'Cinderella' and the old Broom !

I looked at this little corner today and knew there had to be some *sweeping* changes ! Brooms tend to be short-lived anyway, and this poor thing has been bending further over as each year passes ! I thought about staking it to hold it upright, but it wouldn't have any of it.

So, it had to go... Mercifully it was shallow rooted, so digging it up was an easy task.

The bed is just a blank canvas at the moment, but lurking just beneath the soil are various Hostas, with delphiniums behind them. There is a young hedge of Berberis Thunbergii Atropururea planted in front of the fence. So I wanted something to complement all those plants, and something to give a little height too.

Here it is when the Hostas are at their best, and just before the delphiniums began to flower.

Now, last year I took LOADS of rose cuttings, most of which are now growing on strongly, and some of which are ready to be planted out from the greenhouse, where they have been protected over winter.

I selected a healthy, vigorous baby 'Cinderella', a most gorgeous, full petalled pink climber, which is a repeat-flowerer from late Spring to the frosts. It will grow to about 2m if you let it. 

I planted it royally! I dug a deep hole, lined it with four year old well rotted manure, added a slow release rose fertiliser, planted the cutting (without any angst about whether the union should go above/ below soil level!!) and mulched with manure. 

It was only then I realised the fatal flaw in my planning ... 'Cinderella' is a climber and it had nothing to climb up ! Being a 'make-do-and-mend' gardener at heart, I got some canes and some wire and some old chicken wire ... then half remembered something that was lurking at the back of the shed !

At the end of last summer, ever watchful for a bargain, I bought a discounted obelisk, which I promptly put in a dark corner of the shed for the winter, then almost - but not completely - forgot ! It was flat- packed, but my man-who-does whipped his screwdriver out and built it pretty damn quick !

Just the jobkins !

So, there you have it ... the story of Cinderella and the old Broom !!