Ideally, I should have begun building this bed in 1999. I started planning it in
late 1999, but didn't really start construction till late February. Last year,
with help of a number of friends, I did the digging, but this year I was smart
enough to get some help to excavate.
The first step is site selection. You want a site that gets as much direct sunlight
as possible (although some rose varieties can tolerate some shade, generally rose bushes
want lots of sun to create those lovely flowers!) and has good drainage. I have the
perfect spot perpendicular to last year's bed and at the top of a hill near the front
of my yard. I put black 4" drainage pipe together; I used the kind with large holes
to allow water through, and used a T-junction in the middle to a solid outflow pipe.
On February 26, I had six folks come out and excavate. We went about a foot to a
foot and a half down.
The goal of drainage is to be sure that the roses don't sit in water. The clay
would form a "bathtub" in heavy rain if we don't channel excess water away.
The drain pipe will work, but can get clogged with sediment - and over time can
carry away lovely organic material I build the bed with.
To avoid clogging, on March 11
I first wrap the tube (which has holes) with septic paper; you
can find this near where the tubes are sold - I paid eight cents per linear foot
at a 3 foot width (they also sell "socks" made out of this kind of material,
but it's much more expensive - as I recall, about 8-10 times as much).
To keep the wrap on, I used ties (the kind that self
clamp, but twist ties should work, too). I will also raise up at least one
end of the drainage so I can easily access it and snake something through to
clean out any clogs - in the unexpected case that they occur.
That probably is sufficient for the drainage. But here I also lay another sheet
of septic paper at the bed's base, under the drainage. Then I put drainage
stone (cost of around $2.67 per 40 pound bag, and I used about a dozen bags
for the 38 foot length) concentrated around the pipe but uniformly scattered
along the bed. I went light and could have put more stone in, but didn't
feel it was worth the expense and trouble.
Finally, I put another sheet of septic paper atop the stone layer and used
garden staples to keep this "stone and drainage pipe sandwich" down. With
outflow also set up, later this evening we had rain - and the hole didn't
become muddy -- I could easily walk atop the septic paper. The purpose
of the final layer of paper is multi-fold - additional filtering to keep
sediment and good organics out of the drainage
and keeping the trench relatively clean while we work on the framing.
Also, as I will add manure, soil, amendments, etc. and stir, I don't want to
mix in the drainage rocks - as long as I dig carefully, I am unlikely to
bring any rocks up. (An alternative I had considered is to put chicken
wire or hardware cloth across the bottom, but I didn't want to go through
the expense or trouble.)
Here you can see the output drain pipe. I actually had downspouts from my
roof to the side yard connected to it as well via Y-connections. My
yard slopes nicely, so I expect good flow. Why does it snake? To avoid
rocks - the pipe is flexible. My friend Marvin who is helping with
the carpentry and installation of the frame came up with a great suggestion -
I will be collecting a lot of good water (especially rain water from
the gutters) - instead of discharging it,
I might want to build a reservoir with a filter and pump so I can use the
water for watering my garden! What a good idea - I will consider this in the future.
I have read in many places that using pressure treated lumber is a bad idea -
it contains and leeches arsenic, a poison, and is very difficult to dispose
of. I explored a few
plastic lumber companies, and ordered lumber from
Phoenix Recycled Plastics in
Pennsylvania. The company took my exact drawings and cut the pieces to be ready
to be screwed together and installed - and even made pointed stakes!
I designed the bed to be an interesting set of 3 geometric shapes echoing
the sixty degree angles that the roses would be planted at. I allowed a foot
"margin" and then 30-36" apart for the rose bushes. Phoenix milled stakes
for all the angles the bed calls for, and my friend Marvin helped me (well, I
helped him!) by building a jig and using deck screws to fasten the frames
together. In these pictures, you can see the individual frames in the bed.
On April 11, we tapped the frames into the ground, piling up manure (I had
been filling with a pickup truckload of leaf compost, then one of composted
yard waste, and then with many truckloads of horse manure from a nearby stable.
I had also been collecting coffee grounds from nearby cafes and mixing them in.)
here and there against the frames to align them. The frames are almost level,
but as the ground slopes, we let the frames be slightly off-level, echoing
the ground. Now just a bit more fill and I'm ready to plant!
Do visit my main
rose page!
Also, I had a friend take some pictures while I was building this bed, and
have created a new page that describes
how to plant roses.
The first step is site selection. You want a site that gets as much direct sunlight
as possible (although some rose varieties can tolerate some shade, generally rose bushes
want lots of sun to create those lovely flowers!) and has good drainage. I have the
perfect spot perpendicular to last year's bed and at the top of a hill near the front
of my yard. I put black 4" drainage pipe together; I used the kind with large holes
to allow water through, and used a T-junction in the middle to a solid outflow pipe.
On February 26, I had six folks come out and excavate. We went about a foot to a
foot and a half down.
The goal of drainage is to be sure that the roses don't sit in water. The clay
would form a "bathtub" in heavy rain if we don't channel excess water away.
The drain pipe will work, but can get clogged with sediment - and over time can
carry away lovely organic material I build the bed with.
That probably is sufficient for the drainage. But here I also lay another sheet
of septic paper at the bed's base, under the drainage. Then I put drainage
stone (cost of around $2.67 per 40 pound bag, and I used about a dozen bags
for the 38 foot length) concentrated around the pipe but uniformly scattered
along the bed. I went light and could have put more stone in, but didn't
feel it was worth the expense and trouble.
Finally, I put another sheet of septic paper atop the stone layer and used
garden staples to keep this "stone and drainage pipe sandwich" down. With
outflow also set up, later this evening we had rain - and the hole didn't
become muddy -- I could easily walk atop the septic paper. The purpose
of the final layer of paper is multi-fold - additional filtering to keep
sediment and good organics out of the drainage
and keeping the trench relatively clean while we work on the framing.
Also, as I will add manure, soil, amendments, etc. and stir, I don't want to
mix in the drainage rocks - as long as I dig carefully, I am unlikely to
bring any rocks up. (An alternative I had considered is to put chicken
wire or hardware cloth across the bottom, but I didn't want to go through
the expense or trouble.)
Here you can see the output drain pipe. I actually had downspouts from my
roof to the side yard connected to it as well via Y-connections. My
yard slopes nicely, so I expect good flow. Why does it snake? To avoid
rocks - the pipe is flexible. My friend Marvin who is helping with
the carpentry and installation of the frame came up with a great suggestion -
I will be collecting a lot of good water (especially rain water from
the gutters) - instead of discharging it,
I might want to build a reservoir with a filter and pump so I can use the
water for watering my garden! What a good idea - I will consider this in the future.
I designed the bed to be an interesting set of 3 geometric shapes echoing
the sixty degree angles that the roses would be planted at. I allowed a foot
"margin" and then 30-36" apart for the rose bushes. Phoenix milled stakes
for all the angles the bed calls for, and my friend Marvin helped me (well, I
helped him!) by building a jig and using deck screws to fasten the frames
together. In these pictures, you can see the individual frames in the bed.
On April 11, we tapped the frames into the ground, piling up manure (I had
been filling with a pickup truckload of leaf compost, then one of composted
yard waste, and then with many truckloads of horse manure from a nearby stable.
I had also been collecting coffee grounds from nearby cafes and mixing them in.)
here and there against the frames to align them. The frames are almost level,
but as the ground slopes, we let the frames be slightly off-level, echoing
the ground. Now just a bit more fill and I'm ready to plant!
