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| Easy Does It ranges from orange to various sunset colors, and it blooms like crazy all summer. |
I made the mistake of allowing a few vendors to include all their business partners in mailings and email. However, I am getting better at resisting temptation from the rose merchants.
The last two times I decided to buy just one type. Mr. Lincoln occupied the newest area last year, and Easy Does It claimed the last piece of former lawn - on Mrs. Wright's side.
The summer of 2017 was the Buckwheat Boondoggle, when that exceptional plant took over the rose garden twice. The lawn crew used weed-eaters when all the buckwheat plants were above the roses, bearing mature seed. The need crop came soon after, so the overgrown ivy and dominant cover crop made the house look abandoned, as one visitor admitted.
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| Mr. Lincoln has long legs. |
Mr. Lincoln is vigorous, tall, prolific, and the most fragrant rose around. The plants from last year are bursting in growth already.
My neighbor was working on her front yard. She said, "I am not very good with plants." I said, "We all have failures with plants, for a lot of reasons. The idea is - plant more of them to get good results."
That is what I do with publishing. Although both efforts offer some instant rewards, both require long-term gambles.
Roses out-produce everything in value, which can be seen in many ways. Nothing is uglier in winter than a rose bush, but they delight people, spring through fall. Name another flower where one in a bud vase will be a good present. See what I mean?
I gave Mrs. Wright one mature bud in a vase, saying, "Watch it open." She was sceptical, as she admitted later. The tiny bud opened slowly into a spectacular bloom that lasted many days and perfumed her living room.
Sassy the wonder-dog came out to help me with planting the roses. I pulled the bare root plants out of the rain barrel, where they soaked for several days. When Sassy is outside for long, she sets up a security perimeter and scans in every direction. Army Ranger Bob came by for some pour-over coffee.
He said, "You looked peaked and needing some rest." I asked, "Does that mean a coffee break?" He lit up and said, "Oh I could use some." Sassy went inside with us for some pour-over coffee. He calls her Chow Dog and looks for treats for her to enjoy.
We went out later and Bob let me continue my labors. The one thing I needed was to water the roses to help them get started, several benefits accruing - soil is settled down, canes are kept moist before leafing out, roots starting growing.
This morning Sassy wanted her walk, so we went out. I noticed damp sidewalks, overhead clouds gloomy with rain. By the time we returned, rain began falling. The ideal rainfall after planting anything is a long, steady rain.
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| Which part DID you like? |
