I agree Moses, lets enjoy our springtime, our gardens and our feedom to have them. Is it a perfect system is always what we think it should be , ans absolutely not, but once the opinion had been stated, let it go and move on. There are so many bigger issues to get rilled up about.

Thid supossed to be a fun and encouraging site and has become a battleground of opinions and not always given in a very kind way

It's the silly season. March and April can get rough around here because too many people don't have much going on yet, bloomwise. *I* don't even have roses yet, though I do probably have buds. Just people get edgy this time of year. If it gets too much, take a vacation. I've done it more than once.

A vacation sounds lovely lol

Spring is always hard for me. my roses have started growing and have already beem frozen. next week its suppsed to freeze and snow again, so today i went out and piled extra mulch over all my roses to attempt to keep the new growth from freezing again. I ordered a 6 pack of mini roses from home depot and have a couple of bare roots potted up that move in and out daily, and have gotten a couple blooms on those. love all my spring bulbs that have started putting on a show!

I actually find it freeing - all these issues that have been shoved under a rug are finally out in the open and being discussed. Rose groups have been awful for the past few years, full of greed and misplaced anger and permeated by a huge lack of knowledge. This big shakeup was desperately needed, IMO. I know it won't fix all things, but perhaps it will fix some things.

Also, roses are not busting out here! The only garden task right now is weeding, not my favorite, definitely not exciting. Maybe in another couple of weeks, the first China will bloom.

Sam I hope your weather gets warmer soon. We experience late spring freezes and losing buds is so mortifying. I hope you get lots of blooms soon.

ElfRosa where are you located. I hope you post pictures of your Chinas when they bloom.

@dianela7analabama Western Oregon. I've stopped posting photos, even on helpmefind, because (cue the negativity) they'll just get stolen and used in some influencer's blog.

Moses , today was particularly sweet, the third day now the temperature has reached above 60 degrees in North Idaho. The birds are thrilled, so am I !

This morning Amara looked up at the top of the fence where the neighbor's sunflower on the other side hung it's heavy head last Fall, looking down at her . I hope they will plant another. She remembers everything; if I move a rock , the slightest thing, she notices.

When the CHEWY box arrived Amara knew what that meant.

To counteract the world's sad news or monotony , everyday I read a Hymn from an old duct taped Hymn book, ponder the morning and evening devotion from BlueLetterBible online, read from the KJV Bible, and listen to J Vernon McGee's corny sermon online at bedtime. A good loaf of bread from my favorite bakery to have toast with Amara doesn't hurt .

My roses won't bloom for months from now, and when they do it's sparse. Over the long wait I like to see what everyone on Roses Forum has blooming. I'm crazy over the seeds I am planting, some of my Grandmother's favorite flowers.

( image is from internet )

If anyone had told me decades ago that I would be so content as an old lady living a quiet life, I would not have believed them.

Ah, Moses, I must say I’ve been feeling much the same. But just before I read this thread this evening, I spent a nice quiet half hour walking around my yard, listening to my fountain and smelling the lilacs blooming. I actually do have a few roses blooming as well! Not nearly all of them and Sam, I had some tips freeze back almost a week ago as well. They’ve turned all crispy now. Some of the roses seem unharmed, very random. Berrypie, I almost envy your quiet life. My life is full and schedules rule the day and I find it hard to get any quietness in my days. I do get up early, 5 am, and spend time in prayer and reading Scriptures and I walk an hour before my day gets started. That’s about all the quietness I get. But I’m grateful for a happy, healthy busy family and a garden to bring me so much joy! Here are a few shots of the garden this evening. Happy Child, Marie Ducher, Lavender Lady Lilac, Ducher

dianela7analabama I wonder how many of us here on Houzz do that morning stroll around the garden? I actually do it in the early evenings too! Sometimes, I get a beautiful little surprise after work, like this JP2 that smells heavenly and finally started opening!

judijunebugarizonazn8 Beautiful flowers! Looks like your garden is off to a great start!

My first rose has bloomed, and it was a total surprise: Prairie Peace. Unfortunately, it bloomed while I wasn't looking, and I missed it until after the three open blooms were turned to mush by four days of rain, lol. But it's LOADED with buds. I think this year will finally be the year PP comes into its own. A hybrid spin, it's extremely rare in commerce, and was my unicorn for many years. I think it's going to be worth the wait.

The reason I say it being my first to bloom was a surprise, is that usually my first rose is either General Gallieni, or Maman Cochet, and by a good bit. But many of my roses are ahead this year, in spite of a brutal winter, that was more Z6A than 7B. So that's something!

