What I'm learning about roses....

They need sunshine, air and plenty of water. They also need me to set them free so they can continue to sprout vines that travel up the trellis toward the sky. This took me many years to discover. I've had four climbing roses for three years, but they have only begun to climb more than four feet this year and I think that's because I have been sidelined with an injury. Off my feet for over a month, the roses were able to grow without my assistance, and this year, they look better than in previous summers. Hmmm...maybe roses, not ulike many life experiences, need time to unfold, grow according to an inner plan, to honor the mystery of life understood at the cell level. The delicate, pale-pink roses on my wooden trellis, as seen here, seem to know how they wish to grow.