Smell the Roses

One thing that always comes to mind when people talk about flower gardens is a beautiful bush full of blooming roses. You know girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes and shakespeare sonnets and yada yada yada yada.

 

Many years ago, I planted my first rose bush. It died. Then I planted my second. That one died too. See a pattern here?

I got distracted by many shiny things, but the rosy happiness always was in the back of my mind. You know, like at number #782 of the list "Things To Do: URGENT!!!!"

Last year my heart started beating excitedly when I saw a rosebush for cheap at the grocery store. This time I would be successful. This time I would grow such beautiful roses. I would be the envy of all my friends for my superb roses!

Guess what? The rose seemed to do just fine till winter arrived. And it went dormant. Very dormant. As in never woke up again dormant...

 

I cried for many nights about my poor roses, but perked up when I saw more roses for sale, yes at the local supermarket again. So much cheaper than at the nursery. (I wonder why it's so much cheaper...) As one who suffers from eternal optimism, I got the cheap rose again. And the bit more expensive one, but still very cheap one two weeks later which said 'subzero rose'.

They both are growing just fine and one of them even is blooming! Victory! Not only did it bloom but the roses smelled really sweet and rosy. I am not going to really celebrate till I see whether these roses survive the winter, but I will get my girls' white dresses out, just in case.