In my garden, roses are an annual. I've tried to keep them alive through the winter, really I have. Last year, my father and I made chicken wire cages for each bush, and I filled the cages with leaves and dirt and pine boughs. We had a particularly mild winter. And even so, this is what they look like in mid-May:
And here are the roses that a previous owner planted, which I did not winterize or even feed last year:
I've mentioned it before: gardening is not my strength.
But I do love roses, and I'm willing to plant them as annuals. So I was thrilled when one night, when I came home from work, there in my hallway was a big box from the David Austin company, and inside was a rose:
The only note inside (besides planting instructions) was marked "Free Drawing." Wow. I never win drawings, ever. Ever. But I vaguely remember filling out an online survey at their website, and I won!
Someday little "Lady Emma" will look like this, even if it's only for this summer. And that's probably enough.