EDIT: Here's some positivity wafting your way, Moses ;)

Berry pie - love the Amara pics! You mentioned devotions - I like the app Lectio 365 in the evenings. Never corny, always calming, sometimes convicting. Judi - lovely flowers!

Kristine,

First in the hearts of your Roses Forum friends.

Mad Gallica,

I'm trying to figure out who's eating the first leaves of new growth but leaving the tender center growth? Could be slugs. I have some whoppers...big as an index finger, and for these creatures slug bait is ignored. I'll figure it out. Certainly isn't baby bunnies, so this old man says, ha! 😄

Dianela,

Tranquility, what a bloom and what a name for it. Even looks like my beloved Quietness. Tranquility, Quietness, Peace....now these are rose names that may go down in history!

Sam,

I'm still pruning my roses. Got a late start. I'm in no race. Using a battery operated hand pruner, the second one. The first one, which I got 2 yrs. ago has a double trigger function. It's not really necessary, causes missed cuts, resets slow, even for an old man. The new pruner has just one trigger, better performing all around...Gotta' be extremely careful with these things. They mean business. I've thought of tying my free hand to my chest somehow. Would like to keep all my fingers, even the gnarly, arthritic ones! 😖

Elf Rosa,

What a shame. Stealing for all to see. Enter the new age, like it or not. Hey, at least you are getting a compliment. Nobody would steal shots of ugly roses! 🤔

Berrypie,

Amara has a baby face which is what endears Pitbulla and Stafordshires. Some years ago I had a neighbor teen boy who came around visiting me and my dad with is Stafordshire, Soft Tail (Adam's dad was a biker), and I was, ashamed to admit, frightened to death of her. One day I took courage and made nice to her, and from then on I had a four legged buddy of sweet gentleness. A year after my dad's passing I got a Rottweiler pup. First three years he was a joy, next 4.5 yrs. He turned into a vicious dog. He bit two friends, just warning bites, but nonetheless, bites they were. Glad when he died, as much as I loved him.

I was going to plant blue corn flowers in among the shorter roses at the front of my rose bed this spring. Howeve, I have to step into the bed to access the taller roses at the back, and would inevitably step on them, or fall trying not to. So I have to pass on that idea.

McGee was quite an expositor. Pretty sound theology, too. Much needed today. Teach the Word, and comment when necessary only, just to help explain...He did that pretty well. He enlightened me quite a bit.

Judijunebug,

You have more done by lunchtime than most people accomplish in a whole day, me included. It's said that if you want something done ask a busy person to do it! And you set aside time to pray and study the Bible. What beauties you have in your garden. I didn't know Lilacs grew in Arizona. Well I learned something new, thanks!

Andrea,

Aren't Judijunebugs blooms inspirational, as is your PJP bloom!

Susan,

I agree with you entirely. I just felt the extent of criticism hit a crescendo level and stayed there too long, at least for me. My neighbor's dog barks which is fine, but Roxy almost gets to the, 'enough already,' point at times. She is still a sweet girl, came from Greece as a rescue.

more appreciations to follow....

Moses

Fig_Insanity,

Glad you got a pleasant surprise with your first blooms to come from Prairie Peace.

I heartily agree with susan9.

Me too! Geez, too many people here are distressed by something more substantial discussed here than "here are my roses, etc etc". Nothing wrong with that but it's a little tiresome to have only those posts.

@bart bart

Another hand up in supoort of susan. I‘m a freedom of speech fanatic, and this is virtually nothing compated to what I’d shrug and let pass through. (lol).

Yeah, just don't read the stuff you find upsetting. Nobody is making anyone read threads they don't like.

I am a long time lurker who only commented occasionally but has learned so much on these forums from all the regular members. Before coming here I knew about DAs and Hybrid Teas and that was it. These forums helped me learn about all the old roses I had seen in pictures and occasionally in real life. Thanks to these forums I discovered all the dedicated growers distributing the hard to find old roses I love.

One thing I really appreciated was learning the history and providence of many of these roses and the discussions around them. It seems after being gone these last 4-5 years I have come back to a rose world obsessed with getting the latest pretty picture without any thought to where it has come from or its history. And it is fine to just love roses for aesthetic reasons but many (not all!) of these new Etsy sellers don’t seem to have any real passion or curiosity and that makes me sad. This is even without going into legal and ethical questions.

So for me this forum has been a bit rough as well but for different reasons. However, I think these topics are important so I’m glad it’s being discussed as it seems it’s been ignored until recently based on other comments I see.

