Rose Colors For A Slope

by Judy
(PA)

I would like to plant drift roses on a bank that runs in front of my home. The bank is 86 feet long and 3 feet high and the slope is at about a 70 degree angle.

My home is a dark grey Cape Cod with black shutters, wide white trim and red front doors. There are also window boxes which are white and I plant with red geraniums and white and yellow/orange petunias and ivy in the summer.The bank is about 100 feet from the front of my home.
My question is what color or colors should I use on the bank? Would one color be best or do I need to do more than one color?
Any other advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks so much for your time.

ANSWER

Hi Judy,
Since it is such a long area, I would use a few different colors. Starting at one end, you could do a mass of one color such as red, continue with another color, such as white, and then either repeat the red or choose another shade of red (darker or lighter) that goes well with the first red color. You might even use a reddish-pink color.

Try to design the shape of the groups in waves so that they are not straight lines. You might lay this out with a hose or spray paint. The shapes may start at the top, move down and along the bottom slightly. The other groups shapes would fit into this like a jigsaw puzzle, but try to alter them slightly so that they are not exactly the same. This will make it more natural looking.

Since it is a slope, you might also consider placing some boulders to break it up a bit. See above image. Use different sizes. Use one large one alone and then perhaps a groups of 2 or 3 different sizes together. You can repeat this or just keep it simple.

In the beginning, I would suggest putting down Preen, which is a weed preventer. I use it on my own slope and it does wonders! You need to re-apply it a few times throughout the season. Once the roses grow in and cover the slope, you won't need to do this. It's good in the beginning though when there are lots of bare areas.

Also, there is no reason why you can't add in some other perennials too. Sedums are great to use. they are very hardy and drought tolerant. Consider both the low growing ones. The taller one 'Autumn Joy' although I like it, will probably clash with your color scheme as the flowers are very pink.

Another recommended perennial is Thyme...another tough one for a slope.

Would you like to add in some purple color? This can look interesting with reds and whites. Catmint 'Walkers Low' is one of my favorites and it flourishes on my slope. Also the texture of Catmint is different than that of roses so they both look good together.

Also see the following pages:
Easy To Grow Roses

Front Yard Landscaping Ideas