Something’s Gotta Give!

Every year, rose garden tours and rose shows stir up my desire for roses I know I must have. So, I start a list. As the year progresses the list gets longer and longer. Unfortunately, my small garden stays small. Continuing temptations still lie ahead in the form of rose catalogs that will soon arrive in my mailbox. I promised myself a few years ago that I would stop at 100 roses. I have exceeded my self-imposed limit and discovered that my self-discipline does not extend to roses. Realistically, I know I can’t just keep adding roses. So how can I fulfill my desire for these “must-have” roses in a garden that is already full?

 I will spend this month planning, pondering, contemplating, reflecting, musing and considering every new rose on my list. I will also assess, deliberate, weigh and examine the performance of each of the roses presently growing in my garden. The bottom line is something’s gotta give! A few roses will need to get ‘shovel pruned’ and a few new roses may have to get crossed off my list. My self-imposed limit really shouldn’t keep expanding as roses really treasure their personal space for health reasons.

 I know I am in good company with this annual dilemma because I have many rose-loving friends who have pulled out their own long lists and are asking themselves the same questions.

 Fortunately, with roses, all this difficult work of discerning is a labor of love. This is because along with all these hard deliberations we have the anticipation, dream and promise of next year’s glorious rosy garden.