The curved flower bed

Joyce Friels

 

Irises tend to look shaggy and it is hard to keep debris out of their foliage after a few years. The blooms become smaller and not as attractive. At that time they need to be dug up, divided and planted at another location. That is what happened to our once lovely purple irises. We made another plan for our curved flower bed.

 

We replaced the irises with native perennials. We added native varieties of lantana and fresh plants of mealy blue sage. These perennials look very good together. I also picked up two dark red shrimp plants. These were planted behind the red knock-out rose bush to give depth to the roses. To add some whimsy, I also planted a Texas Betony sage next to the mealy blue sage. We now had another pretty collection of plants to enjoy.

 

The knock-out rose has been the most maintenancefree rose bush we have ever had in our landscape. It has performed almost every month with an abundance of bright red double blooms over several years now. It is eight feet tall and almost as wide. My husband took pride in his rose bush and it gives joy to everyone who sees it.

 

We continued feeding our feathered friends and enjoyed listening to the sound of the falling water from our water feature. All and all, we were happy and content sitting on our front porch watching Mother Nature at play and enjoying our latest creation.

 

Looking back over the years and remembering the many changes we made to our curved flower bed gives me a sense of pride and well-being. I smile when I think of my husband taking care of his rose bush. When he passed away this past spring, his rose bush was blooming to its fullest. We cut several large sprays and placed them on the altar of our church to enjoy during the service and to remember him and his rose bush.

 

The rose bush continues to bloom and I continue to enjoy my morning coffee while watching our feathered friends fly in and out of our curved flower bed.

 

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