"Emil" wrote in message ...
Hi group,

Out of curiosity...How did everybody start with their hobby, more like a
passion :-) of roses? Did you learn by watching parents plant roses? Is
growing roses your occupation, any of you own a nursery? Etc. Etc.

As for me, when we bought our first house a couple of years ago, we bought 4
roses. Everytime we went to the nursery, we came home with more and more
roses. Final count at our old house was close to 35 rose bushes that I
planted from bareroots.

So what's everybody story?

Emil

When I was a kid, my uncle bought me a couple of roses. I followed his
instructions about fertilizing etc. religiously, and, boy, that first
bloom was something! Alas, when the summer came (back home in India,
the mild winter is the time whne you grow roses), the grafted variety
died, and the suckers was all that was left. I did not pursue the
hobby any more after that. So, when I moved into Portland, the Rose
City, I thought it was time to get back a part of my childhood...

Debu.

P.S. Last year, I took 5 roses (Double Delight, Mr. Lincoln, New
Zealand, Dolly Parton, Secret) for that uncle of mine. So far they
have been doing great. I also gave him some water-absorbing polymer so
that the plants don't get dry in the summer. Just keeping my fingers
crossed...