I LOVE roses. Years ago, we lived next to an elderly couple that were "rosearians." They had over 150 rose bushes, and had each one labeled with what variety it was. They were huge fans of the old garden roses more than the hybrid teas, but they had everything from miniature roses to shrub roses. As I type I can remember Mr. W's voice telling me about "rosa rugosa alba" and "rosa rugosa rubra." I'd watch him prune his plants, putting a dab of Elmer's glue wherever he cut to stop rose borers from destroying his plants. They would take cuttings of roses and compete at rose shows and came home with ribbons every time. Throughout the summer, I would get tours, over and over again. Luckily some of what I learned from them stuck in my brain, but mostly what I developed was an appreciation for the beauty of roses.
I love my roses, but I think Japanese Beetles love them more. I know they are the adult version of grubs and even if we treat our lawn, they are always going to be there SOMEWHERE. And sure enough, as summer rolls on I have accepted that Japanese Beetles are something we just have to live with. If you take soapy water, you can manually pick them off, something one of my daughters oddly enjoys doing. They seem pretty slow moving and even shaking them into the water is amazingly successful. Unfortunately, the beetles seem to really reach their peak when we are on vacation and by time we get home, they've already done their damage.
One of my neighbors got so disgusted with the beetles, he ripped out all of his rose bushes. I gladly salvaged them, which means more roses but also more beetles for me.
But they're so beautiful, and I remember our "rose" neighbors before we moved away and how much I learned from them, before sadly Mrs. W passed away and Mr. W went into a nursing home. When I look at my roses, I think of them....
