First Rose

"It will never rain roses.  If we want more roses, we will have to plant more roses."

                                                                                                                  George Elirt

First Rose

My son, Frank Murphy, built this flower bed for me.  I call it the A bed. Frank built five beds that year and tilled three more.  My neighbor, Carrel Sheffield, now my husband, came over to watch.  Two roses were left behind for me when I bought this house.  Carrel said  they  had only  two or three blooms a year on them, because they were  in deep shade.  It was July, the hottest and driest  part of the summer, when we moved the  roses.    Frank dug a deep hole around the rose and when he lifted the shovel, all the dirt fell off!  Bare root roses can be difficult in the spring, but July is very difficult.   Carrel Sheffield said  "It will not live."  Carrel did not know me.  Frank  watered it well, no fertilizer, could burn roots at this time.  The same thing happened to the other one.  I now had two bare root roses.  I was not worried.  Carrel shook his head

I have rooted many plants before, anytime of the year. So  I thought at least these 2 rose bushes do have  roots.  I filled  two one gallon milk jugs with water, let them stand over night and watered both roses, everyday.  Anytime you root or plant anything, water daily until the plant gets a good start.  Everyday Carrel would come over and check on the two roses.  One day he told me it needed cutting back; that it was too tall. He asked, "May I cut it for me?" ( We should have cut it back when we planted it.)  "Sure," I said "Go ahead."  I need to tell you now Carrel had a line of roses across his yard.  They were beautiful.  So he cut them back, but he also started spraying them.  My boss and niece called wanting me to work every other week, to care for her Mother.  I asked Carrel if he would water the Roses while I was gone.  This started a wonderful friend and a new love.

We were married on December 27, 2007.
 
Roses have been with us 35 million years according to fossil evidence.   They have been symbols of love, beauty, war, and politics.  Garden cultivation of roses began 5,000  years ago, probably in China.   The Romans planted large public rose gardens in the south of Rome.  After the fall of Rome the popularity of roses would rise and fall with the trends of the times.

                                                                                                         

                                                                                                                      

Floribunda

.      There are many types of roses. I  will show and  tell you about them as my blog goes along.  I hope you will follow and read my future pages on my blog.  The  floribunda Rose is  medium height and rounded growing habit. They make great hedge rows and bloom in clusters of many medium blooms.  Grandaflora roses are a  combination of the floribunda and the tea rose. They are tall and slender, with fewer blooms on each stem.  Both the floribunda and the grandafloras are repeat bloomers.  The tea rose is tall and slender with only one bloom on long slender limbs. Tea roses are repeat bloomers but are slower to bloom  again and are more subject to disease.  I plant mostly floribundas because they bloom more abundantly and are easier to maintain.  We fertilize 3 times a year early spring, summer, and fall. Our leaves are usually bright green and healthy; but if they start to yellow or began to dull, we give them iron.  Do not use too much iron. Usually an eighth of a cup will be enough on a fully developed rose.  Hope you will watch my garden grow.  Happy gardening to you from me.  Juanita