There are still other threads on blooms and enjoying spring and I go to those when I need a break. Balance is important and I hope we can find that in these forums.

The issue here is that some individuals simply aren't receptive to or don't comprehend the arguments presented by the other side, resorting instead to stalking behavior. While this doesn't personally bother me, it can discourage more sensitive individuals from participating here. To them, I would advise: just ignore it.

It's not a moderated forum, but if someone feels offended by any comment, there's always the option to report it by pressing the flag.

@Heather RR - you've said this very well, it's how I see things also. Thank you for expressing these concerns so perfectly.

It is consumer greed that is behind all of this drama - seeking the new rose, the expensive rose, the imported rose, the instagrammable unboxing. Now we've apparently ended up with several unscrupulous sellers hoping to capitalize on that greed. If we want that to stop, we have to be more thoughtful and discriminating with our purchases. And when we see a photo of a plant that is from a questionable source, ask those tough questions - don't let it slide.

For me, it's pretty clear that I could continue to collect easily obtained OGRs for the rest of my life and never run short of fantastic options.

Ok, I am all for free speech and relevent information . But, after you have laid it all out and someone still decides to go that route, they are being bashed as not being informed or not caring or worse but that is everyones personal decision to make without backlash and being made to feel bad abiut their choice. Im just saying to yry and be gentle

This forum is better than others. At least this one is active. Some of the others get maybe one new post a week. And there's this lady who seems to start an argument with every one of my posts. And it's not just with me. Every day I look to see what nasty reply she made to my posts. More surprising when she doesn't than when she does. Thankfully she doesn't grow roses.

I bought some sedum seeds for $1.99. None of them germinated. Couldn't possibly have been my overwatering or some mold covering the potting soil. I must have been sold pieces of pepper. Is it worth suing for $1.99?

I am glad to see current issues being discussed and not just exclaiming over photos of pretty blooms. There are some disturbing things happening in the nursery trade that we all need to be aware of and this is a great place to discuss it. It won’t all be pretty and we won’t all agree. That’s ok. We need to discuss it anyway. I’m NOT an advocate for the ostrich syndrome. Neither am I known in person as a gentle person who is too sensitive to discuss controversial issues as Bart Bart took me to be earlier on another thread. ( though I’m not offended by the analysis in the least.) So to that degree, I agree with Susan. But I still maintain that there has been a lot of turning on each other, bordering on slander, that has been happening as we discuss these controversial issues. THAT is the part that disturbs me. I do wish we could eliminate that factor. We CAN discuss these things without tearing each other apart.

I guess what I’m trying to say is this: attack the problem, not the people.

One of the reasons I have stuck around this forum was the over all maturity of folks. They could agree to disagree even if they felt very strongly about something. I think that is a very rare quality on forums and social media nowdays. Things have went a little South since the Pandemic, I think. We should allow people to voice their opinions and questions without judging.

We are all rose lovers and on the same vine!(cane what have you..lol)

I am by no means sticking up for bad business practices, patent/$ stealing/shady importing, etc.

It is what it is and I will say it, like it is-whether a business is good or bad. I am not gonna dwell on it though because everyone can make their own decisions on how to deal with information once they have it.

*Back to the non-depressing stuff*

I think it’s also important to realize that not everyone is part of all aspects of the current rose communities in social media. I made some comments in another thread that I think was perceived as an attack which was not my intention at all but once I read more I realized this has been going on across communities and so my comment probably did come across as harping on the same issue they were tired of hearing about.

With that said, it’s one thing to discuss and share your beautiful roses but if a thread is recommending a seller I think it’s fair to voice your concerns but without attacking anyone who has bought roses from them.

The various discussions have been helpful to me. I knew about patents and only to propagate expired patents. I have read some about virused roses and personally want to avoid viruses so had decided to go single source after I got a free rose that had a virus.

But had no idea about the pests or illegally imported roses. These are good things for me to know about. I also think it is good to know about scam rose sellers or ones being sued for not following the rules. So I hope people keep posting about these issues when they come up.

My little rose garden is a great joy and I like using the forum to document the progress of my roses, share info about them and keep track of my thoughts over time. I also use the forum to become more educated on the topic of growing and selecting roses. The various threads on sourcing roses have contributed to that knowledge so I am grateful.

It is spring in CO but no roses here yet. Some of the more cold hardy varieties are starting their leaves. Pruning will wait until after mother's day. Lady in Red will probably get pruned early because of her mass of dead canes.