When my grandparents moved 8 years ago, my grandpa insisted that we try to transplant some of the rose bushes. I was niave at the time and thought my grandparents would live forever and therefore there would always be roses around. I let the twigs sit in a bucket of water outside in the sun for a couple of months before I finally decided to try to plant them. They all looked dead but I tried anyway. To my amazement, they actually started to grow the next summer. Two years later the bushes were HUGE! We kept having to trim them back. They were beautiful and I began to realize just how special they were at that time because my grandpa's health had started to decline.
We moved in July 2008 and I tried to transplant some of the roses at the new house, but for some reason could NOT get them to take. Everything I planted dried up and died. I tried several rounds of planting to no avail. My grandpa had passed by this point, so I was REALLY hoping they would grow so I could have that little piece of my grandpa here with me.
When our Broone house finally had a contract and was set to close the end of Jan 09, I was so sad...that meant no more roses, they were really going to be gone. A month or two later, the weather began to warm up and the bushes started to turn green. I drove over to the house one day around noon when I figured the new owners would be gone, and clipped several branches. Sneaky, huh?!! Brought them home, soaked them in water and then planted them a few weeks later once they had rooted.
Two of the 20 twigs remained green by the end of the summer, but never grew leaves. I thought for sure they were gonners. I thought for sure they would die over the winter but the following spring those same two twigs turned green again and actually had a few leaves! No blooms though. Still not sure if they will really make it or not.
Yesterday Natalie and I were out in the front yard saying goodbye to Memaw after a short little visit. Before we walked back inside we decided to go check on the roses. I couldn't believe my eyes!! There were BEAUTIFUL blooms, and several of them!! I am so thankful that these bushes have been successful...their roots are from the very bushes that my grandpa planted years and years ago. Seems silly, but that means so much to me. I even have the little white bud vase my grandma always used to put the roses in at her house. I can't bring myself to cut these to put in it, but maybe I'll cut one from the next batch of blooms :)
