Requiem for Roses

I'm not sure if I've mentioned it or not yet, but my roses did not survive their winter sojourn in my attic. My heart did a little nose dive when we pulled them out and they were all brown and brittle. When I cut them back almost to the ground and there wasn't even a speck of green, I knew they were past the point of rescue.

I've kind of fallen in love with my little eclectic, hippie vegetable garden, so I haven't really had time to miss the roses. But all of sudden everyone else's roses have started blooming and it's made me a little sad not to have my own. They were a lot of trouble, but they were the kind of trouble I don't really mind taking.

For a few seconds this morning I thought about getting a bush and just planting it outside of our house. It would have to be something much less fussy to be sure; something that could live without much care when we move, because you never know if the people who move in next will be gardeners or not. And it would be pushing the "no gardening" clause in our lease...but I suppose that hasn't stopped me yet!

But maybe the better answer is just to enjoy other people's roses, and wait until we're more settled to get more of my own. The Reinsch Rose Garden is about 2 miles from where I work, and is supposedly gorgeous, the Laura Conyers Smith Garden was great last year, and (although it's a bit of a drive) the Capaha Rose Garden in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, is also one I'd like to see.

I'm such a little rose junkie, right now I'd be happy with just a sniff.