Wednesday, March 10, 2010

The survivor......



I am sure I blogged way too much about this rose bush that was my mother's, but this is what it looked like last summer.  I dug it up late in the fall and brought it north a hundred miles and planted it in a pot for awhile, then put it in the ground.


I was out today watching snow melt and trying to clear some backyard sidewalks.  I looked over and I saw green.  Everyone who gave me advice on this one I say "Thank You."  Once I had it in the ground I watered it every other day.  Then I covered it with a lot of leaves to protect it.  The the snow came and covered it up which helped to insultate it. 


I have green canes and that is a positive.  I don't think we will have any below freezing for the rest of the year now so I have succeeded.  I will have to keep it watered during the summer as it isn't in a great location for that.  We are told to water roses in Iowa through June, heavily, then slow down the moisture. 

Having been outside I can see I will have a busy spring.  I have sticks from a couple of ice storms all over the yard.  The city uses their blade too close to the sides of my property so I have grass gashes to repair.  The trees lost a lot of bark over this winter for some reason so it adds to the mess.  I will have to thoroughly rake this year to get it all up off the yard.
We didn't make it up to 45 degrees, but maybe tomorrow.  Thanks for stopping by........

9 comments:

The Retired One said...

Gorgeous, gorgeous! I hope it worked, too..because those are fabulous roses.

The Great Ethan Allen said...

Roses are pretty tough. We had one we thought was dead for years. Mom finally cut it down to the ground and the next summer it had HUNDREDS of BIG roses on it. Some plants are funny that way

Far Side of Fifty said...

How wonderful Larry! And a beautiful rose it is! I am just thrilled for you as I know how important this rose bush was to you! Do you think that you might be able to take a cutting this spring and start another one..I am thinking that it is a rose with its own roots and not a grafted rose..give it a whirl! :)

Sunny said...

I'm so happy to see your rose survived, I look forward to seeing it in bloom.
As our snow slowly melts I am discovering the mess it was covering. Lots of yard work on the way! I am, however, so thankful we didn't have any terrible ice storms like last winter.
Sunny :)

Ezhilan said...

I like these beautiful roses with soft color. I appreciate your effort to grow the rose plant.

Jimmy said...

I am so happy for you Larry. You will have wonderful memories even time you see this rose. Plus, you can pass it along to your children.

Gigi Ann said...

Oh, My Goodness! Those are absolutely gorgeous. I hope they bloom for you again this summer, so we can see more of them.

A Brit in Tennessee said...

Oh, I'm glad to see your rose has made it through the Winter months.
How simply gorgeous, I can't help but feel your mum had a part in this beauty and rebirth.
Can't wait to see her in full bloom !

Linda said...

Was your snow melting fast, Larry, that you were watching it? Or was it just desperation at the end of the winter?