Jared77
Garden Addicted
So this is my project that I decided to take on without realizing what I was getting into.
At my station we have 4 rose bushes on the W side of the building. They were easily 6ft high, overgrown, scraggly and in dire need of some TLC.
Well the first year I was here I didn't pay much attention to them because Zi figured the city cared for them. I respond in a very small town (the kind of place that everybody knows everybody and high school football is king. Literally 1 traffic light in town very rural small town USA). I would deadhead the roses trying to see if I could get another flush of blooms out of them but that was really it.
Well one day someone walking by said "I'm so glad to see someone caring for those roses! They've been needing someone to care for them."
Well come to find out they had been untouched for years. So of course I took it upon myself to care for them since they were orphans for the past 8 yrs. I went and bought an extra set of pruners and leather gloves to keep at the station and a bottle of Bayer time release rose food. The stuff in the blue bottle. Was the only thing Gilroys (the hardware store with the creaky wooden floors that I swear is a time capsule) carried. Beggars can't be choosers.
The reason they were orphans was this station used to house the volunteer EMS service up until 8 yrs ago. The town really is that small. We only have 1 officer on duty at any given moment and there is a volunteer fire service. Well eventually the liability insurance became too much for the city as EMS grew from scoop and run to more and more advanced treatment outside the hospital so they contracted out their EMS service, a Paramedic shift opened up later so here I am for the last 2 years.
Anyway there was a housewife by the name of Betty who used to respond here for calls. Since her kids were grown she used to spend a lot of time up here and decided to plant flowers to make the station look nice. She took a lot of pride in what she find and wanted the station to reflect that.
My station
There are irises and some hostas in the front flower box for the flag pole as well as these roses on the side of the station.
The roses are tucked under the overhang along the side of the building there behind the flower box & flag pole.
So we all know harsh the winter of 2013 was. Well I went and pruned back what I knew was dead wood and waited. Well the forsythia bloomed and I fed the roses. Once new growth started to appear 2 of them looked good and I knew would be fine. They are canary yellow and very pretty in a traditional classic yellow rose. I have no idea what variety they are.
Yellow rose bushes
I just noticed the cigarette butt, there is adult education that meets behind our station so I'm forever policing the area after them.
The other 2 are a warm orange/pink color. Slightly smaller blooms but every bit as beautiful as their yellow blooming neighbors. The colors compliment one another very well too.
Well they looked like this
Both of them. I figured they had finally had enough and were done for. I pruned them way back to the picture you see there to make it easier to remove them.
Then I saw something
ITS ALIVE!!!!!!!!!! I literally did a war whoop and a happy dance which Im sure us the current subject of the gossip in town but I don't care it's alive! I was so relieved to see this new growth!
At my station we have 4 rose bushes on the W side of the building. They were easily 6ft high, overgrown, scraggly and in dire need of some TLC.
Well the first year I was here I didn't pay much attention to them because Zi figured the city cared for them. I respond in a very small town (the kind of place that everybody knows everybody and high school football is king. Literally 1 traffic light in town very rural small town USA). I would deadhead the roses trying to see if I could get another flush of blooms out of them but that was really it.
Well one day someone walking by said "I'm so glad to see someone caring for those roses! They've been needing someone to care for them."
Well come to find out they had been untouched for years. So of course I took it upon myself to care for them since they were orphans for the past 8 yrs. I went and bought an extra set of pruners and leather gloves to keep at the station and a bottle of Bayer time release rose food. The stuff in the blue bottle. Was the only thing Gilroys (the hardware store with the creaky wooden floors that I swear is a time capsule) carried. Beggars can't be choosers.
The reason they were orphans was this station used to house the volunteer EMS service up until 8 yrs ago. The town really is that small. We only have 1 officer on duty at any given moment and there is a volunteer fire service. Well eventually the liability insurance became too much for the city as EMS grew from scoop and run to more and more advanced treatment outside the hospital so they contracted out their EMS service, a Paramedic shift opened up later so here I am for the last 2 years.
Anyway there was a housewife by the name of Betty who used to respond here for calls. Since her kids were grown she used to spend a lot of time up here and decided to plant flowers to make the station look nice. She took a lot of pride in what she find and wanted the station to reflect that.
My station
There are irises and some hostas in the front flower box for the flag pole as well as these roses on the side of the station.
The roses are tucked under the overhang along the side of the building there behind the flower box & flag pole.
So we all know harsh the winter of 2013 was. Well I went and pruned back what I knew was dead wood and waited. Well the forsythia bloomed and I fed the roses. Once new growth started to appear 2 of them looked good and I knew would be fine. They are canary yellow and very pretty in a traditional classic yellow rose. I have no idea what variety they are.
Yellow rose bushes
I just noticed the cigarette butt, there is adult education that meets behind our station so I'm forever policing the area after them.
The other 2 are a warm orange/pink color. Slightly smaller blooms but every bit as beautiful as their yellow blooming neighbors. The colors compliment one another very well too.
Well they looked like this
Both of them. I figured they had finally had enough and were done for. I pruned them way back to the picture you see there to make it easier to remove them.
Then I saw something
ITS ALIVE!!!!!!!!!! I literally did a war whoop and a happy dance which Im sure us the current subject of the gossip in town but I don't care it's alive! I was so relieved to see this new growth!
May the (life) force be with you
