GROWING ROSES TO FIGHT THE LOCKSOWN BLUES!
By Denise T
COVID-19 has significantly changed our life, my story about finding my interest in growing roses taught me something new. We all had a hectic lifestyle before COVID-19, travelling between office and home, rarely having time to slow down and pay attention to the environment around us. Now I have so much more time at home; I started to observe the beautiful environment around my house. One day I walked around a nearby park and noticed the roses were blooming in the garden. They are so beautiful, especially the deep red roses with an intense fragrance, the strong perfume made me feel like I was in heaven. I immediately fell in love with the roses and wished I could have one in my backyard. A council worker came to prune the roses; he pointed me to the Swane’s Nursery in Dural and told me I would find different types of premium roses there. The red one I like the most is called Mister Lincoln.
Without hesitation, I made a trip to Swane’s nursery during winter 2020. Unfortunately, a lot of roses are sold out; I bought Pierre de Ronsald (pink) and The Fire Fighter (red). Since then, I have been addicted to watch, work and care for them every day, patiently waiting for the beautiful bloom. In 2020 Spring, both roses were blooming beautifully; the romantic appearance of Pierre de Ronsald is enough to melt anyone’s heart, the Fire Fighter with an intense fragrance and recurrent blooms lit up my house for almost the entire year.
By May 2021, I revisited Swane’s nursery before Mother’s Day; this is when all the bare root roses became available for sale. I bought a few more English David Austin roses including Jude de Obsecure (apricot), Golden Celebration (yellow) and of course, my long awaited Mister Lincoln (red).
Roses need lots of caring, full sun, daily watering, pruning, and fertilising are part of the routines. But the hard work is rewarding; the beautiful flowers light up every day in the last three months of lockdown, now I have bigger plans to build a rose wall fence, a rose arch and get other types of roses later, I joined Facebook Rose groups sharing my experience and learning with others around the world. Perhaps, I found a new passion in life? Often life can be simple if we pay attention to those little things around us; I wish you find the little joy in your own life too.
