Refurbishment and Modification of our Rose Arbor Planters

 

Rose Planters 

 

 

Back in 2002 John Smith ( pictured above ) beautifully crafted  four planters in house for our new Rose Garden  situated near staircase two and three. Some fifteen years on, the planters ( even though they were made from hardwood ), showed  significant signs of decay and needed replacing.

 

 

In order to address this issue, I came up with the idea of using concrete blocks to act as a barrier between the soil and the wood. Four new liners were built thanks to Bob Sula ( One of many building contactors who carry out work for Trinity College.)

 

 

 

The next step was to get one of our two carpenters to fabricate a new design that would envelope the concrete blocks from view. Russell Dominian was given the job and went about cladding the concrete blocks using the hardwood Iroko. Once again these were beautifully made and finished off using Danish Oil which would not only act as a preservative, but also enhance the colour of the wood.

 

The one noticeable difference was that  the new planters were now  larger than the original and as a consequence, we were left with  no option but to lift and replant the roses and clematis to nearer the top. Arguably we could of done this before the planters were in place but seeing as we had nowhere to put them, and didn't want to leave the roots exposed ,we took the decision to leave this particular task until Russell had finished.

 

 

 Carefully ensuring we didn't mark or damage the new planters, Aaron and I filled the containers  to the top using Supasoil.

 

 To accommodate the new dimensions of the planters, we used in the region of three one tonne bags.

 

Once the planters had been filled, we then planted dwarf mixed tulips in each of the planters using bulbs kindly donated by Taylors Bulbs.

 

 

By way of recognition, pictured above is a  photo of Russell Dominian who is solely responsible for making and installing the woodwork for us. 

 

 

Really pleased with how these have turned out. All that's left to do is to find some time over the winter months to sand and re oil the hexagonal seat  in the centre.