Florida, United States

I've been gardening with roses since February, 2007 when I was desperate for something that would "grow in the sun", having been used to shade. After I chose roses I had to learn how to grow them which landed me on the GardenWeb, then the Florida Forum, then the Roses Forum and finally the Antique Roses Forum. Discovering that Old Garden Roses were my best bet, I ran across Organic Gardening which seemed to me the logical way to grow plants. Absorbing all this new information was almost overwhelming, but I jumped in, whole hog, adding rose after rose that I fell in love with and determined would grow well in my Florida climate - at least I hoped they would. With most of my whole, small (60 x 125 lot) yard prepped and planted 15 months after that first step, I'm learning about maintenance and patience. Now I will see what it means to be a gardener, a cultivator of roses not just a planter. And so I await the lushness of mature growth.

At the end of 2010 I started a blog called "If Only Sweat Were Irrigation" aimed mostly to encourage Florida gardeners to try Old Garden Roses that don't require spraying, but, of course, everyone is welcome. Also, I can say that I did my first major pruning in February, 2011, a real milestone in my rose growing experience.

Experienced (18 years)

Society member

Last visit: More than a year ago