Earth day evening we spent in the rose garden of an old friend, and new friend. When Lisa S. and her family moved into their new home here in Fallon it came with an established landscape that included over a hundred roses and small gardens tucked in throughout. For the last two gardening seasons she has tried to absorb the gardening style that was created by the previous owner, but it never felt "right" to her. As someone who has created her own garden from scratch on a bare acre of land, I understand. The choices that you make in your garden are very personal ones, and while a new home may come with much beauty in many peoples eyes, it is through your eyes that the garden is visited daily. Lisa is a perennial lover and wanted the vibrant colors that accompany them. She is not a rose lover. That is where we step in, we are. So on Earth Day this year Jaime put together a little group of us to gather at Lisa's home to assist her in removing some of the roses that were in areas she wanted to recreate into her own. The gardens had previously belonged to a good friend of the majority of us that were there, so we had walked on these paths many times and knew the significance of some of the plantings. It was with these memories that we realized the importance of digging these roses out and preserving them so that they could be planted in our own yards. Enter Sooz, our Rose Queen and expert on all things rose related. After a short little demo, we all got to digging. A few broken shovels later and the pots we had brought were full and the original tags on the roses had been recovered to lend an aid to identifying the types of roses so we would know where to replant them in our own gardens. As the evening wore on the skies opened with first tears of rain and thunder and a massive shower of pink crab apple petals falling to the earth ~ and then the ahhh moment when we looked up and not one, but two rainbows graced the sky. It was a beautiful evening, and as we watch the roses rebloom and thrive in our own yards in the years ahead, one we will all remember. Now, we will wait anxiously to visit Lisa's garden once more when the areas she designs and plants will be her own.
