April Roses

I am missing my roses this month. April is always the most beautiful month for flowers in my yard in Atlanta. We are having a lovely, lovely spring in Virginia, but none of the flowers here belong to me!

Of course, none of the flowers in Atlanta belong to me, either, but are only in my care.

I am awed and grateful for the beauty of the earth, but I have a relationship with the part of the earth that I actually tend. I planted each and every one of my roses and my delight in their blooms is personal, even as I know I deserve no credit for their beauty.

It's not time for me to plant anything here... I'm in temporary quarters where the light is not right. And so I will visit my roses in a few weeks, and marvel at their beauty and vigor despite the fact that I have hardly tended them at all this year. Because they are only mine in a sense.

Comments

Ray Barnes said…
I feel for you Penny. Somehow there is a very personal link with things we have grown ourselves.
Like you, I love roses, but mine are very neglected at present (hope to do better), as neither the energy nor the enthusiasm has been there for a year or two.
We don't normally see any roses in bloom here until June or July, but they are a lovely welcome sight when they do appear.
Serious gardening again is on my 'to do' list for this year.
I hope you see your own roses soon.
Bill Bynum said…
Beautiful roses. The Lady Banks roses of Wordless Wednesday were even more gorgeous. My wife, Mary Ann, has tried to grow roses in our yard, but after the mighty oaks that surround our house spread their leaves, the poor little roses simply can't get enough sun and never do well. We have to be content with the crocuses and daffodils that bloom before the Great Shade appears.
Ray, I hope you are able to get back into serious gardening this year. In Atlanta, I have some roses blooming nearly every month. It's hot and sunny. I got spoiled!
Thanks, Bill! The Lady Banks is the one in the parish house garden. I have about fifty "favorite" roses. At least! But you are right, you sure can't grow much in the shade.