"Juanita" is the most beautiful and fragrant rose in the garden of my life, and I cannot describe my joy when, suddenly one fall, I found her growing in an unexpected place.

She is a "found rose" from hardy stock, who has grown all her life on her own roots, and she blooms continuously, filling my garden with indescribable fragrance and beauty. She is a "treasure" - the kind of rose that any of us could only dream of.

"Juanita" is, as I said, an extremely hardy and forgiving rose, and I must confess, that she has thrived and bloomed in poorer soils with little care. Like so many other roses, she is a "hardy rose for difficult places", and she blooms without complaint. She is the pride and joy of my garden.

I am a relatively clumsy gardener, and slow to learn. You might even say that I am "all thumbs" and some of them are definitely not green. So, since "Juanita" is such a hardy and undemanding rose, I must confess that I did not lavish on her the extravagant care required for Hybrid Teas. I guess you might call it "just short of neglect" - no fertilizer or spray, and only occasional pruning. But, as I said "Juanita" is an extraordinary and most forgiving rose. Despite all that I did, and failed to do, she just bloomed, and bloomed, and bloomed.

Then one day, I learned a great lesson about roses - even hardy and forgiving roses. You might even call it serendipity. I was at work, and for no reason that I can think of I called a flower shop less than a block away from my house and had them deliver a bouquet to "Juanita". It was less than a half-hour later when I got a call from a very confused and happy "hardy rose", who wanted to know if I had sent her flowers.

You see, even if the pride and joy of your garden is a "hardy rose", even if she grows on her own roots, even if she blooms continuously without complaint, even if she reliably fills your life with fragrance - even so, a little tender loving care and occasional feeding works wonders.

Last updated 10/17/2002