Mae’s Garden Rose

On June 21, 2022 by admin With 0 Comments - Garden Thoughts

To garden is to share, love and pray. I will be sharing with you today a story about Mae’s Garden Rose.

Dear friends,

I wish to say thank you so kindly for being here and reading my continued garden musings. I sincerely appreciate it.

Since my last post, the work in the garden has been nonstop. Well, not quite so nonstop as it happened. The weather gracing this part of the country in late spring was nothing short of GLOURIOUS! Week after week I was waiting for our typical heavy spring snow but it was not to be… or so it seemed. In kind, the garden responded accordingly. Trees were leafing out in full force, blossoms on the apple trees, flower stems emerging on the irises and so on. It looked as if it would be the type of spring I would normally just dream of.

And then…

Friday, 20 May 2022

One Week Before Memorial Day

All that week I was paying close attention to the forecast and becoming more and more nervous and anxious about all the prognostications. The proposed temperatures for Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening started off at or below freezing and as the week progressed, the forecasted evening temperatures were colder and then colder (in the end the coldest it got was 26 one evening). The projected snow accumulation was climbing and climbing (in the end, we received over a foot of snow). As the storm approached that Friday the 20th, I said a little gardener’s prayer and just hoped for the best.

As the snow relentlessly fell, I went out and used a broom to shake snow from trees all Friday evening but in the end I still lost a couple limbs from the maple in front. The irises, flax and all the other emerging perennials that had stood proudly were now flat to the ground. The limbs from the nannyberry, serviceberry, lilacs, bush cherry and chokecherry were also flat to the ground.

Interlude: Let me say this about the chokecherry tree. It is native to this part of the country and all around my garden and beyond, many, MANY trees lost limbs. Ash, elms and so on all fell victim to this very heavy spring snow. And, yet most trees that happened to be native (my chokecherry included) were relatively unscathed. Once the snow began to melt, the tree bounced back to life. I mention this because it directly relates to one of my core gardening principals — grow native as much as possible

Within days, the weather returned to normal and the snow disappeared almost as rapidly as it arrived. And, now, today, one month later, all is mostly fine. Well, now, we have a newer problem ironically enough and that is not having enough moisture. Oh! To be a gardener! Moving on…

A Day to Make the Previous Days Better

A couple weeks ago, I received some concerning health news. I will not go into details right now but suffice to say, I have been thinking a lot about what is truly important in life. Not that I did not do this prior but when one’s health is not optimal, those thoughts not only deepen but tend to become more prevalent.

That aside, I typically wait to turn my irrigation back on either the first or second week of June. As it happened, the person who was meant to help me with this along with fixing a severed sprinkler line was not available to help. Not wanting to prolong the ability to irrigate the garden, a friend who helps me with my seasonal landscaping needs came over to help.

When we turned on the water, we were greeted by spraying water from a large crack in the pipe, and this abruptly concluded the process of turning on the water. I called the company who blew out the sprinkler lines last autumn and explained what was happening. Bear in mind, I was already having a very challenging time mentally and this was really the last thing I wanted to be dealing with.

Let me pause for a moment…

Before I continue, I want to mention the company that helps me with all my sprinkler needs – Castle Rock Sprinkler Service. If you live in the Castle Rock area of Colorado and need help with anything related to your sprinkler or more, I promise you this company is the VERY best of the best.

Meeting John the Owner of Castle Rock Sprinkler

As mentioned already, I called the company who blew out my sprinkler lines for help with this cracked pipe. I was patched through to the owner John who asked I send a photo of the problem. I did that and he replied with a text of “I am on my way”. What a blessing!

When John arrived, he complimented me on my garden. He then shared a photo of one of the most exquisite yellow roses I have ever seen. This rose has been growing in his grandmother Mae’s garden in South Dakota for well over a century. Though no one in John’s family lives there anymore, this rose remains. I have always wanted to make a road trip to South Dakota and I mentioned I would love to set forth on a journey to view this rose. It will bloom again in late May so I am hoping I can make the trip next year.

Mae’s Garden Rose

John got to work on repairing my pipe and as lunchtime was growing near, I asked if I could make him a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. He agreed. Lunch made, we sat and took a few moments to breathe in the beauty of my garden. We talked more and as John shared memories about his grandparents and their beautiful garden that included this magnificent rose, I sensed the love not only for those days past when his grandparents were still alive but also of their garden and subsequently all gardens.

To Share, To Love and To Pray

We gardeners are a very special lot. Our love of the earth and what we can grow in said earth allows us to typically overcome the challenges nature and life tend to throw at us. One year I will have apples at the end of the season because there was not a late freeze. Most years, I will not. Bugs, rodents, gusty wind, cold, heat, drought, hail, weeds (some not all), etc. can dampen the spirits of even the most optimistic gardening soul.

Through it all though, we persevere. We love, we share and we pray. Just last week, I met John, a kindred spirit who loves to garden, and all that nature provides just as much as I do. We shared our love for what we humans can make out of a bit of earth. I shared some of my tomato, basil and thyme plants along with some seeds. John shared his love for not only his garden but also the garden belonging to his grandparents. And, for the love of Mae’s Garden Rose.

Thank you, John. Thank you for a day that bolstered my spirits and reminded me of the beauty that is everywhere around us.

In Closing And For Next Time

In the next installment, I promise to share the new varieties of penstemon I added to the garden this year along with all my other little projects.

I wish to thank all of you once again most sincerely and humbly for taking the time to read my garden musings. I appreciate your presence. Until next time, I wish for you and yours the very best in health and all things. Many blessings.

As always, here are some current photos of the garden. Enjoy!