Some mathematics you'll like

It occurred to me as I was shoveling manure compost that I have left a gravely wrong impression here. My garden and I are the exception not the norm. Ninety-five roses is far, far from average and so is the work involved. This number of roses and level of effort is my choice, at least for now, but growing beautiful, enjoyable roses need not be so demanding. Divided by ten or twenty, your roses can be just as fulfilling as mine, produce equally thrilling blooms and be the same handsome healthy landscape shrub. Let's keep dividing by ten or twenty. A bag of composted cow manure from Lowe's is all that's needed for each bush. For about $1.50 per bush in the spring along with a bag of Rose-Tone or Holly-Tone and a bag of Milorganite for a feeding while on an evening stroll through your yard every six weeks or so means your effort will also be divided by ten or twenty.

As with everything, hobbies and hobbyists come in all degrees of devotion and intensity. If you want no part of my garden, and if my gardening scares the daylights out of you, I say fear not. Most likely this is not your cup of tea, but a taste of gardening-lite may be right up your alley. After all, azaleas need pruning in the spring, feeding after their bloom is finished, and supplemental feedings throughout the year if they're to stay healthy in our Florida conditions. I don't hear folks talk about how demanding azaleas are.  If you have four or five sunny spots in your yard, you could have four or five Souvenir de la Malmaisons covered repeatedly with incredibly elegant blush pink flowers which I daresay will make your yard elegantly different from your neighbors whether or not they grow roses.

If you're desperate for some variety and beauty in your landscape, by all means investigate these Old Garden Roses (there are many to choose from) that truly do thrive here. Amazingly, our early spring is producing delightful results with my roses, results not to be found on a ligustrum, an Indian Hawthorne or even on a Knock-Out rose. Variety spices up our lives and our landscapes. I know positively that Florida homeowners take pride in their landscape and even put a lot of work in it. Is this something you'd be willing to put that work into? For  5% or 10% of my work you can have 100% of my roses' grace and beauty. Now that's math-made-easy, don't you agree?

Have Pittosporum and Viburnum really stolen your heart?

Descriptions of roses often include the term 'good garden rose'. My interpretation of a 'good garden rose' is one that has a handsome shape, foliage that stays healthy and abundant, and is an attractive addition to the garden in its own right. To me it is pretty much the highest praise that can be given to a rose bush. How much more can be said than that a plant is good in the garden? But when we think of shrubbery for our landscape, do we think of roses? When we want to add some privacy to our yard, does a rose bush come to mind? When we want to accent the foundation of a building, we often think of azaleas but why not Old Garden Roses? When we want to plant a hedge, do we think of a line of beautiful vase-shaped tea roses that repeat their luscious blooms over and over from spring until after frost? Are we so fond of ligustrum that we wouldn't trade it for fragrant roses? When we want to hide an old chain link fence, does the picture of a lovely climbing rose draping that fence with blooms come to mind? There is a rose, in fact, a multitude of roses that will fit the bill for each instance I just proposed. Chinas, Teas, Polyanthas, or Noisette shrubs and climbers...there are literally hundreds from which to choose of all shapes, sizes and growth habits. 

Roses aren't just for cutting, you know. A rose is a rose is a rose is a bush.