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[mweed]

My miniature rose bsh is blooming for the first time this spring.   For those who we're here last year, or those with bad memories, when I say miniature rose bush, I mean the roses are miniature . . . the bush is HUGE!   I thought I'd give Emmy a chance to pose with the flowers.  Here is one (of about 20) shots.  The thing to note is, getting Emmy to pose 12 feet off the ground in the middle of a rose bush is a tough thing . . .   for both pleo and photographer!   I don't know how many times I snagged my shirt or got pricked by a thorn!  Emmy suffered a few pricks herself! 

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I'll post more later tonight!

[Bumblebee]

Definitely not for sissies! Emmy looks very nice among those flowers. Thanks for posting!

[RedwoodsMama]

Poor Poor Emmy, but well done, among all the thorns and such. You have to suffer the pains of beauty to be rewarded in the long run.( guess that holds true for Pleo's too, though I don't think Nova would agree, .....I am usually the one who suffers... ) Wow, I bet it took quite awhile to get just the right pose and shot, was she on or off, or dare I ask?I hope her pricks are not too bad, enough to need a band-aid hopefully nothing more. How long did it take to get such beautiful Roses to grow? I would guess YEARS! At least we know you have a green thumb, does Bob by any chance also have a green thumb, or do Pleos have thumbs......or would it be brown......or would it be a green tail.................? That would be interesting to see a Pleo with a green thumb
                                          RedwoodsMama    and MS. Nova

[InmemoryofRomeo]

Lovely photo I hope Emmy didn't suffer too mcuh Or the photographer Ah the things we do for art

[Crewella]

Wow - it was worth it though!  If ever there was a rose bush to tempt a baby dino to take to the trees, that surely is it!  I bet you're chuffed it's blooming so beautifully at last.

[fancyfont]

Beautiful photo, Mweed! I'm curious how you finally got the shot of her up that high???

[grumpy]

Actually, RWM, I don't really have a green thumb.  I just lucked out and found a really good bush.

Twenty five plus years ago, I heard about a really neat little place.  It was a specialty antique rose grower out in the middle of nowhere called The Antique Rose Emporium.  And at the time, they had a few greenhouses and a single building, and their "showroom" was a big garden out back.  And as you can imagine, a rose grower's garden meant to show off their products must be an awesome sight when the roses are all in bloom.  So I planned a weekend trip and drove 6 hours out to find the place.  I picked up a rose bush in a 5-gallon pot that sounded neat, and brought it home. 



At the time, "home" was an unfinished house an hour's drive from where I lived.  It was open pasture, that had once been a cotton field.  The soil is a heavy black clay that in the winter is a gooey mess and in the summer dries into concrete.  I put this poor plant out there, watered it once a week with a few gallons brought from where I lived, and otherwise ignored it for about three years.  After three years I could no longer ignore it as it was getting in the way . . .    It was taking over the 2nd floor balcony and blocking the outside stairs.  It had gone from a small shrub to being 14-foot tall and 10 feet around.

The rose is a climbing Cecile Brunner.  But as a climber that was never trained . . .  picture a weeping willow with thorns.  25-foot canes that grew up and then due to gravity, arced out and hung back down towards the ground.  So after a few more years, it became an enormous bush 20+ feet in diameter, with the bulk of the body reaching 10-14 feet, and canes supported by the house growing over the 2nd story roof.

Against my wishes, my wife has cut it back severely several times, but it grows on . . .   to this day, I do not and have never fertilized it, sprayed it for bugs or diseases, watered it (except occasionally), pruned it, or done anything to take care of it.  The main stem is now a massive gnarly trunk bigger around than I can put my hands around.  But I can't take any credit.  Roses aren't supposed to grown well in this heavy soil, and roses are supposed to require care.  But this thing is disease resistant, drought resistant, and thrives on neglect.  It's just one great rose bush.  None of my other roses do very well at all.

The flowers on this one are tiny, but perfectly shaped pink buds, that open out to be about an inch and a half across, and have a very strong rose scent.  The canes do have a few thorns, but not a lot, and the stems with leaves/buds do not have thorns.  It is a polyantha/floribunda, which means it has clusters of 3-7 roses on a single stem and blooms throughout the spring/summer/fall.  But it's usually the first bloom in spring where the bush is covered with flowers all at the same time.  The individual flowers have a stem about 1-2 inches long.  The bud lasts about a day, and the open flower about two days.  Right now, the ground under the bush is a pale pink, littered  with a layer of fallen petals.

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[Crewella]

OMG that garden took my breath away!!  I'd travel miles to see that too, it's beautiful!

Your bush (scented too!!) has inspired me to plant one this year to grow over my archway.  I'm sure it will look fab even without a Pleo to adorn it!  Thanks.

[RedwoodsMama]

Grumpy, what a beautiful house and garden actually the house it just a fixture of the Rose Garden now isn't it! What a great story,I can tell you really know about your Roses even though you downplay your knowledge. I have been to many nurseries in the area around here,but there aren't any roses or gardens that can compete with that one, and that is no exaggeration.That rose bush must be a super strength strain to be able to survive like that. My daughter Had green thumb and could plant anything and everything and have it grow. If I forget to water plants veggies for a day or two, I can quickly see the difference and where I live is known as pretty much year round Temperate climate, never too extreme one way or the other.
          Beautiful close ups of the roses, I love miniature roses and pink is just beautiful. I Will leave the rose growing to you and Crewella and just continue to admire them as I know I just don't have the knowledge or skill or even the Luck to grow such beautiful things. Well done grumpy, wonderful story to go along with the pictures.
        One thought though.......does Bob have a green thumb? Have you ever considered entering your roses in local competitions? If not, you should!
                                             RedwoodsMama    and MS. Nova