I couldn't take my eyes off of her.
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| Safrano |
It's amazing how people can change over the years. In high school, Kathy was always sweet and nice and caring. People loved her personality. She had a sparkling laugh. People would tell her jokes just to hear it. And her long, black hair was sleek, smooth, and shiny. If she would have advertised a certain shampoo, I would have bought it.
But Kathy never had a date in high school. We were superficial at that age, and Kathy was not the prettiest girl in the school. Sweet, but not beautiful.
But now, Kathy had changed. I was shocked. She still had the same sweet personality, the same gorgeous hair, and the same sparking laugh. But she was definitely different. She was beautiful. She glowed. Her skin was radiant. She would have made a model jealous. Kathy had blossomed into a beautiful woman.
She was, as my mother would put it, a late bloomer.
The rose Safrano has been a late bloomer for me. Not that she blooms late in the season, but that it took years for her to become a beautiful shrub. She has always had beautiful blooms, just not a lot of them. Each bloom was sweet, with delicate coloring. But, even with just a few blooms, I knew she had potential.
Unfortunately, as a young shrub, she was always bit gangly. Even with her soft blooms and healthy foliage, I wouldn't have called her beautiful. But this year has been different.
Safrano has been in my garden for almost five years. It has taken all these years, but finally, Safrano has begun to bloom in full flushes. She spreads her arms out confidently. She glows with a radiant splendor. This year, she is revealing her beauty.
I can't seem to take my eyes off of her.
I think she will become even more beautiful as the years pass.
Safrano is an old garden tea rose, grows in zones 7 through 9, fragrant, and disease resistant. She has a delicate beauty about her. But in order to see it, you'll have to give her some time. She's a late bloomer.
It's nice that you gave ugly duckling Sarfano the time she needed to become a beautiful swan!
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm glad I did! I think she will eventually be a very beautiful swan indeed!
DeleteSafrano, not a rose we know in Europe, but it is indeed beautiful. On last picture, is that only one shrub? I don't suppose for an old garden tearose, but your patience with her has rewarded.
ReplyDeleteYes! That is one shrub. I've read she only gets to about 3 ft. wide (1 meter), but mine is about twice that - 6 ft tall by 6 ft wide - and growing!
DeleteI've always wanted to grow her. But global warming is going to have to advance a bit before I can grow her. I've tried and failed nevertheless, but I won't try again until I'm sure I won't just be slaughtering a defenseless rose cutting.
ReplyDeleteI understand. I got rid of my gallica that was suffering, and I won't torture another one like that!
Deletesimply gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteI like her! It took me a few years, but slowly I understood her appeal.
DeleteI have a few roses that I think need to get established, I think...but yours was so worth the wait!
ReplyDeleteJanie, the old garden roses do take some time to get established, but I love them - they are big and beautiful. :)
DeleteHolley, this rose is unknown here, in Northern Europe, is it floribunda or tea hybride? Very pretty photos, I love its color!
ReplyDeleteIt is not a Hybrid Tea - it is a Tea - the parent of Hybrid Teas (crossed with Hybrid Perpetuals). I wish they would have named Hybrid Teas another name! Teas and Chinas do well here in our part of the US. She is a rose where you have to get close to really appreciate her delicate coloring.
DeleteIn this impatient world, it's great you gave her the time she needed.
ReplyDeleteI wondered for a few years if I should get rid of her. I guess my laziness saved her! ;)
DeleteSafrano, as you have discovered, needs time and patience for her to come into her own. She is a VERY long-lived rose ... some of the oldest roses at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond are Safrano, with huge trunks. There are lots of Tea roses that are showy and draw your attention ... Safrano is a quiet presence, so simple and beautiful. I will never be without it. Glad you have fallen in love with yours!
ReplyDeleteI am so glad I gave her the time she needed. I love her sweet blooms, and I can tell she is going to get better and better as time goes by.
DeleteI like the way you paralleled this plant with a late blooming high school pal you've seen just recently. Brings back memories here too. High School can be a cruel time especially for late bloomers but yes, funny how people can change in time. Some are late bloomers whilst some of those who bloomed early then are well...
ReplyDeleteIsn't it interesting how people change through the years? I have been very surprised by the way some of my high school friends have changed.
DeleteSafrano is lovely. I don't know if I would have the patience. I have some small starts of Tea roses. I'll have to remember to wait... and wait some more!
ReplyDeleteYes, wait, wait, and then wait a little longer! They are like people - they grow through a very awkward adolescent stage before they fill out and grow into what you expect.
DeleteLovely story, Holley. I am always torn between thinking I should get rid of plants that don't perform after a few years, and wanting to keep giving them more chances. I see-saw from one attitude to the other. In this case, patience paid off beautifully.
ReplyDeleteI do the see-saw thing, too. Usually, I give them more time - I have a hard time getting rid of any plant!
DeleteI enjoyed your comparison of two types of late bloomers.
ReplyDeleteThank you! :)
DeleteYou know a lot of think about rose. I have so many rose, and I haven't know all of their name yet. Maybe next time, you can help me to identify them. Thank you for sharing
ReplyDeleteI don't know all the names of my roses, either. And others I have to look up every time. But some are like old friends - I know them by name. Identifying roses through pictures, though, can be very difficult. There are so many different roses out there!
DeleteThis is a case of patience paying off for you. She is a beauty and one that has been well worth the wait. I do try to give things numerous years if it's something I really want.
ReplyDeleteCher Sunray Gardens
I think sometimes we forget that plants do need time - sometimes more time than we realize! If you would have asked me about this rose a couple of years ago, I wouldn't have had much good to say about it, all due to my impatient human nature!
DeleteYou've given me hope for some of my own roses that are struggling a bit having been in the ground for only a year - I'd never had that experience with old roses before. But I guess I was just lucky in the past. After reading your story about Safrano, there may be hope yet!
ReplyDeleteI do think old roses need much more time than any other plant. I hope your roses stop struggling soon. It's always so discouraging to see them struggle. But, don't give up! They just may surprise you!
DeleteA sweet story and a perfect post to go with it. Patience is a virtue a good gardener masters. Well done!
ReplyDeleteMust be where that saying was started - in the garden! :)
DeleteIt's fun to cheer on the underdog, because often the underdog ends up thriving when others fail. Life and the balance of nature are fascinating, and good for you that you didn't give up on Safrano! Now she's paying you back for your patience and loving care.
ReplyDeleteYes, I believe she is paying me back - and I think I will get lots more than I gave!
DeleteLovely, and a very welcome reminder that sometimes we need to exersise patience with the plants we put in our gardens for them to show what they are truly made of!
ReplyDeleteSometimes they mature a little slower than we like! They really are individuals, just like people!
DeleteHolley what a great lesson to never give up and give those blooms (and people) a chance.
ReplyDeleteFor years, I just averted my eyes when I walked by. But now I think she will become one of my favorite roses!
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