You only live once. There are things you probably won't be able to do- win the Kentucky Derby, participate in the Olympics, go to the moon. But you can have as many roses as you can afford and have room for.
Growing old with regrets is sad. Don't pass up buying roses if they make you happy, you will regret that.
And full of buds, how could you walk away?

Sorry, Nik, but if you're looking for help here you've come to the wrong place, lol! We're enablers! Good finds!!!!

Sadly, it happens every day. I went to a nursery two days ago and saw a line of 'Jump for Joy' (a new Weeks rose) that tempted me just a bit too much. I came in to get a few trailing plants for new tall pots, but of course I left with a rose in tow. I got one covered in buds. I figure it should do fairly well with 'Julia Child' in its parentage.

It was next to a line of 'Hot Cocoa's which made for a very striking look. I haven't yet planted 'Dragon's Blood' for my mom, so they may be destined to go near each other in her garden. She's quite fond of very bold roses -she LOVES 'Disneyland'- so I'm sure she'd find a spot for it if I passed 'Jump for Joy' on to her.

Jay

Ooo! Jay, looked that one up and it's really pretty! I think it would lovely with Hot Cocoa and Disneyland Rose!

Well! Temptation beyond endurance......only dire finances stopped my finger with the second Beales offer.....and I immediately launched into another seed ordering frenzy (feeling virtuous though, as these are all veggies).....

How could you pass up on buds!

And, as you well know, there will be no stopping on this forum.......I never even heard the term enabler, much less knew what it meant.....until enrolling here. Despite a clear warning of the ninja rose buying which goes on here, to the point of insanity (thanks, Ingrid - you were that woman), even I, legendarily cheap, was swept away in the fever. So yeah, if you are expecting sense, rational behaviour, reticence......dream on.

Went in for hanging baskets. Came back with Firefighter and another Souvenier de la Malmaison on Fort.

Nik, you absolutely did the right thing!! It would have been a shame to walk away from a sample of nature's bounty. This way you're just showing your appreciation and in my view that's commendable.

Just enjoy yourself. A new rose is a promise of beauty and joy. If you truly find you don't have room you can pass it on to someone else.

I am going to Tyler tomorrow with a friend. We will be in the neighborhood of Chamblees. Think we're not going to stop? Think I am not going to buy something? Why stop if you aren't going to buy? We are going in my truck - think I am coming home with an empty truck bed?? I figure there are people with habits lots worse than mine......If you really cant find room, pot it up, enjoy it and you may need a lovely gift for a friend one day.....Enjoy, have fun and celebrate spring!

Judith

I say go for it! The first time I left Chamblees in Tyler I had 8 roses in the bed of my truck and we had only just walked in to look around. I will heading that way in a few weeks to buy my first DA roses and I can't wait. I'm sure I will leave with more than I have on my list.

Nik, I don't know how long you've been a rose gardener, but it's taken me years and years to get over rose lust. And it was such fun while it lasted. I finally wore myself out after gaining a terrible reputation here as someone who ripped out roses almost as soon as they were planted, only to put a "better one" in its place. True, my garden is extra-hot and a lot of roses didn't relish their stay here. Right now my biggest thrill is to see my many little roses grow to maturity so that my garden will look like it did three or four years ago (yes, my garden has actually grown backwards). Happily, I'm now getting more joy out of seeing my roses growing bigger and blooming than I did in buying new ones (camp, I swear it's true). It's almost a relief to get off the merry-go-round of buying, but if you aren't ready for that stage yet, enjoy the buying part to the utmost. It's not only fun but it's a learning process. You won't know what to buy until you find out what you shouldn't have bought (or is that only me?).

Ingrid

I am glad I am not the only one!
However you can NEVER have too many roses.
Daisy

Nik, I think it's sort of like trying to contain a puddle of water on a tabletop with your hands - you can block it in a few spots but it will run around and escape somewhere else. I think you are perfectly normal. (And how could I think otherwise, having the same problems myself, LOL.)

And Ingrid, I think you have some very valuable experience to share. How can we know what might be best in our gardens if we are not able to let go of a mistake purchase and move on? How will we surround ourselves with the best roses if we refuse to try out anything new because we commit ourselves as caretakers of a bunch of mistakes? While I must disagree with Daisy about never having too many roses (as space and time and energy are definitely limited) I think we should never shut ourselves off from something new, even if that means trading out something less than loved for it.

We could start a post on "Things I could have spent money on instead of roses:" to make ourselves feel better...
hashish, spandex, an AMC Pacer...the list could be endless:)

I like to compare it to the cost of 2 bundles of cut roses. A bouquet will last maybe 10 days & it's done. If the plants were only to give you their current blossoms & never to bloom again, you're already ahead on value. And in this wonderrful crowd, I'm a slow buyer. Enjoy!

Hoorah!!

Come June I will be able to afford lots more roses!!!

