Massive rambler for partial shade?

As you know, I'm brand new to this forum, but reading all about your gardens and rose varieties has been really inspirational, and I find myself looking at my garden through different eyes, looking for spots to try out some of these roses.

Anyway, I live next to an oval and along my garden's eastern fence there is an embankment that slopes up towards the oval, about 5 meters across. Now this land technically belongs to the council, but they don't maintain it, and it is currently just a mass of blackberry brambles and honeysuckle ( which are notorious weeds here and constantly try to invade my garden), and a few native trees. Every couple of years ( after many a whinging phone all from me) they come along and cut the blackberries down, so when they next do that I was thinking perhaps I could put some big old ramblers there so I could look at roses instead of blackberry weeds.

The site gets dappled morning sun and some direct afternoon sun from about 2pm onwards. There are a couple of fully shaded spots but the majority gets a decent amount of at least dappled sun. This area is about 5 metres wide, as I said, and it's approx. 80 metres long.

So I'm wondering if you can suggest some big, vigorous ramblers that I could plant to take over this area? Not fussed on colour or style, but they would have to be really really hardy as I wouldn't be able to get in there often to fertilise/ maintain/ treat for diseases (both because its a massive area and i still have to work fulltime, and because its not reslly my garden, so to speak) and cope with part shade, and live on a slope. And preferably be very long-lived, so that when we move into a retirement home in 40 years the new owners won't have to fight the council every year about this same problem!!!

Great idea MD, I like your thinking. Someone here will no doubt be able to make some suggestions. Can a rambler compete against blackberries though? They are a bugger to get rid of/control. Good luck, hope it pans out.

Ok MD, lets start with the land which we will call "NO MAN'S land". How far away from you are the Parks and Gardens Department of your Council, Is there any chance of going to see the head honcho of it, The other option is can you talk to the ground staff that look after the sporting fields and mention your ideas and then ask them who to see discuss your ideas with. The other option is do you have in your local area a "landcare" or similar group, if so talk to them and again put forward your ideas. That leads me into the next part "what to grow", when you talk to Jean at Reliable Roses, explain the idea to her and ask for suggestions of roses that might suit.

I'll back that David (roseman).  They are very helpful there at the Parks and Gardens Dept - my son lives in Gembrook, same area as MD.  Jean from Reliable roses, will no doubt help too.  Lovely Lady!

Hi again folks, and thanks for the great ideas. I'm not far from the council so I could see about talking to the head honcho, however thus far the council have been less than cooperative about anything to do with this bit of land. It took 2 years of phone calls just for them to actually agree that it was their land and that they were responsible for its maintenance. The sporting ground is also owned by the council, but the clubhouse and oval is sublet to the footy team in winter and the cricket team in summer, but the council still maintains/ mows the lawn. There is a local land care group that is run by volunteers and they look after the bush land on the other side of the oval, but not this patch (obviously).

So basically no one wants to take responsibility for it. I'm happy to do it if they council come around first and cut the blackberries down - I will paint some poison on the exposed stems and plant roses there instead. Perhaps I will put this proposition forward to them and see what happens, if I can even get a meeting with this guy.

If not, i will just do it anyway and no one will notice.

MD, if that is the problem with your council, side step the garden dept and go further up the chain towards the General Manager, if that does not work ask to talk at the council meeting in General Business, if you go it alone they could prosecute you.

Urgh, spoke to the council today about this little section of No Mans Land. They confirmed that It should be managed by the fellow who mows the lawn and maintains the sporting ground, but conceded that it's most likely been a case of "out of sight, out of mind" (as it's down an embankment you cant see it from the oval - you can only see it from my house) and that it probably won't be regularly maintained. As it stands, they basically just wait until I call them up and tell them about this thicket of blackberries, then get the fellow who manages the oval to have a look and report back, then they get a contractor to come and clear the area. There's no ongoing observation or anything, they just wait til I ring them up again.

Anyway, there's a case in the system now for someone to come and assess/ clear the land, but it probably won't happen until after Christmas. I also asked the nice man if I could take over responsibility for managing and replanting the land. He said since it's public land I shouldn't have to concern myself with it, and that the council was responsible for its maintenance. He did acknowledge that this wasn't really working in real life, and he will get someone from the Parks and Recreation dept. to call me back to discuss. I don't know if this will actually happen, but I will wait until the area has been cleared before calling again and asking.

Fingers Crossed MD!!   LOL

Good luck MD, hope you eventually have some success, but dealing with bureaucracy always time. You've made a start and got the ball rolling hopefully.

Haha thanks Sue and Silky! Now that I've considered it, I can just picture this slope smothered in lovely old ramblers for the native bees with beautiful autumn hips for the possums and birds... Le sigh...

Keep that vision in your head MD to fortify you when dealing with officials, who tend to operate through 'accepted practice'. They might find your thinking outside the square a little unnerving. Lol

Here here!!!  Go MD, Go!! LOL

Keep a diary of all meetings and names, discussions. Anything pertaining to the "HILL", including the people that maintain the grounds. This is how I would approach it.

Oooh, there are a bunch of men in orange vests with brush cutters clearing 'no man's land' right now! Something is happening!

      

MD, you make things happen! When the slope is finally smothered in ramblers and happy bees (go Bees!) , then we will designate it The Zoe Hill Park

Funny when you jump and stamp your feet, make waves and all those sort of things, some things do get done, well done Zoe. I do like the name of the hill Betsy, we might get a sign made for it.

Or maybe we should call it The Muscovy Duckling Park, and put up another sign saying "Please Do Not Feed or Annoy the Ducklings". Bet people would line up, patiently waiting for ducklings to pop out of the roses. :snarf:

Hehe, I will make a sign to that effect

Well well well, I went off to Bunnies today to get a few Chinese Star Jasmine, and accidentally bought two R. banksia lutea that happened to be sitting next to the jasmine... I'm going to sneak them onto The Hill, and hopefully they will be monsters before the council men know what's hit 'em! BAM! And if not, at $11 each it's not a great loss.

Funny thing, the tag says Banksia Lutea is suitable for a pot! Lol.

On another note, I also got some Arabian Jasmine and Corsican mint at Bunnies today - near on impossible to find anywhere in Melbourne, just sitting on the shelf at the Knox store! Unbelievable! I'm chuffed, but poor.

Banksia Lutea is smaller plant/bush than 'Banksia banksia', [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] this might cover "part" of the "hill, quicker

You got sambac jasmine from BUNNINGS? What kind of Bunnings do you people have down there? The Rodeo Drive Bunnings? The Georg Jensen Bunnings? All the amazing roses and plants you Victorians seem to find on the B shelves. Up here, it's agapanthus, begonias, petunias and Icebergs.

betsyw wrote:You got sambac jasmine from BUNNINGS? What kind of Bunnings do you people have down there? The Rodeo Drive Bunnings? The Georg Jensen Bunnings? All the amazing roses and plants you Victorians seem to find on the B shelves. Up here, it's agapanthus, begonias, petunias and Icebergs.

Location...location....location......  

I know! I just about fell over! They only had two plants so I bought them both now I have to find somewhere to put them.

David, RHS UK says Banksiae Lutea will get 8-12 metres high and up to 4m wide. The tag on my little plants doesn't give a size. How big will they get?

Lutea will be smaller and IMO less flowering than it's parent. I am of the understanding it is a sport.

Our local Bunnings is a gold mine for them , the car park is always full and there are always people there ,they have so many goodies you can spend your money on , great place ...