Every Rose Has Its Thorn
I moved into my place with two rose bushes. One is a pretty little thing called the Evelyn rose (and named, unimaginatively enough, Evelyn):
and the other is the Angel Face rose:
When they came in the apartment they were in rough shape. They'd weathered leaf rot, aphids, and all sorts of terrors plants like them are not fond of. Then they were relocated miles across the Bay area, from outdoors to indoors, and--considering this place is what it is--into another climate. Think of El Cerrito as the sort of climate you'd find in the North Carolina mountains, only, if possible, wetter. Now imagine Oakland as Atlanta, Georgia on a moderate to blazingly hot day.
Angel was so shook up she actually dropped all her leaves in protest. There was one lone branch left, the only hint my bush was still alive.
There is only one place in the room that gets full sun every day...the kitchen. According to the care instructions that is not enough sunlight. According my my ex-roomie who is really good with plants, they need special rose fertilizer, repotted in larger pots, and other odds and ends to really thrive. And I didn't have two pennies to rub together. I didn't go to the local market, much less to a gardening store. So I put them in the kitchen, watered them every time the soil felt dry, and hoped for the best.
Well, whatever I'm doing, they love it. The sun, especially, the light here is their best friend. I don't know what the difference between here and El Cerrito is, but apparently its huge. Angel burst out in a ton of new growth and now has no less than seven new buds.
And Evelyn? Evelyn is blooming.
Squee!
and the other is the Angel Face rose:
When they came in the apartment they were in rough shape. They'd weathered leaf rot, aphids, and all sorts of terrors plants like them are not fond of. Then they were relocated miles across the Bay area, from outdoors to indoors, and--considering this place is what it is--into another climate. Think of El Cerrito as the sort of climate you'd find in the North Carolina mountains, only, if possible, wetter. Now imagine Oakland as Atlanta, Georgia on a moderate to blazingly hot day.
Angel was so shook up she actually dropped all her leaves in protest. There was one lone branch left, the only hint my bush was still alive.
There is only one place in the room that gets full sun every day...the kitchen. According to the care instructions that is not enough sunlight. According my my ex-roomie who is really good with plants, they need special rose fertilizer, repotted in larger pots, and other odds and ends to really thrive. And I didn't have two pennies to rub together. I didn't go to the local market, much less to a gardening store. So I put them in the kitchen, watered them every time the soil felt dry, and hoped for the best.
Well, whatever I'm doing, they love it. The sun, especially, the light here is their best friend. I don't know what the difference between here and El Cerrito is, but apparently its huge. Angel burst out in a ton of new growth and now has no less than seven new buds.
And Evelyn? Evelyn is blooming.
Squee!