PlantFiles Pictures: Tea Rose 'Duchesse de Brabant', 1 by DonnaMack

DonnaMack wrote:
It only blooms once, but for many weeks. I lost two doublefile viburnums to a brutal winter, and this was one time when I learned that a loss can be a gain. Constance Spry reached this size in three years. On the right is another big rose that is not supposed to be zone 5a hardy but is, the Bourbon rose 'Zephirine Drouhin.'

This was my yard in Lake County, Illinois. Which Forbes called one of the ten worst placed to live in America (actually, it was ninth) because the foreclosure rate was 29%. Tons of people in my community simply walked away from their homes. I managed to put together a short sale and escape. I have been rebuilding my garden ever since. Oddly, since no one is buying houses, plant material costs about as much now as it did in 1998. The discounts are incredible. I had 23 roses then, and I have 28 now - including these two.

That's my neighbor's house in the background. I'm a big believer in incorporating other peoples' expensive stuff in to your design. The grey house was a terrific neutral for my cool color scheme, and the arbor made a great backdrop!