The Rosa Banksiae is growing like crazy this year. I had planted the climbing rose two years ago to climb up a Fern Pine that wasn’t looking very good. The Rosa Banksiae has grown way past the Fern Pine. In fact, I don’t think the Fern Pine has grown one bit.
I’ve been using green plant ties and little dragon fly plant clips to help the Rosa Banksiae climb up and through the Fern Pines, Thuja, and Red Tipped Photinia. I hope it takes over the wall and gives us some more privacy in the backyard.
This year the blooms on the climbing rose are the biggest they’ve ever been. I think the plant has enjoyed the extra rain this year in the Sacramento Valley.
This is one rose variety that I will definitely plant again. It has tiny thorns and is green all year. And the petals don’t make a mess. I wonder how far this climbing rose will grow this year–hopefully along the entire backyard wall.
The first thing to change is to close any openings in the house. Why we ignored this gaping entrance to the attic, I can’t explain. It took me about five minutes to climb a ladder and tap this board shut with the end of a mallet. 
I was recently very proud of how I hung a trellis using a curtain tension rod and some S hooks. It turns out that I had made a nice little ladder for rats. Bummer! 
Our Clark Pest Control person also mentioned that we should eliminate or cut back any tree or bush that is four feet near the roof. I guess the little rats can attach their tails to branches and swing their way onto a roof. I love our Thuja in the courtyard, but these need to be moved before they get too tall. Luckily, they’re slow growers, so I can put off this task for a little while longer. 
I’ve been looking forward to watching this Japanese Maple grow taller than our roof. Not only would it provide much needed shade in the courtyard, but it would look really cool growing from the center of our house. 
Our courtyard looks the best in fall and winter. The color of the Japanese Maples in the fall is beautiful! In the winter, the Camellias, Azaleas, and Cyclamen bloom. I think I may decorate the Thujus with Christmas ornaments this year.
