Mother Nature ALWAYS has the last word!


Last year I planted a Tea rose and it grew very well with some blooms lasting well into December. But come spring, nothing grew, no leaf buds, literally no sign of life. Up until then, there had been no sign of distress or anything that indicated the plant was dying.

I began looking at the raised bed I’d planted it in and realized the dirt I put into each of my bed had packed down, thus exposing the crown of the rose.  I has witnessed the dirt settling in other beds, but didn’t consider the problem it would cause with my roses.  As a result, I added soil and amendments into each bed, then laid a layer of mulch.
I did not, however, dig up the rose bush.  I tried to wiggle the base of the plant so when it didn’t move, which meant the roots were still solid. But still nothing happened.
As I always do, I made a note of it in my garden journal and ignored the plan while trying to complete my other gardening projects. Then I went out this past weekend, thinking it was time to rid my garden of the unsightly stump and look what I found.  A branch sprouting from the center of the crown! (Yep, the one in the picture.)
Needless to say, I was overjoyed at the sight of it…an emotion only an avid gardener would experience!  And, yes, if you were nearby, you probably saw me do my own little happy dance.  J
But, I walked away with several lessons that I learned from it.  Which I will make note of in my gardening journal:
**Don’t assume a perennial has died, give it time to rejuvenate.  It may just surprise you.
**Watch out for shrinking soil levels with new raised beds.  Time and the elements will make the dirt settle.
**Mulch roses in the fall.  If I had looked at them then, I may not have had this problem.
Your turn:  Have you ever had a plant resurrect itself?

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