The Rose that Could

Handsome and our family went to a favorite vacation spot. Prior to leaving, I was worried because we had already experienced three-digit temperatures. I had been watering more. Before #2son married, I planted extra flowering stuff in our back yard and breezeway gate. Out-of-town family was expected, and I wanted the house to look tip-top perfect.

Then the high temps hit.

So when vacation rolled around, I asked friends to help with additional watering. And they did! But…

Upon our return, my roses looked terrible. A while back, I had other roses. A virus infected them, and all had to go. To get roses to grow in those spots, I would have to dig out the dirt there. Who knew if I could remove all the bad stuff?

So other things went in the roses’ places, and I put roses in large pots, including a cutting rooted from my grandmother’s pink variety.

Of course, the other pots mattered, but the pink one mattered most. It had been hit hard over the last two years with freezing temps despite my best efforts to protect it.

I dumped my suitcase in the house and picked up the hose. All the leaves on all the roses were curled. One wasn’t going to make it, which was disappointing as it had been large and glorious before the first big freeze.

When I reached Grandmother’s rose, my heart almost stopped. For this one had a bud. One bud. I gave it a drink and checked the next day. The bud opened. And by the third day, a full-blown flower. Stunning.

I like to think Grandmother, with her green thumb, watched over her baby.

On sale now at $.99! Just Desserts and other very short stories, sure to tickle your funny bone at:

Find your fun at: Amazon.com: Just Desserts and Other Very Short Stories

8 Comments Add yours

  1. Hey, Vicki. Oh, my goodness. I love this post. I’m so happy your Grandmother Rose made it. I have the same issue with two hydrangeas and the heat. Sometimes the hoses in them work and sometimes not. I fear the worst for them when we return. Almost nothing can survive the heat we’re having, even with daily watering, much less if it’s not happening. I hope you enjoyed your trip, and it was somewhere cool. We are and it’s cool. Praying the power grid holds. 🙂 I shared.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Vicki Batman says:

      Thank you, Marsha! Usually, the blooms are very large. This one was smaller, but I was so happy to see it. Enjoy the cooler weather!

      Like

  2. Pat Amsden says:

    What a beautiful rose. And thinking of your grandma and her green thumb makes it extra special.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Vicki Batman says:

      Grandmother had a way with plants. She dug a hole with her special shovel and shoved a clipping in it. She smashed the soil in place and gave the cutting a good drink now and again. 🙂

      Like

  3. Janet Leigh says:

    This heat is the pitts! So glad you still have grandma’s roses. I haven’t planted any roses since we moved, but I’m planning for next spring.

    Like

    1. Vicki Batman says:

      Good morning! The roses have had a hard time with cold and hot extremes. Over the years, the antique roses have done better. Hugs!

      Like

  4. Reggi Allder says:

    So wonderful your grandmother’s rose is fine. It is beautiful! 🙂

    Like

    1. Vicki Batman says:

      Thank you, Reggi! Having Grandmothers things is very special. She loved roses

      Like

We love to chat, just comment below. Please read the privacy statement in the menu regarding your privacy. Thank you.

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.