About 8 years ago I became interested in old garden or antique roses. It became an obsession as new interests sometimes do with me. My quest for information began on the internet as I haunted a forum on old roses--and then it spread to books which I carried around with me. Eventually I acquired a few and placed them in a new bed on the north side of the house. It was fun collecting each one and learning its history. The rose bed snaked across the yard and I added various perennials and shrubs. What I didn't anticipate was the amount of work needed to keep it all going. I was still teaching at the time, and weeding, fertilizing, pruning, etc became an overwhelming chore. It was about then that climate change was becoming evident, and I realized we were in drought mode most of the time. I spent the spring, summer and even part of winter running hoses to keep the bushes alive.
When they bloomed they were stunning! And most of them were fragrant. I couldn't believe how wonderful it was to have them in the garden. The deer loved them, too. After about three years they began to pass through the yard and eat the tender leaves and buds until they had pruned them to sticks.
I tried various deterrents--nothing worked--so I had to admit defeat and retreated to a smaller rose garden in a more protected area. They still bloom beautifully and smell heavenly, but every time I see a photo of the big garden I grieve for that large expanse of color.
No comments:
Post a Comment