A vine covered cottage .....

For years, my gardening focus has been on large quantities of annuals that were suitable for cut flowers.

Oh, I had perennials but I stayed away from things with shorter bloom times.  I chose flowers that had the most bang for my flower dollar.  I have linear gardens filled with zinnias, snapdragons, cosmos and lisianthus.

But I have needed more.  I want bushes with big fluffy blooms and roses whose scent fills the garden.
I want little gardens filled with spring surprises and summer excess.

I want a vine covered cottage.

OK .... I want to live at Green Gables.

Bottom line. 
That is it.
Green Gables is my goal.

Now ... it is going to be a little tough since I live in Iowa and not Prince Edward's Island.  But those small insignificant details are not going to discourage me.  I will have my gardens surrounding the natural beauty that is Iowa.

Last year was the beginning of my wayward dream.

We planted a row of peonies in front of the house.  We planted several beautiful David Austin rose bushes and 4 more clematis.   We planted hydrangeas and transplanted lilacs.

It was a start.

This year, I have added more roses including this climber for over the fence.  This is "Gentle Gardener" from David Austin.  Yea ... pink roses.  Who would have guessed??? 😏

photo from David Austin

And this one ...........

Abraham Darby from David Austin. File photo

And maybe a few of these.  Maybe .................

The Alnwick rose from David Austin.  David Austin photo

Lots of petals.  Lots of scent. 

I quit raising roses with the attack of the Japanese Beetles. But since the beetles have waned and we let the chickens handle them ..... I started buying them again.  Our winters can be a little harsh so I only grow roses that are on their own root system.  Not grafted.  I have a more durable rose ... and they don't revert to a very hardy but not particularly lovely old red rose.

Now .... they will help with the fluffy blooms and the heavenly scent.  But I need to work on the vine covered cottage.

So this spring we were in Wisconsin at the Flower Factory.  

I was looking for vines to cover the little gazebo.  It is made of re-bar.  It is super sturdy and will last forever.  But it is in the sun and the  clematis that is planted there just doesn't cover the structure.  It looks bare.  It is hot.  And it doesn't draw you to explore the structure.

I originally was looking at climbing hydrangea.  But they grow very tall and do not vine but lean on a structure.  So I chose this.

photo from Kinsey Family Farm

 Major Wheeler Honeysuckle.  So far, the vines are doing well and beginning to grow.

Now .... to get more infrastructure into place. 

Don't tell Honey. 

But his list got longer.

Seriously.

Wink. Wink.