There are roses, and then there are ROSES. You know the kind….big, fat, cabbagy blooms that take your breath away. These juicy blooms are enough to make your mouth start watering from the color alone. If it weren’t for Antique and David Austin Roses, I might have given up on trying to establish a rose garden. Truly, there is just nothing like gazing at a bloom from Duchess de Brabant or Belinda’s Dream.
Years ago, when we bought our first little 1190 square foot cottage, our very first purchase was $450 on 22 Antique Roses from the Antique Rose Emporium. It might seem like a lot of roses, but I still had well over 30 more bushes I wanted. *disclaimer* I actually think flower catalogues are laced with some type of addictive substance. I completely lose all common sense when a flower catologue comes in the mail. At any rate, I spent the next five years nurturing a beautiful rose garden. My children were born, and we spent their early childhood among the flowers. Time very well spent. I look back, and realize that $450 was actually pretty cheap when it comes to giving your children garden memories.
Fast forward a few decades, a few grown children, chickens, ducks, pigeons, violin students and a rabbit. Many things have changed, but one thing remains the same….I’m still in total love with Antique Rose. Head over Heals kind of love. In fact, I love my roses as much as my heirloom bulbs….
Wrong!!!!!!!!! 🙂
I do enjoy the “rose and bulb” match though. Right now, everything is in bloom. I am going to be potting up some bulbs and natives later this month. If you are near Llano, Texas, come on by! Take a little garden tour, enjoy the hundreds of Monarchs that are enjoying the Cow Pen Daisies and get some bulbs for your gardens.
Happy Gardening, my friends.