My symptoms weren't obvious. It was one of those things where you could think of it as a sign of illness or chalk it up to being old-ish. Doesn't everyone who is, say, past 72 have moments... okay, days... no, weeks, of fuzzy thinking, irrational behavior, dizzying sleeplessness and the like? But last night, I struck a new level of instability and this morning I woke up knowing that I was doomed. I didn't need a doctor to tell me -- it's so obvious. And AI confirmed it. When I listed my symptoms and asked if this was indicative of disease, I got a very clear "yes." I guessed which one and AI confirmed it. Here's a direct transcript: "rose fever" describes a passionate, obsessive desire of a gardener to buy, collect, and plant more and more roses than they actually have room or time to manage.
Millie keeps me in check. When she is here, I understand that my time to work with roses is limited and can fit into the pockets I have when I am not with the kids and she is in daycare. Too, her presence forces me to go to bed at a reasonable (albeit late) hour, because I know I have to get up between 6 and 7 (earlier, starting Sunday) and I know I need to get some decent hours of sleep.
Last night, she was not here and it happened to be the evening where I discovered that there are small growers and retail outlets that post roses on Etsy and some of them have a fantastic reputation and importantly, they dont spend the dollars on marketing (in the way that the big nurseries do), so their roses are invariably less expensive.
For many, many hours I studied the various roses available there. I wasn't really in it for the purchase, but simply to get to know what else is grown in this country. Your local nursery has a very predictable stock of rose varieties (in the spring and summer). The nurseries that sell online are a little bit better in that their selection is substantial and it includes the rose varieties that any rosarian would covet. The modern English roses (David Austin, for example), the German Tantau and Kordes disease resistant ones, the lovely French pastels, and even a few of the Japanese roses (Miyabi, Masora, etc). Etsy, on the other hand, has stuff I'd never even heard of. Yes, the English ones, yes, the German and French, but also a plethora of Japanese shrubs and, too, Chinese varieties which have become popular among some growers recently. The caveat here is that on Etsy, you feel a little like you're being thrown to the wolves. Forget those review stars -- they could easily be fabricated. A rose for $1.95? Can't wait to get that in my mall mailbox! On the other hand, we now have AI to help us sift through reputations -- of both the roses and the growers. And so I stayed up late (until 2), reading, evaluating, lusting, and just learning.
Eventually I did purchase four roses which they say will come in the next week (I really cannot plant beyond that, so if they come later, I'll have to overwinter them in pots which is not a great idea for me as I already have enough to store in the garage once everything freezes). Wait -- planting roses in November?? Rose Fever gone wild.
My friends, those who have been at Steffi's House and thus know the size limitations the garden presents, asked me yesterday -- where am I putting all these roses and other plants? It's a good question and I have to say, the last four roses incorporated into my Master Gardening Plan ("MGP") dont have a perfect spot yet. I am not going to overcrowd the beds I have filled thus far, so I will have to extend the planting spaces or move some perennials. I'll likely do a combination of both, though I am a little apprehensive about the Dames de Cheanonceau climber. I'm not sure my idea for her is entirely workable. We shall see.
Without Millie here this morning (she over-nighted with Julie because of the date Ed and I had last night), you'd think I'd sleep in, but no! I got up as if she were there, waiting for me. In part it's because I am always up and moving by 7-ish. And in part because I had all these ideas spinning in my head about rose placement. When you have the Rose Fever, it does not go away in the hours when you should be sleeping.
Breakfast was late (because there was no Millie to keep me on schedule), and not the best, because I took my laptop with me to the breakfast chair...
... and that's just not a good idea. Screen time just isn't restful or meditative. It's frenetic and oftentimes depressing. And once I was online, I read more about the roses on Etsy's. I am done with buying. Even a fresh budget month wont help anymore -- the shipping dates are too late now. Everyone is already shifting to reserving bare-root roses for spring. Surprisingly, I am not part of that bandwagon, mostly because I really do not have room for expansion. And I do want to see how the winter treats my roses. If they all die back to the root-ball, then I will have learned something. Not sure what yet, but it has to be incorporated into my pool of knowledge about growing roses here, in Steffi's Garden.
In the early afternoon, I plant a couple of perennials and I put in the remaining 24 bulbs. And I make some decisions: I dig out a big hydrangea and give it up to a neighbor. And I move some perennials. And I put up a trellis. And I do not forget about the other plants that are beautiful right now in Steffi's Garden.
And then, finally, I go to pick up Millie at doggie daycare.
(in the car)
Oh my girl! I cannot manage without you! I'm so glad to have you home. To keep me sane, content. To keep the Rose Fever at bay. To focus on what's before us and not what's coming in the mail "for sure" in 7-9 days. Come up here, little one. Time to brush you out!
with so much love...