Just found out the company I work for will be relocating their offices to a place much closer to where I live. That will cut my commuting driving distance by half plus I won't have to use the toll road anymore. I currently live about 30miles away from work and with the cost of petrol (gasoline for US people), which I won't mention in case you guys in the States have a heart attack, plus the pricey tolls (about $7 daily) , I will be saving about $300 per month.

Now let me see... Darn, electricity prices are going up and income taxes too. Well, the thought was good while it lasted... about 1 minute that is. Still, I'm not complaining, it could have been worse; electricity and taxes going up and the office remaining where it is.
Nik

This post was edited by nikthegreek on Fri, Mar 14, 14 at 11:51

vasue, you're right about the cut roses. I used to enjoy buying a dozen long-stemmed roses for special occasions, but now I view them as a bit of a waste as I can buy a rose bush (for around the same price) that will bloom thru November. Now that's $$ well spent! The gift that keeps on giving....

I will agree with Ingrid. For a number of years a lot of roses cycled in and out of my garden. But it is true that there is a different satisfaction in watching roses come into their own, and that takes time.

For all of us there is an upper limit, though some of us have not yet found it. That limit can be imposed by space, by water, by ability to tend, but it is there for all of us.

You'll know it when you reach it. But don't beat yourself up over a few roses along the way.

Rosefolly

This post was edited by rosefolly on Fri, Mar 14, 14 at 13:24

Lol Nik. You are so normal. I posted on here a few weeks ago. The title was Am I the only one that can't stop buying roses. I got a good laugh out of the replies, because I was reassured that I was normal. So what did I do?. I went out and bought some more. 27 this season so far. That brings my rose total to 97 in 5 years of rose buying. I planned to stop at 100. Three more in the fall. My yard is just 8100 sq feet. So I really need to stop. Commiserations my friend. But we're all in the same boat. I wonder if any rosarians have ever been studied so we can figure out this rose buying frenzy. Yet despite the composting,pruning and watering. We continue. Sigh! What a great hobby!

I LOVE Toolbelt's comment: "These people are not normal"....hahaha

Nik, congratulations on the good things about to happen to you. If you're saving $300, half of that can go to increasing taxes and electricity and the other half.......you guessed it, I don't have to say it.

You'll know instinctively when you're reached your buying limit. We rose maniacs take a long time to reach that limit, but it is there, waiting until you're ready, and then suddenly your mind will kick into a different gear, and you'll know the different joy of studying your garden with the view of optimizing the growth and beauty of what you already have, and right now, especially with the spring flush coming on (one month early), that is a very thrilling reality also.

Toolbelt, I loved your post. Little did you suspect that an innocent, simple question would plunge you into a nest of rose maniacs. Who'd have thought? Unless you're a tough, macho ex-Marine who can withstand anything, you too might be enticed, without realizing it until it's too late, into becoming a rose maniac.....

Ingrid

There was a time when money was tight (tighter?) that I counted every non-necessity in how many rose bushes it would buy if I had not make that purchase. Twenty or thirty dollars? Nope, one rose bush. You, Nik, have scored! Two rose bushes for 10 euros. You should be a purchasing agent.

Cath

So Ingrid , what is the difference between a Rose Society and a group of rose maniacs ?

Nik, you did a good thing. Last year when my obsession with roses gained attention of my family, I received Flora Danica as a gift from my mum and sister. This rose is really divine- great strong scent and flowers last long.

This post was edited by Soncna on Sat, Mar 15, 14 at 9:31

I don't know...I think it's perfectly normal to be a certified rose nut! Some of my best friends are. I think it's the people who DON'T like roses that are nuts!

damask, a Rose Society sounds to me like a group of more orderly, sane people who probably have a nice garden of hybrid teas and floribundas. Rose maniacs would be......us.

Ingrid

The thrill I get from one rose bloom is better than almost anything else that I have to spend money on.

This time of year, I practically get high just walking in a nursery--even a big box store. The colors, the scents, the new plants, the bargains...I start running around like a cockroach.

I've been scrounging bloomed-out daffodils & dianthus from Lowe's, ooing & ahhing at the plox, marigolds & alyssium.

And, yeah, picking up body bags--Deja Blue, Kordes Perfecta, Gold Glow, Sunsprite, Mirandy, Proud Land...

Just got Jude, Blue for You & Penelope from Chamblees.
Orangeade, Louis Odier, Gruss an Coberg, Amelia Earhart, Aunt Margy's Rose, & Mme. Jules Bouche from Burling.

I don't care. They bring me joy all year & just keep getting better as they mature. I love going outside & seeing their flowers. Our peaches & plums are blooming like crazy & all those daffs I planted last year are blooming all over--they are gorgeous. Next to pets, I can't think of anything that gives so much pleasure as flowers.

bluegirl, you voiced exactly the way I feel. It really is a high, the best kind.