Roses

Last year, I started planting roses. Around Mother’s Day is a very good time to look for inexpensive bushes. Mom and Grandma were delighted when I brought home these beauties.
Only a few bushes were actually blooming at the time but one that had bloomed a bit was a gorgeous purple rose bush. It was a perfect present for Grandma as it turned out to be her favorite rose. There were also some really pretty mini bushes that Mom really liked.
I planted the bushes for them when I got home. They were both thrilled.
I got them a few more this year too.

This is a pic of the purple bush

Purple roses are a bit unusual in my area. I have never seen any growing in the area until they were brought in during that sale last year.
My neighbors kept sneaking peeks at my grandma’s bush, which is not an easy feat to achieve considering the distance between our house and theirs! lol
They looked so silly! They could’ve gotten a much closer look if they’d wanted. If they had simply wandered up to the door and said “Hello” to us, they’d have gotten a good look at the flowers and probably a glass of iced tea too!
Silly people.

Here are a few of the minis.

The red ones are for my mom and the yellows are for my grandmother. Grandma really likes yellow roses.
The orange and white rose was planted to complement Mom's red roses. Somehow it makes me think of the opening lines from one of Yeats's poems.

" Where dips the rocky highland
Of Sleuth Wood in the lake,
There lies a leafy island
Where flapping herons wake
The drowsy water-rats;
There we've hid our faery vats,
Full of berries
And of reddest stolen cherries."

There are legends about fairy gold. I think this flower looks like something a fairy would like. :)

This is of one of the Queen Elizabeth bushes. This rose type’s history is also pretty neat too. The Queen Elizabeth is the first known grandiflora rose and it was bred to commemorate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.
It is also the most popular kind of grandiflora rose out there. It is by far the hardiest one.

The only down-sides to caring for this bush are that you must wear gardening gloves while weeding around it or your hands can get very scratched up and that Japanese beetles seem to love eating the blooms. Dad taught me how to ward off the beetles though so that isn’t an issue for me. :P
It turns out that Japanese beetles hate marigolds. They avoid plants growing near an established patch of marigolds. The beetles also hate Seven 5% dust. Even when the dust is no longer visible, it still repels the pests.
There is are other things to watch for; deer and rabbits. They do love to eat roses, though they leave mine alone. If you’ve got a dog then walking him near the bushes frequently can help discourage deer and other herbivorous marauders.


I really like this bush because its blooms make me think of my parents and because its scent is lovely and so delicate.
The way its blooms develope is kind of strange. The buds start out very dark -they're nearly black - and gradually lighten up to a bright red.
Here's an example>


Yes, it really is that vivid. Knock-Out roses only get more vivid as they get healthier. They are very cheerful plants and have a reputation for hardiness in most climates.