The Saga of the Red Rose

Hybrid tea rose "Oklahoma"

So I do want to share the story behind this rose bush. First a little back story. My step dad passed away in 2009 which broke my mother's heart. Mom passed in January of this year. They both donated their bodies to science and what remained was cremated and returned to us. They were so much in love from the time they met in 1972. They both said they were soulmates. Pop bought mom flowers all the time, for almost anything he could think of, their first date anniversary, wedding anniversary, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, Valentines Day,  her birthday, Mothers Day and sometimes just because. Many of those bouquets were red roses.

Now the other day I was out doing errands and had a strong and sudden urge to go to Golden Hill Nursery. Have no idea why. I was not planning to buy any new stuff for the garden right now. I have plenty of everything. But I looked around and all the roses were blooming. Now I really love yellow roses, but the two kinds that were there did not have much fragrance and that is an absolute requirement, roses should have a good strong 'rose' scent to them. So I sniffed some of the other colors. And I kept coming back to this one. Had a lovely strong rose smell to it. And so I bought it. I didn't have any idea where the heck I was going to plant it.

I set it by the front steps with some other plants to make sure it got watered and last evening it came to me. I would plant the rose bush beside the front steps and add Mom and Pop's ashes to the hole. And now they are guardians of my gate.