Saturday, June 14, 2008

The Lesson of the Roses





I counted our rose bushes a couple of nights ago. Fifteen Rose Bushes - Fifteen!
We never set out to have fifteen rose bushes. We started with just one. A pink climbing rose that we wanted to grow on a small arch Rog built. This arch sits between our yard and our neighbors. Then another one was added in the front yard, different color and variety, but equally as beautiful. One by one we added more rose bushes. All beautiful because they are roses, of course.
Our neighbor had a rose garden in his front yard. He sold his home and the new friends and neighbors did not want to keep his rose garden. We inherited several more rose bushes. These are high quality roses in unique shades and varieties. Very beautiful.
I noticed last year a few of our rose bushes had gone wild. When a rose bush almost dies it will send off wild shoots and keep growing. A couple of ways you can tell the difference is by the size of the bloom and the thorns. Wild roses have really wicked thorns. The rose blooms will be smaller, but most of the time more abundant. These roses are very beautiful.
As I was examining the roses this week I noticed some of them have aphids. I need to get busy and see if I can get rid of the aphids. These teeny tiny spiders can eat the whole blossom if you let them. You will see the buds appear, but then they never open - it is the saddest thing.
I am not an expert on roses. I know there is a method and science to growing them. I need to learn a lot more about them. I just water, fertilize them and trim them back in the spring. I am very impressed by what they can do all on their own.
I hope you are seeing the analogy in the roses. I will point out a few I have thought of over the last few days. I am sure there are a lot more.
All kinds of roses are beautiful, each color, each variety.
They are all unique.
A rose garden is beautiful because it has lots of varieties and colors.
Even wild roses are beautiful.
The thorns in wild roses are a lot worse then on a normal rose, but if you can get past that and let the wild rose bloom it adds a unique beauty all their own. I am going to keep mine in my rose garden.
All roses can get aphids, you need to watch for them and get rid of them early so they do not destroy the blossom.
I am glad roses know how to bloom all on their own.
Aren't I lucky -I get to watch them blossom.
Roses bring beauty to our yard and home.
I am so happy we have ended up with so many.
What an unexpected joy.

2 comments:

yours truly said...

I love roses! I have some roses and they are wonderful.

The Williams said...

I have ten! But yours are much better pruned than mine, since Craig won't cut anything and gets mad when I start hacking.