'll gain vertical SHAZAM and I'll be creating a pretty pink frame over my favorite thing.

So-I just took some monofilament (so much grander sounding than "fishing line") and tied it to each rose cane and stretched it over to the laundry line post, on the opposite side of the glider, and tied it securely. As each cane grows I may need to re-secure the monofilament to pull it tighter- or not. Roses seems to learn things pretty quickly.

On the other side of the glider, there is another "pile" of roses that, for now, I'm training to grow straight up the fence. Eventually they will be able to meet in the middle and then I'll be able to play matchmaker with the canes from opposite sides.

Once they meet, the canes can get as long as they want, creating a higher and higher arches of differing heights, like a multi-strand pearl necklace but upside down (and made of roses).

I have to make sure they are strong enough to actually support the blooms next June will bring, so I'm going to be very selective with my pruning in the spring.

For now, it looks like some sort of kinetic modern art installment. But I'm looking forward to the results, as usual.

Because all I need in life is another damn project.

Forum, yo.