I'm seeing roses everywhere I turn at the moment. In the gardens I walk past on my way to work, to the shops, to playgroup. Petals struck to the art Grace brings home from childcare. A vase of blooms from mum's garden placed where I can see them eating my breakfast. Another jar of beautiful blooms from somebodies garden up the back of the office at work today. Roses threaten to attack me as I enter the gate to my mum's house and make my hands itch for the secateurs. And up at the new house, there are roses in the next door neighbour's front yard that spill over into ours. I thought at first there was just a pinky lavender rose, but on the weekend I discovered that there are two more bushes hidden amongst the weedy pittosoprum and self sewn ash. A deep red rose and a blousy yellow. Tousled by the wind and scorched by the early warm weather and needing some care but still all gorgeous and deeply scented. I read in Jackie Frenches gardening book tonight that roses are an anti-depressant. Perhaps that's why.
Up until now, my garden plan for the front yard has been something woodland like. And for the last two months I've being trying to resist the roses that my mum wants to give me. Her garden has way too many roses. Many were there when she moved in and although she loves them, some need to go for a carport and to allow other plants room to grow. I think I was resisting these roses because I wanted the new front garden to be mostly green with only subtle plashes of colour. A restrained garden, that wasn't bitty or garish. However, these roses and the others I keep seeing are just so beautiful. And tough. And would provide endless cut flowers for the house, for giving away. And then there would be rose hips in the winter. Endless photographic possibilities. And pruning. Which is a garden task I do enjoy.
Gerard's a fan of roses too, even though they seem a very unblokey flower. So maybe we will have roses after all. Although probably not until next year. Right now the front yard is almost completely dead grass and weeds and I can't see that we're likely to have enough rain to make establishing a garden feasible until next winter. But I can see a rose obsession coming on.
Love love love roses. I wholeheartedly support the rose theory. Can't feel blue when smelling a rose.
Posted by: M | October 27, 2008 at 11:11 PM
PLEASE have roses! It is impossible to resist the appeal of a vintage house with age appropriate roses as well. They can honestly thrive on neglect or love.
Surrender to the impulse!
And the photographic possibilities are very tempting....
Posted by: Laura | October 28, 2008 at 12:47 AM
we plant a rose bush every year and have since we moved in ~ i love rose obsessions, tee hee ... i even blogged rose today, lol ;-)
beautiful roses!!
Posted by: darlene | October 28, 2008 at 06:46 AM
Love a rose. It's such a nice country garden old lady thing, it fills me with happy Nana thoughts.
We've been trying to think native but I'd love to put in some more rose bushes. We have one at the fence and it was amazing to wake up one day and see it had burst into colour overnight.
Posted by: Penni | October 28, 2008 at 09:17 AM
Roses are so classic...I'm becoming more and more enamoured with them. We only have one bush in our yard but next door's garden has erupted into bloom. Every time we walk down the driveway we are greeted by the sensational colours and smell.
Posted by: BirdBath | October 28, 2008 at 02:25 PM
I am totally obsessed with old fashioned bourbon roses, climbing roses and David Austins.
I had heaps at our old house. Fewer here, cos they don't thrive as well, sadly.
Posted by: suse | October 29, 2008 at 03:59 PM
I love a rose. My nanna loved a rose. Both of my nannas, in fact. Somehow they seem old-fashioned and not in vogue at the moment, everyone's obsessed with bloody landscaped jamie-durie-type mo-dern outdoor-living-spaces, but i still love them.
Posted by: Alby Mangroves | October 31, 2008 at 04:48 PM
Hang on! A vase of roses is eating your breakfast!
Tee hee!
Posted by: joyflea | November 01, 2008 at 11:52 AM
Actually, I was in the same boat, sort of. I wanted a native garden for the front yard of where we live now. There were 3 rose bushes under the kitchen window which I was going to rip out, but my Mum told me to wait.
They bloomed and now I just can't bring myself to get rid of them. It has become a tradition to pick the first bloom of the year and enjoy the heady scent throughout the house!
Posted by: joyflea | November 01, 2008 at 11:56 AM
I love my rose garden ... it is an antidepressant for sure !
Sometimes ours thrive on neglect too ! sadly but honestly.
Posted by: Trish | November 03, 2008 at 11:22 PM
I enjoy pruning too - and my roses. Cut flowers in the house, wafting scent.
Take your mum's roses and plant them right away - mine have been dug up and re-dug many, many times, and they always kick on - just do it. No use having depressing weeds just because 'you're not ready yet'. You don't have to be ready, you can plant and change your mind later.
I agree with Alby though - you just don't see them on a Jamie Durie show. They are very water-wise though .. and *hardy*.
Do it.
Posted by: h&b | November 15, 2008 at 09:33 AM