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Old 09-04-2003, 06:32 PM
Susan H. Simko
 
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Default How did everybody get started with their rose hobby?

Emil wrote:

So what's everybody story?


Great idea! Thanks!

My paternal grandmother and maternal great grandmother were avid
gardeners and i used to help in their gardens. After my parents
divorce, we never owned another home again when I lived at home so I
never had the opportunity for a garden until I loved out on my home. I
indulged in my first rose then - a chicago peace - and she bloomed
beautifully in southwest PA. However, I knew *nothing* about gardening
or plants. I think I simply believed that if you planted something, it
would *just* grow but roses were always the Queen of Plants to me.

After I moved down here and my ex-husband and I bought a house, I tried
to plant roses again. Silly me, put the roses under the trees next to
my pond. Dead roses *real* quick. Then, I bought some houseplants -
dead houseplants real quick again. At this point the belief that I was
born to kill plants happened. Never did the thought cross my mind that
it was a totally tree lined lot with a completely shaded house and
*just* perhaps the full sun plants I was buying were inappropriate for
the area.

Fast forward to six years ago - my stepfather who raised me and I adored
died after a long bout with leukemia. Fuqua sent a peace lily to the
funeral and my mother gave it to me to take home. I was terrified but
became determined that I *had* to keep this plant alive. Research mode
finally set in. *grin*

When my s.o. and I bought our house two years ago, one of the reasons we
bought it was for the lot placement and the amount of light in the
house. Gardening passion set its hooks into me as soon as we finished
the interior of the house and I've not looked back since.

Gardening is my therapy these days. My family is going through an
incredibly tough time the last couple of months and nothing makes me
feel better than to be able to get out into the garden for the day.

Susan
s h simko at duke dot edu